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Collecting Permit-Palaeontology and biostratigraphy of the lower Beaufort Group Normandien Formation, KwaZulu-Natal

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This proposal seeks permission to prospect for and collect vertebrate and plant fossils from the Permian Normandien Formation, Beaufort Group, in KwaZulu-Natal Province. This study will form part of David Groenewald's PhD for which he is investigation the palaeontology and biostratigraphy of the lower Beaufort Group in the distal northern sector the the Main Karoo Basin in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal under the supervision of Prof Bruce Rubidge, Dr Michael Day and Dr Cameron Penn-Clarke.

Expanded_Motivation: 

***EXPANDED MOTIVATION IS ALSO ATTACHED AS A .PDF FILE FOR EASIER READING UNDER RESEARCH PROPOSAL*** Background and research rational: The rocks of the Beaufort Group, Karoo Supergroup, which consist of mudrocks and sandstones deposited in various fluvial depositional environments (Smith et al. 1993), arguably contain the best-preserved record of terrestrial life on Earth from the Permian to Triassic (Rubidge 2005). However, due to the paucity of outcrop, numerous dolerite intrusions and the channelized nature of fluvial deposits, few extensive lithological markers which can be used for basin-wide stratigraphic correlation are present in the Beaufort Group, and basin-wide stratigraphic correlation has largely relied on the eight SACS approved vertebrate biozones (six Permian and two Triassic; e.g. Day et al. 2013; Day and Rubidge 2014; Groenewald 1990; Keyser and Smith 1978, Rubidge 1995; Rubidge et al. 2016). In addition, the exact stratigraphic position of the Ecca-Beaufort contact has, until recently, been widely disputed by various researchers. Bruce Rubidge, the supervisor of this project, has been involved in a multidisciplinary geological, geochronological and palaeontological project relating to this contact for the past 40 years. He and his students have carried out research along this contact round the entire Karoo basin of South Africa, with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal. This province, like the Free State, has poor outcrops exposing the Ecca-Beaufort contact and one has to traverse large distances to find suitable outcrop for fossil prospecting. Recent work has resulted in a better understanding of the contact in the southern part of the Karoo Basin, where outcrops are better exposed and most of the previous work on lower Beaufort Group biostratigraphy has been focused (Kitching 1977; Keyser and Smith 1978; Rubidge 1987, 1988, 1990; Mason 2007; Mason et al. 2015). In comparison, biostratigraphic work in the northern parts has been much more limited (e.g. Groenewald 1990, Welman et al. 2001). Previous work on the lower Beaufort Group in the north of the basin (e.g. Cole and Wipplinger 2001; Groenewald 1984, 1989; Mavuso 2014; Muntingh 1990; Rutherford 2009; Rutherford et al. 2015; Theron 1970; Zawada 1988) typically focused more on the sedimentology of the rock units than the palaeontology (e.g. Rutherford et al. 2015; Groenewald 1989, 1990). Because relatively little systematic palaeontological prospecting and collecting has been undertaken in the lowermost Beaufort Group Rocks (Normandien Formation) in the distal (northern) part of the Main Karoo Basin, especially when compared to the proximal (southern) parts, our understanding of the biostratigraphy is limited, based on many assumptions derived from a small database of vertebrate fossils (Groenewald 1989; Van der Walt et al. 2010). A refined understanding of the biostratigraphy changes that occurred during the Late Permian in the distal northern sector of the Main Karoo Basin requires stratigraphically well constrained fossil data that can only be obtained by rigorous stratigraphic collecting. We thus intend to undertake geological and palaeontological studies in the Normandien Formation in KwaZulu-Natal to refine the Late Permian biostratigraphy of the Beaufort Group. This will form part of David Groenewald’s PhD project, which is the most intensive palaeontological study in the distal lower Beaufort Group of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to date. Following discussions with AMAFA, we have included the PhD proposal under research proposals. The results from this research will greatly improve our understanding of Beaufort Group deposition, have significant implications for basin development models of the Main Karoo Basin, and have global biostratigraphic significance. This research forms part of a long-term project run by Prof. B. Rubidge at the Evolutionary Sciences Institute (formerly BPI) in vertebrate biostratigraphy and diversity from the Middle to Late Permian, and has involved