The Karoo igneous province: an introduction

Abstract

The Karoo rocks are amongst the earliest manifestations of igneous activity accompanying the break-up of Gondwanaland during the early Mesozoic. Remnants of the once extensive lava sequence and the associated dolerite sills are found throughout southern Africa south of latitude 150S, the present outcrop being ca. 140,000 km². The main peak of volcanic activity is dated at about 190 m.y. and is probably coincident with the earliest stages of the opening of the Indian Ocean by the separation of Antarctica from southern Africa