The landward termination of Walvis Ridge consists of two east-trending basement ridges of probable basaltic composition enclosing a relatively important sedimentary basin. East of long. 10° E., the southern ridge disappears under the sediments of the continental margin. The trends of the basement ridges are in good agreement with the inferred direction of initial opening. Since its formation, the Walvis Ridge has probably dammed sediment coming from the south. The proposed identification of layer A, a very strong horizon over which the reflectors are nearly undisturbed, may indicate that no major tectonic phase has affected this area since the shift of the pole of opening for the south Atlantic in Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary time. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]