27 Palaeont. afr., 20, 27-42 (1977) A REVIEW OF THE LOCALITIES AND FLORA OF THE LOWER PERMIAN KAROO STRATA AT VEREENIGING, SOUTH AFRICA by S. F. Ie Roux and Heidi M. Anderson ABSTRACT The Vereeniging fossil floras are particularly well known and often referred to, as it is among them that attached glossopteridophyte fructifications were first recorded. No recent review of the localities, flora and age of the deposits is available. The history of collecting and description of fossil plants from Vereeniging dates from 1879. Ten localities have been recorded to date, the most important of which are the three Leeukuil quarries from which a diverse flora has been collected and described over the past thirty years. Two of the localities are considered to fall within the Lower Ecca and the remaining eight within a ' restricted section of the Middle Ecca coal measures. The older flora is poorly known and is represented only by the genera Gangamop­ tens and Noeggerathiopsis . The younger flora is fairly comprehensively known and includes some 23 genera and 33 species of plants. CONTENTS Page 27 29 30 30 32 32 32 35 35 35 37 37 37 37 3i 42 STRATIGRAPHY, CORRELATION AND AGE HISTORICAL REVIEW 1879-1976 LOCALITY DESCRIPTIONS 1. The Falls ........ . 2. Klip River Quarry .... . 3. Old Sandstone Quarry, Leeukuil 4. Shale Quarry, Leeukuil 5. River Quarry, Leeukuil A. Fossil Forest B. Dolomite Quarry C. Suikerbosrand River D. Central Colliery Dump E. Comer Smuts Avenue and Voortrekker Street THE MACRO FLORA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REFERENCES . . . . . STRATIGRAPHY, CORRELATION AND AGE Where Vereeniging is mentioned below, the area being considered is that covered by the map in Fig­ ure 1. Basement The Karoo sediments at Vereeniging lie on a very irregular basement topography of the Precambrian Transvaal System (Supergroup). The northern half of the map area (with localities 2, B, C and E) is underlain by dolomites, the south-western portion (with localities 1, 3, 4, 5, A and D) essentially by quartzites and shales. In view of this irregular floor, forming part of the northern shore region of the Karoo basin (Figure 1), the strata are lenticular in nature, are variable in thickness and are not readily correlated. Dwyka Tillite No unequivocal Dwyka Tillite is known to occur at Vereeniging. Lower Ecca The monotonous succession of shales and silt­ stones typical of the Lower Ecca stable shelf deposits farther to the south are not developed along the northern shore region of the basin (Ryan, 1968). The time equivalent, filling the low-lying portions of the pre-Karoo surface at Vereeniging, is a coarse­ grained conglomeratic facies. This resembles con­ crete, with a fine-grained siliceous matrix and a wide variety of included pebbles. It weathers dirty white and is of very variable thickness, reaching a maxi­ mum of 4 m. This deposit has in the past often been regarded as Dwyka Tillite, but it is now generally agreed that it represents the Lower Ecca (Nel and Jansen, 1957; Cillie and Savage, 1961; Stratten, 1968; J. M. Anderson, 1975). Localities B (Dolomite Quarry) and C (Suikerbos­ rand River) occur in this horizon. The senior author has searched extensively through the exposures of this conglomerate at Vereeniging but has been un­ able to fmd any further plant material within it. One 28 locality was found, however, which yielded thin la­ minated shales with arthropod trackways (A. M. An­ derson, 1974). Middle Ecca The remaining eight localities all fall within the Middle Ecca coal measures, which are, at Vereenig­ ing, very incomplete relative to their development elsewhere in the northern Karoo region. Whereas, in the Cornelia, Clydesdale and Sigma Collieries to the south and south-west of Vereeniging (extending from just south of the Vaal River for some 25 km) three workable coal seams occur; only one is devel­ oped in the map area. This seam can be shown through mine workings and borehole cores to be the topmost of the three (Cillie and Savage, 1961). The plant-bearing horizons at all eight remaining localities fall within 20 m or so of Middle Ecca strata overlying this coal seam. It is interesting to note that abundant leaf impressions occur in the carbona- 2. KI"I"I DUNCRNVILLE "EREENI~IN!s I E ceous shales immediately overlying the top seam in the Cornelia Colliery (Smith, pers. comm. 1972). It might be assumed that all these fossiliferous beds represent a relatively narrow span of time. Although much palynological work has been done throughout the Permian succession of the northern Kamo region (J. M. Anderson, 1977) no results have been obtained from Vereeniging as such. According to J. M. Anderson (1976, pers. comm.) the samples analysed from the fossiliferous horizons at the Leeukuil quarries all proved to be barren. The nearest locality yielding spores and pol­ lens was the Sigma Colliery where typical Middle Ecca assemblages were obtained. Overburden No Karoo strata younger than Middle Ecca occur at Vereeniging, the coal measures being directly overlain over much of the area by about 0,5 m of Recent river gravels, followed by about 0,5 m of top-soil. Inset mo.p of the Re.plAblic. of SolAth Rff'ic.a.. Figure 1. Map showing (a) the position of Vereeniging and (b) the localities, 1-5, and A-E, in the Vereeniging district described herein. Age According to the correlation charts (j. M. Ander­ son, 1973; 1975) using all available palaeontological and other data, the following ages for the Karoo strata occurring at Vereeniging may be postulated: Middle Ecca - Lower Artinskian } L P . Lower Ecca - Middle Sakmarian ower ermlan HISTORICAL REVIEW 1879-1976 In the following review where original and revised generic designations are given in brackets, the author is recorded in Table 1, Stow, 1879. The first person on record to discover and collect plant fossils from the Vereeniging area (locality 1 as numbered in this paper) was G. W. Stow, who de­ scribed. the coal field of the central Vaal valley in his ~eologIcal. report of 1879. The subsequent exploita­ uon of thIS coal field led to the establishment