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Palaeontological Impact Assessment for the Proposed New Mgeni Adit, Zululand Anthracite Colliery, Kwazulu Natal Province

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Palaeontological Impact Assessment for the Proposed New Mgeni Adit, Zululand Anthracite Colliery, Kwazulu Natal Province Palaeontological Impact Assessment for the proposed New Mgeni Adit, Zululand Anthracite Colliery, KwaZulu Natal Province Desktop Study For Zululand Anthracite Colliery (Pty) Ltd 07 October 2018 Prof Marion Bamford Palaeobotanist P Bag 652, WITS 2050 Johannesburg, South Africa [email protected] Expertise of Specialist The Palaeontologist Consultant is: Prof Marion Bamford Qualifications: PhD (Wits Univ, 1990); FRSSAf, ASSAf Experience: 30 years research; 22 years PIA studies Declaration of Independence This report has been compiled by Professor Marion Bamford, of the University of the Witwatersrand, sub-contracted by Zululand Anthracite Colliery (Pty) Ltd, Empangeni, South Africa. The views expressed in this report are entirely those of the author and no other interest was displayed during the decision making process for the Project. Specialist: Prof Marion Bamford Signature: 1 Executive Summary A palaeontological Impact Assessment was requested for the construction of the New Mgeni Adit for Zululand Anthracite Colliery, near Hlabisa in northern KwaZulu Natal. To comply with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in terms of Section 38(8) of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999) (NHRA), a desktop Palaeontological Impact Assessment (PIA) was completed for the proposed development of a new adit. The proposed site lies on the shales, mudstones sandstones and coals of the Emakwezini Formation (Beaufort Group) and Vryheid Formation (Ecca Group) of the eastern part of the Main Karoo Basin. While the coal seams themselves do not preserve recognisable plant fossils, the shale lenses and associated shales do preserve impressions of fossils of the Glossopteris flora and they have been recorded from Emakwazini Station to the south of the site. The coal seams and potentially fossiliferous shales are below ground, on average more than 20m below Fossils are unlikely to be seen on the surface but once excavations begin a monitoring programme and Chance Find Protocol should be added to the EMPr. Based on this information it is recommended that no palaeontological site visit is required until such time as excavations begin and if fossils are discovered. 2 Table of Contents Expertise of Specialist...................................................................................................................... 1 Declaration of Independence ........................................................................................................... 1 1. Background ...................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Methods and Terms of Reference ................................................................................................... 5 i. Project location and geological context ....................................................................................... 6 ii. Palaeontological context ............................................................................................................. 8 4. Impact assessment .......................................................................................................................... 9 5. Assumptions and uncertainties ...................................................................................................... 10 6. Recommendation ........................................................................................................................... 10 7. References ..................................................................................................................................... 11 8. Chance Find Protocol ……………………………………………………………………………………11 Appendix A (examples of fossils) ……………………………………………………………………………12 Appendix B (short CV of specialist) …………………………………………………………………………15 3 1. Background A Palaeontological Impact Assessment was requested for the establishment of the New Mgeni Adit for Zululand Anthracite Colliery on the mining property. This will enable access to the underground coal reserves. The colliery is to the west of the town of Hlabisa, northern KwaZulu Natal. To comply with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) in terms of Section 38(8) of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999) (NHRA), a desktop Palaeontological Impact Assessment (PIA) was completed for the proposed development of an adit for coal mining. Table 1: Specialist report requirements in terms of Appendix 6 of the EIA Regulations (2014) A specialist report prepared in terms of the Environmental Impact Regulations Relevant section in of 2014 must contain: report Details of the