DOCSLIB.ORG

Expansion of River Bend Citrus Farm Near Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Expansion of River Bend Citrus Farm Near Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape PALAEONTOLOGICAL SPECIALIST STUDY: DESKTOP ASSESSMENT Expansion of River Bend Citrus Farm near Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape John E. Almond PhD (Cantab.) Natura Viva cc, PO Box 12410 Mill Street, Cape Town 8010, RSA [email protected] August 2012 1. SUMMARY The study area on the River Bend Citrus Farm (Remainder of Farm 82 Wolve Kop, Portion 1 of Farm 77 Wellshaven and Portion 3 of Farm 77 Honeyvale) some 10 km north of Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, is largely underlain by non-marine, fluvial to estuarine sediments of Early Cretaceous age that are assigned to the Kirkwood Formation (Uitenhage Group). This succession has yielded important fossil biotas of Mesozoic land plants (ferns, cycads, conifers etc) and non- marine molluscs as well as sparse but numerous specimens of fossil bones, including large and small dinosaurs, from several localities along the northern margin of the Algoa Basin. There is also evidence for occasional marine incursions here in Early Cretaceous times from fossil marine molluscs. However, the Kirkwood Formation bedrocks are mantled by alluvial sediments of the Coerney River in the southern part of the study area. Elsewhere they appear to lie beneath a thick (2m or more) superficial cover of soils, alluvium and colluvium of low palaeontological sensitivity. The proposed extension of the cultivated area on the River Bend Citrus Farm is therefore not considered significant in terms of palaeontological heritage conservation. It is concluded that no further palaeontological heritage studies or specialist mitigation are required for this agricultural project, pending the discovery or exposure of any substantial fossil remains (e.g. vertebrate bones and teeth, large blocks of petrified wood, fossil plant-rich horizons, buried laminated shales) during the construction phase. The ECO responsible for these developments should be alerted to the possibility of important fossil remains being found either on the surface or exposed by fresh excavations during construction. Should fossil remains be discovered during construction, these should be safeguarded (preferably in situ) and the ECO should alert the Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resources Authority (ECPHRA. Contact details: Mr Sello Mokhanya, 74 Alexander Road, King Williams Town 5600; Email: [email protected]) so that appropriate mitigation (e.g. recording, sampling or collection) can be taken by a professional palaeontologist. The specialist involved would require a collection permit from SAHRA (Contact details: Mrs Colette Scheermeyer, P.O. Box 4637, Cape Town 8000; Tel: 021 462 4502; Email: [email protected]). Fossil material must be curated in an approved repository (e.g. museum or university collection) and all fieldwork and reports should meet the minimum standards for palaeontological impact studies developed by SAHRA. John E. Almond (2012) 1 Natura Viva cc 2. INTRODUCTION & BRIEF The company San Miguel Fruits SA (Pty) Ltd is proposing to expand by 300 or more hectares the area under cultivation on the River Bend Citrus Farm situated near Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape. Three properties that form part of the existing farm are involved, approximately 1058 hectares in combined extent : Remainder of Farm 82 Wolve Kop, Portion 1 of Farm 77 Wellshaven and Portion 3 of Farm 77 Honeyvale (Fig. 1). The study area, located on the western side of the R335 tar road between Addo and Suurberg, c. 10 km north of Addo and 22 km ESE of Kirkwood, lies on gently sloping ground either side of the Coerney River (a tributary of the Sundays River) at elevations of around 90 to 150m amsl and just south of the Suurberge Range. The Addo Elephant National Park lies just to the east (AENP in Fig. 1). The proposed agricultural expansion will include the following components: clearing of indigenous vegetation; landscaping and levelling the site for citrus orchards; installation of water reticulation and irrigation infrastructure; construction of a balancing dam; establishment of unpaved access roads; establishment of windbreaks. The size and configuration of the area to be cleared will be determined in consultation with project specialists during the environmental impact assessment process. The company Public Process Consultants (Contact details: Sandy Wren, Public Process Consultants, PO Box 27688, Greenacres, 6057; Phone 041 - 374 8426; Fax 041 - 373 2002; Cell 082 4909 828; Email [email protected]) has been appointed by San Miguel Fruits SA (Pty) Ltd as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to undertake the Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment for the project. In accordance with the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999, a palaeontological heritage assessment is required as part of a Heritage Impact Assessment for this project since important fossil material (e.g. Cretaceous dinosaurs) has previously been recorded from the Kirkwood – Addo area of the Eastern Cape study area. The various categories of heritage resources recognised as part of the National Estate in Section 3 of the Heritage Resources Act include, among others: geological sites of scientific or cultural importance; palaeontological sites; palaeontological objects and material, meteorites and rare geological specimens. In view of the very limited exposure of Creatceous bedrocks within the study area, a preliminary desktop assessment of the fossil heritage resources in the study region was commissioned by Public Process Consultants. John E. Almond (2012) 2 Natura Viva cc Fig. 1. Location of the study site (orange areas) on the River Bend Citrus Farm located c. 10 km north of Addo, Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape (Image abstracted from Basic Information Document prepared by Public Process Consultants, Greenacres, February 2011). 