of Ver­ eeniging which was proclaimed a town in 1892. It was T. N. Leslie (1922) who first brought to notice the good collection of fossil plants Stow had made and donated to Bloemfontein Museum. This mate­ rial had hitherto gone unnoticed. Leslie, 1892 to early 1900s. T. N. Leslie, one of the pioneers of the town of Vereeniging, combined his trade as stone mason with his hobby, geology. During the early 1890s and 1900s he collected numerous fossil plants from two exposures he worked in his capacity as a stone mason. One of these was the origmal site in the bed of the Vaal River (locality 1) from which Stow had collected and the second was the Klip River Quarry (locality 2). Draper, 1897. D. Draper described a locality in the following term.s "~o miles east of Vereeniging, and close to the JunctIon of Klir and Vaal Rivers, a sandstone­ quarry was opened' . From this locality, Draper sent a ~ollection of fossililants to A. C. Seward, who de­ scnbed them (Sewar , 1897). The position of this lo­ cality is uncertain but in the authors' opinion it is probably equivalent to the Klip River Quarry (local­ Ity 2). However, it is strange that Seward and Leslie (I 908) do not clarify this and that they refer to it in terms that suggest it may be a separate locality. Seward, 1897, 1898, 1903. ~ .. C. Seward published the first systematic de­ scnptIons of fossil plants from Vereeniging in 1897. These co~prised various species of Glossopteris, c.angamoptens, Noeggerathiopsis, Sigillaria (Lycopodiop­ szs) and Conites (.1Scutum) and were derived from the uncertain quarry (probably locality 2), mentioned above .. Based on comparisons with floras from other COuntnes he suggested that the coal-bearing strata around Vereeniging were of Permo-Carboniferous age. A further short account of various species fol- 29 lowed in 1898, based on material sent by a geologist, Hatch, from the same locality. Species belonging to the genera Glossopteris, Gangamopteris, N europteridium (Gondwanidium), Bothrodendron (Cyclodendron), Psyg­ mophyllu,,! and Noeggerathiopsis were described by Seward m 1903 from matenal collected by Leslie. Leslie, 1904. T. N .. Leslie clarified ~at the fossils described by Seward m 1903 were obtamed from two of his sand­ stone quarries. These two localities (localities 1 and 2) were briefly described and a short account of the flora was included. Mellor and Leslie, 1906 described a fossil forest in the bed of the Vaal River (locality A) which became exposed due to extreme low water and has never been seen again. Seward and Le~l~e, 1908 discussed the geology and age of the fossIhferous strata at Vereeniging and drew up a generalized geological section for the area. Various species (some new) belonging to the genera Glossopteris, Gangamopteris, Callipteridium (.1Pe­ copteris), Lepidodendron (Lycopodiopsis), Cordaites (Noeggerathiopsis) and Conites (Scutum) were de­ scribed. Thomas, 1921, described a fructification (from lo­ cality 2) and placed it in the genus Ottokaria which was subsequently regarded as a Scutum by Plumstead (1952). Leslie, 1~22, referred to a further plant locality, namel~ . hIS D?lomIte qua~ry (locality B) near Vereemgmg staUon, where thm bands of laminated shale yielded numerous Gangamopteris impressions. Du Toit, 1926, 1932. In h~s text book on Sou~ African geology (1926) Du Ton gave a general revIew of the "Ecca Series" fossil flora which included the Vereeniging plants. In 1932 he described Stigmaria ficoides from the Cen­ tral Colliery dump (Locality D). Le Raux, 1949. The description of Pecopteris (from locality 3, Le Roux, 1949) heralded the publishing of numerous further papers after an interim of seventeen years. This renewed activity was largely due to extensive collecting by the senior author. From 1941 onwards, collections were made at Leslie's Klip River quarry (locality 2) and at an abandoned sandstone quarry (locality 3) on the farm Leeukuil where a senes of fossiliferous shale bands was discovered. During 1946 large scale excavations were commenced by the Vereeniging Brick and Tile Company. This devel­ oped into extensive quarrying of the refractory shales from four closely situated quarries. The senior author then transferred his activities in late 1946 to two of these (localities 4 and 5) which were 30 fossiliferous. Over a period of three years ~ com~re­ hensive collection was accumulated, mcluding numerous specimens of attached Glossopteris fructifi­ cations. These were handed over to Dr. E. P. Plum- stead for description. . The majority of the following paper~ describiJ:g new genera and species deal . solely WIth matenal from localities 3, 4 and 5. Plumstead, 1952, 1956a and b, 1958a, 1962. In this series of papers the now famous Glossopteris and Gangamopteris fructifications, including 6 new genera and 19 new species, were described. Plumstead, 1957, 1961, 1963, 1966a and b, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973. These papers include general reviews of a variety of aspects of the "Permo-Carbonif~r~us" macroflo­ ras of Southern Africa. The Vereemgmg Coal Mea­ sure assemblages play a significant role thro~ghout. Only in the 1961 paper were new taxa descr:lbed - Jongmansis transvaalensis (regarded as. a ptendosper.