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Journal of the Geological Society, London, Vol. 156, 1999, pp. 771–777. Printed in Great Britain. Climate, sediment supply and tectonics as controls on the deposition and preservation of the aeolian–fluvial Etjo Sandstone Formation, Namibia NIGEL MOUNTNEY1,3, JOHN HOWELL1, STEPHEN FLINT1 & DOUGAL JERRAM2 1Stratigraphy Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK 3Present address: Department of Earth Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffs ST5 5GG, UK (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract: Deposition and subsequent preservation of the Jurassic–Cretaceous Etjo Sandstone Formation of Namibia represents a complex interplay between climatic and tectonic factors and related variations in extrabasinal sediment supply. The aeolian and fluvial deposits indicate semi-arid to arid climatic conditions throughout the deposition of four distinct sedimentary units. The succession records either an upward increase in aridity or an upward increase in aeolian sediment supply, represented by a transition from a fluvially dominated basal unit, through a marginal fluvial–aeolian unit to an exclusively aeolian unit. A combination of inherited palaeotopography and syndepositional extensional faulting provided the space necessary for the accumulation of much of the succession. A basinwide unconformity (super surface) divides the succession. This hiatus resulted partly from a lack of available preservation space and partly from a shutdown in aeolian activity related to a regional climatic reorganization. A subsequent shift in the palaeowind direction from northwesterly to southwesterly exploited sand reserves in the Parana´ Basin of South America and led to the resumption of aeolian sedimentation across the region. Variations in preserved bedform thickness were directly controlled by differential amounts of tectonic subsidence across the basin. A second major super surface towards the top of the succession resulted from the regional shutdown of large tracts of the aeolian system following the eruption of Etendeka flood basalts across the region. Keywords: Namibia, aeolian environment, fluvial environment, climate, tectonics. The response of arid and semi-arid continental depositional fluvial units and the significance of the surfaces that separate systems to regional changes in climate and tectonic setting is them are investigated at a variety of scales to distinguish complex and difficult to recognize within preserved succes- between accumulations resulting from autocyclic bedform sions. Aeolian–fluvial interactions result from both the local- climbing within the erg and its immediate margin, and ized, short-term interplay between competing depositional accumulations resulting from regional changes in climate, processes and from more regional, longer-term responses to extrabasinal sediment supply and/or rates of tectonic changes in allocyclic controls such as climate, extrabasinal subsidence. sediment supply and basin tectonics (Talbot 1985; Blakey 1988; Kocurek & Havholm 1993). Whilst the central parts of well established erg systems (sand seas) almost certainly do respond to changes in allocyclic controls, such responses may Geological setting often be subtle, being expressed, for example, as slight vari- The Jurassic–Cretaceous aeolian–fluvial Etjo Sandstone ations in the angle of climb of dune bedforms or in the Formation is exposed over more than 3000 km2 in the Huab preserved thickness of bedsets. In erg-margin areas, however, Basin of northwestern Namibia (Fig. 1). The basin forms an where competing aeolian and fluvial processes are often finely eastern extension to the much larger Parana´ Basin of South balanced, any changes in external controls will be reflected by America which developed through the Late Palaeozoic and predictable variations in depositional style, as characterized in Mesozoic as an intracratonic basin (Zalan et al. 1991). Subse- the preserved succession by an upward increase in aeolian quently, the basin underwent extension in Late Jurassic to dominance, an upward increase in fluvial dominance or a Early Cretaceous times, prior to the break-up of West period of non-deposition, depending on the nature of the Gondwana and the opening of the South Atlantic (Dingle change. Several previous studies of aeolian–fluvial interactions 1992; Light et al. 1993). Basement rocks in the Huab Basin have been applied to determine the nature and extent of comprise the Late Proterozoic Zerrissene turbidite system climatic and tectonic controlling mechanisms on semi-arid which forms part of the Damara Orogen (Miller 1983; Swart continental systems (e.g. Jurassic Kayenta–Navajo transition, 1992). These are overlain by 200 m of continental sedimentary Herries 1993; Jurassic