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UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY BASIN-FILL OF THE PERMIAN TANQUA DEPOCENTRE, SW KAROO BASIN, SOUTH AFRICA. by ALAO Abosede Olubukunola Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Department of Earth Sciences, Stellenbosch University 2012 Supervisor Dr. Daniel Mikeš Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION This research is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science at Stellenbosch University and has not been previously accepted or concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. This dissertation is the result of my own independent work/research, except where otherwise stated. Other sources acknowledged are by explicit references. Signed……………………A. O. ALAO………………. Date………………25/01/2012………………………. Copyright © 2012 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT Basin subsidence analysis, employing the backstripping method, indicates that fundamentally two different basin-generating mechanisms controlled Tanqua depocentre development in SW Karoo Basin. The subsidence curves display initial dominantly decelerating subsidence, suggesting an extensional and thermal control possibly in a strike- slip setting during the depocentre formation; on the other hand, subsequent accelerating subsidence with time suggests that the dominant control on the depocentre formation in SW Karoo was flexure of the lithosphere. Based on these observations on the subsidence curves, it is possible to infer that the first stage of positive inflexion (~ 290 Ma) is therefore recognised as the first stage of Tanqua depocentre formation. Petrographic study show that most of the studied sandstones of the Tanqua depocentre at depth of ~ 7.5 Km were subjected to high pressure due to the overlying sediments. They are tightly-packed as a result of grains adjustment made under such pressure which led also to the development of sutured contacts. It is clear the high compaction i.e. grain deformation and pressure solution occurred on the sediments; leading to total intergranular porosity reduction of the quartz-rich sediments and dissolution of the mineral grains at intergranular contacts under non-hydrostatic stress and subsequent re-precipitation in pore spaces. Furthermore, siliciclastic cover in the Tanqua depocentre expanded from minimal values in the early Triassic (Early to Late Anisian) and to a maximum in the middle Permian (Wordian -Roadian); thereby accompanying a global falling trend in eustatic sea-level and favoured by a compressional phase involving a regional shortening due to orogenic thrusting and positive inflexions (denoting foreland basin formation). The estimate of sediment volume obtained in this study for the Permian Period to a maximum in the middle Permian is therefore consistent with published eustatic sea-level and stress regime data. In addition, this new data are consistent with a diachronous cessation of marine incursion and closure of Tanqua iv Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za depocentre, related to a compressional stress regime in Gondwana interior during the late Palaeozoic. v Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za OPSOMMING Die ontleding van komversakking met behulp van die terugstropingsmetode bring aan die lig dat die ontwikkeling van die Tankwa-afsettingsentrum in die Suidwes-Karoo-kom hoofsaaklik deur twee verskillende komvormende meganismes bepaal is. Die versakkingskurwes toon aanvanklike, hoofsaaklik verlangsaamde versakking, wat daarop dui dat ekstensie- en termiese beheer gedurende die vorming van die afsettingsentrum plaasgevind het, waarskynlik in strekkingwaartse opset. Aan die ander kant toon daaropvolgende versnellende versakking wat mettertyd plaasgevind het dat die vorming van die afsettingsentrum in die Suidwes-Karoo eerder oorwegend deur kromming van die litosfeer beheer is. Op grond van hierdie waarnemings met betrekking tot die versakkingskurwes, kan mens aflei dat die eerste stadium van positiewe infleksie (~ 290 Ma) dus as die eerste stadium van die vorming van die Tankwa-afsettingsentrum beskou kan word. Petrografiese studie toon dat die meeste van die sandsteen wat van die Tankwa- afsettingsentrum bestudeer is, op diepte van ~ 7,5 Km aan hoë druk onderwerp was weens die oorliggende sedimente. Die sandsteen is dig opmekaar as gevolg van die korrelaanpassing wat onder sulke hoë druk plaasvind, wat op sy