­ mous male fructification), Lerouxw transvaalenm (taken to be a bennettitalean flower) and Taeniopteris gemmina. Le Roux, 1960, described a conchostracan (Cyz.icus) from the River Q.uarry (locality 5). This remains the only invertebrate to be described from Vereeniging. Krausel, 1960a and b, 1961. In the 1960a and 1961 papers, R. Krausel de­ scribed a number of lycopods from Vereeniging be­ longing to the genera Lycopodiopsis, Cyclodend~on, and Lycopodophlois, whilst in th: 1960b pap:~ bnef g~n­ eral reference to the fossIls at Vereemgmg was m­ cluded. Le Roux 1963a and b, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1976. In this series of parers S. F. Ie Ro.ux describ:d the bulk of the Leeukui quarry matenal belongmg to the Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta and .Coniferophyta. Two new genera and three new speCIes were mtro­ duced. LOCALITY DESCRIPTIONS Intermittent collecting from the Shale and River Quarries (localities 4 and 5) was undertaken by Dr. P[umstead, the senior author and various students throughout the fifties and sixties. By 1954 large­ scale quarrying operation~ by Ve~eeniging RefI:acto­ ries ceased and the quames have m part been mun­ dated by water (locality 5) or overgrown .by vegetation. Recendy (November, 1975) quarrymg operations were recommenced at the north -eastern border of the River Q.uarry (locality 5). Should the quarrying be continued ~nd the rich fossilifero~s horizons be exposed, a thIrd phase of palaeobotaru­ cal investigations at Vereeniging may be initiated. The palaeobotanical localities of Vereeniging are here divided into two groups, based on their relative importance: 10~lities 1-5 which have yi~l~ed the majority of fossIl plants to date and locahttes A-E whIch are of only minor importance. Within each group in tum the localities are described in order of discovery and excavation. As far as can be ascer­ tained this is a comprehensive list of localities. (I) The Falls (Bed of Vaal River) Localion: 27°55'53" E/26°41'56"S. This locality is no longer exposed and Leslie's (1904) original descrip­ tion is thus quoted " .. , about It miles west of Vereeniging. It is a sandstone bar across the Vaal River, and is known as the 'Falls'. The coal is exposed, and it was at this spot that Stow discovere~ the c~al i? 18.19: (It was here that he died, and hIS remams he WIthm a stone's throw of the spot.}". (N.B. The word "West" was applied in error by Leslie and should read "South".) This locality is situated in the bed of the Vaal in an area which is now permanendy under water. The reason for the change of water level was the building of the Barrage (damming up the river's flow) 32 kilometres downstream, in 1924. Before that date the river bed during the winter months was, to a large extent, exposed. Leslie's reference to Stow's grave in the above quotation does not throw any light on the problem either, since all attempts to lo­ cate Stow's grave have failed in spite of intensive re­ search by several workers. Description Leslie (1904) described the exposure as follows: "the bar consists of about five feet of the lower beds of the sandstone. It has been faulted up rather sharply. The top beds have been eroded". The rela­ tionship of the sandstone to the coal horizon was not indicated by Leslie. History It was at this spot that Stow originally discovered coal in 1879 and the specimens he collected are in the Bloemfontein Museum. Leslie collected actively from this site (probably between 1892-1904) and in 1904 recorded that "quarrying operations gradually removed the bar exposed during low water". Material The following statement enables some of the ma- terial to be traced: "It is a dark grey sandstone with the leaf impres­ sions beautifully black, but generally too coarse to get the delicate markings requisite for determina­ tion". (Leslie, 1904) Such specimens are to be seen in the following museums: Bloemfontein Museum; S.A. Museum, Cape Town; Geological Museum, Johannesburg; Transvaal Museum, Pretoria; Bernard Price Insti­ tute for PalaeontolOgical Research, Johannesburg; and the Vereeniging Museum. The most common genera represented in the above collections are Key : 3 x x D x x E x top soil river gravel carbonaceous shale coal clay shale shale sandstone conglomerate -- x occurrence of fossil plants Venical scale : 1 mm = 0,1 m lcm=lm --- 4 x · · · · . x x : x x x 5 0,6 !un -----......,=-:=_'� A B -----------------_____________________ ~~B x D x c x --- - - - -- - - - --- --- --- E x E ~-....... ------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .... --1 F - -- ----- --- - -- - -- G X 1-----1 X 1-----1 x x G X 1-----1 x x Figure 2. Generalised sections of the three Leeukuil Quarries (localities 3-5) 3 1 .... ot) j:l., ....l ~ 0 :x: ~ ~ .:: 0 1 =::l 32 Noeggerathiopsis, followed by Gangamopteris and Glos­ sopteris. (2) Klip River Quarry Location: 27°57'32"E/26°39'26"S. A sandstone quarry, Figure 6, along the western ba~ of the Klip River, situated 1,6 km upstream from Its confluence with the Vaal River. This quarry was subsequently obscured by the Union Steel COll?~ration Club buildings in 1952. Exposures of fossIlIferous sand­ stone can be seen forming part of the outcrops ad­ joining the swimming bath at the club. Description . According to Leslie (1904, p. 85) the sandstone IS 6 m thick. The top 4,8 m contain an abundance of Glossopteris fragments and stems. The lower 1,2 m lying immediately above the "roof' of the coal co~­ tains a large proportion of fragments of Noeggerathi­ opsis hislopi and these merge into the. "roof' ~? even into the coal itself. This sandstone IS very SImIlar to that of horizon "D" in the Leeukuil quarries (locali­ ties 3 and 4). History . This quarry was probably opened by LeslIe and established in the 1890s. He collected numerous fos­ sils from here, some of which were described by Seward and Leslie (I 908) and Thomas (1921). Should this locality be the same as that recorded by Draper (1897) then it includes the material described by Seward (1897 and 1898). &tween 1.941 and 194.6 the senior author made further collectIons from thIS quarry. Material The plant fossils are preserved as impressions in a buff-coloured medium-grained sandstone, often stained by iron oxide, especially along the bedding planes. The most common genus is Noeggerathiopsis followed by Glossopteris and Gangamopteris which are common and Lycopodiopsis, Cyclodendron and Vertebra­ ria which are rare. At this locality a specimen of sili­ cified gymnospermous wood (stem about 1 m long and girth of 30 em) was found by the senior author. This is the only known occurrence of silicified wood at Vereeniging. The material is housed in part at the S.A. Museum, Cape Town; Transvaal Museum, Pre­ toria; Vereeniging Museum; and Bernard Price In­ stitute for Palaeontological Research. General Note on Leeukuil Quarries (Localities 3-5) These quarries are all situated on the farm Leeu­ kuil No. 81 (5 km south-west