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Biostratigraphic Correiation in Tiie Karoo

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Biostratigraphic Correiation in Tiie Karoo Research Letter Biostratigraphic correiation and Eunotosaurus Page 1 of 4 Biostratigraphic correiation in tiie Karoo: The case AUTHORS: of the Middie Permian parareptiie Eunotosaurus Mike Dayi Bruce Rubidge^ The richness of fossil tetrapods from the Beaufort Group of South Africa has enabled biostratigraphic John Almond^ subdivision of this Permo-Triassic succession, with global applicability. Despite being the thickest of the seven Sifeiani Jirah^ biozones recognised, attempts at further subdivision of the Middie Permian TafJinocephalus Assemblage AFFILIATIONS: Zone (Abrahamskraal Formation) have not been successful, largely because the exact stratigraphie ranges 'Bernard Price Institute of of fossil taxa are unknown. This gap in knowledge has limited stratigraphie eorrelation of the Abrahamskraal Paiaeontoiogy, University of the Formation and hindered understanding of Middle Permian Karoo basin development. Currently, the lowermost Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Beaufort Group is split between an eastern and a western stratigraphie scheme and, beeause of poor outerop ^Natura Viva, Cape Town, and the reiative paueity of fossiis in the east, stratigraphie eorrelation between the two areas has been South Africa uneertain. Reeent fossil diseoveries of the parareptile Eunotosaurus africafius in the Eastern Cape and Free State provinees have extended its known geographic range in ttie east. An additional speeimen from the lower CORRESPONOENCE TO: Middleton Formation in the Eastern Cape has, forthe first time, enabied the biostratigraphie eorrelation of this Mike Day unit with the Poortjie Member of the Teekloof Formation in the west. These finds eonfirm the diaehroneity of the boundary between the marine Eeea Group and the terrestrial Beaufort Group. EMAIL: [email protected]. acza Introduction POSTAL AOORESS: The taxonomic affinity of the enigmatic Permian parareptiie Eunotosaurus africanus, easily recognised in the BPi Palaeontology, fieid by its distinctive broad ribs (Figure 1), has iong intrigued paiaeontoiogists. The genus has been placed in Paiaecsciences Centre, Schooi the Parareptiiia as the soie member ot a sister taxon to the Miiierettidae^'^ and, most recently, as a sister taxon of Geosciences, university to modern turties.^ Aii specimens of Eunotosaurus come from the upper Tapinocephaius and Pristerognathus ot the Witwatersrand, Private Assembiage Zones of the Permian Beaufort Group of South Africa"'^ and most specimens have been recovered Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, from the western part of the Main Karoo Basin (Tabie 1, Figure 2) where the genus has aiready been used for South Africa biostratigraphic correlation.^^ OATES: Received: 11 June 2012 Revised: 02 Oct. 2012 Accepted: 08 Oct. 2012 KEYWOROS: Eunotosaurus] biostratigraphy; Permian; Karoo; parareptiie; Beaufort Group HOW TO CITE: Day M, Rubidge B, Almond J, Jirah S. Biostratigraphic correlation in the Karoo: The case of the Middie Permian parareptiie Eunotosaurus. S AfrJSci. 2013;109(3/4), Art. #0030,4 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/ sajs.2013/20120030 Srmrm: Councii for Geoscience, Pretoria Figure 1 : The Middie Permian parareptiie Eunotosaurus africanus, specimen M777. In this part of the basin the Tapinocephaius and Pristerognathus Assemblage Zones correspond approximateiy to the Abrahamskraal Formation and the overlying Poortjie Member of the Teekioof Formation, respectiveiy.^ © 20Í3. The Authors. Correiation of these biozones with iithostratigraphic units in the east of the basin has been difficuit as fossiis are Pubiished under a Creative iess abundant and the Tapinocephaius Assembiage Zone was oniy recently demonstrated to be present in there Commons Attribution Licence. at aii.' South African Journai of Science Voiume 109 \ Number 3/4 http://www.sajs.eo.za March/Aprii 2013 Researeh Letter Biostratigrapbic correlation and Eunotosaurus Page 2 ot 4 Table 1 : List ot Eunotosaurus specimens included in this study. Specimen number Collecfion Localify Disfricf Province Unif Certainfy (to within) AÍVI5999 AiVI Buckiands108 Aibany Eastern Cape K Low B46 CGS Sterkfontein 147 Murraysburg Westem Cape AorP 100 m BP/1/3514 BPI Die Bad 286 Beaufort Wesf Western Cape A 150 m BP/1/3515 BPI Die Bad 286 Beaufort Wesf Western Cape A 150 m BP/1/5677 BPI Katferskraai 536 Carnarvon Northern Cape A 50 m BP/1/6218 BPi The Grant 39 Aibany Eastern Cape K 50 m BP/1/7024 BPI Bullekraal251 Beautort West Westem Cape A 50 m BP/1/7027 BPI Buiiekraai251 Beaufort West Westem Cape A 50 m BP/1/7121 BPI Bullekraal 251 Beautort West Westem Cape A 50 m BP/1/7198 BPi Zwargershoek151 DeAar Northern Cape ? Low C()b3 CGS Droogvoetstontein 356 Fraserburg Northem Cape A 50 m cm341 