2.1. Approach used for this specialist palaeontological study This palaeontological report provides an assessment of the recorded or inferred palaeontological heritage within the study area near Addo, with recommendations for specialist palaeontological mitigation where this is considered necessary. The report is based on (1) a review of the relevant scientific literature, including previous palaeontological impact assessments for the Eastern Cape region (e.g. Almond 2010), and (2) published geological maps and accompanying sheet explanations. In preparing a palaeontological desktop study the potentially fossiliferous rock units (groups, formations etc) represented within the study area are determined from geological maps. The known fossil heritage within each rock unit is inventoried from the published scientific literature, previous palaeontological impact studies in the same region, and the author’s field experience (Consultation with professional colleagues as well as examination of institutional fossil collections may play a role here, or later following scoping during the compilation of the final report). This data is then used to assess the palaeontological sensitivity of each rock unit to development (Provisional tabulations of palaeontological sensitivity of all formations in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape have already been compiled by J. Almond and colleagues; e.g. Almond et al. 2008). The likely impact of the proposed development on local fossil heritage is then determined on the basis of (1) the palaeontological sensitivity of the rock units concerned and (2) the nature and scale of the development itself, most notably the extent of fresh bedrock excavation envisaged. When rock units of moderate to high palaeontological sensitivity are present within the John E. Almond (2012) 3 Natura Viva cc development footprint, a field-based assessment by a professional palaeontologist is usually warranted. On the basis of the desktop and any recommended follow-up field assessment studies, the likely impact of the proposed development on local fossil heritage and any need for specialist mitigation are then determined. Adverse palaeontological impacts normally occur during the construction rather than the operational or decommissioning phase. Mitigation by a professional palaeontologist – normally involving the recording and sampling of fossil material and associated geological information (e.g. sedimentological data) – is usually most effective during the construction phase when fresh fossiliferous bedrock has been exposed by excavations, although pre-construction recording of surface-exposed material may sometimes be more appropriate. To carry out mitigation, the palaeontologist involved will need to apply for a palaeontological collection permit from the relevant heritage management authority (i.e. SAHRA, Cape Town). It should be emphasized that, providing appropriate mitigation is carried out, the majority of developments involving bedrock excavation can make a positive contribution to our understanding of local palaeontological heritage. 2.2. Assumptions & limitations The accuracy and reliability of palaeontological specialist studies as components of heritage impact assessments are generally limited by the following constraints: 1. Inadequate database for fossil heritage for much of the RSA, given the large size of the country and the small number of professional palaeontologists carrying out fieldwork here. Most development study areas have never been surveyed by a palaeontologist. 2. Variable accuracy of geological maps which underpin these desktop studies. For large areas of terrain these maps are largely based on aerial photographs
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Freshwater Fishes
    WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE state oF BIODIVERSITY 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 2 Methods 17 Chapter 3 Freshwater fishes 18 Chapter 4 Amphibians 36 Chapter 5 Reptiles 55 Chapter 6 Mammals 75 Chapter 7 Avifauna 89 Chapter 8 Flora & Vegetation 112 Chapter 9 Land and Protected Areas 139 Chapter 10 Status of River Health 159 Cover page photographs by Andrew Turner (CapeNature), Roger Bills (SAIAB) & Wicus Leeuwner. ISBN 978-0-620-39289-1 SCIENTIFIC SERVICES 2 Western Cape Province State of Biodiversity 2007 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Andrew Turner [email protected] 1 “We live at a historic moment, a time in which the world’s biological diversity is being rapidly destroyed. The present geological period has more species than any other, yet the current rate of extinction of species is greater now than at any time in the past. Ecosystems and communities are being degraded and destroyed, and species are being driven to extinction. The species that persist are losing genetic variation as the number of individuals in populations shrinks, unique populations and subspecies are destroyed, and remaining populations become increasingly isolated from one another. The cause of this loss of biological diversity at all levels is the range of human activity that alters and destroys natural habitats to suit human needs.” (Primack, 2002). CapeNature launched its State of Biodiversity Programme (SoBP) to assess and monitor the state of biodiversity in the Western Cape in 1999. This programme delivered its first report in 2002 and these reports are updated every five years. The current report (2007) reports on the changes to the state of vertebrate biodiversity and land under conservation usage.