of Vereeniging station on the northern side of the Vaal River). They \yere owned by the Vereeniging Refractories (ex Vereeniging Brick and Tile Company) but the prop­ erty was taken over by the Rand Water Board in 1963. The plant fossils occur in shale and sandstone horizons which overlie the No.1 coal seam. Accord­ ing to the borehole records (nos. 158-160, sunk in 1950) of the Vereeniging Brick and Tile Company, the coal measure strata (Ecca) in this area total a thickness of approximately 16 metres. (3) Old Sandstone Quarry, Leeukuil Location: 27° 53'56"E/26°42'08"S. The quarry, Fig­ ures 7 and 14, situated about 0,75 km north of the Vaal River, has been obscured by overburden from the other quarries in the area. Description A detailed section of the strata is provided in Fig­ ure 3. History It is not known when quarrying operations started at this locality but it was worked sporadically until the early 1940s. The overgrown quarry was found towards the end of 1945 by the senior author who made extensive collections during 1946 and 1947. Excavation resulted in the discovery of fossiliferous shale which soon proved to be of great palaeobotan­ ical interest as it was in these horizons that numer­ ous Glossopteris fructifications were found. From 1947 onwards the quarry was obscured by overbur­ den from neighbouring quarries. Material The fossil content of the various horizons is re­ corded in Figure 3 and a species list of the two most productive horizons (D and E4) has been drawn in Table 1. The material is housed at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research and coded PI. , (4) Shale Quarry, Leeukuil Location: 27°52'56"E/20"42'12"S. This quarry, Fig­ ures 12, 13, 15 and 16, is situated south of the Old Sandstone . Quarry (3) and north-west of the River Quarry (5). Description A detailed section of the strata is provided in Figure 4. This section was taken at a point where quarrying was continued to the level of the carbonaceous shale. The surface area of the fossiliferous strata exposed here was about 55 m2 and was worked systematIcally from the edge of the exposure. It must be noted that the distribu­ tion of plant remains is variable both vertically ' and horizontally throughout the quarry. History Qparrying .operations were begun in 1946 and contInued untIl 1950. The senior author did most of the collecting from 1946 until 1950, and since then sporadic collecting has been undertaken by various people. The locality was briefly described and fig­ U1;ed (u: Roux, 1963a, pI. 1, fig. 2). At present the q~arry IS very overgrown, and largely inundated With water. 33 3 E5J A 0,5 m greyish top soil ~ 1,.....,0,..., a ~ B 0,6 m river gravel NB: the plant remains are - ~ all preserved as impressions 0 0"" ° II · .... . .... . § ...... ..... . .,., .. . .. hard buff coloured sandstone .. '" .£ ~ poorly laminated in upper portion leaf impressions better [9 0 1,9 m merging into softer laminated and preserved in lower '" ""§ ......... friable yellowish material in portion than in upper; 'E .......... lower portion consult list on Table I .......... ........ .. ;> ......... ........ .. .... .. ---------------.---.- E1 0,05 m - -- yellowish shale barren - -.------ --- ----:-:-:- hard yellowish brown --- Asterotheca sp. ~-- ferruginous shale, plant - -- E2 0,06 m Glossopteris sp. !--- impressions chocolate Samaropsis sp. ---!--- brown on lighter background Wallkomiella transvaaiensis - --- -- -- -- E3 0,03 m compaa yellowish plastic barren clay soft fine-grained, siliceous silty clay, fawn to biscuit- well preserved, abundant E4 0,11 m coloured, difficult to split plant remains when wet, but dries hard and consult list on Table I splits easily along the bedding planes -- - ~ as lor E4, but more compact, plant remains similar to those E50,13 m dries hard without occurring in E4, but often showing bedding planes distorted and leaves have a shrivelled appearance . "" " ..... plant remains poor and · " . . medium-grained arenaceous · .... E &0,06 m sporadic, more common · . . .. sediment '" " towards the top '" .. ... . . . .;.;.,;, :. ; ? total thickness unknown Figure 3. Section of strata at locality 3, Old Sandstone Quarry, Leeukuil. 34 ! 4 E:iSJ A 0,3 m ' greyish top soil .... ,..., .... ---""0""- E 0",,0 N.B. except for horizon G the plants 'VVV' B 0,6 m alluvial gravel - are all preserved as impressions 0 ,..... 0"" II 0,..., v § ..... ..... fragmentary plant remains '" . ... . .. ... hard compact sandstone LycopodiopsiJ sp . ~ ..... (S ~ 0 2,6 m pinkish colour in upper portion Glossopteris sp. '" ~~ merging to a buff in lower Gangamopteris sp. ~ 'e ..... rock ; difficult to split NoeggerathiopsiJ sp. ..... unidentified stems ~ ..... .. . . . .... . .... . ..... . soft fine-grained plants abundant, poorly ~ El 0,1 m laminated dayey shale preserved (leaves and fiuits) varying in colour from cream Glossopteris spp. to white SamaropsiJ spp. E2 0,05 m compact yellowish day barren - --- --- -- - fine-grained biscuit coloured - - - plants abundant, well - - - laminated shale which - -- E3 0,08 m dries hard making it difficult preserved, consult list on - - Table I - -- to split - -- --1---- --- -- --- -- -- light grey, tine-grained, silty day-shale, compact, slightly plants abundant, well ~ E4 0,6 m sandy and micaceous in the preserved, consult list on lower portion, laminated and Table I highly fossiliferous in upper portion, splits easily when dry - - -- -- -- plants abundant, preservation - - ~ E5 0,4 m hard, grey, medium-grained poor, Glossopteris spp. ~ arenaceous, thickness variable Gangamopteris (very common) 1-_-_-_- Gondwanidium sp. , NoeggerathiopsiJ sp. -------- -- plants rare(?), preservation - --- --- ES 0,02 m soft grey, sandy shale poor, Gloss. sp. and Gang. sp. -- ... - --- - greyish, hard gritty, shale ~ plants rare( ?), preservation ~ E7 0,15 m interbedded with thin poor (?), fragmentary - -- sandy layers remains mainly Glossopteris - ---- I plants occasional, ~reserved I G ? carbonaceous shale I as compressions (? I I lNvvV' Figure 4. Section of strata at locality 4, Shale Quarry, Leeukuil. Material