beurt ook tot die ontwikkeling van kartelnaatkontakte aanleiding gegee het. Dit is duidelik dat die sediment aan hoë verdigting, dit wil sê korrelvervorming en drukoplossing, onderwerp was, wat gelei het tot algehele afname in interkorrelporeusheid by die kwartsryke sedimente; die ontbinding van die mineraalkorrels in interkorrelkontaksones onder niehidrostatiese spanning, en daaropvolgende herpresipitasie in poreuse ruimtes. Voorts het silisiklastiese dekking in die Tankwa-afsettingsentrum toegeneem van minimale waardes in die vroeë Triassiese tydperk (vroeë tot laat Anisiaanse tydperk) tot hoogtepunt in die mid-Permiaanse tydperk (Wordiaans–Roadiaans). Dié ontwikkeling het gepaardgegaan met algemene dalingstendens in die eustatiese seevlak, en is verder aangehelp deur saamdrukkingsfase wat gekenmerk is deur regionale verkorting weens vi Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za orogeniese druk en positiewe infleksies (wat met voorlandkomvorming saamhang). Die geraamde sedimentvolume wat in hierdie studie vir die Permiaanse tydperk bepaal is, met die hoogtepunt in die middel van dié tydperk, is dus in pas met gepubliseerde data oor die eustatiese seevlak en spanningstoestand. Daarbenewens strook hierdie nuwe data met diachroniese staking van mariene instroming en die afsluiting van die Tankwa- afsettingsentrum wat met spanningstoestand in die Gondwana-binneland gedurende die laat Paleosoïkum verband hou. vii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I give thanks to Almighty God, for giving me the grace and inspiration during the course of this study. I use this opportunity to show my gratitude for His goodness and mercy in enabling me work on this dissertation. I am also using this opportunity to show my gratitude to my supervisor Dr Daniel Mike, for his positive criticism, guidance, persistence and encouragement during the course and completion of my Masters dissertation. I express my appreciation to Doug Cole, Dannie Barnado, Marinda Havenga, Amarie Smith, all at the Council for Geoscience, for providing me with data from their core library and geophysical data in the form of regional magnetic and gravity profiles. My gratitude goes to my colleagues and friends, Ife, Candice, Byron, Malikah, my Pastor Funlola Olojede and Mr. and Mrs. Osundiran for their support in the course of this dissertation. Finally, my heartfelt appreciation goes to my family; my loving husband, my daughter, my loving parents and siblings; particularly Biodun and Bayo for their love, prayers, moral and emotional assistance in assuring that this dream is a reality. I am most grateful for your trust and belief in me and for always being there; I love you all, for you mean the world to me. viii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za ix Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... II ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ IV OPSOMMING ......................................................................................................................... VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... X CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 .!/YDwh b 5 D9h [h DL/![ 9ÇLbD w9L9 h C tw9Lh h wY h b .L59b /9 h C I9 Y!wh h !La !b 5 h .W9/L9 a 9Ih 5h [h D h C 5!! /h [[9/Lhb !b 5 twh /9LbD CHAPTER TWO: REGIONAL GEOLOGY AND LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY ............................. 11 9/h b L/ 9ÇLbD h C I9 Y!wh h .!Lb w!LDw!tI !b 5 59th LLhb ![ 9a h C I9 Y!wh h .!Lb / Y 5 D 9 D . D D w / w![ 9LbD h C I9 Y!wh h .!Lb 5 !"" # "$"# $ %"# ! #& '#( & # /h ww9[!Lhb !b 5 /Iwhbhw!LDw!tI h C I9 !b v ! !b 5 [!LbD . wD 59th /9b w9 " [LIh w!LDw!tI h C I9 !b v ! 59th /9b w9 # 5 !w9!$ 5 D t "# *+ , " # - $"$"++ , " # / ++"# $ , " # '" , " # !# , " # Y #"# , " # Y & ! , " # x Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za . * $ ! + , " # CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND DATABASE ..................................................... 38 /h b /9t h C I9 .!/YwLttLbD 9/Ib Lv 9 5 " # . 5ò !w9! !b 5 5!! !!L[!.L[L " $" +" #!$"! #& +"$ + "! 5"# !"! 59/h a t!/Lhb h C [LI h w!LDw!tIL/ b L Lb !b v ! 59th /9b w9 59th LLhb ![ !9w%59tI & % 5 !Lw .!/YwLttLbD ' t &! "" # #& + / 9 ! ! CHAPTER FOUR: TECTONIC SUBSIDENCE ANALYSIS ................................................... 53 /h a t!wLh b .9 99b /h a t!/95 !b 5 59/h a t!/95 [LIh [h DL/![ b L h C !b v ! 59th /9b w9 w9 [ !b 5 Lb9wtw9!Lhb / " # !"! 5 " # !"!
