[2] The term was coined by King for certain high surfaces in southern Africa.
Over the years he redefined it various times leaving some confusion not on its reality but on the matter of its precise meaning and extent.
[4] According to the 2008 study the African Surface is made up by etchplains formed between 70 and 40 million years ago.
In this sense the existence of parts of the African Surface at different elevations is the result of continental-scale warping due to endogenic forces.
Subdued regions include the Congo Basin where the African Surface lies about 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level and the Turkana Gap.