Interplay of Structural, Climatic, and Volcanic Controls On Late Quaternary Lacustrine–Deltaic Sedimentation Patterns In the Western Branch of the East African Rift System, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Mtelela, Cassy; Roberts, Eric M.; Downie, Robert; Hendrix, Marc S.

doi:10.2110/jsr.2016.73

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…More recently, detailed sedimentologic, geochronologic and biostratigraphic investigations of the uppermost units of the Lake Beds succession have been performed (Cohen et al, 2013;Mtelela et al, 2016). These investigations have largely confirmed a latest Pleistocene-Holocene age between 45 and 5 Ka for all known exposures of the Lake Beds strata in both the northern and southern outcrop extents across the basin (Mtelela et al, 2016).…”

Section: The Rukwa Rift Was Initiated During the Paleozoic By Reactivmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Facies analysis was conducted for the lower Lake Beds following the methodology outlined by Mtelela et al (2016) for the upper Lake Beds. Lithofacies nomenclature and codes used in this study are modified after Miall (1996), to illuminate the distinctive characteristics of the Lake Beds.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, sedimentologic investigations conducted by Mtelela et al (2016) reveal that the "upper" and "lower" Lake Beds as defined and mapped by Grantham et al (1958) does not represent a true lithostratigraphic subdivision. Rather, these stratigraphic interpretations represent lateral facies changes (sub-environments) within a widely variable fluvial-lacustrine deposition system, and the term upper Lake Beds Succession has been suggested for all of these strata (Mtelela et al, 2016).…”

Section: The Rukwa Rift Was Initiated During the Paleozoic By Reactivmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sedimentology and paleoenvironments of a new fossiliferous late Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary succession in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Mtelela

Roberts

Hilbert-Wolf

et al. 2017

Journal of African Earth Sciences

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This paper presents a detailed sedimentologic investigation of a newly identified, fossiliferous Late Neogene sedimentary succession in the Rukwa Rift Basin, southwestern Tanzania. This synrift deposit is a rare and significant new example of a fossiliferous succession of this age in the Western Branch of East Africa Rift System. The unit, informally termed the lower Lake Beds succession, is late Miocene to Pliocene in age based on crosscutting relationships, preliminary biostratigraphy, and U-Pb geochronology. An angular unconformity separates the lower Lake Beds from underlying Cretaceous and Oligocene strata. Deposition was controlled by rapid generation of accommodation space and increased sediment supply associated with late Cenozoic tectonic reactivation of the Rukwa Rift and synchronous initiation of the Rungwe Volcanic Centre. The lower Lake Beds, which have thus far only been identified in three localities throughout the Rukwa Rift Basin, are characterized by two discrete lithologic members (herein A and B). The lower Member A is a volcanic-rich succession composed mostly of devitrified volcanic tuffs, and volcaniclastic mudstones and sandstones with minor conglomerates. The upper Member B is a siliciclasticdominated succession of conglomerates, sandstones, mudstones and minor volcanic tuffs. Detailed facies analysis of the lower Lake Beds reveals various distinctive depositional environments that can be grouped into three categories: 1) alluvial fan; 2) fluvial channel; and 3) flood basin environments, characterized by volcanoclastic-filled lakes and ponds, abandoned channel-fills and pedogenically modified floodplains. Member A represents a shallow lacustrine setting filled by tuffaceous sediments, which grade up into a system of alluvial fans and high-energy, proximal gravel-bed braided rivers. An unconformity marks the contact between the two members. Member B shows an upward transition from a high-energy, gravel-bed braided river system to a sandy braided river system with increasingly abundant floodplain deposits and well-developed paleosols. Vertebrate fossils are sparse in member A, but common in member B, preserved both within pedogenic soil horizons and as isolated elements and microsites within fluvial channel facies associations. Faunal remains include fishes, turtles and crocodylians, along with wellpreserved mammal cranial and post-cranial remains. In addition, freshwater gastropod shells are locally present in member A and continental trace fossils, including abundant fossilized termite nests, are present in both members.

