Sehr geehrter Herr Kaiser,

this a paper is newer than the 1960s and provides you with a lithofacies terrain model, considering all the models on peneplains for Eastern Africa which I could avail of myself.

Good luck

H.G.Dill

If I feed peneplain into the search function under contributions at RG several useful, recent articles appear.

Try Landforms and Geology of Granite Terrains, 2005, Ed. Balkema

A peneplain anywhere is just a stripped etch surface developed on any type of rocky substrate

William Morris Davis is gone.  This guy dont know what plate tectonics it is

William Morris Davis was one of the greater geologists we have ever had and his model is not gone. In any case for planation evidence in Ethiopia have a look at some of my papers.  COLTORTI M., DRAMIS F. & OLLIER C., 2007. Planation surfaces in northern Ethiopia. Geomorphology, 89, 3-4, 287-296.  

COLTORTI M., FIRUZABADI D., BORRI A., FANTOZZI P., PIERUCCINI P., 2015. Planation surfaces and the long therm geomorphological evolution of Ethiopia. Billi P. Ed. Landscapes and landforms of Ethiopia, Springer Ed., 117-136. ISSBN 978-94-017-8025-4, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8026-1_5 

Eppur se muove. W.M D. was a good geologist, no doubt, but should we study the geomorphology introducing the new methods of dating (cosmogenic nuclides), plate tectonics, and in general the new criteria ofrelief evolution.

That's exactly the problem, what old age means exactly ?. In my opinion the penillanuras (peneplain) are remnants of the surface of Pangea. The existence of erosion surfaces have to be demonstrated with the corresponding deposits. I think more on etche surfaces because the regolith (soil) is easier to remove . After the fragmentation of Pangea the river system enters the penillanuras (peneplains) that and in this case, are dismantled by river erosion as evidenced by the forms and deposits. I do not think that  penillanuras (peneplains) are forming even today. At least not as well developed as those of Pangea times

Kenneth,

My question about the meaning of old age was simply rhetoric. Normally we speak of very wide ages, Precambrian age, Cretaceous age , Cenozoic age, etc. But we need to establish a more precise age of fpeneplain formation. That is what allows us to adjust the model of the evolution of the relief. A penillanura is simply an inner area of Pangea that was not affected by erosion over millions of years. Peneplain is a term with a conceptual meaning that is not always correct. I try to avoid it. The geomorphological evolution of knowledge, mainly the theory of plate tectonics and the new dating methods that WMD did not know, have demonstrated this. It may be an alternative etchplain, or just plain. I do not know which can be an alternative term

the best term in my opinion is "planation surface" that is not linked to a genetic model although personally I mostly agree with the Davisian model. I also do not agree that planation surface come from the remodelling of the old Pangea surface. Planation surfaces are found everywhere also on terrains that are much younger as it occurs in Ethiopia,  I described a planation surface also in South America where the Altiplano is a dissected planations surface. The evidence of a planation surface of Middle Pliocene age is also found in Italy. The chronology come from the planated rocks below (that include Early Pliocene terrains) and the rocks that bury the surface that are Late Pliocene(Pleistocene rocks. Juan my experience with the new dating methods, especially cosmogenics but also other radiometric datings was not always positive. I prefer classic dating methods. 

Mauro II agree with you that the term planation surface is very suitable. Regarding the existence of planation surfaces in areas other than Africa, in NW Spain  there are some good examples although they are od Mesozoic age. Regarding cosmogenic dating with stable isotopes (21Ne) I've gotten very good results in Spain and Argentina. The crucial point is to select very carefully the sampling location. Classical methods of dating, in my opinion they are also good but less accurate.

dear Juan, I have been in central Italy with Darryl Granger, one of the best specialist for cosmogenics, looking for the best place for apply cosmogenics to fluvial deposits for which we know an approximate age thanks to other radiometric methods. For deposits that are 14-11 ka old we have got ages of ca. 40 ka. In the Late Pleistocene there are other methods that allow you to cross check the data but for the older deposits this is rarely true. Practically you got an age but it is a blind result. For Middle Pleistocene deposits we have got ages with un uncertainty of +- 200 Ka !!! Now it is up to you if you want to trust the method.

Dear mauro,

Not all cosmogenic isotopes are equal. Not all materials to be dated allow obtaining reliable datings. I have worked with rock surfaces (surfaces of glacial erosion, etched surfaces, rocky motions). The results are very good. I know, the same stable cosmogenic isotope, 21Ne, has been used to date shingle beachs or fluvial terraces, and the results are not as good. I agree with you that all dating methods have advantages and disadvantages. It is not easy to date old surfaces or sediments.

Regional groundwater U-turns, rejected recharge and hydraulically perched groundwater sapping beneath divides may all be pieces of the peneplain puzzle (Elfrink, 2009).  Drainage basin disruption can create conditions favorable for the formation of low relief landscapes.  Migrating regional groundwater drainage divides tend to reject deep recharge and focus groundwater sapping into relatively shallow stress-relief fractures.   The concentrated flow can help explain why in situ peneplain development (Yang et al., 2015; Brocard et al., 2012) and intense stream incision (Yanites et al, 2013) are associated with drainage reorganization. Relatively recent river network disruptions (Conti, 2012) may be a plausible explanation for East African peneplain development.  The same long-wavelength crustal tilting (Moucha & Forte, 2011) that disrupts river networks can also add an upwelling discharge component to the sapping system. This increase in subsurface erosion efficiency is not directly related to atmospheric recharge or local topography.  Upwelling groundwater from distal sources tends to create sparsely dissected landscapes (Marra, et al. 2015). I suspect planation in Malawi is related to the northward migration of the growing Zambezi Basin catchment divide.

What happens during peneplain evolution?

Peneplains evolve by seepage-induced cliff recession and “..spatially averaged lowering of the surface by chemical denudation” (Higgins, 1990).  Subsurface erosion causes “surface lowering following volume decrease and compaction in the regolith …as vast quantities of dissolved minerals are carried in rivers and groundwaters”  (Twidale & Romani, 2005). 

REFERENCES

Brocard et al, 2012,

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248137749_Rate_and_processes_of_river_network_rearrangement_during_incipient_faulting_The_case_of_the_Cahabon_River_Guatemala

Conti, 2012.  Paleodrainage Systems.

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/30386.pdf

Elfrink, 2009

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264040668_Active_Erosion_of_Flat_Interfluve_Summits_Above_the_Multi-storey_Artesian_Ozark_Aquifer

Higgins, 1990, page 166 and page 291

https://books.google.com/books?id=4jFmf4cGyRYC

Marra et al., 2015

http://www.earth-surf-dynam.net/3/389/2015/esurf-3-389-2015.pdf

Moucha & Forte, 2011

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252840269_Changes_in_African_topography_driven_by_mantle_convection

Yang et al., 2015

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275360664_In_situ_low-relief_landscape_formation_as_a_result_of_river_network_disruption

Yanites et al, 2013 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256475092_High_magnitude_and_rapid_incision_from_river_capture_Rhine_River_Switzerland

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/30386.pdf

https://books.google.com/books?id=4jFmf4cGyRYC

http://www.earth-surf-dynam.net/3/389/2015/esurf-3-389-2015.pdf

Article Rate and processes of river network rearrangement during inc...

Conference Paper Active Erosion of Flat Interfluve Summits Above the Multi-st...

Article Changes in African topography driven by mantle convection

Article In situ low-relief landscape formation as a result of river ...

Article High magnitude and rapid incision from river capture: Rhine ...