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

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaufort Group</span> Third of the main subdivisions of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa

The Beaufort Group is the third of the main subdivisions of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. It is composed of a lower Adelaide Subgroup and an upper Tarkastad Subgroup. It follows conformably after the Ecca Group and unconformably underlies the Stormberg Group. Based on stratigraphic position, lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic correlations, palynological analyses, and other means of geological dating, the Beaufort Group rocks are considered to range between Middle Permian (Wordian) to Early Triassic (Anisian) in age.

<i>Lystrosaurus</i> Assemblage Zone

The Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone is a tetrapod assemblage zone or biozone which correlates to the upper Adelaide and lower Tarkastad Subgroups of the Beaufort Group, a fossiliferous and geologically important geological Group of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. This biozone has outcrops in the south central Eastern Cape and in the southern and northeastern Free State. The Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone is one of eight biozones found in the Beaufort Group, and is considered to be Early Triassic in age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuli Parks and Wildlife Land</span>

Thuli Parks and Wildlife Land is a protected area in south-western Zimbabwe. It comprises four areas within the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Estate and covers the entire west bank of the Shashe River within the Thuli Circle.

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

The Clarens Formation is a geological formation found in several localities in Lesotho and in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa. It is the uppermost of the three formations found in the Stormberg Group of the greater Karoo Supergroup rocks and represents the final phase of preserved sedimentation of the Karoo Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Sandstone</span>

The Forest Sandstone is a geological formation in southern Africa, dating to roughly between 200 and 190 million years ago and covering the Hettangian to Sinemurian stages of the Jurassic Period in the Mesozoic Era. As its name suggests, it consists mainly of sandstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molteno Formation</span> Triassic geological formation in the Stormberg Group in Lesotho and South Africa

The Molteno Formation is a geological formation found in several localities in Lesotho and South Africa. It lies mainly south of Maseru, near Burgersdorp, Aliwal North, Dordrecht, Molteno, and Elliot. It extends as far north as Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. The formation's localities lie along the Drakensberg Mountains in Kwazulu-Natal, and near Ladybrand in the Free State of South Africa. The Molteno Formation is the lowermost of the three formations in the Stormberg Group of the greater Karoo Supergroup. The Molteno Formation represents the initial phase of preserved sedimentation of the Stormberg Group.

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

The Pebbly Arkose Formation is a Late Triassic geologic formation found in southern Africa.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abrahamskraal Formation</span> Geological formation of the Beaufort Group in South Africa

The Abrahamskraal Formation is a geological formation and is found in numerous localities in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It is the lowermost formation of the Adelaide Subgroup of the Beaufort Group, a major geological group that forms part of the greater Karoo Supergroup. It represents the first fully terrestrial geological deposits of the Karoo Basin. Outcrops of the Abrahamskraal Formation are found from the small town Middelpos in its westernmost localities, then around Sutherland, the Moordenaarskaroo north of Laingsburg, Williston, Fraserburg, Leeu-Gamka, Loxton, and Victoria West in the Western Cape and Northern Cape. In the Eastern Cape outcrops are known from Rietbron, north of Klipplaat and Grahamstown, and also southwest of East London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angwa Sandstone</span>

The Angwa Sandstone is a geological formation of the mid-Triassic, consisting mainly of sandstone.

The Escarpment Grit is a Triassic geologic formation. It is also referred to as the Nyoka Grit.

<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.

The Ellisras Basin is a geological basin that spans the border between South Africa and Botswana, extending west from the town of Lephalale in Limpopo province. Basin fill consists of sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup, with maximum thickness of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).

<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">Middleton Formation</span> Late middle Permian geological formation in the Eastern Cape

The Middleton Formation is a geological formation that extends through the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. It overlies the lower Abrahamskraal Formation, and is the eastern correlate, East of 24ºE, of the Teekloof Formation. Outcrops and exposures of the Middleton Formation range from Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape onwards. The Middleton Formation's type locality lies near the small hamlet, Middleton, approximately 25 km south of Cookhouse. Other exposures lie in hillsides along the Great Fish River in the Eastern Cape. The Middleton Formation forms part of the Adelaide Subgroup of the Beaufort Group, which itself forms part of the Karoo Supergroup.

<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.

References

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  2. Viglietti, Pia A.; Barrett, Paul M.; Broderick, Tim J.; Munyikwa, Darlington; MacNiven, Rowan; Broderick, Lucy; Chapelle, Kimberley; Glynn, Dave; Edwards, Steve (January 2018). "Stratigraphy of the Vulcanodon type locality and its implications for regional correlations within the Karoo Supergroup". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 137: 149–156. Bibcode:2018JAfES.137..149V. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.10.015. ISSN   1464-343X.
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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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  12. 1 2 3 R.A. Smith. The lithostratigraphy of the Karoo Supergroup in Botswana (Report). Geological Survey Department, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs, Republic of Botswana.
  13. K.L. Walsh; P. Hall; D.J. Hughes (1999). "Major and trace element geochemical characteristics of Karoo basaits in Zimbabwe, providing evidence for the origin of spatially related carbonatites". Journal of African Earth Sciences . 28 (4 Suppl 1): 84. Bibcode:1999JAfES..28....1.. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(99)00028-7.
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