targeted, stratigraphic collecting in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, as well as the Free State provinces and we would like to include KwaZulu-Natal Province. We have recently completed extensive fieldwork in the Free State Province towards this project, and this application is intended to obtain a permit to cover collecting in the Normandien Formation of the Beaufort Group in KwaZulu-Natal Province, which will enable us to complete the project. Our future collecting efforts will bolster fossil datasets and add data to strategic parts of the stratigraphy and to the basin to explore geographic as well as temporal patterns. We are also now endeavouring to collect environmental proxy data to study potential influences on tetrapod ecosystems. Study area: For this study we are targeting the Lower Beaufort Group rocks of the Normandien Formation along the Ecca-Beaufort contact, following it from Newcastle southwards to south of Estcourt (Figure 1; attached under research proposals). The finer-scale stratigraphy of this part of the basin is poorly understood as a result of the limited and poor outcrop. Extensive intrusions of dolerite sills and dykes form the capping layers on many of the hills as well as resistant ridges along which exposures can sometimes be found. In line with the guidelines of SAHRA 2017 to issue palaeontological collecting permits on a Formation level, I am thus applying to AMAFA for a collecting permit to explore the palaeontology of the lower Beaufort Normandien Formation Geological Formations applicable to this application: 1. Normandien Formation The Normandien Formation, comprising the Frankfort, Rooinek, Schoondraai and Harrismith members, is the lowest Formation of the Beaufort Group in the northern part of the Main Karoo Basin with the constituent strata conformably overlying the dark grey shales of the Volksrust Formation (Groenewald 1989, Johnson et al. 2006). The formation is Late Permian in age, with the comprising mudrock and sandstone units being deposited in deltaic and terrestrial fluvial environments (Groenewald 1989). It was formerly known as the Estcourt Formation in KwaZulu-Natal and is still mapped as such on several geological maps (e.g. 2928 Drakensburg 1:250 000 Geological Map Sheet, Council for Geoscience 1981). Rocks of the Normandien Formation preserve plentiful plant and vertebrate fossil remains (Groenewald 2012), as well as a rich ichnological record that is relatively unstudied. Materials and Methods: Lithostratigraphy: Detailed stratigraphic sections will be measured at suitable localities using a Jacob's Staff and Abney Level. Stratigraphic sections will focus on lower Beaufort rocks but use the top of the Ecca Group (Waterford Formation/Volksrust Formation) to ground the stratigraphic work and obtain a baseline for measuring stratigraphic thicknesses. The identification and determination of the thickness of the Waterford Formation in the northern part of the basin will form a side component of the study. Features such as lithology, textures, colours, sedimentary structures, bounding surfaces, scours, nodules, fossils, and burrows will be included in the sections along with palaeocurrent vectors. Detrital zircon analysis will be undertaken for provenance studies, as a tool to correlate and refine the ages of sandstones and sandstone packages. Detailed lithostratigraphic work will enable the accurate placement of fossils in the stratigraphic context and will also allow for accurate stratigraphic correlation to be done. The final stratigraphic sections will be drawn using SedLog 3.1 and Inkscape software. Biostratigraphy: During the field trips, intensive fossil collecting will be done along the Ecca-Beaufort contact in the Normandien Formation around the north of the basin in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. Fossils discovered during the field trips will be excavated, with specimens being isolated by trenching and consolidated with Paraloid B-76 copolymer dissolved in acetone solvent prior to full excavation. Larger or more friable specimens will be protected with plaster-of-paris and hessian jackets. Collected fossils will be given unique specimen numbers and taken to the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) of the University of the Witwatersrand for preparation, identification and curation. The geographic position of the fossils will be recorded using a handheld GPS and their stratigraphic position will be plotted on the stratigraphic sections. The preparation of the fossils will be done using airscribes at the ESI. The databases of the ESI and other institutions will be consulted to determine what fossils have been discovered previously in lower Beaufort strata at localities in the northern (distal) part of the basin. This will build on to the