Radiometric dating and stratigraphic reassessment of the Elliot and Clarens formations; near Maphutseng and Moyeni, Kingdom of Lesotho, southern Africa

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Elliot and Clarens formations (Stormberg Group) of the Karoo Supergroup famously preserve not only a dynamic suite of depositional environments spanning the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, but also boast a diverse assemblage of trace and body fossils. Due to the nature of these assemblages spanning the globally correlative Triassic-Jurassic Boundary (TJB) and end-Triassic Extinction Event (ETE), the accuracy of temporal placement and correlation via the stratigraphic framework is paramount. Yet, a distinct lack of robust temporal framework and inconsistencies between the bio-, magneto- and lithostratigraphic records persist. This project sought to provide localized context for three key fossil-bearing localities (southwestern Lesotho), which could thereafter be applied both at a regional and global scale. In-depth facies, palaeocurrent and architectural element analyses illustrated an overall increase in palaeoclimatic aridity, as evidenced by the change in depositional system from the meandering fluvial dominated lower Elliot Formation to the aeolian Clarens Formation. Detrital zircon geochronology ascertained a temporal framework ranging from the Norian to Pliensbachian (216.7-190.5 Ma) Elliot Formation to the Sinemurian to Pliensbachian (190.5-186.7 Ma) Clarens Formation. These temporal constraints also support the presence of a regional paraconformity at the lower and upper Elliot contact. The geochronology additionally indicated a shared source provenance of recycled grains from the Cape Supergroup and older Karoo strata, interspersed with direct source inputs from proximal magmatic/metamorphic provinces. Ultimately, the greater temporal and palaeoecological resolution provided by this study promotes the better understanding of the early Mesozoic history of southern Gondwana and lays the foundations for future geochronological investigations.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaa

A chronostratigraphic framework for the upper Stormberg Group: Implications for the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in southern Africa

The upper Stormberg Group (Elliot and Clarens formations) of the main Karoo Basin is well-known for its fossil vertebrate fauna, comprising early branching members of lineages including mammals, dinosaurs, and turtles. Despite 150 years of scientific study, the upper Stormberg Group lacks radioisotopic age constraints and remains coarsely dated via imprecise faunal correlations. Here we synthesise previous litho- and magnetostratigraphic studies, and present a comprehensive biostratigraphic review of the upper Stormberg fauna. We also present the results of the first geochronological assessment of the unit across the basin, using U-Pb dates derived from detrital zircons obtained from tuffaceous sandstones and siltstones, the youngest of which are considered maximum depositional ages. Our results confirm that the Elliot Formation contains the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, making it one of the few fossiliferous continental units that records the effects of the end-Triassic Mass Extinction event. Our work suggests a mid-Norian–Rhaetian age for the lower Elliot Formation and a Hettangian–Sinemurian age for the upper Elliot Formation, although the precise stratigraphic position of the Triassic/Jurassic (Rhaetian/Hettangian) boundary remains somewhat uncertain. A mainly Pliensbachian age is obtained for the Clarens Formation. The new dates allow direct comparison with better-calibrated Triassic-Jurassic faunas of the Western Hemisphere (e.g., Chinle and Los Colorados formations). We show that sauropodomorph, but not ornithischian or theropod, dinosaurs were well-established in the main Karoo Basin ~220 million years ago, and that typical Norian faunas (e.g., aetosaurs, phytosaurs) are either rare or absent in the lower Elliot Formation, which is paucispecific compared to the upper Elliot. While this is unlikely the result of geographic sampling biases, it could be due to historical sampling intensity differences