Although there were several earlier investigations in southeastern Botswana and the neighbouring territory, the first complete geological survey of the Phitshane area was carried out by Gerrard in 1962. His reconnaissance of this very poorly exposed region is available on open-file was not published (Gerrard 1963). Thus the Phitshane area was one of the few large parts of Botswana east of the KAlahari sand cover for which no geological map had been published before the start of the present survey in 1983. Moreover, this is one of the few parts of Botswana with significant exposures of the Archaen basement complex of the Kaapvaal craton. With increased information from boreholes, and exploration by the geological survey and by the private sector, together with improvements in aerial photographic coverage, topographic base maps, access, and regional geological knowledge, it was thought worthwhile to compile a new map of the area, using the standard layout and colour key. This complementary bulletin summarises the geology and mineral resources of the Phitshane area.
