37 Palaeont. afr., 15,37- 64. 1973 A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE FOR MARINE CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA DURING DWYKA TIMES by I. R. McLachlan and Ann Anderson Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research Abstract General Geology Kalahari Basin Warmbad Basin CONTENTS Great Karroo Basin .... Marine Incursion into South West Africa . . . . . Previous Fossil Evidence for a Marine Incursion into the Great Karroo Basin A Marine Dwyka Fauna from the Great Karroo Basin Location Stratigraphy . Description of the Fossils . . . . . . Reconstruction of the Palaeo-environment During Dwyka Times Tillite Stage . . Marine Horizon at the Base of the Upper Dwyka Shales Stage White Band at the Top of the Upper Dwyka Shales Stage Conclusions Acknowledgemen ts References ABSTRACT 37 37 37 40 40 40 40 41 41 41 45 45 45 46 46 47 47 47 The faunas of the three major Dwyka basins in southern Africa are listed in the form of tables. Marine invertebrates have been recorded from the western part of the Kalahari basin and from the Warmbad basin, but had not previously been confirmed within the Great Karroo oasin. A new fauna from the base of the Upper Dwyka shales near Kimberley is described. Cephalopods, brachiopods and lamellibranchs are found in calcareous concretions, which also contain palaeoniscoid fish, coprolites, fossil wood and the mineral glauberite. The marine invasion into South West Africa postulated by Martin & Wilczewski (1970) therefore extended into the Great Karroo basin as well. By the time of accumulation of the White Band at the top of the Upper Dwyka shales, conditions were probably non-marine; with the possible exception of the Notocarid crustaceans, the White Band fossils are not, in themselves, indicative of marine conditions. The only other significant indication of marine conditions in the Great Karroo basin is the glauconite in the deltaic Coal Measures of the Ecca in the northern part of the basin. It is possible then that the fossiliferous marine shales near Kimberley accumulated as a fine-grained offshore facies of the Ecca deltaic sequence. GENERAL GEOLOGY area and eastern Botswana, the central portion of the basin being covered by Cenozoic Kalahari sediments. Green (1969, fig. I) illustrated the continuity of the Karroo strata between the eastern and-western outcrops. The Dwyka series is well exposed in South West Africa, but in eastern Botswana it is poorly exposed and is of variable thickness and discontinuous development. A white-weathering unit at the top of the Dwyka sequence contains Mesosaurus, and is considered to be the equivalent of the White Band (du Toit, 1954, p. 329; Martin, 1961a, p. 34; Heath, 1966, p.42)(see also fig. 1 and table 5). Coals occur below this horizon in the Upper Dwyka Stage (Martin, 1953; 1961a, p. 34). The extent of the Dwyka sediments con­ sidered in this article is shown in fig. 1. Generalised stratigraphic sections of the three main basins are given in fig. 2. For the purpose of this discussion, the White Band is taken to mark the top of the Upper Dwyka Stage. Kalahari Basin (Name from Martin, 1961a, p.15. Synonyms include: "South Kalahari basin", Martin, 1961a, table II, 1968, table 2, 1970, p. 225; "Kalahari Karroo basin", Green, 1969, fig. I; "Botswana block", Frakes & Crowell, 1970, p. 2263.) There are outcrops in South West Africa, the Gordonia 24' 26' 28' 30' South West Africa ,.;,.;- - ------ KALAHARI 22' " --,~' BASIN i " , , (/ .--------------------------- ----~' I \ ~~tswana //,~ \ -~ I I '. .... ~ ------- -- " ,<~:>~-~--::---.>' ,'~ C:i ~ ___ .. __ --._:..... ,"" ','iJ" ,W ---.,. "-, '" " " IA \ '. .. ~ •• I •• , .. ,., -', -', " " ',"",," ,. .'. " ' 0- -'- " " " '. .. '\ Q • • ..... . ' ' _" 0 , " ....... ......... , ... , \g I .,.'.. a... ' " • '.'''' ' , ....... ~ " " "''' , . ' • .' .' ••• _ • ..... '"- • ~,' .' " ,._-100---- -' .. \ ....... '. """" --- ' ' ' _, ...... \'i."',,"R.DE U .,,' ", ' ' / , 0(1';t;L. ~ "',., KAR ' \AI,' I I I. I J , /---:h._ / / , / ,~ • , ROO" " " ,'- ,,/ ". ...., ',', " ! ASI.!::: / ... -- " / / '.0._" • ." · " " ' ' , ,," -' ,---.... ,!' __ ._ ' .... " " " ' ........ , ___ " ;' ,',' I" .,' vv.., f I ;' !b!!! ,.t........ __ - "I'" ... ' I . . .. .,,' , , ,,_ " , !, __ ..... ' I' , ,. .... , . ' ',' -",' ' -- ' ' " ' . . . . .,,' ,,'~ .. ---- " " ': ' -- . " ..,' , _ _ -'.to- ,......... ___ ........, I " I I I / /. VR 1 \ J" I ... '''' " ' ,,' ' " ., ".' ", """, "" , . ,- - ',' '--' , ' , ' , ' " ' __ .. __ _, l"'" " ",' , "" " , --::C:'C> • ........... ,,,-,,=,-' J ,'," I'" ' ' ._ "" ,_' C ' . ·r- ',-/ -', ',' ' ,/" ' , _--- _- ,,_- -VI ~ c - O 0 U ~. - -o -c -- -e __ c _ .~ - -- 0 - - \of _-_ ~ - c --- ~ - ~ - - e - - c - 0 _-_ White Band i----- Me.o.aurus _ _____ ., Crustaceans ~. - - o c - _ -e __ .~ - Carbonaceous shale w ith thin ~ = -:::: impure limestone bands and phosphatic .. - = - lenses and cone, . tions -- -- ~ ----- - .~ -=-- . :: Nossob Sandst~ ___ _ - - ------7t_..,..~=~= ' unconformity L -_ A - (SW.A. only dashed line indicates ... Cl ~ VI .. . ~~ o c _0 ~- - top of glacial beds 04. _ 0 _ 0_ o _ A o . - Max . total thickness SOOm ( Mortin. 1961 ( b~ p 200) Tillite and boulder mudston-;- - _~ - _ - with some Interbedded carbonaceous shale and varved shale A A A A A '" A A A A o so 100 200 300 GENERALISED STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS 400 Fig. 2 3 and fig. 1]) and the small ' aquatic reptile Mesosaurus (table 5 and fig. 1). From our observations in the Loeriesfontein area, it seems that the fish occur in finely bedded shales near the base of the White Band, while the crustaceans occur in poorly bedded sediment near the top and Mesosaurus in a silty, bedded facies , also near the top of the unit. Mesosaurus has been regarded as both a non-marine (Holmes, 1965, p. 1222; Romer, 1966, p. 117) and a marine animal (Rayner, 1970, p.475; Teichert, 1970, p.132; Meyerhof & Meyerhof, 1972, p. 290). In isola­ tion, the skeletal remains do not proclaim the salinity of the water inhabited. However, from the available associated evidence, there is little to suggest that the water was marine (see below). Clear fossil evidence of marine conditions In the Great Karroo Basin was therefore lacking. A MARINE DWYKA FAUNA FROM THE GREAT KARROO BASIN There are undescribed specimens of the palaeoniscoid fish? Namaichthys schroederi in the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum (A.M.M.M.), Kimberley. The fish were collected by Robert Broom, in about 1940, from the farm Zand metres Bult near Douglas. They occur in concretions very similar to those containing marine invertebrates in South West Africa. We revisited Broom's site, and found that the concretions also contain marine invertebrates. More recently we discovered a second site near the Tankwa river (fig. 1) at the same stratigraphic position as the Zand Bult (Blaauw Krantz) locality. No invertebrates have yet been recognised, but wood, fish and coprolites are present. Only the Blaauw Krantz site is described in detail here. Location The richest fossil site has been named after the farm Blaauw Krantz. A single fragmentary cephalopod was found on the farm Zand Bult, and several large fossilised tree trunks occur in the shales on the farm Olie Rivier (fig. 4). These properties are subdivisions of the original farm Zand Bult. Stratigraphy Du Toit (1915, pp. 44-45) noted that "The Dwyka in South West Africa is more or less a replica of that obtaining along the strip of country extending from Vryburg to Prieska, and the conditions which prevailed during its deposition in the former region appear to have extended up this 42 ..: ... 0 ... ... Z ;:)0 0 ... oj! 11'1 o 11'1;:) ~~ ... DWYKA SECTION IN THE MARIENTAL-ASAB AREA, S~~. BASED ON HEATH 1966. UNIT NAMES AFTER HEATH , White Band? Upper Shale Auob sandstone Grey shale Nossob sandstone Upper boulder mudstone ~ 50ft Mesosaurus & fossil wood ~500' Fossil wood .. '. + 140 ~ ~ > ~ Thin coal seams - :-:-:;:.:0 0 . ,0: .. ' ~200' t SO' ::::: : : : ::: ___ Fossil wood --- - - - _Gasteropod sp~Maack,pers.comm.toMartin) t 110' - - - - ~ ---1Qrthoceras sp.(du Toit)Ts., - 0...... - Iblryd.sma sp(Schroed.r),ltzawisis ~----------------;-----~~ ... ... z ... ~ Z 0 ..: > Z ... ..: ... ... « ~ x !!! :.t U « ..: oj! 0 ... x 11'1 ... ..: ... Lower boulder mudstone -::.. -= i Euryd.sma slobosum(Range),Gaus +-150' -_ -_A -_ Gasteropod sp(Martin1953) Betwe.n AsabtTses Crinoid indet. - ..'