Pebbly Arkose Formation

Pebbly Arkose
Pebbly Arkose
Stratigraphic range: Carnian ; ~235–222 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Pebbly arkose outcrop, Ndepa hill, Kariba District, Zimbabwe
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Upper Karoo Group, Karoo Supergroup
Underlies	Forest Sandstone
Overlies	Escarpment Grit & Angwa Sandstone
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates	16°12′S30°18′E / 16.2°S 30.3°E
Approximate paleocoordinates	50°48′S11°54′E / 50.8°S 11.9°E
Region	Mashonaland Central & West
Country	Botswana ; Zambia ; Zimbabwe
Type section
Named for	Descriptive name
Named by	A.M. MacGregor, Zimbabwe Geological Survey
	Pebbly Arkose Formation (Africa) Pebbly Arkose Formation (Zimbabwe)

Last updated August 06, 2025

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

Geology

Description

The formation comprises mainly coarse, arkosic sandstones.^[1]

Extent

The Pebbly Arkose Formation is found in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, in the Mid-Zambezi, Mana Pools, Cabora Bassa and Limpopo basins.

Stratigraphy

The Pebbly Arkose Formation is part of the Upper Karoo Group, overlies the Escarpment formation (in the Mid-Zambezi and Limpopo basins)^[2] and the Angwa Sandstone Formation (in the Mana Pools and Cabora Bassa Basins)^[3] and underlies the Forest Sandstone Formation.^[4]

The Pebbly Arkose has been correlated to the Elliot Formation of the Great Karroo Basin, South Africa^[4]^[5] and the Mpandi Formation of the Thuli Basin in Botswana and Zimbabwe.^[6]

Fossil content

Flora

Pinales of the Pebbly Arkose Formation
Taxa	Presence	Notes	Images
Form genus: Dadoxylon	Widespread in the formation^[7]

Vertebrate fauna

Archosaur

Archosaurs of the Pebbly Arkose Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Mbiresaurus ^[8]	M. raathi	Dande Communal Land.	A complete partially-articulated skeleton.	An early member of Sauropodomorpha
Musankwa ^[9]	M. sanyatiensis	Spurwing Island.	An articulated partial right leg.	A basal massopodan sauropodomorph
Massospondylus	M. sp.	Spurwing Island.		A basal sauropodomorph.
Aetosaur ^[8]	Indeterminate.
Herrerasaurid ^[8]	Indeterminate	Dande Communal Land.

Reptiles

Rhynchosauria of the Pebbly Arkose Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Hyperodapedon ^[10]		Dande, Mbire District, Zimbabwe ^[10]

Synapsids

Synapsida of the Pebbly Arkose Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Dicynodontia	Indeterminate.			A possible dicynodont ^[8]
Gomphodontosuchine ^[8]				A traversodontid cynodont.

Fish

Fish of the Pebbly Arkose Formation
Taxon	Species	Presence	Materials	Notes	Images
Ferganoceratodus ^[11]	F. edwardsi			A ceratodontiform lungfish

References

↑ Love, David; Ravengai, S.; Katemaunzanga, D.; Shoko, D.S.M.; Kambewa, C.; Matura, N.E. (July 2004). "The Karoo sequence in the Nyaminyami area, Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe". Abstract volume, Geoscience Africa Conference. Johannesburg, South Africa: Geological Society of South Africa. p. 135.
↑ Bordy, Emese M.; Catuneanu, Octavian (2001). "Sedimentology of the upper Karoo fluvial strata in the Tuli Basin, South Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences . 33 (3–4): 605. Bibcode:2001JAfES..33..605B. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(01)00090-2.
↑ d'Engelbronner, E.R. (1996). "New palynological data from Karoo sediments, Mana Pools basin, northern Zimbabwe". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 23 (1): 17–30. Bibcode:1996JAfES..23...17D. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(96)00049-8.
1 2 Nyambe, Imasiku A.; Utting, John (1997). "Stratigraphy and palynostratigraphy, Karoo Supergroup (Permian and Triassic), mid-Zambezi Valley, southern Zambia". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 24 (4): 563. Bibcode:1997JAfES..24..563N. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(97)00081-X.
↑ Catuneanu, O.; Wopfner, H.; Eriksson, P.G.; Cairncross, B.; Rubidge, B.S.; Smith, R.M.H.; Hancox, P.J. (2005). "The Karoo basins of south-central Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 43 (1–3): 211–253. Bibcode:2005JAfES..43..211C. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.007.
↑ Rogers, Raymond R.; Rogers, Kristina Curry; Munyikwa, Darlington; Terry, Rebecca C.; Bradley s.Singer (2004). "Sedimentology and taphonomy of the upper Karoo-equivalent Mpandi Formation in the Tuli Basin of Zimbabwe, with a new 40Ar/39Ar age for the Tuli basalts" (PDF). Journal of African Earth Sciences. 40 (3–4): 147. Bibcode:2004JAfES..40..147R. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.11.004.
↑ Nugent, Chris (1990). "The Zambezi River: Tectonism, climatic change and drainage evolution". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 78 (1–2): 55–69. Bibcode:1990PPP....78...55N. doi:10.1016/0031-0182(90)90204-K.
1 2 3 4 5 Griffin CT, Wynd BM, Munyikwa D, Broderick TJ, Zondo M, Tolan S, Langer MC, Nesbitt SJ, Taruvinga HR (2022). "Africa's oldest dinosaurs reveal early suppression of dinosaur distribution". Nature. 609 (7926): 313–319. Bibcode:2022Natur.609..313G. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05133-x. PMID 36045297.
↑ Barrett, Paul M.; Chapelle, Kimberley E.J.; Sciscio, Lara; Broderick, Timothy J.; Zondo, Michel; Munyikwa, Darlington; Choiniere, Jonah N. "A new Late Triassic sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica . 69 (2): 227–241. doi: 10.4202/app.01100.2023 . hdl: 10141/623186 .
1 2 Raath, MA, Oesterlen PM, Kitching JW (1992). "First record of Triassic Rhynchosauria (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the lower Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe". Palaentologia Africana. 29: 1–10.
↑ Challands, T. J.; Cavin, L.; Zondo, M.; Munyikwa, D.; Choiniere, J. N.; Barrett, P. M. (2024). "A new lungfish from the Upper Triassic of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2365391. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2365391 .

