Karoo Supergroup

The Karoo Supergroup is a lithostratigraphic unit structure in Africa. It consists of several sedimentary basins, which occur mainly south of the Equator.

Definition

The geological technical term " Karoo " was initially limited to the sedimentary structures of the Karoo Basin in South Africa. This was described continental sediments, which extend over the Karoolandschaft addition. With progressive insights you transferred the term mainly to all continental sediments that emerged from the extensional basin structures of Gondwana. Direct bearing sedimentary basins dating from the Upper Carboniferous to Jurassic have been found in India, Antarctica and Australia.

Geology

The Karoo Supergroup comprises about 100 million years resulting sedimentary sequence. The thickness of the deposits exceeds in some cases 10,000 meters. In many African countries, the Karoo Supergroup caused landscape-shaping effects.

The first sedimentary formations within this supergroup started in the Carboniferous, before about 300 million years ago, with the glacial deposits of the Dwyka Group ( Dwyka Group). It was followed by marine sediments in the period of the Ecca Group ( Ecca Group). Later fluvial sediments of the Beaufort Group camped above ( Beaufort Group) and Stormberg Group ( Stormberg Group) from. In the most recent section ( Drakensberg Formation) of the Karoo - time and covered lava flows penetrated the pre-existing sediments. The most important example of this plutonic activity are the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho and South Africa. Thus, the Karoo Supergroup concludes in the Jura.

Typical rocks include sandstones, siltstones, shales and tillites. Tectonic activity has in some pelvic structures generated magmatic intrusions that count in the Karoo Supergroup on the recent developments. Best known are the Karoo dolerite in southern Africa. In the Lebombobergen, the common border between South Africa and Mozambique, however, occur on basalts, rhyolites, tuffs and ignimbrites.

Large Structures

Important individual pelvic structures are:

  • Aranos Basin ( Namibia, Botswana )
  • Barotse Basin ( Zambia)
  • Cahora Bassa Basin ( Zimbabwe, Mozambique )
  • Diego Basin ( Madagascar)
  • Duruma Basin ( Kenya)
  • Elisras Basin (South Africa, Botswana )
  • Huab Basin ( Namibia)
  • Kalahari Basin (Botswana, Namibia)
  • Karasburg Basin ( Namibia)
  • Karoo main basin (South Africa, Lesotho)
  • Congo Basin (Democratic Republic of Congo)
  • Lebombo Basin ( South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique)
  • Luangwa Basin ( Zambia)
  • Lukusashi Basin ( Zambia)
  • Majunga Basin ( Madagascar)
  • Mana Pools Basin ( Zimbabwe)
  • Metangula Basin ( Tanzania, Mozambique)
  • Mid- Zambezi Basin ( Zimbabwe, Botswana )
  • Morondava Basin ( Madagascar)
  • Nuanetsi Basin ( Mozambique)
  • Ovambo Basin ( Namibia)
  • Ruhuhu Basin ( Tanzania, Malawi)
  • Save Basin ( Zimbabwe)
  • Selous Basin ( Tanzania)
  • Springbok Flats Basin ( South Africa)
  • Tanga Basin ( Tanzania)
  • Tshipise Basin (South Africa, Zimbabwe)
  • Tuli Basin ( Zimbabwe)
  • Waterberg Basin ( Namibia)
Claystone Tectonics
466897
de