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Section: The Rukwa Rift Was Initiated During the Paleozoic By Reactivmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Rukwa Rift Was Initiated During the Paleozoic By Reactivmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sedimentology and paleoenvironments of a new fossiliferous late Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary succession in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Mtelela

Roberts

Hilbert-Wolf

et al. 2017

Journal of African Earth Sciences

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“…Published geological survey maps over the area (e.g., Van Loenen and Kennerley, 1962) ascribe a Neogene age to the Lake Beds. More recently, outcrop investigations of the uppermost part of the Lake Beds have proposed a latest Quaternary to Holocene age for the upper 50-100 m (164-328 ft) of the formation (Cohen et al, 2013;Hilbert-Wolf and Roberts, 2015;Mtelela et al, 2016), and further biostratigraphic analyses are underway by our research group. In 1987 the Amoco Tanzania Oil Company drilled two exploration wells in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Ivuna-1 and Galula-1.…”

Section: Rukwa Rift Basin Geologymentioning

confidence: 91%

Application of U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology to drill cuttings for age control in hydrocarbon exploration wells: A case study from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Hilbert-Wolf¹,

Roberts²,

Downie³

et al. 2017

Bulletin

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Precise dating and correlation of drilled wells through continental successions is challenging for hydrocarbon exploration, especially where preservation and recovery of age-diagnostic fossils is poor. As a complement or alternative to biostratigraphic dating we demonstrate the effectiveness of U-Pb geochronology via laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry on detrital zircon from well cuttings. In basins with syndepositional volcanic input, the youngest zircons in a stratigraphic interval can refine and serve as a proxy for the age of deposition. We demonstrate the reliability of this technique when applied to hydrocarbon exploration wells by analyzing drill cuttings through a continental interval of the Galula-1 well in the Rukwa Rift Basin, East African rift system, Tanzania, which previously yielded conflicting biostratigraphy results. The lower third of the well section reveals a late Miocene to Pliocene up-hole younging trend in the youngest detrital zircon populations, which matches new radioisotopic ages on volcanic tuffs from a correlative outcrop section. This is followed by an interval with recycled young zircons, followed by a zircon-free interval, interpreted to correspond to changes in magma composition of the nearby Rungwe volcanic province. This study provides the first radioisotopic age constraints for the Lake Beds in the Rukwa rift

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“…, , , , ); and (4) deposition of the Pliocene to Recent Lake Beds Succession, a complex volcanically influenced fluvial deltaic to lacustrine system with alluvial fan deltas on the basin margins (Hilbert‐Wolf & Roberts ; Mtelela et al . , ; Hilbert‐Wolf et al . ).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Morphological diversification of ampullariid gastropods (Nsungwe Formation, Late Oligocene, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania) is coincident with onset of East African rifting

Epa

Stigall

Roberts

et al. 2018

Papers in Palaeontology

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A new freshwater gastropod fauna is described from the late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation of the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania. Six new species of ampullariids are established including five species of Lanistes (L. microovum, L. nsungwensis, L. rukwaensis, L. songwellipticus and L. songweovum) and one species of Carnevalea (C. santiapillaii). These taxa occupy a morphospace region comparable to nearly half of extant Lanistes, a common and widespread genus in Africa and Madagascar. Palaeoecological evidence indicates that Nsungwe ampullariids inhabited fluvial, pond and paludal environments. Among these species are the oldest high‐spired and fluvially adapated Lanistes taxa. We suggest that Nsungwe Lanistes rapidly diversified in concert with habitat heterogeneity associated with the initiation of rifting along the western branch of the East African Rift System (EARS). Taxonomy, evolution and the biogeographical affinities of Nsungwe Formation freshwater gastropods contributes significantly to expanding the undersampled Palaeogene invertebrate fossil record of continental Africa.

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Interplay of Structural, Climatic, and Volcanic Controls On Late Quaternary Lacustrine–Deltaic Sedimentation Patterns In the Western Branch of the East African Rift System, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Cited by 19 publications

References 59 publications

Sedimentology and paleoenvironments of a new fossiliferous late Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary succession in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Sedimentology and paleoenvironments of a new fossiliferous late Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary succession in the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Application of U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology to drill cuttings for age control in hydrocarbon exploration wells: A case study from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania

Morphological diversification of ampullariid gastropods (Nsungwe Formation, Late Oligocene, Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania) is coincident with onset of East African rifting

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