How was Batoka Gorge carved by the Zambezi River?

Batoka Gorge was carved by the Zambezi River through a process of trench-scouring into a basalt plateau.12

The formation of the gorge is linked to the geological history of the area near Victoria Falls. The region was once covered by a thick layer of lava that, upon cooling, developed wide cracks or joints filled with softer sediments. As the Zambezi River cut its valley, it encountered these joints and eroded the softer sediment, creating a trench.1

The river eventually forced a gap at the lower end of the trench, which widened into a gorge. Simultaneously, the force of the water created a second gap at the upper end of the trench, which diverted the river and left the original trench dry. Over the past half-million years, the river has repeatedly cut backward, scouring successive waterfalls and creating the enormous zigzag trough that forms the 60-mile-long Batoka Gorge.12