.. ..- - _0-_ -_ :- Peruvispira vipersdorfensis(Dickins),Viperstorf I--------------+------t Forqminif.ra~scol.codonta,sponge & .chinoid - - - spln.s(Marhn&Wikz.wski,1970) Yellow green mudstone - - -- - Eurydesma mytiloid.s(Diclcinsl ~26ci - _---Brachiopod indet.(H.athl - --V Bryozoan ind.t. .. = ::: Asteroidean ind.t. .. Hardap ;. ..... :-;-=:.:::: . ..... Pala.oniscoid fish(GOrich), Ganikobis h: Z .... 40-n-.-o .... f-a .... llt-.-rn-a....,.t:-in-g--+-S-0 ...... ,........"" .. -,-~-----41~ ~ Con~lari~ ind.t.(Schroed.r)," . sandston.&mudstone- ..... ' Radiolaria (M&W1970~ - ,Schllp, F-==i=F=:::::.:;';;';~--li·=·~·~·~ Goniatit. .... - Zone of alt.rnahr.g ""=~8 0 o~ Wood .... _ tilloid & small ~ 120 0 S) boulder mudstone . .? . L II b Id - -- - ~ GlaCiomarine. and ground moraine. ow.r sma ou er +SO No fossils mudstone - A A Basal tillite Basement A A A t120A A A WW/ N-I/'//////.-S 1&.1 " c( I- In c( ~ >- ~ 0 cae: 1&.1 a. a. ;:) Fig. 3. It is not clear how the member names used by Martin & Wilczewski 1970 apply to the units mapped by Martin 1953, or Heath 1966. Martin (written comm. 1973) says that the three glaciomarine units thin towards the south until the Ganikobis shale comes to rest on the basal tillite. pre-Karroo depression to which I have gIVen the name of the Kaap Valley." The basement in the area is formed of Precambrian Ventersdorp lava that possessed a moderate relief at the time of Dwyka accumula­ tion. As the basement does not outcrop at any of the sections measured, the total thickness of the Dwyka tillite could not be determined. It is likely to vary considerably due to the uneven nature of the basement. The top of the Dwyka tillite has been put at the level of the highest dropstone­ bearing bed, giving an approximate thickness of Fresh exposures near Douglas are largely confined to the banks of incised rivers. A composite section (fig. 5) has been compiled from four locations (see fig. 4) near the Blaauw Krantz fossil site. Unfortunately, the strata between the sections are obscured by recent sediments, and their relative vertical placings had to be made on lithological similarity and projected geology. 43 LOCATION OF FOSSIL SITES NEAR DOUGLAS. Scale 1: 250,000 °t-I _ .... 1 r-..... ~ ......... ,--"-~ ---.,.J'--ii miles o ':1 4 ;, 8 km N t --- ". Ki",ber\~Y::,=;­ ·w-SO""' i' \ --"::..­ Ki",b.!! ~- --- E XPLANA liON - -"' Railway Road Farm boundary Outcrop 01 los sililerau. concretion bearing shale examined Fig. 4 37,5 m for this interval. The predominant rock type is dark grey shale, often varved and containing dropstones in varying concentrations. Striated and faceted pebbles or boulders are usually present. At De Kalk this bedded diamictite ("Shaley tillite"; Stratten, 1968, p. 33) is contorted, most probably by slumping prior to consolidation. Impersistent iron and carbonate-rich shale bands, up to 60 em thick, are common; they may pinch out laterally or grade into bright yellow-weathering cone-in-cone limestone. The total thickness of the Upper Dwyka Shales has not been determined as the White Band does not outcrop near the fossil sites. The section is directly overlain by a variable thickness of calcrete-cemented Quaternary sediments, topped by red Kalahari sand (figs. 5, 9). At Blaauw Krantz, approximately 18 m of dark grey splintery shale is exposed. A dolerite sill intrudes the upper portion of the shale. A 6 m zone containing calcareous fossiliferous concretions lies 9 m above the base of the shales. The concretions occur in bands at four levels. They protrude from the softer shale, and are concentrated in small gullies by erosion. Their shape is commonly oval and flattened, but in the lowermost band they are frequently irregularly lobed. When fossils are present, they usually lie on FOSSil SITES 1 Blaauw Krantl 2 Zand Bult 3 Olia Rivier STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS 1 Blaauw Krantl "De Kalk 5 Riet River Bridge A 6 Riet River Bridge B a bedding plane near the middle of the concretion, and may extend through the side of it. Weeks (1935) provided a convincing explanation of the formation of such concretions containing uncrushed fossils. He argued (op. cit. p. 171) that, in an environment generally unfavourable for pure limestone deposition, calcium carbonate concre,­ tions can develop locally around, say, an ammonite or a fish, because where there is anaerobic decomposition there is a localized concentration of ammonia or amines. This would markedly increase the pH, sufficient to precipitate the carbonate. The original shell or bone material of the fossils from Blaauw Krantz is sometimes IlTeserved but, more usually, it has been remove-d by solution and replaced by crumbly yellow limonite. An interesting feature is the occurrence of hollow moulds of crystals (approximately 10 em long and 2-3 em wide) in some of the concretions. The crystal casts were identified by Loock as being of the monoclinic salt glauberite (Na2 S04' CaS04 ). Glendonites, which are calcitic pseudomorphs after glauberite, have been de­ scribed from very much the same stratigraphic position in Permo-Carboniferous sediments in New South Wales (David et al., 1905), Queensland and Tasmania (Raggatt, 1937). 44 COMPOSITE STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION Vertical scale 1cm. 3metres RECENT TO QUATERNARY I BlAAUW KRANTZ 1 Weathered grey shale 1----- ~~~ 0000 UPPER DWYKA Ib ~o~ SHALES ] Fossiliferous concretion zone in weathered grey shale 489 ~==== e 486 ___ .487 488 T~ JU. v!uy~ ? ..ilia.l!... _ with • drops tones " Very laint indeterminate invertebrate trails RiEl RIVER 8RIDGE 6 xx x- 6 ~ I e 487 A EXPLANATION Refers to location of section on Fig.4 Kaiohari sand Calcrete Doh"ite Dark friable shale Hard iron-rich calcareous band Fossiliferous concretions Yellow -weathering cone -in-cone limestone Varved shale Dropstones in varv.d shal.s Palynology sample number RiEl RIVER 8RIDGE 5 8 --= This band TriicedTateraily DWYKA TILLITE These bands converge and join 200tt away DE KALK 4 r;.~..:...= _ - .o.~ ' ~' ----I.~~~ --?- - - -~~=-:: 1-- 483. 1---- := ---=: 1- =- 1- =-- 1--_- I-- - Hard unfossiliferou. ~ ~­ carbonate nodules I E __ ~_ 1- - 4114 1- --- 48 Folds of amplitude 10 It caused by slumping IV\.I'Y\ Description of the Fossils The number of specimens collected of each of the fossil groups (table 3) does not reflect their true relative abundance, as some survive weathering better than others. Brief descriptions of the various fossil groups follow: (i) Cephalopods (figs. 12- 16) One specimen came from Zand Buit, and eight from Blaauw Krantz, where most are from the lowermost concretion band. The specimens consist of portions of the external moulds of phragmacones, which show a fine ornamentation oflongi tudinal and annular striae (see fig. 15) . Two specimens are of internal and external moulds of the body chamber with portion of the phragma· cone (see figs . 12-14). The body chamb er is strongly flattened and the siphuncle is centrally placed. The original nacreous shell material is occasionally preserved. Teichert confirmed, from stereopair photographs, that they belong to the order Orthocerida. Du Toit (1915, p. 45 ) found a fragment of a nautiloid cephalop od Orthoceras sp. near Tses in South West Africa (see table 1) . The specimen is insufficiently well preserved to warran t close comparison with the Blaauw Krantz material. (ii) Lamellibranchs (figs. 22- 26) Only two of the several hundred concretions examined at Blaauw Krantz contained clearly recognisable lamellibranchs. Dickins has kindly identified a nuculanid, Phestia sp. (figs. 24-26) and, tentatively, a nuculid, Nuculopsis sp. (figs. 22, 23 ) from stereopair photographs. The Phestia sp. apparently belongs to the P. darwini group of species "... which are fairly widespread in the Lower Permian, although similar shells also appear to be present in the uppermost Carboniferous." (Dickins, 1972, written comm.) (iii) Brachiopods Only one concretion, (1.40), yielded brachiopods. They occur as external casts. Dickins, using the specimens and latex casts, has identified them as Attenuatella sp. The genus is apparently confined to the Permian, and occurs in New Zealand, Australia, North America and