Lithostratigraphy of the Abrahamskraal Formation (Karoo Supergroup), South Africa

Cole, D.I.; Johnson, M. R.; Day, Michael O.

doi:10.2113/gssajg.119.2.415

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…5). All middle Permian pareiasaur specimens were recovered west of 24° East longitude, where the Abrahamskraal Formation comprises up to six lithostratigraphic members (Day & Rubidge 2014;Cole et al 2016).…”

Section: Stratigraphic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxonomy, phylogeny and stratigraphical ranges of middle Permian pareiasaurs from the Karoo Basin of South Africa

Brandt

Abdala

Benoît

et al. 2021

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

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Pareiasaurs were relatively abundant, globally distributed, herbivorous parareptiles of the mid to late Permian. The basal-most forms, all members of the Bradysauria, are restricted to the Guadalupian (mid-Permian) of South Africa and went extinct in the late Capitanian near the top of the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. Currently four species are recognised in 2 this group: Bradysaurus seeleyi, B. baini, Embrithosaurus schwarzi and Nochelesaurus alexanderi. Those taxa have historically been poorly defined and based on a limited number of specimens, leaving the taxonomic diversity of the group open to doubt and limiting their utility in biostratigraphy. Here we present our fourth and final contribution designed to improve the understanding of this group of pareiasaurs by providing a taxonomic and phylogenetic review, updated stratigraphic ranges and updated diagnoses for each taxon of the Bradysauria. Bradysaurus seeleyi is synonymised with Bradysaurus baini, resulting in three valid mid-Permian pareiasaur taxa: Bradysaurus baini, Embrithosaurus schwarzi and Nochelesaurus alexanderi. Our cladistic analysis of cranial and postcranial characters supports the monophyly of Bradysauria with five synapomorphies. Embrithosaurus schwarzi is recovered as the sister taxon to a clade containing Bradysaurus baini and Nochelesaurus alexanderi. By identifying 157 pareiasaur specimens in fossil collections we show that the Bradysauria are stratigraphically restricted to the Abrahamskraal Formation of the Beaufort Group and suggest a staggered appearance. Bradysaurus baini is first to appear, followed by Nochelesaurus alexanderi, and lastly by Embrithosaurus schwarzi. All three taxa perished during the Capitanian mass extinction, and have their highest occurrences near the top of the Abrahamskraal Formation.

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Section: Stratigraphic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxonomy, phylogeny and stratigraphical ranges of middle Permian pareiasaurs from the Karoo Basin of South Africa

Brandt

Abdala

Benoît

et al. 2021

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

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“…The fluvial system was mostly comprised of meandering, locally braided rivers with extensive and vegetated, moist floodplains. The Abrahamskraal Formation was subdivided into six members, named from the base: Combrinkskraal, Leeuvlei, Koornplaats, Wilgerbos, Moordenaars, and Karelskraal [36][37][38]. Later on, ref.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Middle Permian Oasis for Vertebrate and Invertebrate Life in a High-Energy Fluvial Palaeoecosystem of Southern Gondwana (Karoo, Republic of South Africa)

Ronchi,

Marchetti,

Klein

et al. 2023

Geosciences

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The Gansfontein palaeosurface (Fraserburg, Karoo, South Africa), which is correlated with the stratigraphic lowermost part of the continental Middle–Upper Permian Teekloof Formation, is revisited. This treasure trove of peculiar and exquisitely preserved sedimentary structures and invertebrate and vertebrate traces serves as a document of a set of fluvial paleoenvironments ranging from small ponds to marginal lacustrine and muddy riverine outer banks. It represents an isolated and relatively small “oasis” within the dominating sedimentary environments of the Teekloof Formation characterized by fine and medium-grained siliciclastics related to repeated higher-energy flooding events. The vertebrate traces include abundant therapsid trackways and, locally, tetrapod swimming traces. Tetrapod footprints show a very variable preservation in different areas of the palaeosurface, and it also changed based on the time of impression. Fish trails (Undichna) are relatively common. The invertebrate ichnofauna is comprised of abundant arthropod traces and horizontal burrows; however, the palaeosurface was not intersected by intense bioturbation. The occurrence of this scenario of abundant life reflects complex interaction among different tracemakers with the substrate and is evidence of a relatively quiet palaeoenvironment, which was suddenly submerged and sealed during a flooding event. Sedimentological and ichnological insights from such a palaeosurface, therefore, opens a rare window into Middle Permian ecosystems in southernmost Gondwana.

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“…In the south-western part of the basin, the Adelaide Subgroup comprises sandstones and mudrocks of the Abrahamskraal and Teekloof formations (Figure 1), with the former characterised by the presence of a number of cherty beds and less red mudstone relative to the overlying Teekloof Formation (Keyser and Smith, 1979;SACS, 1980). In the south-eastern areas, it comprises the Abrahamskraal, Middleton and Balfour formations (Johnson, 1976;Day and Rubidge, 2014;Cole et al, 2016;Viglietti et al, 2017aViglietti et al, , 2017b. In the southern and central Free State Province, individual formations within the Adelaide Subgroup have not yet been formally recognised and the Beaufort Group is mapped only at subgroup level on the most recent 1:250 000 geological map sheets.…”

Section: Beaufort Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the southern Karoo Basin, the currently accepted lithostratigraphic contact between the Ecca and Beaufort groups is taken at the Waterford-(uppermost Ecca Group) Abrahamskraal (lowermost Beaufort Group) contact (Cole et al 2016;Rubidge et al 2012). This reflects a change in depositional environment from subaqueous conditions to subaerial fluvial environments (Johnson, 1976;Rubidge et al, 2000Rubidge et al, , 2012Welman et al, 2001;Mason et al, 2015).…”

Section: Ecca-beaufort Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Revision of this subdivision around the basin by the South African Committee for Stratigraphy (SACS) is ongoing e.g. the synonymisation of the now defunct Koonap Formation with the Abrahamskraal Formation of the Beaufort Group (Cole et al, 2016) and the amalgamation of the Normandien Formation with the Balfour Formation on the 2019 1:1 000 000 Geological map of South Africa (Council for Geoscience, 2019; D. Cole personal communication 2018Cole personal communication , 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stepping out across the Karoo retro-foreland basin: Improved constraints on the Ecca-Beaufort shoreline along the northern margin

Groenewald

Day

Penn-Clarke

et al. 2022

Journal of African Earth Sciences

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Lithostratigraphy of the Abrahamskraal Formation (Karoo Supergroup), South Africa

Cited by 15 publications

References 15 publications

Taxonomy, phylogeny and stratigraphical ranges of middle Permian pareiasaurs from the Karoo Basin of South Africa

Taxonomy, phylogeny and stratigraphical ranges of middle Permian pareiasaurs from the Karoo Basin of South Africa

A Middle Permian Oasis for Vertebrate and Invertebrate Life in a High-Energy Fluvial Palaeoecosystem of Southern Gondwana (Karoo, Republic of South Africa)

Stepping out across the Karoo retro-foreland basin: Improved constraints on the Ecca-Beaufort shoreline along the northern margin

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