The fossil content of the various horizons is re­ corded in Figure 4 and a species list of the two most productive horizons (E3 and E4) has been drawn up in Table 1. The material is housed at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research and is coded P2. (5) River Quarry, Leeukuil Location: 29°54'20I E/26°42'18"S. This quarry, Fig­ ures 8 and 9, is situated south-east of the Shale quarry (4) and just north of the Vaal River. Description A detailed section of the strata is provided in Fig­ ure 5. History Quarrying operations were begun in 1947 and continued until 1952. Since then the quarry up to and including the fossilferous horizon "F3" has been inundated by water through seepage from the Vaal River. Activities at this site were mainly concentrated on the mining of the carbonaceous shale (popularly known as "brown shale") immediately overlying the coal in this area. In the process the overlying layers were systematically stripped off. During that time the senior author paid frequent visits to the quarry and was thus able to collect valuable material from the fossiliferous horizons which became exposed. When mining activities ceased in 1953/54 the senior author carried out excavations on a small scale from horizons "F" and "G" at the northern end of the quarry where the greatest concentration of plant fossils was found to occur, indicated by position P3 on Figure 9. The total surface area exposed here was about 100 m2 but concentrated collecting was only ?one at a few selected places. After the quarry was mundated with water (covering horizon "F3") some intensive collecting was done at an exposure along t?e north-eastern boundary of the quarry from ho­ nzon "F2" indicated by P4 on Figure 8. The locality was briefly described and figured by Le Roux (1963, pl. 1, fig. 1). In November 1975 the Vereeniging Re­ fractories initiated quarrying operations along the north-eastern border of the River Quarry. Material The fossil content of the various horizons is re­ corded in Figure 5 and a species list of the two most productive horizons (F2 and F3) has been drawn up m Table 1. In the F3 horizon (highly ferruginous da:k red shale) the fossils are often preserved as mmeralized compressions. It is from this horizon that the invertebrate Cyzicus was collected (Le Roux, 19~0). This horizon has also resulted in the locality bemg termed the "Red Quarry". The fossil stems, all prostrate (figs. 10 ana 11), which have been found in horizon "G3'" are mineralized compres­ sions. Upon exposure the grey coloured siderite 35 (iron carbonate) converts to a red haematite (iron oxide). These stems were usually enveloped in a thin coal layer. This horizon "G3" is thought to be equivalent to that from which Mellor and Leslie (1906) described the fossil forest (locality A). The leaf fossils and stems, coded P3 and P4, are housed at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Re­ search. A. Fossil Forest (Bed of Vaal River) Location: 27°54'42 I E/26°42'19"S. The fossil forest in the bed of the Vaal River is situated about 2,8 km downstream from the railway bridge. Description At this location, according to Mellor and Leslie (1906), a broad anticlinal fold brings a coal seam to the surface in the bed of the Vaal River. The surface of the coal seam was thickly covered with prostrate stems and the casts of in situ roots and stumps. Simi­ lar tree trunks have been collected from the River Quarry (locality 5, horizon "G3") some 700 m downstream by the senior author and probably occur above the same coal horizon. History In October 1906 the extreme low water resulted in two acres of coal being exposed on the Transvaal side of the river. This was apparently exposed for a very short time as Mellor and Leslie (1906) wrote that "on the occasion of our visit a violent storm brought our observations to an early close, and the following morning this interesting and unique ex­ posure was again hidden under several feet of water". This area is now permanently under water. Material If any of the tree trunks were collected by Mellor and Leslie (1906) their present whereabouts are unknown. They did, however, figure some of the specimens. B. Dolomite Quarry Location: 27°56'21 "E/26°40'42"S. The dolomite quarry is situated near the bank of the Vaal River, 0,5 km south-east of Vereeniging station. The origi­ nal quarry is no longer visible and its position is in­ dicated by the buildings of the Riviera Boat Club. Description This is taken from Leslie (1922): "At my dolomite quarry near Vereeniging Station intrusions of the glacial filled up and moulded themselves around the uneven masses of dolomite which formed the ancient land surface. Crevices and joints are filled with the concrete-like till; quite near the contact with the dolomite are usu­ ally a few thin bands of laminated day shale, the lamina being a t inch thick or even less." 36 5 E SA 0,6 m top soil m - ""0 ~ N.B. the plant remains are all <:5 o "'" 0 preserved as impressions except /I B 0,16 m alluvial gravel ~ at horizon G § o "'" 0 .,., QJ ~ "' ~ micaceous clay undeterminable, fragmentary 'f ~ C 3,3 m ~ (brick clay) plant remains ~ light grey clayey shale, plants rare (?), preservation E 1,0 m laminat~d but friable and difficult to split poor, Glo5Jopteris sp. - - ~~-~-~ plants rare (?), impressions ~ yellowish, ferruginous sandy often stained yellow or reddish Fl 1,0 m shale with bands of red-oxide Glossopteris spp. ~-- concretions, difficult to split Gangamopteris spp. - - N oeggeralhiopsis spp. --- I- --- -- --- -- -- compact, hard, medium-grained, plants abundant, good ~-- ~ F2 1,5 m beige-coloured shale with preservation, consult list intermittent red zones in Table 1 - --- -- --- ---- -- - - - - ------- -----. plants abundant, preservation ~ F3 0,8 m highly ferruginous; dark red good as mineralised ~ shale compressions, consult list -- - - in Table 1 - ---- -- . ----- ~ I plants rare (?), preservation (?) ~ G1 0,1 m soft carbonaceous shale fragmentary remains I Glossopteris sp. , Gangamopteris sp. I f---- f0o- I plants rare (?), preservation (?) f----- laminated, soft, grey, sandy ~ G2 0,1 m carbonaceous shale SPherwpteris sp., Glossopteris sp., r--- N oeggeralhiopsis sp. === - carbonaceous shale plants abundant, preservation G3 9,1 m fair (?) as compressions (?) (brown shale) Glossopteris spp. Gangamopteris sp. N oeggeralhiopsis sp. ~ Figure 5. Section of strata at locality 5, River Q.uarry, Leeukuil. History Quarrying operations started some time prior to 1922 and continued until 1939. The fossils were first reported by Leslie (1922) and have been figured by Plumstead (1969, PI. 7, figs. 2-4). Material The only genus to be recorded was Ganga1lWpteris of which the few available specimens are housed at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Re­ search and form part of the Leslie Collection. C. Suikerbosrand River Although no collections are available from this locality it is included here to complete the overall re­ cord of plant fossils at Vereeniging. Location: 27°58'47/1E/26°40'05/1S. Exposures along the banks of the Suikerbosrand River, 500 m from its confluence with the Vaal River. Descriptiun The only information provided by Leslie (1922) is the observation that long strap-shaped leaves of Cor­ daites (Noeggerathiopsis) existed in stratified beds. These he regarded as occurring in the "Dwyka". The same "concrete-like till" of locality B is well exposed along the Suikerbosrand River and overlies the do­ lomite more or less directly. It can be safely assumed that the leaves Leslie referred to were preserved in this horizon, and probably in thin intercalated lami­ nated shales as at locality B. D. Central Colliery Dump Although this dump cannot be considered a true locality it is nevertheless included. Location The dump lies 4 km south-west of the Vereenig­ ing station. The subsurface extent of the colliery workings is indicated on Figure 1. History and material Du Toit (1932) described a single specimen of Stigmaria ficoides (supposedly a lycopod root frag­ ment). He writes of the specimen which was loaned to him by Dr. T. N. Leslie: "It was picked up not far from a waste dump at the Central Coal Mine at Vereeniging by R. H. Smith of that town and is presumed to have come from the workings of that colliery, though unfor­ tunateli such presumption cannot be estab­ lished.' .The Central Coal Mine was opened in 1890 and closed in 1910. The present whereabouts of the specimen are not known. E. Comer Smuts Avenue and Voortrekker Street Locatiun: 27°55'51"E/26°40'54/1S. On the south-west corner of the intersection of Smuts Avenue and Voortrekker Street, in the town of Vereeniging. 37 History and Description In 1947 some workmen excavating a stormwater drain encountered a fossiliferous sandstone about 4 m below surface. The top 0,5 m or so of this hori­ zon was removed. The senior author, on continuous alert for new sites, came across these workings at the time. The dark grey sandstone with black leaf im­ pressions is very similar to that from locality 1, which suggests possible equivalence. Sandstones of this description have not, beyond these two locali­ ties, been encountered in the Vereeniging area. Material Only leaves of the genus Glossopteris occurred in the sandstone. A single specimen is housed in the Vereeniging Museum. THE MACROFLORA Lower Ecca The Lower Ecca flora recorded to date is very meagre and is recorded from only two localities. It consists of the two genera, Ganga1/Wpteris and Noegge­ rathiopsis. Middle Ecca The Middle Ecca flora, on the other hand, is well represented, relatively diverse, and has been re­ corded from eight localities to date, and is best known from the three Leeukuil quarries. A compre­ hensive check list, with relative abundance ratings for all the species found to date, from the most pro­ lifically bearing strata at these three quarries is pre­ sented on Table 1. In summary the flora may be recorded as follows (by Divisions according to Bou­ reau 1970): 3 genera, 4 species 3 genera, 3 species 3 genera, 5 species 4 genera, 7 species 1 genus, 1 species 3 genera, 4 species 4 genera, 6 species Lycophyta Sphenophyta Filicophyta Glossopteridophyta Pteridospermophyta Cycadophyta Ginkgophyta Coniferophyta 2 genera, 3 species Total- 23 genera, 33 species This is based solely on the leaves and non-gym­ nospermous stems which are listed in Table 1. This tally is presumed to reflect reasonably accurately the flora growing at Vereeniging after the cessation of coal swamp development. The gymnospermous fructifications and fossil wood (which remain unstu­ died) have not been counted as they are probably largely represented by the equivalent leaf species. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Grateful thanks are due to Vereeniging Refractories limited (formerly known as Vereeniging Brick and Tile Company) and also to the management of the Rand Water Board for permis­ sion to collect plant fossils on their properties. This paper was in an advanced state of preparation when the senior author regrettably died (2 August 1976). The greater part of the paper is a result of his work, while the junior author helped mainly in compilation of the text and figures . ~ ~ 2? $~ ~ '" w"'r'J ...,"'r1 "" "" "" "" "" "" "" <.>0 <.>0 <.>0 "'" "" <.>0 <.>0 "" ~~ en =-=~~ ~J (b ~ ~ J%1 "'" "'" <.>0 <.>0 "" "" "" "" "" "" <.>0 <.>0 "'" "'" "" <.>0 "'" <.>0 <.>0 <.>0 "'" "" "" "'" "" <.>0 "" "" ~ VJ O@~ ~.:5.0 _. ~ C,I) _ ~::lSo.. <.>o--...:! ::s ~ ", J:l 0 "'" <.>0 <.>0 "" "" "" "" "" <.>0 "" <.>0 "" "" <.>0 "" <.>0 "" Genus Cyclodendron Lycopodiophloios L. Lycopodiopsis ? Phyllotheca (only stems) ? Schizoneura (only stems) Sphenophyllum Pecopteris (Asterotheca) P.