[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
[en] Landscape Ecological Survey of the Bipindi-Akom II ... - ITTO
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The Ntem complex is comparable to to <strong>the</strong> Calcium-magnesium complex. The The Nyong series consist<br />
<strong>of</strong> meta-sedim<strong>en</strong>tary rocks which are are composed <strong>of</strong> migmitates, gneiss, quartzites quartzites and<br />
amphibolites. In addition, in in <strong>the</strong> Lolodorf region, some small l<strong>en</strong>ses <strong>of</strong> ferro-magnesian rocks rocks<br />
are found, such as amphibolites, diorites and gabbros, forming discontinuous bands bands with a<br />
g<strong>en</strong>eral NE-SW direction.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> pres<strong>en</strong>t survey, mainly mainly gneisses <strong>of</strong> various composition were found, as well as locally<br />
granites, migmatites, migmatites, amphibolites, diorites and gabbros. Soils developed under a humid humid tropical<br />
climate climate on <strong>the</strong>se metamorphic metamorphic and igneous rocks will be composed <strong>of</strong> clay clay minerals (mainly<br />
kaolinite) with quartz quartz sand and iron(hydr)oxides. These soils soils are acid and have low nutri<strong>en</strong>t<br />
cont<strong>en</strong>ts.<br />
The overall tectonic direction in <strong>the</strong> Basem<strong>en</strong>t complex is NNE-SSW. Two synclinal zones and<br />
one anticlinal zone can be distinguished in South Cameroon. The first synclinal zone coincides<br />
ess<strong>en</strong>tially with <strong>the</strong> Sanaga valley, <strong>the</strong> second occupies Cameroon's sou<strong>the</strong>rn border and and<br />
disappears under <strong>the</strong> coastal coastal basins. The anticlinal structure is composed <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> metamorphic<br />
complex <strong>of</strong>Ntem which forms an ext<strong>en</strong>sion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ebolowa-Ambam granite zone (Franqueville,<br />
1973).<br />
Mineral resources <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> geological formations in this part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country are not economically<br />
exploitable (Franqueville, 1973).<br />
2.5 GEOMORPHOLOGY<br />
The Atlantic coast <strong>of</strong> Southwest Cameroon is characterized by large swampy areas in <strong>the</strong> Douala<br />
basin while southwards a rocky coastline is pres<strong>en</strong>t. Going eastward, <strong>the</strong> landscape changes from<br />
low altitude sedim<strong>en</strong>tary plains to erosional plains and plateaus <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Precambrian shield with<br />
altitudes betwe<strong>en</strong> 600 and and 1000 m as!. The interface betwe<strong>en</strong> <strong>the</strong> sedim<strong>en</strong>tary plain and <strong>the</strong><br />
Precambrian shield is only revealed by a few rapids in <strong>the</strong> larger rivers. Within <strong>the</strong> Precambrian<br />
shield four erosional plateaus, corresponding with 100, 200-300, 400-500 and 600-800 m asl,<br />
can can be distinguished. The plateaus plateaus at 200-300 and 600-800 600-800 m asl respectively, correspond with<br />
<strong>the</strong> erosion surfaces African <strong>II</strong> and I (Franqueville, 1973).<br />
Fluvial processes have have shaped shaped <strong>the</strong> landforms in <strong>the</strong> rec<strong>en</strong>t past. Eolian, glacial or or periglacial<br />
processes did did not affect <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cameroonian Precambrian shield.<br />
The TCP research area is on <strong>the</strong> transition betwe<strong>en</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastal coastal plain and <strong>the</strong> Precambrian Precambrian shield shield<br />
forming <strong>the</strong> interior plateau (Segal<strong>en</strong>, (Segal<strong>en</strong>, 1967). As a result <strong>the</strong> TCP TCP research area is<br />
geomorphologically geomorphologically diverse. In <strong>the</strong> western western part plains dominate dominate whereas whereas <strong>the</strong> eastern part is<br />
mountainous. The altitude ranges from 40 m asl in <strong>the</strong> western part to more than 1000 m asl in<br />
<strong>the</strong> eastern part. The c<strong>en</strong>tral area is intermediate in both landform and altitude. A more elaborate<br />
literature review on landforms in <strong>the</strong> TCP research area is pres<strong>en</strong>ted in section 4.1.<br />
2.6 SOILS<br />
The soils <strong>of</strong> Southwest Cameroon have be<strong>en</strong> described and mapped at scale 1 :2,000,000 and<br />
1: 1,000,000 (Segal<strong>en</strong>, 1957; Martin and Segal<strong>en</strong>, 1966). Three major soil types are<br />
distinguished. The deep, moderately well to well drained, yellowish brown tropical clay soils;<br />
'les sols ferrallitiquesjaunes sur les roches acides (gneiss)' in <strong>the</strong> original Fr<strong>en</strong>ch d<strong>en</strong>omination,<br />
20