specialist who prepared the report Appendix B The expertise of that person to compile a specialist report including a curriculum Appendix B vitae A declaration that the person is independent in a form as may be specified by the Page 1 competent authority An indication of the scope of, and the purpose for which, the report was prepared Section 1 The date and season of the site investigation and the relevance of the season to the N/A outcome of the assessment A description of the methodology adopted in preparing the report or carrying out the Section 2 specialised process Section ii The specific identified sensitivity of the site related to the activity and its associated structures and infrastructure Error! Reference source not found. An identification of any areas to be avoided, including buffers N/A A map superimposing the activity including the associated structures and infrastructure on the environmental sensitivities of the site including areas to be N/A avoided, including buffers; A description of any assumptions made and any uncertainties or gaps in Section 5 knowledge; A description of the findings and potential implications of such findings on the Section 4 impact of the proposed activity, including identified alternatives, on the environment Any mitigation measures for inclusion in the EMPr n/a Any conditions for inclusion in the environmental authorisation n/a Any monitoring requirements for inclusion in the EMPr or environmental Section 8 authorisation 4 A reasoned opinion as to whether the proposed activity or portions thereof should N/A be authorised If the opinion is that the proposed activity or portions thereof should be authorised, any avoidance, management and mitigation measures that should be included in N/A the EMPr, and where applicable, the closure plan A description of any consultation process that was undertaken during the course of N/A carrying out the study A summary and copies if any comments that were received during any consultation N/A process Any other information requested by the competent authority. N/A Figure 1: Google Earth map of the proposed site for the New Mgeni Adit for Zululand Anthracite Colliery. Map supplied by ZAC. 2. Methods and Terms of Reference The Terms of Reference (ToR) for this study were to undertake a PIA and provide feasible management measures to comply with the requirements of SAHRA. The methods employed to address the ToR included: 1. Consultation of geological maps, literature, palaeontological databases, published and unpublished records to determine the likelihood of fossils occurring in the 5 affected areas. Sources included records housed at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand and SAHRA databases; 2. Where necessary, site visits by a qualified palaeontologist to locate any fossils and assess their importance (not applicable to this assessment); 3. Where appropriate, collection of unique or rare fossils with the necessary permits for storage and curation at an appropriate facility (not applicable to this assessment); and 4. Determination of fossils’ representivity or scientific importance to decide if the fossils can be destroyed or a representative sample collected (not applicable to this assessment). 3. Geology and Palaeontology i. Project location and geological context Figure 2: Geological map of the area around the Zululand Anthracite Colliery in northern KwaZulu Natal. The location of the proposed project is indicated with the arrow. Abbreviations of the rock types are explained in Table 2. Map enlarged from the Geological Survey 1: 1 000 000 map 1984. 6 Table 2: Explanation of symbols for the geological map and approximate ages (Duncan and Marsh, 2006; Erikssen et al., 2006. Johnson et al., 2006; McCarthy et al., 2006; Marshall, 2006; van der Westhuizen et al., 2006). SG = Supergroup; Fm = Formation. Symbol Group/Formation Lithology Approximate Age Neogene, ca 25 Ma to Q Quaternary Alluvium, sand, calcrete present Aeolinaite, sandstone, Qb Port Durnford Neogene clay,limestone Siltstone, sandstone, Kz Zululand Group Cretaceous conglomerate Jozini Fm, Lebombo Jurassic Jj Rhyodactite Group Ca 150 Ma Jl Letaba, Lebombo Group Picritic basalt Jurassic, ca 150 Ma Jd Jurassic dykes Dolerite dykes, intrusive Jurassic, approx. 180 Ma Tr-nt Ntabeni Fm, sandstone Molteno, Carnian-Norian Emakwezini Fm, Beaufort Mudstone, shale, Pem >250 Ma Group sandstone Pvo Volksrust Fm, Ecca Group shale Permian middle, Upper Ecca Pv Vryheid Fm, Ecca Group Shales, sandstone, coal Lower Permian, Middle Ecca Pp Pietermaritzburg Fm, Shale Lower Ecca, early Permian Ecca Group C-Pd Dwyka Group Tillite, sandstone, Late Carbonifereous to early mudstone, shale Permian O-S Natal Group Quartzitic sandstone, Ordovician to Silurian arkose, shale ZB Basement complex Potassic Granite, >3100 Ma granodiorite Along the east coast and inland a long period of time is
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