(A) P. Cladophlebis Sphenopteris Glossopteris G. G. G. G. G. G. G . G. G. G. G. Palaeovittaria Gangamopteris G. G. scale leaves Condwanidium Taeniopteris T. Thomasleslia Species leslii (Sew. ) Kr. dolianitii Kr. edwardsi Kr. derbyi Renault sp. cf. thonii Mahr singeri Arch. cf plumsteadiae H-M sp. cf. nebbensis Brong. spp. stricta Bunb. indica Schimper intermittens Feist. longicaulis Feist damudica Feist. conspicua Feist browniana Brong-. b.var comelium PI. tortuosa Zeiller t. var. vaalense PI. decipiens Feist. retifera Feist. kurzi Feist. buriadica Feist. obovata (Carr. ) White cf. c1arkeana Feist. spp. validum (Feist) Cothan gemmina PI. sp. vereenigensis Reference Kr. 1961 Kr. 1961 Kr. 1961 PI. 1966 PI. 1957,61 , 66 PI. 1961 LeR. 1976 LeR. 1976 LeR. 1976 LeR. 1949 LeR. 1976 PI. 1961 PI. 1958a If A PI. 1952 3} B PI. 1958a 4 PI. 1958a 5} C PI. 1958a iI PI. 1952 81 PI. 1952 91 PI. 1958a 10 rD PI. 1952 II 1 PI. 1958a 12J PI. 1958a 14 ' PI. 1952 16} E PI. 1958a 17 PI. 1956b IS} F PI. 1956b 19 PI. 1962 20} G l:, PI. 1961 PI. 1961 PI. 1961 LeR. 1975 Major groups after Boureau 1970 LYCOPHYfA SPHENOPHYfA ::s -=:0 ~ 7 ~ () v>,< ?:>3 ::s ~ ~ i-----------ll 3 -g ~ § V> FILICOPHYfA GLOSSOPTERIDO PHYf A Pteridospermophyta ?CYCADOPHYfA "'" "" "" - ::0 8 g;l~~ :3 Q ::ti Cl ~. 3 V> ", .... o 0' 3 ~ ::s::S 2. 0- ~ ~ '< § 9 ;l 0.. '" ..., '" 0" ", ::s § ~ 0.. '" 2 " ;:2~~~ C ;0 ' 0-::s :2. :>::: ... 0...: ..,~ a: :3 ~ ~' ~. 9. ~ ~ ~ s- O" '" 0 -:;l rtl Q.. C '" 0.. )< ~ 3 ~ '" ~ E :3 -l Z o 2: ~ V> V> ", ~ '" -a 9- .. ., .... o n ==1"" ::'?-n _. '" '" - ~ --<8 O":;l ", V> '" _. ..., V> :; " £ri :)q 0 V> -, Cl:::.­'" -E!~ e; .... V> 5--g ~ o. ", .... V> 00' Q C ==:;l ~. 0.. V> ~ . 0 0.. '" .r; ::;0 o :3 5-.... ~ (;' § a -l ~ =' r-' t"l :- -l ::r:: t"l <: t"l ::0 t"l t"l Z (3 Z () s: ~ C"l ::0 o ..., r-' o ~ ;a o s: -l ::r:: t"l r-' t"l t"l c:::: ::0<: c:::: -r-' ~ ~ ::0 ~ ;; en o ~ c, a: <.>0 6. <.>0 00 • "" "" "" "" "" • "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" • "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" va "" "" va "" "" "" "" "" "" "" • va "" va "" "" "" va va "" Ginkgoites G. Psygmophyllum P. cf Nephropsis cf Phoenicopsis Walkomiella (coniferous shoot) Noeggerathiopsis N Plumsteadia P. Hirsutum H. Pluma P. Scutum S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. Lanceolatus L. Ottokaria o. Vannus Arberia Arberiella Cardiocarpus Sarnaropsis S. Jongmansis Lerouxia Plumsteadiella type A typeB kidstoni Sew. sp. sp. sp. transvaalensis LeR. hislopi (Bunb.) Feist. stoliakanus Feist. stricta PI. waltonii PI. dutoitides PI. intennittens PI. longicaulis PI. thomsonii PI. damudica PI. draperium PI. leslium PI. L. var. comelium PI. rubigeum PI. r. var. vaalense PI. sewardii PI. stowanum PI. thomasii PI. lerouxides PI. palaeovittarius PI. buriadica PI. transvaalensis PI. gondwanensis PI. sp. sp. spp. (± 2) leslii Sew. spp. (±3) transvaalensis PI. transvaalensis PI. e1egans LeR LeR. 1970 LeR. 1970 LeR. 1970 LeR. 1970 LeR. 1970 LeR. 1963a LeR. 1965 PI. 1961 PI. 1961 PI. 1958a, 69 PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1952 PI. 1952 PI. 1958a PI. 1952 PI. 1958a PI. 1958a PI. 1952 PI. 1958a PI. 1952 PI. 1958a PI. 1956b PI. 1956b PI. 1962 PI. 1966 PI. 1966 * PI. 1963 PI. 1961 PI. 1961 LeR 1966 aA UB ~} C n ~~ ~D :;~ 14 15 16} E 17 18} F 19 GINKGOPHYTA CONIFEROPHYTA (and associates) GLOSSOPTERIDOPHYTA 20f G L _______ _ I ?group ?Pteridospelmophyta ?CYCADOPHYTA 2 8. g' 0· ::l '" OJ -l = ~ -l ""2..0:r OJ ::l ~ ;::~o: ~ i'i.~ o '" ~ t: ~ -. -01»::0 '" g: Q 0':::-: :::. "1 ~ 0 S- ~. i;l (') =~ Cl§~ o -I» ::l '< " a.. cr " ~ ~ 0 OJ I» a.. ~ § s· "t:I S·OQ ~ ~ ~ 3 a.. 0 5j' ~ :r ::l ~ ~ - "1 :r~< OJ :r ~ < 0 ~ r.> a ~ ~ t: 2. ~OQOQ ::l ::r s· 8 ~ OQ :3 Vi·:::-: -0 o· ~ ~::ll» ~ '" ~ r.> _ t: 0..0"1 . .., ~ .g'£ ~ ~';i -'::i't'"J r: 'J) -?G :rife 3~ ~ ,.; - C "1 ~-g ~ < ~ ::l3 r.> ~. :;cro.. g.~=:: o..::l t: ~o-£: '" t: Q. ~ 5.:::. o 0 ::l OJ ::l ~ ::;: Vl :3 I» Po: ~g.5. - r.> Vlo...:::.. ~ ........... -' (ti ~ ~ cr~o "1 11> =l I» ~ " ::l '" "'"t:-o ~ :3 g a.~e: ..., ::l >- 8..OQ o_~ <:loa "";::;­ ~o <.>0 <.0 40 Figure 6. Figure 7. Figure 8. Figure 9. Figure 10. Figure 11. Figure 12. Figure 13. Figure 14. Figures 15. B ,P. _ 0 Locality 2, Klip River Quarry as it appeared in 1942 (direction of view not available). Locality 3, Old Sandstone Quarry, Leeukuil, showing sandstone layer "D" overlying a succession of fine grained sediments E1-E6 (direction of view not :... • available), Locality 5, River Quarry, Leeukuil, showing succession of fossiliferous strata "G-G" (as viewed from the south-west) and position of collecting place P4. . Legend as for Figure 8, but viewed from the south-east and showing position of collecting place P3 and localities 3 and 4. A small portion of the Vaal River is visible at upper left. Position of tree trunk (fig. 10) marked by a x . A prostrate tree trunk in position of discovery at locality 5, total length ex­ posed was more than 10 m. Portion of tree trunk X-V shown in Figure 8, with coaly matrix removed to show the lateral branching; now housed at Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, PB 312. Locality 4, Shale Quarry, Leeukuil, showing fossiliferous horizons "D-G" and collecting point P2 at right (viewed from the south-east). Legend as for Figure 12, showing detail of collecting point P2 and fossiliferous strata (viewed from the south-east). Locality 3, Old Sandstone Quarry, Leeukuil, showing small scale excavation in progress in sandstone "D" (viewed from the west). and 16 : Locality 4, Shale Quarry, Leeukuil, showing method of excavating the fossiliferous strata "E4 and E,". 41 42 REFERENCES (a) Comprehensive bibliography of Vereeniging plant fossils and localities DRAPER, D. (1897). Notes on the occurrence of Sigillaria, Glos­ sopteris and other plant remains in the Triassic Rocks of South Africa. Q; J 1. geol. Soc. Lund., 53, 310-314. DU TOIT, A. L. (1926). The Geology of South Africa. 1st Edition. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh. ---- (1932). Some fossil plants from the Karroo system of South Africa. Ann. S. Afr .. Mus., 28(4), 369-393. KRAUSEL, R. (I 960a). Cyclodendrun Krsl, eine Lycopodiale son­ derform der Permischen Gondwana Flora Afrikas. Naturwis­ senschaflen, 47(23), 551-552. ---- (l960b) . Die Permfloren der Si.id-Halbkugel. Berichten der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaji., 73(7), 289-295. ---- (1961). Lycopodiopsis derbi Renault und andere Lycopo­ diales aus den Gondwana-Schichten. Palaeontographica Abt. B., 109(1-4), 62-92. LE ROUX, S. F. (1949). A fossil plant of the genus Pecopteris. South African Science 2, 132-133. ---- (1960). A fossil conchostracan from the Middle Ecca (Lower Permian) beds of Vereeniging. S. Afr. j. Sci., 56(1 I), 282-284. ---- (l963a). On Walkamiella transvaalensis, a new conifer from the Middle Ecca (Lower Permian) beds of Vereeniging, Transvaal. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 66, 1-9. ---- (l963b). A new cycadeoid flant from the Permo-Car­ boniferous Coal Measures 0 the Transvaal. Nature, 199(4897), 1010-1011. ---- (1965). A new fossil plant with probable coniferous af­ finities, from Vereeniging. S. Afr. j. Sci., 61(5), 199-201. ---- (1966). A new fossil plant Plumsteadiella elegans, from Vereeniging, Transvaal. S. Afr. j. Sci., 62(2), 37-43. ---- (1970) . Some fossil ginkgophytes and a possible Voj­ novskyalean element from the Glossopteris flora of Vereenig­ ing, Transvaal. Palaeont. ofr., 13, 1-14. ---- (1975). A problematical element in the Glossopteris flora of Vereeniging. Palaeont. afr., 18, 31-34. ---- (1976). On some "Northern" elements in the Lower Gondwana Flora of Vereeniging, Transvaal. Palaeont. afr., 19, 59-65. LESLIE, T. N. (1904). The fossil flora of Vereeniging. Trans . geol. Soc. S. Afr., 6(4), 82-88. ---- (1922). Observations on some fossil plants from the Permo-Carboniferous of Vereeniging (Presidential address). Proc. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. 25, xix-xxx. - - - - (1939). Casual memories of an octogenarian. Unpublished manuscript, Vereeniging Library, 251 pp. MELLOR, E. T. and LESLIE, T. N. (1906). On a fossil forest re­ cently exposed in the bed of the Vaal River at Vereeniging. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 9, 125--128. PLUMSTEAD, E. P. (1952). Description of two new genera and six new species. of fructifications borne on Glossopteris leaves from South Afnca. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 55, 281-328. - - - - (l956a). Bisexual fructifications borne on Glossopteri., leaves from South Africa. Palaeontographica Abt. B., 100, 1-25. ---- (l956b). On Ottokaria, the fructification of Gangamop­ teris . Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 59, 211-236. ---- (1957). Coal in Southern Africa. Witwatersrand Univer­ sity Press, Johannesburg, 1-24. - - - - (l958a). Further fructifications of the Glossopteridae with a provisional classification based on them. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 61, 51-76. ---- (l958b). The habit of growth of the Glossopteridae. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 61, 81-94. ---- (1961). The Permo-Carboniferous Coal Measures of the Transvaal, South Africa - an example of the contrasting stratigraphy in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. 4eme Congr. Glol. et Stratigr. Carboni!, 2, 545-550. ---- (1962). Vannus gondwanensis, a new Gangarrwpteris fruc­ tification from the Transvaal, South Africa. Palaeobotanist, II (I and 2). 106-114. ---- (1963). The influence of plants and environment on developing arumal life of Karroo times. S. Afr. j. Sci., 59(5), 147-152. - - - - (I 966a). Recent palaeobotanical advances and prob­ lems in Africa. In : Symposium un Floristics and Stratigraphy of Gundwanaland, Lucknow, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobo­ tany, 1-12. ---- (I 966b). The story of Africa's coal. Optima, 16, 186-202. ---- (1967). A review of contributions to the knowledge of Gondwana megaplant fossils and floras of Africa published since 1950. In: Proceedings I.U.G.S. Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy, 1967, Mar del Plata I, 139-148. ---- (1969). Three thousand million years of plant life in Africa. Du Toit memorial lecture number 11. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr. 72 (Annex.), 1-72 ---- (1970). Guide Book No.4. Post-symposium excursion to the Eastern Transvaal, Natal and the Drakensberg. 2nd I.u.G.S. Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Pal­ aeontology, South Africa. Pretoria, C.S.I.R. ---- (1973). The late Palaeozoic Glossopteris flora. In: Atlas of Palaeobiogeography ed. by A. Hallam. Amsterdam, Elsevier, 187-205. SEWARD, A. C. (1897). On the association of Sigillaria and Glos­ sopteris in South Africa. Q; Jl. geol. Soc. Lond., 53, 315--340. ----(1898). Note on the plant remains from Vereeniging. Q; Jl. geol. Soc. Lond., 54, 92-93 . ---- (1903). Fossil floras of Cape Colony. Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 4 (i), 1-122. ---- and LESLIE, T. N. (1908). Permo-Carboniferous plants from Vereeniging (Transvaal). Q; Jl. geol Soc. Lond., 64, 109-126. THOMAS, H. H. (1921). An Ottokaria-like plant from South Af­ rica. Q; JI. geol. Soc. Lond., 77, 285--288. (b) Bibliography of additional references ANDERSON, A. M. (1974). Arthropod track ways and other trace fos­ sils 10m the Early Permian Lower Karroo Beds of South Africa. Un­ pubhshed Ph.D. thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. ANDERS~N, .J. M. (1973). The biostratigraphy of the Permian and Tn~ssl~. P~rt 2 (charts 23-35). - A preliminary review of the dIstrIbutIon of Permian and Triassic strata in time and space. Palaeont. afr. , 16, 59-83. - - - - (197 n The biostratigraphy of the Permian and Triassic. Part 3. A review of Gondwana Permian Palynology with par­ ticular reference to the northern Karoo Basin, South Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, 41,1-67.188 pis. BOUREAU, E. (1970). Ed. Traitl de paliobotanique. Vol. 4, Paris, Masson. Plates, 519 pp. CILLIE, J. F. and SAVAGE, W. H. D. (1961). Die Steenkoolveld Vereeniging-Clydesdale. Mem. geol. SUTV. S. Afr. 50, 133 pp. NEL, L. T. and J~~SEN, H. (1957). The Geology of the country round Vereerugmg. Geol. SUTV. S. Afr. Explanation to sheet 62, Vereeniging, 1-90. RYAN, P' . J. (1968). Stratigraphic and palaeocurrent analysis of the Ecc~ senes and ~owerrrwst Beaufort beds in the Karroo basin of South Africa. Unpubhshed Ph.D. thesis, University of the Witwa­ tersrand, Johannesburg. STRAITEN, T. (1968). The Dwyka glaciatiun and its relatiunships to the Pre-Karroo suiface. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.