information collected regarding fossil specimens from the southern Free State collected for David's MSc (Groenewald 2017) as well as the Karoo Vertebrate GIS database (Nicolas 2007, van der Walt et al. 2010). The identified fossils will be used to determine which biozones are present along the Ecca-Beaufort contact in the northern sector of the basin and the extent of the biozones. A comparison of the faunal composition of the biozones will be undertaken as well as vertebrate biodiversity changes as one progresses northwards in the basin. Potential Sites identified for this study: Using the geological maps, Google Earth imagery, and based on work carried out previously, we have identified five localities of interest where rocks of the Lower Beaufort Group appear to be exposed (Figure 2; attached under research proposals): 1. De Beer’s Pass, KZN [S28° 18.560'; E29° 29.814']: Decent exposures of mudstones and sandstones from the Schoondraai to Frankfort Members are present along the pass. During 2010 and 2011, numerous vertebrate and plant fossils were recovered during construction of the Eskom Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme nearby (Groenewald 2012). 2. Goewermentskop, Newcastle [S27° 45.534'; E29° 50.062']: Exposures of the transition from the Volksrust Formation upwards into the overlying Normandien Formation are exposed in the road cutting and on the hill at this locality. 3. Oatesdale Quarry, Mooi River [S29° 09.962'; E29° 55.695’]: This quarry goes into mudstones of the Beaufort Group, and provides a rare opportunity to prospect for fossils in relatively fresh, unweathered mudstones. 4. Van der Merwe’s Kraal, Estcourt [S28° 57.959’; E29° 59.209’]: This locality has significant trace fossils, including some unique ones attributed to temnospondyl amphibians, situated at the Ecca-Beaufort Contact (Groenewald 2015, 2018, Rossouw 2010), and vertebrate fossils are present in the overlying Beaufort Group rocks. 5. Moorfield Farm, Muller’s Pass [S27° 52.712'; E29° 42.304']: This locality has been reported in the literature for the wealth of plant material that is present in the argillaceous interval between the Rooinek and Schoondraai members (Claassen 2008). Fossil prospecting from the ancient floodplain deposits of the Beaufort Group is complicated by the fact that the often-isolated animal remains were typically scattered over the floodplain and are not concentrated in occupational sites, which forces us to cover large distances and areas to find suitable outcrops for prospecting. This can only be done while in the field. As such, while our research will be focusing on prospecting for fossils at the above mentioned localities, outcrops in the province are notoriously poor and, from our experience of working in this formation, additional suitable outcrops may be identified whilst doing fieldwork. As such, we would like the permit to enable us to prospect for and collect fossil material from suitable exposures we may encounter while out in the field. Landowner Permission and farms As has been discussed at length between the palaeontological community and SAHRA, the kind of fieldwork we conduct makes the obtaining of landowner permission prior to fieldwork extremely difficult. For this reason, SAHRA now issues permits to explore complete formations. When doing fieldwork we often make use of a known farmer in the area of interest and obtain phone numbers for additional landowners in the area from them. However, we usually have to meet people in person before we are given permission to work on their property. Because of the great distance between Johannesburg and the areas of interest, this of course makes the obtaining of permission prior to fieldwork prohibitively expensive, both in terms of money and time. We also rely on geological maps and Google Earth imagery to decide on potential field sites, but we can generally only identify large areas using these resources and are only able to determine the best sites when in the field. We always obtain permission before collecting on a farmer’s land and in general we have found farmers very friendly and accommodating; however, they are suspicious of unknown people from universities in light of fracking in the Karoo and are unlikely to sign paperwork without meeting us first. This is especially true for a project such as this one, where we often work in new places and therefore do not have the opportunity to build up long-term relationships with individual farmers. Because of the broad scope of this project, we are unable to provide lists of farms where we will collect at this stage, and do not yet have permission from farmers as we have not yet met them. Furthermore many of the localities we identify from Google Earth turn out to be unsuitable for fossil prospecting when we get there.