Bibliography

Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka, eds. (2004). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 1–880. ISBN 0-520-24209-2 . Retrieved 2019-02-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

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[nyaminyami-1] Love, David; Ravengai, S.; Katemaunzanga, D.; Shoko, D.S.M.; Kambewa, C.; Matura, N.E. (July 2004). "The Karoo sequence in the Nyaminyami area, Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe". Abstract volume, Geoscience Africa Conference. Johannesburg, South Africa: Geological Society of South Africa. p. 135.

[2] Bordy, Emese M.; Catuneanu, Octavian (2001). "Sedimentology of the upper Karoo fluvial strata in the Tuli Basin, South Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences . 33 (3–4): 605. Bibcode:2001JAfES..33..605B. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(01)00090-2.

[3] 'Engelbronner, E.R. (1996). "New palynological data from Karoo sediments, Mana Pools basin, northern Zimbabwe". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 23 (1): 17–30. Bibcode:1996JAfES..23...17D. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(96)00049-8.

[Imasiku-4] 1 2 Nyambe, Imasiku A.; Utting, John (1997). "Stratigraphy and palynostratigraphy, Karoo Supergroup (Permian and Triassic), mid-Zambezi Valley, southern Zambia". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 24 (4): 563. Bibcode:1997JAfES..24..563N. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(97)00081-X.

[Karoobasins-5] Catuneanu, O.; Wopfner, H.; Eriksson, P.G.; Cairncross, B.; Rubidge, B.S.; Smith, R.M.H.; Hancox, P.J. (2005). "The Karoo basins of south-central Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 43 (1–3): 211–253. Bibcode:2005JAfES..43..211C. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.007.

[6] Rogers, Raymond R.; Rogers, Kristina Curry; Munyikwa, Darlington; Terry, Rebecca C.; Bradley s.Singer (2004). "Sedimentology and taphonomy of the upper Karoo-equivalent Mpandi Formation in the Tuli Basin of Zimbabwe, with a new 40Ar/39Ar age for the Tuli basalts" (PDF). Journal of African Earth Sciences. 40 (3–4): 147. Bibcode:2004JAfES..40..147R. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2004.11.004.

[7] Nugent, Chris (1990). "The Zambezi River: Tectonism, climatic change and drainage evolution". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 78 (1–2): 55–69. Bibcode:1990PPP....78...55N. doi:10.1016/0031-0182(90)90204-K.

[Mbiresaurus-8] 1 2 3 4 5 Griffin CT, Wynd BM, Munyikwa D, Broderick TJ, Zondo M, Tolan S, Langer MC, Nesbitt SJ, Taruvinga HR (2022). "Africa's oldest dinosaurs reveal early suppression of dinosaur distribution". Nature. 609 (7926): 313–319. Bibcode:2022Natur.609..313G. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05133-x. PMID 36045297.

[Musankwa-9] Barrett, Paul M.; Chapelle, Kimberley E.J.; Sciscio, Lara; Broderick, Timothy J.; Zondo, Michel; Munyikwa, Darlington; Choiniere, Jonah N. "A new Late Triassic sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica . 69 (2): 227–241. doi: 10.4202/app.01100.2023 . hdl: 10141/623186 .

[Raath1992-10] 1 2 Raath, MA, Oesterlen PM, Kitching JW (1992). "First record of Triassic Rhynchosauria (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the lower Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe". Palaentologia Africana. 29: 1–10.

[11] Challands, T. J.; Cavin, L.; Zondo, M.; Munyikwa, D.; Choiniere, J. N.; Barrett, P. M. (2024). "A new lungfish from the Upper Triassic of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2365391. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2365391 .

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