the U.S.S.R. (iv) Fish (fig. 27) Fish remains are relatively common. Scales and the larger skeletal elements, especially the skull, are often well preserved and undistorted. Jubb has identified the Kimberley museum specimens as most probably being Namaichthys schroederi. This species occurs in similar deposits in the Warmbad and Kalahari basins (table 4). It appears from the association of this species with marine invertebrates at the same horizon at Blaauw Krantz that the fish lived in a marine environment for at least part of its life. This is supported by the presence in two of the concretions (nos. P2 and P6) from Zwartbas, in the Warmbad basin, of N. schroederi with arenaceous foraminifera exposed in the matrix (see table 2). 45 (v) "Spiral coprolites" (figs. 18- 21) Together with the fish, these are the most abundant fossils at Blaauw Krantz. They are generally well preserved, and many of the speci­ mens are complete. Less well preserved examples occur in the same stratigraphic position at Klir.neus and Zwartbas in the Warmbad basin (table 4 . Our tentative identification of the specimens as spiral coprolites has been confirmed by Williams. He regards the form shown in fig. 18 (1.20) as being an "enterospiron" or the fossilised contents of an intestinal spiral valve, probably of a shark (Williams, 1973, written comm.). This is the first indication of the class Chondrichthyes in the Permian of southern Africa. (vi ) Fossil wood (figs. 10, 11) Fossil wood is common in all the concretion bands at Blaauw Krantz. Several large tree trunks, up to 4 m in length and 25 cm in diameter, are exposed at Olie Rivier. The ends of most of the pieces of wood are noticeably rounded (fig. 11) . (vii ) Palynology Samples were processed from the positions indicated on fig. 5. Miospore yields and preserva­ tion were generally poor due to the adjacent dolerite, but the assemblages were compatible with the Lower Permian (Sakmarian) age suggested by the molluscs Q. M. Anderson, pers. comm.). No acritarchs were n oted. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PALAEO­ ENVIRONMENT DURING DWYKA TIMES Tillite Stage Stratten (1968) considered that the tillite in the south represents a ground moraine of terres trial origin. In the north-west, from Loeriesfontein to Vryburg, the glacial sediments are bedded, indicat­ ing subaqueous deposition, but whether or not the water body was marine has not yet been established. Intercalated varves occur within the tillite in the southern Karroo (Stratten, 1968, p. 111), at the Douglas fossil sites and also in valleys in the northern Karroo basin (Cousins, 1950, p. 233; Hunter, 1969; Savage, 1971, p. 217). These were probably accumulated in fresh water; the development of varves is apparently inhibited by saline conditions, due to flocculation of the clay particles (cf. Pettijohn, 1957, p. 163; Duff et al., 1967, p. 50)(HaIbich, 1958, pp. 119- 121; Rowsell, 1969, pp. 77-81 notwithstanding). Acanthomorphitae acritarchs (15-30 microns in diameter) have been recovered from shale intercala­ tions in the lower 200 m of tillite in the southern Karroo boreholes (OL, SA, VR) shown in fig. 1 Q. M. Anderson, in prep.). Without supporting evidence, they should not be taken to indicate marine conditions. Shaley bands at several positions within the tillite stage in the southern Karroo and in pre-Dwyka valleys farther north (borehole U.C. 608)0. M. Anderson, pers. comm.) and near Douglas (see fig. 5) have yielded 46 moderately abundant miospores and coarse cuticular material. This suggests that vegetation was established within the Karroo basin during the period of glaciation, and supports the evidence, summarised by Plumstead (1969, p. 34), of leaf and stem remains within the glacial sediments. The Kaap valley (Vryburg-Douglas, see p. 5) was probably occupied by a large glacier which originated on the Transvaal highiands and the Kaap Plateau. The western side of the valley rises sharply to a prominent scarp. Marine Horizon at the Base of the Upper Dwyka Shales Stage With the final retreat of glaciation, du Toit (1921, p. 215) envisaged the development of " ... an immense estuary ... covering practically