It is the result of the Thamalakane fault - which began to form about two million years ago by the geological process of rifting that is currently splitting Africa apart along the East African Rift.

One of the main channels draining the Okavango Delta is the Boro River.

Roughly 40 km to the west, the water found a break in the Thamalakane Fault.

[1] In older days, the Boro fed not only the Thamalakane River but also smaller channels like the Boronyana and Shashe.

Water supply to Maun is from well fields along the Thamalakane and Shashe Rivers.