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The African surficial lithology dataset is a map of parent materials - a mix of bedrock geology and unconsolidated surficial materials classes. The goal was to produce a map that reflected the key geological parent materials which act as primary determinants in the distribution of African vegetation /ecosystems. It is a compilation and reclassification of twelve digital geology, soil and lithology databases. Nineteen surficial lithology classes were delineated in Africa based on geology, soil and landform. Whenever available, multiple sources of ancillary digital data, hard copy maps and literature were reviewed to assist in the reclassification of the source data to the African surficial lithology classification. Of particular note, due to the varying spatial and classification resolutions of the geologic source data, the African surficial lithology map varies in spatial complexity and classification detail across Africa. |