    [Show full text]
  • National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act: Amendment Of
    STAATSKOERANT, 27 MAART 2013 No. 36295 3 GOVERNMENT NOTICE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS No. 236 27 March 2013 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: PROTECTED AREAS ACT, 2003 (ACT NO. 57 OF 2003) AMENDMENT OF SCHEDULE 2 TO THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: PROTECTED AREAS ACT, 2003 (ACT NO. 57 OF 2003) I, Bomo Edith Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, in terms of section 20(6)(b) of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No. 57 of 2003), hereby amend Schedule 2 to the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No. 57 of 2003) in the Schedule hereto. BOM ED IA MOLEWA MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS 4 No. 36295 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 27 MARCH 2013 SCHEDULE In terms of section 20(6)(a) of the Act, each area defined shall be a national park under the name assigned to it in the Schedule. In terms of section 47(1) of the Act, the air space to a level of 2 500 feet above the highest point of the park (included in the Schedule) is included in the national park. [Schedule 2 amended by Proc. 294/78, s. 2 of Act 60/79, Proc. 201/79, Proc. 44/82, Proc.125/83, Proc. 132/83, Proc. 8/84, Proc. 210/84, Proc. 35/85, Proc. 138/85, GN 1933/86, GN 1934/86, GN 5/87, GN 1385/87, GN 1753/87, GN 2509/87, GN 2814/87, GN 2856/87, GN 225/88, GN 1047/88, GN 1249/88, GN 1490/88, GN 577/89, GN 703/89, GN 1374/89, GN 395/91, GN 1211/91, GN 2159/92, GN 214/93, GN 1766/93, GN 2201/93, GN 2202/93, GN 37/94, GN 183/94, GN 248/94, GN 857/94, GN 1227/94, GN 1228/94, GN 1705/94, GN 1947/94 , GN 2244/94, GN 1582/95, GN 1732/95, GN 537/96, GN 538/96, GN R599/96, GN 1077/96, GN 1138/96, GN 1139/96, GN 1140/96, s.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Performance Plan 2021-2022 to 2023-24
    ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN (VOTE 41) FOR THE FISCAL YEARS 2021/22 TO 2023/24 Published by the Department of Water and Sanitation Private Bag X313 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Tel: +2712 336 7500 Fax: +2712 336 8664 This annual performance plan can be obtained from www.dws.gov.za 4 5 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE Plan (VOTE 41) FOR THE FISCAL YEARS 2021/22 TO 2023/24 Foreword by the Minister ...........................................................................................................................................................................i Message from the Deputy Minister .......................................................................................................................................................iii Overview of the Accounting Officer .......................................................................................................................................................v Official sign ...............................................................................................................................................................................................off vi List of abbreviations and acronyms ......................................................................................................................................................vii Strategic overview .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Strategy map of the DWS ...........................................................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Military Colonisation: the Cape Eastern Frontier 1806 – 1872
    46 STRATEGIC MILITARY COLONISATION: THE CAPE EASTERN FRONTIER 1806–1872 Linda Robson* and Mark Oranje† Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria Abstract The Cape Eastern Frontier of South Africa offers a fascinating insight into British military strategy as well as colonial development. The Eastern Frontier was for over 100 years a very turbulent frontier. It was the area where the four main population groups (the Dutch, the British, the Xhosa and the Khoikhoi) met, and in many respects, key decisions taken on this frontier were seminal in the shaping of South Africa. This article seeks to analyse this frontier in a spatial manner, to analyse how British settlement patterns on the ground were influenced by strategy and policy. The time frame of the study reflects the truly imperial colonial era, from the second British occupation of the Cape colony in 1806 until representative self- governance of the Cape colony in 1872. Introduction British colonial expansion into the Eastern