Page Sandstone, Jones & Blakey 1997; rocks of the Karoo Supergroup (Horsthemke et al. 1990). The Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone, Langford & Chan 1988; Etjo Sandstone Formation rests unconformably on these Silurian Tumblagooda Sandstone, Australia, Trewin 1993). Karoo sedimentary rocks, attaining a maximum thickness of In this study we document and interpret the facies architec- 200 m in the basin centre, but thinning to absent as it onlaps ture of the aeolian–fluvial Etjo Sandstone Formation of against the southern basin margin. The northern basin margin Namibia. The geometric relationships between aeolian and is not exposed, being covered by up to 500 m of Etendeka 771 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article-pdf/156/4/771/4887220/gsjgs.156.4.0771.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 772 N. MOUNTNEY ET AL. Fig. 1. Simplified geological map of the Huab region of northwestern Namibia. Positions of logged sedimentary sections depicted by white circles. These act as control points for the fence diagram presented in Fig. 2, the position of which is signified on the map by the solid black lines. Numbered white squares show the positions of the two architectural panels presented in Fig. 3. Mapping based on the 1:50 000 geological maps of Horsthemke (1992) and Ledendecker (1992), supplemented by aerial photographic interpretation by the authors. flood basalts which directly overlie the Etjo Sandstone For- termed locally the Gaias Formation (Horsthemke 1992; mation. Aeolian strata in the upper part of the Etjo Sandstone Ledendecker 1992). This basinwide unconformity exhibits a Formation interfingers both vertically and laterally with these pronounced palaeotopography which partly accounts for lava flows (Milner et al. 1994; Jerram et al. 1999). On the basis thickness variations in the overlying Etjo Sandstone For- of 40Ar/39Ar dating of the basalts (Renne et al. 1996), termin- mation (Fig. 2). The Etjo Sandstone Formation attains a ation of aeolian sedimentation is estimated to have occurred at maximum thickness of 200 m, but thins southwards as it 132&1 Ma. No age information for the base of the Etjo onlaps against the southern basin margin. The distribution of Sandstone Formation has been forthcoming and hence the fluvial and aeolian facies indicates complex spatial and tem- duration of aeolian–fluvial sedimentation remains unknown. poral variations in depositional style which may be related to four distinct phases of sedimentary evolution, each of which is summarized below. Data Data have been collected at three distinct scales. (1) Fifty-nine vertical Krone Member logged sections demonstrate the extent of the major aeolian and fluvial units, and spatial variations in facies distribution and sedimentary The basal 10–15 m comprises a cross-bedded, predominantly style (Fig. 2). (2) Eight architectural panels, totalling 10 km in length, clast-supported pebble and cobble conglomerate that cuts have been constructed at the ‘set scale’. These enable semi-regional down into the underlying Karoo Group. Clasts are predomi- lateral tracing of sedimentary units and bounding surfaces, and the nantly reworked from Damaran metasedimentary rocks reconstruction of individual bedforms within specific parts of the erg exposed at the basin margins. Palaeocurrent data (Fig. 3) (Fig. 3). (3) Key sedimentary units and their bounding surfaces have been investigated at the ‘laminae scale’. Certain sedimentary struc- indicate that the main axial drainage system within the basin at tures, such as wavy and contorted laminae, desiccation cracks, rooted this time flowed from NE to SW along the line of the and/or bioturbated horizons are important palaeoenvironmental indi- present-day Huab River. To the south, tributary streams cators (Kocurek 1981; Kocurek & Havholm 1993) and are crucial to flowed from SE to NW into the basin axis. The presence of the correct interpretation of regionally extensive events. numerous horizontally laminated sandstone and pebbly sand- stone horizons, together with rarely preserved dessication cracks interbedded with the conglomerates (Mountney et al. Sedimentary units 1998), is interpreted to represent deposition in a high energy The Etjo Sandstone Formation lies unconformably on flow environment dominated by flash floods and braided, Permian fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the Karoo Group, ephemeral stream flows (Miall 1978; Nichols 1987). The Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article-pdf/156/4/771/4887220/gsjgs.156.4.0771.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 CONTROLS ON AEOLIAN–FLUVIAL SYSTEMS 773 Fig. 2. Fence diagram depicting the three-dimensional geometry of the Huab Basin during deposition of the Etjo Sandstone Formation and