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  • Comparing Middle Permian and Early Triassic Environments: Mud Aggregates As a Proxy for Climate Change in the Karoo Basin, South Africa

    Comparing Middle Permian and Early Triassic Environments: Mud Aggregates As a Proxy for Climate Change in the Karoo Basin, South Africa

    Colby College Digital Commons @ Colby Honors Theses Student Research 2011 Comparing Middle Permian and Early Triassic Environments: Mud Aggregates as a Proxy for Climate Change in the Karoo Basin, South Africa Bryce Pludow Colby College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses Part of the Geology Commons Colby College theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed or downloaded from this site for the purposes of research and scholarship. Reproduction or distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the author. Recommended Citation Pludow, Bryce, "Comparing Middle Permian and Early Triassic Environments: Mud Aggregates as a Proxy for Climate Change in the Karoo Basin, South Africa" (2011). Honors Theses. Paper 622. https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/622 This Honors Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Digital Commons @ Colby. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Colby. COMPARING MIDDLE PERMIAN AND EARLY TRIASSIC ENVIRONMENTS: MUD AGGREGATES AS A PROXY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE KAROO BASIN, SOUTH AFRICA B. Amelia Pludow „11 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Geology Department of Colby College in Fulfillment of the Requirements for Honors in Geology Waterville, Maine May, 2011 COMPARING MIDDLE PERMIAN AND EARLY TRIASSIC ENVIRONMENTS: MUD AGGREGATES AS A PROXY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE KAROO BASIN, SOUTH AFRICA Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this thesis is my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee B.
  • Ska Core and Phase 1 Development Area, Great Karoo, Northern Cape - Palaeontological Heritage

    Ska Core and Phase 1 Development Area, Great Karoo, Northern Cape - Palaeontological Heritage

    1 SKA CORE AND PHASE 1 DEVELOPMENT AREA, GREAT KAROO, NORTHERN CAPE - PALAEONTOLOGICAL HERITAGE John E. Almond PhD (Cantab.) Natura Viva cc, PO Box 12410 Mill Street, Cape Town 8010, RSA [email protected] March 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The SKA core and Phase 1 study area in the Northern Cape is situated on the north-western margins of the Main Karoo Basin. The region is underlain by marine / lacustrine to terrestrial sediments of the Karoo Supergroup (Ecca and Lower Beaufort Groups) of Early to Middle Permian age. The fossil record of the Ecca Group here is dominated by a wide range of non-marine, subaqueously-generated trace fossils. A key trace fossil locality in the Tierberg Formation (Farm Brassefontein) occurs c. 65 km southwest of Brandvlei. Well-preserved mesosaurid reptiles and bony fish are recorded from the Whitehill Formation but are rare, while the Whitehill mudrocks are extensively intruded by dolerite in this region. Classic outcrops of storm-dominated shelf sediments of the Waterford Formation (previously Carnarvon Formation) are located in the Kareeberge of the Williston – Carnarvon area. These shelf successions contain a distinctive trace fossil assemblage as well as fairly common blocks of petrified driftwood. Middle Permian continental sediments of the Lower Beaufort Group (Abrahamskraal Formation) between Williston and Fraserburg have yielded a small number of vertebrate fossils of the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone including therapsids, pareiasaur John E. Almond (2016) Natura Viva cc 2 reptiles and bony fish. Important trace fossil assemblages, including tetrapod trackways, are associated with sandstone palaeosurfaces such as the well-known Gansfontein site near Fraserburg.