the whole area south-west of a line drawn from Mariental, past ... Vryburg to Port St. Johns; it connected with the ocean on the west and was presumably bounded by land on the south­ certainly on the north and east." Stratten (1970, p. 488) postulated two restricted openings to the ocean, one in the north-west near Loeriesfontein, the other in the south-east, near East London. The Douglas fauna provides the first clear evidence of marine conditions in the Great Karroo basin at that time. The marine character of the deposits at Blaauw Krantz gains further support from the occurrence of moulds of the mineral glauberite in concretions from the fossil-bearing horizons. David et al. (1905, p. 178) concluded that in Australia "The horizons ... being not far below ... the top of the highest beds of a Marine Series, where they are about to give place to fresh water beds ... , it is likely that the conditions favoured isolation of shallow sea basins ... ". Raggatt (1937, p.346) emphasised that cold marine conditions favoured the development of glauberite. He suggested that the decomposition of marine organisms might have provided the necessary sulphur. If the water were saturated with calcium carbonate, a slow warming, following the crystallisation of the glauberite, would induce precipitation of the carbonate. It would tend to accrete around a nucleus, perhaps a glauberite crystal or a cadaver, and so form concretions. Weeks (1953, p. 166) felt that for the formation of concretions, bottom conditions should be stagnant and anaerobic. The scarcity of bottom dwellers (brachiopods and lamellibranchs) at Blaauw Krantz supports this idea. According to Stratten (1970, p.488) "The Main area covered by this sea during the Dwyka Period is shown by the occurrence of the Upper Dwyka Shales" (see fig. 1). It is likely that the sea responsible for this fine-grained facies, which contains marine invertebrates at its base, extended farther north into the basin. This leads to speculation on the equivalent near-shore shallow­ water facies. The most obvious other indicator of marine conditions in the Great Karroo basin is the glauconite associated with the Coal Measures in the deltaic Middle Ecca sediments of the northern part of the basin. A marine origin for this glauconite has always been in doubt, as the fossil evidence has been sparse and ambiguous (McLachlan, 1973). It is not impossible that the shales of the Douglas fossil sites were accumulating in the deeper water of a shallow shelf sea (linked to the ocean in the west), while the glauconite was formed during brief local transgressions of the sea on to the brackish/ fresh-water coastal swamps where coal was accumulating i.e. that the White Band might be stratigraphically higher than the Middle Ecca coals. The few recorded "marine" fossils of the Ecca Coal Measures (sponge spicules, a problematic cephalopod, acritarchs) have seemed anomalous in a basin that lacked any typical marine macrofaunal assemblages (McLachlan, 1973). They too might have occurred in a marginal marine environment connected with brief transgressions of this sea. The facies distribution in the Kalahari basin is essen­ tially the same: marine Dwyka in the west and a deltaic sequence with Coal Measures in the east, which are traditionally considered to be younger (i.e. Ecca). Du Toit (1954, p.354) pointed out that in South America "The Rio Bonito group contains coal and has yielded an abundant flora ... strikingly like that of the Ecca series." Palyno­ logical studies may support this contention U. M. Anderson, in prep.). In the Great Karroo basin, the coals occur in the northern portion of the basin, and the White Band (demarcating the top of the Upper Dwyka shales) in the southern portion, and no single section has been found to include both. In South America, however, the coal lies below the Mesosaurus-bearing zone (White Band equivalent) (cf. du Toit, 1954, p. 355). This is also the case in South West Africa (see p. 37). The common occurrence of fossil wood at the Douglas sites certainly indicates a well established flora, including large trees, on the nearby land_ The well-rounded ends (see fig. 11) of