Cape of Southern Africa offers a unique insight into the British method of colonisation, land acquisition and consolidation. This article seeks to analyse the British imperial approach to settlement on a turbulent frontier. The spatial development pattern is discussed in order to understand the defensive approach of the British during the period 1806 to 1872 better. Scientia Militaria, South African South Africa began as a refuelling Journal of Military Studies, station for the Dutch East India Company on Vol 40, Nr 2, 2012, pp. 46-71. the lucrative Indian trade route. However, doi: 10.5787/40-2-996 military campaigns in Europe played * Linda Robson is a PhD student in the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny and Biogeography of Iguanodontian Dinosaurs, with Implications from Ontogeny and an Examination of the Function of the Fused Carpal-Digit I Complex
    Phylogeny and Biogeography of Iguanodontian Dinosaurs, with Implications from Ontogeny and an Examination of the Function of the Fused Carpal-Digit I Complex By Karen E. Poole B.A. in Geology, May 2004, University of Pennsylvania M.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences, August 2008, Washington University in St. Louis A Dissertation submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 31, 2015 Dissertation Directed by Catherine Forster Professor of Biology The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University certifies that Karen Poole has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy as of August 10th, 2015. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. Phylogeny and Biogeography of Iguanodontian Dinosaurs, with Implications from Ontogeny and an Examination of the Function of the Fused Carpal-Digit I Complex Karen E. Poole Dissertation Research Committee: Catherine A. Forster, Professor of Biology, Dissertation Director James M. Clark, Ronald Weintraub Professor of Biology, Committee Member R. Alexander Pyron, Robert F. Griggs Assistant Professor of Biology, Committee Member ii © Copyright 2015 by Karen Poole All rights reserved iii Dedication To Joseph Theis, for his unending support, and for always reminding me what matters most in life. To my parents, who have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, even those they didn’t understand. iv Acknowledgements First, a heartfelt thank you is due to my advisor, Cathy Forster, for giving me free reign in this dissertation, but always providing valuable commentary on any piece of writing I sent her, no matter how messy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Systematic Position of the Enigmatic Thyreophoran Dinosaur Paranthodon Africanus, and the Use of Basal Exemplifiers in Phyl
    1 The systematic position of the enigmatic thyreophoran dinosaur Paranthodon africanus, 2 and the use of basal exemplifiers in phylogenetic analysis 3 4 Thomas J. Raven1,2 ,3 and Susannah C. R. Maidment2 ,3 5 61Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College London, UK 72School of Environment & Technology, University of Brighton, UK 8 3Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK 9 10Corresponding author: Thomas J. Raven 11 12Email address: [email protected] 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21ABSTRACT 22 23The first African dinosaur to be discovered, Paranthodon africanus was found in 1845 in the 24Lower Cretaceous of South Africa. Taxonomically assigned to numerous groups since discovery, 25in 1981 it was described as a stegosaur, a group of armoured ornithischian dinosaurs 26characterised by bizarre plates and spines extending from the neck to the tail. This assignment 27that has been subsequently accepted. The type material consists of a premaxilla, maxilla, a nasal, 28and a vertebra, and contains no synapomorphies of Stegosauria. Several features of the maxilla 29and dentition are reminiscent of Ankylosauria, the sister-taxon to Stegosauria, and the premaxilla 30appears superficially similar to that of some ornithopods. The vertebral material has never been 31described, and since the last description of the specimen, there have been numerous discoveries 32of thyreophoran material potentially pertinent to establishing the taxonomic assignment of the 33specimen. An investigation of the taxonomic and systematic position of Paranthodon is therefore 34warranted. This study provides a detailed re-description, including the first description of the 35vertebra. Numerous phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the systematic position of 36Paranthodon is highly labile and subject to change depending on which exemplifier for the clade 37Stegosauria is used.
