Batoka Formation

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Batoka Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Jurassic
~180–179  Ma
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Batoka-flows-siyakobvu.png
Batoka basalt flows at Siyakobvu, Kariba District, Zimbabwe
Type Geological formation
Unit of Upper Karoo Group, Karoo Supergroup
Overlies Forest Sandstone Formation
Lithology
Primary Basalt
Location
Region Zambezi River valley
CountryFlag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Type section
Named forBatoka Gorge, Zambezi River
Named byG.W. Lamplugh

The Batoka Formation is a geological formation in the Zambezi valley in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is predominantly a volcanic unit comprising mainly basalts. [1] It was formerly thought to contain sand stones containing the dinosaur Vulcanodon , however this was shown to be in error resulting from interpreting folding of the rocks as separate layers, with the sandstone layers actually being from the underlying Forest Sandstone. [2]

Contents

Geology

Description

The formation is a volcanic unit, consisting mainly of high-titanium, low-potassium tholeiitic basalt flows. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Pillow lavas in Batoka Basalt, Siyakobvu, Kariba District, Zimbabwe Batoka-basalt-siyakobvu.png
Pillow lavas in Batoka Basalt, Siyakobvu, Kariba District, Zimbabwe

The lavas are dark, vesicular and porphyritic or massive basalts, with occasional pillows, [8] [9] [10] [11] although rare dacites and rhyolites have been reported from some areas of north-eastern Botswana. [12] The vesicular and massive basalts occur in alternating bands, with the vesicular bands usually being the top and base of each flow. [10] [12] The basalt mineralogy consists of mainly of plagioclase, augite, magnetite, some ilmenite and volcanic glass. In the Hwange area, vesicles consist mostly of quartz, chalcedony or calcite, [10] though zeolites, such as stilbite, mesolite and laumontite, are dominant towards Victoria Falls and in the lower Deka valley, [8] and are common in north-eastern Botswana. [12]

The basalt lavas are related to carbonatite intrusions in the Zambezi valley. [13]

Extent

The Batoka Formation is found in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, in the Mid-Zambezi, Mana Pools and Cabora Bassa Basins. [3] [14] [15]

Age

Lavas of the Batoka Formation have been dated at 180 to 179 Ma. [3]

Stratigraphy

The Batoka Formation is the uppermost formation in the Upper Karoo Group of the Karoo Supergroup, lying above the Forest Sandstone Formation. [14]

The Batoka Formation has been correlated to the Drakensberg Group of the Great Karoo Basin, South Africa, [15] and the basalts of the Tuli Basin in Botswana and Zimbabwe. [16]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karoo Supergroup</span> Mesozoic stratigraphic unit in Africa

The Karoo Supergroup is the most widespread stratigraphic unit in Africa south of the Kalahari Desert. The supergroup consists of a sequence of units, mostly of nonmarine origin, deposited between the Late Carboniferous and Early Jurassic, a period of about 120 million years.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarens Formation</span> Geological formation of the Stormberg Group in southern Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Sandstone</span> Geologic formation in Southern Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebbly Arkose Formation</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stormberg Group</span> Triassic/Jurassic geological group in the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa

The Stormberg Group is one of the four geological groups that comprises the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. It is the uppermost geological group representing the final phase of preserved sedimentation of the Karoo Basin. The Stormberg Group rocks are considered to range between Lower Triassic (Olenekian) to Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian) in age. These estimates are based on means of geological dating including stratigraphic position, lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic correlations, and palynological analyses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwyka Group</span> Geological group in the Karoo Supergroup from South Africa

The Dwyka Group is one of four geological groups that compose the Karoo Supergroup. It is the lowermost geological group and heralds the commencement of sedimentation of the Karoo Supergroup. Based on stratigraphic position, lithostratigraphic correlation and palynological analyses, these lowermost Karoo strata range between the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) to Early Permian in age.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Karoo Group</span> Sequence of Triassic to Early Jurassic rocks in southern Africa

The Upper Karoo Group is a sequence of Triassic to Early Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic rocks found in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Karoo Group</span>

The Lower Karoo Group is a sequence of late Carboniferous and Permian sandstone sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup, found in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Zambia</span>

The geological history of Zambia begins in the Proterozoic eon of the Precambrian. The igneous and metamorphic basement rocks tend to be highly metamorphosed and may have formed earlier in the Archean, but heat and pressure has destroyed evidence of earlier conditions. Major sedimentary and metamorphic groups formed in the mid-Proterozoic, followed by a series of glaciations in the Neoproterozoic and much of the Paleozoic which deposited glacial conglomerate as well as other sediments to form the Katanga Supergroup and rift-related Karoo Supergroup. Basalt eruptions blanketed the Karoo Supergroup in the Mesozoic and Zambia shifted to coal and sandstone formation. Geologically recent windblown sands from the Kalahari Desert and alluvial deposits near rivers play an important role in the modern surficial geology of Zambia. The country has extensive natural resources, particularly copper, but also cobalt, emeralds, other gemstones, uranium and coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drakensberg Group</span> Jurassic geological group in Lesotho and South Africa

The Drakensberg Group is a geological group named after the Drakensberg mountain range where in its uppermost sections the rocks are found. The Drakensberg Group lies over most of Lesotho and localities in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Free State provinces of South Africa. It forms part of the greater Karoo Igneous Province, which occurs over an extensive area of southern Africa.

<i>Musankwa</i> Genus of sauropodomorph dinosaurs

Musankwa is an extinct genus of massopodan sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Late Triassic (Norian) Pebbly Arkose Formation of Zimbabwe. The genus contains a single species, M. sanyatiensis, known from a partial leg. Musankwa represents the fourth dinosaur genus to be named from Zimbabwe.

References

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  9. B. Lightfoot (1914). "The Geology of the North-western part of the Wankie Coalfield". Southern Rhodesia Geological Survey Bulletin. 4.
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