What kinds of soils occur in the Namib Desert?

Large areas of the Namib Desert are completely soilless, with bedrock exposed at the surface, while other regions are covered by shifting sand. Where soils do occur, they are often highly saline, impregnated with gypsum, or firmly cemented by calcium carbonate, which can form a calcrete layer just below the surface.1

In specific depressions, such as Sossusvlei, the landscape features pans composed of salt and clay. Arable soils in the Namib are rare and are generally limited to floodplains and the terraces of major rivers, where they are subject to occasional inundation. Overall, the desert's soils range from barren sand and rock to low-quality, sand-dominated substrates.2314