CGS Kromelboog 68 Beautort West Western Cape P 50 m cm45 CGS Esferville57 BeauforfWesf Western Cape PorH 100 m GM71 CGS Bord Voi Water 313 Fraserburg Northern Cape A 100 m M275 CGS Duiker Kranse 45 Beautort West Western Cape P 50 m M775 CGS Duiker Kranse 45 Beautort West Western Cape P 50 m M777 CGS One Kop 53 Beautort West Westem Cape P 100 m NM3299 NM Philippoiis Commonage Philippoiis Free State Low NM3466 NM Katterskraai 536 Carnarvon Northem Cape A 50 m NM3474 NM Kareepoort138 Phiiippoiis Free State 7 Low NM348S NM Somerstontein 69 Philippoiis Free State ? Low NM3486 NM Somersfontein 69 Phiiippoiis Free State 7 Low NM3490 NM Somerstontein 69 Philippoiis Free State ? Low NM3500 NM Somerstontein 69 Phiiippoiis Free State 7 Low SAM-PK-011954 SAM De Kruis van Bioem Fontein 323 Fraserburg Northern Cape A 100 m SAM-PK-K00207 SAM Lammers Kraai 11 Prince Albert Westem Cape A 200 m SAM-PK-K01132 SAM BushmansRiver312 Beautort West Western Cape A 100 m SAM-PK-K01133 SAM BushmansRiver312 Beaufort West Westem Cape A 100 m SAM-PK-K01509 SAM Bumonfein387 Beaufort Wesf Western Cape PorH loom SAM-PK-K01625 SAM Bulffonfein 387 Beaufort Wesf Western Cape PorH 100 m SAM-PK-K01673 SAM Bulffonfein 387 Beaufort West Wesfem Cape PorH 100 m SAM-PK-K06732 SAM Ryers Vaiiey 401 Fraserburg Northem Cape P 100 m SAM-PK-K07611 SAM Bloukrans 31 Prince Alberf Western Cape A 100 m SAM-PK-K07670 SAM Springtontein 305 Beautort West Western Cape A 50 m SAÍVÍ-PK-K07909 SAM Kiipbani« Fontein 137 Beaufort West Western Cape AorP 100 m SAÍVI-PK-K07910 SAM Kiipbanks Fontein 137 Beaufort West Westem Cape AorP 100 m SAÍVÍ-PK-K07911 SAM Kiipbanks Fontein 137 Beaufort West Western Cape AorP 100 m Af[/I, Albany Museum, Grafiamstown; CGS, Councii for Geoscience, Pretoria: BPI, Bernard Price Institute (Palaeontology), Johannesburg: NM, National l^useum, Bloemfontein: SAM, Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town. A, Abrahamskraal Formation: p Poortjie Member: H, Hoedemaker Member; K, Koonap Formation. Specimens in bold are at the extremes ot the range. Soufh Atrican Journal ot Science Volume 109 \ Number 3/4 http://www.sajs.eo.za 69 March/April 2013 Research Letter Biostratigraphic correlation and Eunotosaurus Page 3 of 4 Etinoiosaufus specimens 3122, Vietoria West, 1:250 000 Geoiogieai Series 1989), the ioeaiity Western Region data of CGS CM45 indicate that this specimen was eoiieeted from the Soutn.eastern Region Centrai Region iowermost Hoedemai<er Member of the Teekioof Formation: however, as a resuit of the approximate determination ot the eoordinates, there is a siight ehanee that the speeimen may have been found in the uppermost Poortjie iVlember. The SAM speeimens are reeorded as eoming oniy from Buittontein 387 - a farm which covers the upper Poortjie and iowar iHoedamaker - so their aetuai position is not wali eonstrained. Aeeordingiy, CGS CM45 is the highest well-eonstrainad oeeurranee and probabiy oeeurs in the iowermost part ot the Hoedemaker Member. iBeaulDrtGnigp The stratigraphie range ot Eunotosaurus in the west theretore extends from about 350 m beiow the top ot the Abrahamskraai Formation Figure 2: Eunotosaurus fossil localities in the Beaufort Group of South to the iowarmost Hoedemaker Member of the Teekioof Formation Africa, separated into regions. IMumbers show the localities of (Figure 3). This distribution gives it a totai stratigraphie range of 450- the stratigraphie sections in Figure 3. 550 m, depending on local thicknesses, and corresponds to the upper Tapinocephalus and the entire Pristerognathus assemblage zones.* Materials and methods The Beautort Group fossil tetrapod geographic information system (GIS) database" was used to project the locaiities of ali specimens of Height Eunotosaurus onto Google Earth sateiiite imagery (both use the WGS84 (m) coordinate system) whence their stratigraphie position was deduced from geoiogicai maps. E The quaiity ot iocaiity intormation for each specimen varies, with many 2500 eariier discovered specimens being assignabie oniy to the area of a farm. The range of strata that outcrops in the area of a iocaiity, or across the farm as a whoie, theretore has a direct infiuence on the accuracy with which each specimen couid be piaced stratigraphicaiiy (Tabie 1). 1 000 Extensive fieldwori< aiiowed refinement of the stratigraphie provenance 2000 p ot aii specimens of Eunotosaurus whose stratigraphie position, as caieuiated from the geoiogieai maps, eouid potentiaiiy form one of the extremes of the stratigraphie range of the genus. 500 For the purposes of this study, because ot the heterogeneous nature of the stratigraphy, the basin was divided into four regions: the 1500 northwestern, southwestern, centrai and southeastern Karoo (Figure 2). Stratigraphie seetions were either measured by the authors or tai<en from the iiterature^"^^ and drawn up for eaeh region, atter whieh eaeh section
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