many of the pieces of wood probably formed during stream transport down the Kaap valley to the site of their deposition, which may have been estuarine. White Band at the Top of the Upper Dwyka Shales Stage Venter (1969, p.15) and Stratten (1970, p.488) believed that the Upper Dwyka Shales accumulated under marine or estuarine conditions. Fossil evidence is lacking for the greater part of the shales, and that from the White Band is incon­ clusive: the fish Palaeoniscus capensis confirms only that the environment was aqueous, and the aquatic reptile Mesosaurus gives no indication of the salinity of the water. The crustaceans might, however, be cited in support of marine deposition as "There is no positive evidence that any of the eocarids actually inhabited fresh water" (Brooks, 1964, R337). They were benthonic creatures and " ... the crab-like No to caris , from the Permian of Africa, is the culmination of this adaptive trend." (op. cit.). The existence of this bottom fauna does suggest that the strongly reducing conditions inferred from the White Band lithology were confined to the sediment itself, and the overlying water was perhaps not markedly de-oxygenated. The absence of other benthonic organisms is puzzling. It is interesting that both the crustaceans and Mesosaurus have only been collected from the western side of the Great Karroo basin (fig. 1). The isopachs of the Upper Dwyka Shales show separate eastern and western sub-basins (Winter & Venter, 1970, fig. 6), and it may be that conditions in the east were different at the time of deposition of the White Band. It is also likely that fossils have not been noted in the White Band east of Laingsburg because they have been obscured by the metamorphic effects of the Cape folding. A further point on the distribution of these fossils is their occurrence at positions ranging from near the zero isopach at Kimberley to the 600 ft. (183 m) isopach in the western Cape. Fossil wood and leaves have been recorded from several localities in the White Band (Haughton et al., 1953, p.23; du Toit, 1954, p. 279; Halbich, 1958, p. 124; Heath, 1966, p. 42). In the western Kalahari basin the White Band is separated from the marine faunas by nearly 350 m of sediment and an erosional unconformity (Heath, 1966, PI. 1, p. 73), while the glauberite in the marine horizon at Blaauw Krantz indicates that conditions were becoming less saline from the base of the shales upwards (see above). The turbidite beds in the overlying Ecca sediments (Kuenen, 1963, pp. 191-192; Ryan, 1967, p.953; 1968, p. 133; Theron, 1967; Truswell & . Ryan, 1969) have been quoted in support of a marine environ­ ment for the White Band (Meyerhof & Meyerhof, 1972 p. 290), but the White Band itself is not known to contain turbidites and, furthermore, turbidity currents are not exclusively operative in saline water (cf. McBride, 1964, p. 94). CONCLUSION The fauna at Douglas confirms the existence of marine conditions in at least the western part of the Great Karroo basin and links it to the sea that occupied the Warmbad basin and the western Kalahari basin at the close of Dwyka glaciation. The marine invasion was apparently brief, and by White Band times conditions were possibly already non-marine, perhaps due to elimination of the connection with the ocean in the west. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Dr. J. M. Dickins, Dr. C. Teichert, Dr. R. A. Jubb, Dr. M. E. Williams and Mr. J. C. Loock for specimen identifications, Mr. J. M. Anderson for allowing reference to his palyno­ logical data, and Dr. H. Martin for commenting on the geological section in the Kalahari basin in South West Africa. 47 REFERENCES BIGARELLA, J. J. and SALAMUNI, R. (1967). A review of South American Gondwana Geology. I. V.G.S. 1st Gondwana Symp. Reviews pp. 7- 137. Argentina, 1967. Obtain­ able from Postbus 157, Spaarne 17, Haarlem. BROOKS, H. K. (1964). 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H. and WILCZEWSKI, N. (1970). A Goniatite from the glaciomarine Dwyka beds near Schlip, South West Africa. 1.U.