ApplicationDate: 

Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - 10:06

CaseID: 

13092

OtherReferences: 

ReferenceList: 

CitationReferenceType
Cole, D.I. & Wipplinger, P.E. 2001. Sedimentology and molybdenum potential of the Beaufort Group in the main Karoo basin, South Africa. Memoir- Geological Survey, Pretoria.
Day, M.O., & Rubidge, B.S. 2014. A brief lithostratigraphic review of the Abrahamskraal and Koonap formations of the Beaufort Group, South Africa: Towards a basin-wide stratigraphic scheme for the Middle Permian Karoo. Journal of African Earth Science 100: 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.07.001
Day, M.O, Rubidge, B.S., Almond, J. & Jirah, S. 2013. Biostratigraphic correlation in the Karoo: The case of the Middle Permian parareptile Eunotosaurus. South African Journal of Science, 109(3/4): 1–4. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/ sajs.2013/20120030.
Groenewald, D.P. 2015. Tetrapod trackways and the Ecca-Beaufort contact in the Estcourt district. Unpublished Honours research project, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Groenewald, D.P., Rubidge, B.S. & Day, M.O. 2018: Tetrapod trackways and the Ecca-Beaufort contact in the Estcourt district. In: Bordy, EM (ed.) Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of Continental Ichnology (ICCI 2017), Nuy Valley (Western Cape Winelands), 1-8 October 2017. Palaeontologia africana vol 52, p.156
Groenewald GH. 2012. Palaeontological Technical Report for Kwazulu-Natal. Internal AMAFA report.
Groenewald, G.H. 1990. The use of palaeontology in the correlation of lithostratographic units in the Beaufort Group, Karoo Sequence of South Africa. Palaeontologia africana 27: 21–30.
Groenewald, G.H. 1989. Stratigrafie en sedimentologie van die Groep Beaufort in die noordoos-Vrystaat. Bulletin van die Geologiese Opname van Suid-Afrika, 96: 62pp.
Groenewald, G.H. 1984. Stratigrafie en sedimentologie van die Groep Beaufort in die Noordoos-Vrystaat. Ongepubliseerde MSc tesis, Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit, Johannesburg.
Johnson, M.R., Van Vuuren, C.J., Visser, J.N.J., Cole, D.I., Wickens, H. de V., Christie, A.D.M., Roberts, D.L. & Brandi, G. 2006. Sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup, In: Johnson, M.R., Anhaeusser, C.R., Thomas, R.J. (Eds.), The Geology of South Africa. Council for Geoscience, Pretoria, pp. 461–499.
Kitching, J.W. 1977. The distribution of the Karoo vertebrate fauna, with special reference to certain genera and the bearing of this distribution on the zoning of the Beaufort beds. Memoir of the Bernard Price Institute of Palaeontology, University of the Witwatersrand, 1: 131pp.
Keyser, A.W., & Smith, R.M.H. 1978. Vertebrate Biozonation of the Beaufort Group with Special Reference to the Western Karoo Basin. Geological Survey, Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs, Republic of South Africa.
Mason, R. 2007. A bio- and lithostratigraphic study of the Ecca-Beaufort Contact in the southeastern Karoo Basin (Albany District, Eastern Cape Province). Unpublished MSc Thesis. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mason, R., Rubidge, B. & Hancox, J. 2015. Terrestrial vertebrate colonisation and the Ecca-Beaufort boundary in the southeastern main Karoo Basin, South Africa: implications for Permian basin evolution. South African Journal of Geology, 118(2): 145–156.
Mavuso, S.S. 2014. A bio- and litho-stratigraphic study of the northern Karoo Basin near Virginia. Unpublished Honours research project, University of the Witwatersrand.
Muntingh, D.J. 1990. Die sedimentologie en stratigrafie van die Ecca-Beaufortoorgang in die noordsoostelike gedeelte van die hoof karookom. Ongepubliseerde MSc tesis, Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit, Johannesburg.
Rossouw, C. 2010. Management proposals for the declaration of palaeontological and geological sites and the low impact adaptation of one of the sites on the farm Van der Merwes Kraal 972, Estcourt District. Internal report, AMAFA.
Rubidge, B.S. 2005. Re-uniting lost continents - Fossil reptiles from the ancient Karoo and their wanderlust. South African Journal of Geology 108: 135–172. https://doi.org/10.2113/108.1.135
Rubidge, B.S. (Ed). 1995. Biostratigraphy of the Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup). South African Committee for Stratigraphy. Biostratigraphic Series 1. Pretoria, Council for Geoscience. pp 46.
Rubidge, B.S. 1990. A new vertebrate biozone at the base of the Beaufort Group, Karoo Sequence (South Africa). Palaeontologia africana, 27: 17-20.
Rubidge, B.S. 1988. A palaeontological and palaeoenvironmental synthesis of the Permian Ecca-Beaufort contact between Prince Albert and Rietbron, Cape Province, South Africa. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Rubidge, B.S. 1987. South Africa’s oldest land-living reptiles from the Ecca-Beaufort transition in the southern Karoo. South African Journal of Science, 83: 165–166.
Rubidge, B.S., Day, M.O., Barbolini, N., Hancox, P.J., Choiniere, J.N., Bamford, M.K., Viglietti, P.A., Mcphee, B.W. & Jirah, S. 2016. Advances in Nonmarine Karoo Biostratigraphy: Significance for Understanding Basin Development, In: Linol, B., de Wit, M.J. (Eds.), Origin and Evolution of the Cape Mountains and Karoo Basin. Springer International Publishing. pp. 141–149.
Rutherford, A.B. 2009. The sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Beaufort Group of the Karoo Supergroup in the vicinity of Thaba Nchu, central Free State province.
Rutherford, A.B., Rubidge, B.S. & Hancox, P.J. 2015. Sedimentology and Palaeontology of the Beaufort Group in the Free State Province Supports a Reciprocal Foreland Basin Model for the Karoo Supergroup, South Africa. South African Journal of Geology 118: 355–372. doi:10.2113/gssajg.118.4.355
Smith, R.M.H., Eriksson, P.G. & Botha, W.J. 1993. A review of the stratigraphy and sedimentary environments of the Karoo-aged basins of Southern Africa. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 16(1): 143-169.
Theron, J.C. 1970. Some geological aspects of the Beaufort Series in the Orange Free State. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein.
van der Walt, M., Day, M., Rubidge, B., Cooper, A.K. & Netterberg, I., 2010. A new GIS-based biozone map of the Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup), South Africa. Palaeontologia africana 45: 1–5.
Welman, J., Loock, J.C. & Rubidge, B.S. 2001. New evidence for diachroneity of the Ecca-Beaufort contact (Karoo Supergroup, South Africa). South African Journal of Science, 97: 320–322.
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