    [Show full text]
  • Statistical Based Regional Flood Frequency Estimation Study For
    Statistical Based Regional Flood Frequency Estimation Study for South Africa Using Systematic, Historical and Palaeoflood Data Pilot Study – Catchment Management Area 15 by D van Bladeren, P K Zawada and D Mahlangu SRK Consulting & Council for Geoscience Report to the Water Research Commission on the project “Statistical Based Regional Flood Frequency Estimation Study for South Africa using Systematic, Historical and Palaeoflood Data” WRC Report No 1260/1/07 ISBN 078-1-77005-537-7 March 2007 DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION During the past 10 years South Africa has experienced several devastating flood events that highlighted the need for more accurate and reasonable flood estimation. The most notable events were those of 1995/96 in KwaZulu-Natal and north eastern areas, the November 1996 floods in the Southern Cape Region, the floods of February to March 2000 in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces and the recent floods in March 2003 in Montagu in the Western Cape. These events emphasized the need for a standard approach to estimate flood probabilities before developments are initiated or existing developments evaluated for flood hazards. The flood peak magnitudes and probabilities of occurrence or return period required for flood lines are often overlooked, ignored or dealt with in a casual way with devastating effects. The National Disaster and new Water Act and the rapid rate at which developments are being planned will require the near mass production of flood peak probabilities across the country that should be consistent, realistic and reliable.
    [Show full text]
  • Palaeontological Heritage of the Free State
    SAHRA PALAEOTECHNICAL REPORT PALAEONTOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF THE FREE STATE Brandwag Rock Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Photograpgh: Gideon Groenewald Dr Gideon Groenewald Cell: (082) 339-9202 David Groenewald Cell: (083) 469-4696 Logistical Support: Sue Groenewald Cell: (082) 339 9202 PO Box 360, Clarens, 9707 ([email protected]) (Copyright: March 2014) GENERAL INTRODUCTION The core purpose of this SAHRA palaeotechnical report (PTR) is to briefly but comprehensively document the palaeontological heritage resources in South Africa in an accessible and useful format. Following the request by SAHRA, the report is presented in the form of two sections. The first section outlines the general geological history of South Africa and the second section provides a more detailed, geological history of the Free State, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces with specific reference to the palaeontological sensitivity of geological formations and their importance to the development of life through 3600 million years of time in Earth history. The first section summarises the geological history of South Africa and gives a very brief description of the six major events that shaped the Earth over time. The known and predicted fossil heritage within all the major fossiliferous stratigraphic units (formations, groups etc) that crop out in South Africa are presented on a map that relates directly to the composite geological map of South Africa where mapping was done on a 1:250 000 scale. The palaeontological sensitivity of geological units was allocated sensitivity ratings on a five point scale: very high sensitivity, high sensitivity, moderate sensitivity, low sensitivity and very low sensitivity (Table 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Free Download
    THE BARRED OVAL NUMERAL CANCELLERS OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE FROM 1863 – 1963 Second Edition DAVID MORDANT [email protected] 31 July 2020 1. Introduction So far no official list ascribing specific post offices to Numeral Cancellers of the Cape of Good Hope has been located. Thus the information that follows has been derived from proving covers, proving pieces and occasionally from individual stamps and/or blocks of stamps, by innumerable philatelists over many years. The number of recorded dates for each numeral is solely the responsibility of the author from his records, and is given more to emphasize the accuracy of the ascribing of specific numerals to individual post offices, and also to emphasize the potential scarcity or otherwise of a specific BONC, than for any other reasons. Where a specific numeral has been ascribed more than once to the same post office, it can be assumed that the ascription is probably correct. The first edition of this monograph incorporated all the accumulated data of the author on this subject up to 31 December 2016. This edition encompasses the data known to the author as at 31 July 2020. Thus the total number of recorded dates in the First Edition was 3,330 – in this edition 5,507, an increase of 65%. Distribution of the BONCs As at 31 December 2019, the breakdown and accumulated knowledge of the probable nine distinct BONC distributions is as follows: Earliest Prominent Identified Post Offices CGH + Other Territories Total Unidentified Usage BONCs Total Year No. % No. % No. % 1864 1-39 30 39 100 0 0 0 0 1874 40-200 161 99 62 49 30 13 8 1877 201-400 200 162 81 34 17 4 2 1882 401-600 200 144 72 49 25 7 3 1884 601-800 200 131 66 61 30 8 4 1892 801-1000 200 117 59 66 33 17 8 1896 1001-1200 200 81 41 73 36 46 23 1901 1201-1400 200 44 22 54 27 102 51 1906 1401-2001 27 6 22 7 26 14 52 Totals 1427 823 57.5 393 27.5 211 15 This at end 2016, 55% of numerals had been allocated to post offices; now three years later 57.5%.
