Clastic sedimentation rates rise substantially on NW African margins north of Senegal. Around 400,000 cubic kilometres of sediment (compacted, authors estimate from published cross-sections) are deposited between the Berriasian and Barremian in the Aaiun (AA) Delta, at rates comparable to the Cenozoic Nile and Niger systems.  Based on the scaling relationships of Somme et al (2009), a catchment area of the order of 10⁶ km³ is required as well as a wet climate. AFTA data indicate a wide area of uplift and erosion at this time, extending into the Taoudenni (TA) basin (Girard, 2015), that must supply this depocentre. The Moroccan carbonate bank terminates , though the bank continues to form on the Senegal margin.  A wide, partly faulted depression (the ‘Afro-Brazilian depression) forms over what is now Gabon and NE Brazil, as a prelude to the main syn-rift phase (Chaboureau, 2017).

There is paleofloral (Burgoyne, 2005) and other evidence for a general wettening of the climate of north Africa around this time, despite only minor movements in paleolatitude belts.  This is probably related to the opening of the Central Atlantic. Warm generally dry conditions characterise southern Africa. Late Jurassic to Cretaceous drainage in the Cuvette Centrale in the Mesozoic was south to north (Agyemang et al, 2016). , though it is not clear where the eventual outlet to the sea was.

A complex array of facies are developed above and below the presumed Late Aptian break-up unconformity in the South Atlantic between Gabon and the Rio Grande Ridge (Chaboureau, 2017) . The Early Aptian is clastic prone in the north (stipple below salt symbol) but carbonate prone in the south (carbonate symbol below salt symbol) . The lacustrine carbonates below the unconformity are the ‘Coquinas’ : those above (equivalent to the Gamba-Vemba sequence in the north) have been termed ‘microbialites’ (but may in fact be predominantly carbonate evaporites (Wright , 2022).  The overlying salt (after Borsato 2012), is increasingly thought to be ponded on both sides by an emerging oceanic ridge (e.g. cross-sections of Caixeta et al (2014). Marton and Pascoe (2020) report salt overlying oceanic crust in the deep Namibe Basin.

Within Southern Africa, Moore and Larkin (2009) interpret the first phase of uplift of the southern Africa plateau, centred on the Cape Fold Belt. As the intensity of erosion in the Agulhas basins increases eastwards, this may be driven by transpression of the Maurice Ewing Bank (MEB) passing on the Agulhas Fault. Hunt (2021, Geological Society presentation) presented a model to suggest that a river which originally flowed out further south was diverted by this uplift to feed the first reservoir sands of the Orange Basin (OB). Early stage uplifts are suggested by AFTA data on the Leo Massif and in East Africa in addition to ongoing uplift of the Reguibat (RE , Charton et al 2020). Northwest Africa is becoming more clastic prone, though sand inputs rarely penetrate beyond the carbonate bank (Mourlot et al 2018 ; Casson, 2019). Lacustrine and fluvial clastics fill the deep pull-apart basins formed off the Equatorial Margin at this time.

Lithological indicator mapping in Boucot et al, 2013 indicates humid tropical conditions at this time in Egypt (e.g. Baioumy, 2012), and largely arid or semi-arid elsewhere.

The topographic model for southern Africa from now on follows the ‘Hybrid Late’ model of Stanley et al (2021) who summarise the evidence for (and against) Late Cretaceous and Neogene uplift phases. It is accepted that a major expansion of the South African plateau occurs between 93-66Ma (Baby et al, 2019). Effects are also seen on AFTA profiles as far interior as Zambia (Daly et al, 2020). The broad nature of the uplift and the association with alkaline magmatism and kimberlites seemingly point to a mantle origin. The uplift and increasingly wet climate cause an increase in clastic sedimentation rate and progradation in various outlets, including the Orange (OR) and Zambezi (ZA), the latter only accessing sediment as far as the Luangwa Basin.  Some authors consider the Limpopo to have been a more significant river and depocenter than the Zambezi, though this is not suppored by the sedimentary rates presented here.  AFTA data and increasing sedimentation rates also indicate the uplift of a large area of Kenya and Tanzania (Noble, 1997), including the deeply eroding rift shoulders of the active Anza Rift (AN, Morley et al, 1997).  Unpublished Zircon Fission Track Data from Tanzanian sediments (Geotrack PESGB presentations) indicate this high likely formed the African watershed. Westwards drainage was therefore from here towards the Ogouee Delta of Gabon, with other parts of West Africa being sediment starved.

High sea levels have persisted since the Cenomanian. Due to rapid fault subsidence at this time, deep marine strata are developed in the interior of Africa in the Termit (TE) Basin (Zhou et al, 2017) . However inversion in the Benue (BE) Trough has likely blocked the connection between the Tethyan and South Atlantic oceans Bonne (2014). Wet climates are now established over much of the continent, with arid conditions confined to the interior in the south and to northwest Africa.