    [Show full text]
  • Buffelsbank Feasibility Study
    ESKOM THYSPUNT TRANSMISSION LINE INTEGRATION PROJECT EIA: GEO-TECHNICAL SPECIALIST REPORT Prepared for SiVEST By Dr Johan Hattingh Carlo Fourie December 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 4 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .............................................................................................................. 6 1. TERMS OF REFERENCE ................................................................................................... 7 2. GEOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 GAMTOOS GROUP ................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 LIME BANK FORMATION ...................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 KLEINRIVIER FORMATION ................................................................................... 8 2.1.3 KAAN FORMATION ............................................................................................. 10 2.1.4 VAN STADENS FORMATION ................................................................................ 10 2.2 CAPE SUPERGROUP ................................................................................................ 10 2.2.1 TABLE MOUNTAIN GROUP .................................................................................. 10 2.2.1.1 SARDINIA BAY FORMATION .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Synoptic Taxonomy of Major Fossil Groups
    APPENDIX Synoptic Taxonomy of Major Fossil Groups Important fossil taxa are listed down to the lowest practical taxonomic level; in most cases, this will be the ordinal or subordinallevel. Abbreviated stratigraphic units in parentheses (e.g., UCamb-Ree) indicate maximum range known for the group; units followed by question marks are isolated occurrences followed generally by an interval with no known representatives. Taxa with ranges to "Ree" are extant. Data are extracted principally from Harland et al. (1967), Moore et al. (1956 et seq.), Sepkoski (1982), Romer (1966), Colbert (1980), Moy-Thomas and Miles (1971), Taylor (1981), and Brasier (1980). KINGDOM MONERA Class Ciliata (cont.) Order Spirotrichia (Tintinnida) (UOrd-Rec) DIVISION CYANOPHYTA ?Class [mertae sedis Order Chitinozoa (Proterozoic?, LOrd-UDev) Class Cyanophyceae Class Actinopoda Order Chroococcales (Archean-Rec) Subclass Radiolaria Order Nostocales (Archean-Ree) Order Polycystina Order Spongiostromales (Archean-Ree) Suborder Spumellaria (MCamb-Rec) Order Stigonematales (LDev-Rec) Suborder Nasselaria (Dev-Ree) Three minor orders KINGDOM ANIMALIA KINGDOM PROTISTA PHYLUM PORIFERA PHYLUM PROTOZOA Class Hexactinellida Order Amphidiscophora (Miss-Ree) Class Rhizopodea Order Hexactinosida (MTrias-Rec) Order Foraminiferida* Order Lyssacinosida (LCamb-Rec) Suborder Allogromiina (UCamb-Ree) Order Lychniscosida (UTrias-Rec) Suborder Textulariina (LCamb-Ree) Class Demospongia Suborder Fusulinina (Ord-Perm) Order Monaxonida (MCamb-Ree) Suborder Miliolina (Sil-Ree) Order Lithistida
    [Show full text]
  • The South African Mesozoic: Advances in Our Understanding of the Evolution, Palaeobiogeography, and Palaeoecology of Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs
    The South African Mesozoic: Advances in our understanding of the evolution, palaeobiogeography, and palaeoecology of sauropodomorph dinosaurs Blair W. McPhee A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016 i I declare that the vast majority of this thesis is my own, unaided work. It is being submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination at any other University. As this thesis is primarily comprised of multiple-authored published papers, the contributions of each co-author are stated clearly within section five of the introduction. ________23rd______day of ________May___________2016____________at_____Wits________ ii ABSTRACT The Palaeontological record of South Africa is remarkable in that it preserves the two major temporal transitions of the Mesozoic: The Triassic–Jurassic boundary (the Elliot Formation) and the earliest depositional stages of the Cretaceous (the Kirkwood Formation). Work within the Elliot Formation has reiterated the importance of this horizon for our understanding of the early evolution and subsequent radiation/diversification of basal sauropodomorph dinosaurs. Moreover, inextricably contained within this radiation is the early evolution of the columnar-limbed, long necked sauropods, the largest terrestrial animals to have ever evolved. The Elliot Formation therefore imparts vital information on the genesis of the group that would become the dominant dinosaurian herbivores throughout most of the Mesozoic. However, several outstanding issues obscure a full understanding of this important radiation. Of primary concern is the complicated taxonomy of the sauropodomorphs of the Upper Triassic lower Elliot Formation and a lack of current consensus as to what precisely constitutes a true sauropod.
    [Show full text]