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp., Proc. Pap., pp. 621-625 South Africa 1970. Distributed by geol. Soc. S. Afr. ---- and WILCZEWSKI, N. (1970). Palaeoecology, conditions of deposition and the palaeogeography of the marine Dwyka beds of South West Africa. 1.U.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp., Proc. Pap., pp. 225-232 South Africa 1970. Distributed by geol. Soc. S. Afr. MATTHEWS, P. E. (1970). Paleorelief and the Dwyka glaciation in the eastern region of South Africa. LU.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp. Proc. Pap., pp. 491-499 South Africa 1970. Distribu ted by geol. Soc. S. Afr. MEYERHOF, A. A. and MEYERHOF, H. A. (1972). "The new Global Tectonics": Major inconsistencies. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 56(2), 269-336. PETTIJOHN, F. ]. (1957). Sed£mentary rocks. 718 pp. Harper and Row; New York. PLUMSTEAD, E. P. (1969). Three thousand million years of plant life in Africa. Trans. geol. Soc. S. Afr., 72 annexure, 72 pp. Alex. L. du Toit Memorial lecture No. 11. PRICE, P. (1927). The coprolite limestone horizon of the Conemaugh Series and around Morgantown, West Virginia. Ann. Carnegie Mus., 17, 211-254. RAGGATT, H. G. (1937). On the occurrence of glendonites in New South Wales, with notes on their mode of origin. Proc. roy. Soc. N. S. W., 71 ,336- 347. RANGE, P. (1912). Geologie des deutschen Namalandes. Beitrlige geol. Erforsch. dtsch. Schutzgebiete, Berlin, Heft 2, 104 pp. RAYNE R, D. H. (1971). Data on th e environment and preservation of late Palaeozoic tetrapods. Proc. Yorkshire geol. Soc., Vol. 38, Pt. 4, No. 20, pp. 43 7-495. REED, F. R. C. (1935). A new lamellibranch from the Upper Dwyka beds of Sou th West Africa. Trans. roy. Soc. S. Afr. , 23, 161-163. REUNING, E. and VON HUENE, F. (1925 ). F 0 s silfilhre nd e K arroosc hic h ten im nordlichen Sildwestafrika. Neues Jahrb. Min., Geol. Pallio. , Beilage·Band 52, 94-122. ROGERS, A. W. and DU TOIT, A. L. (1909). An introduction to the Geology of Cape Colony. 491 pp. Longmans, Green and Co. ; London, New York, Bombay and Calcutta. ROMER, A. S. (1966). Vertebrate Palaeontology . 468 pp. Univ. Chicago Press; Chicago and London. ROWSELL, D. M. (1969). An investigation of some Carbonate-bearing sediments of the Cape and Karroo sediments in Natal. Unpub. M.Sc. thesis Univ. of Natal, Durban, 242 pp. RY AN, P. J. (1967). Stratigraphy of the Ecca series and Lowermost Beaufort beds (Permian) in the Great Karroo basin of" South Africa. Gondwana Stratigraphy U.N.E.S.C.O. I.U.G.S. 1st Gondwana Symp., Buenos Aires 1967 pp. 945-962. --- - (1968). Some conclusions from a basinal analysis of the Ecca series in the Karroo basin. Palaeont. afr. , 11, 133-134. SAVAGE, N. M. (1970). A preliminary note on arthropod trace fossils from the Dwyka series in Natal. LU.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp., Proc. , Pap. pp. 627-636 South Africa 1970. Distributed by geol. Soc. S. Afr. ---- (1971). A varvite Ichnocoenosis from the Dwyka series of Natal. Lethaia, 4; 217 - 233. SCHROEDER, H. (1908). Marine fossilien in Verbindung met permischem Glazialkonglo­ merat in Deutsch Sildwestafrika Jahrb. d. KonigJ. preuss. geol. Landesanst., Berlin, Bd. 20 T.I., H.3, S.604-697. SEELEY, H. G. (1892). The Mesosauria of South Africa. Quart. Jour. Soc. Lond. , 48; 586-604. STRATTEN, T. (1968). The Dwyka glaciation and its relationship to the pre-Karroo surface. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, 196 pp. 49 - - -- (1970). Tectonic framework of sedimenta­ tion during the Dwyka period in South Africa. LU.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp., Proc. Pap. pp. 483- 490 South Africa, 1970. Distributed by geol. Soc. S. Afr. STROMER, E. V. (1914). Die ersten fossilen Reptilreste aus Deutsch-Sildwest-Afrika und ihre geologische Bedeutung. Centralbl. f Min., Geol., Pallio ., 1914, pp. 530-54l. STRYDOM, H. C. (1946). The geology and chemistry of the Laingsburg phosphorites. Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch, 26 (1950), ser. A, no. 3- 11, pp. 267-285. TEICHERT, C. (1970). Marine fossil invertebrate faunas of the Gondwana region. LU.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp., Proc. Pap. pp. 125- 138. South Africa 19 70. Distributed by geol. Soc. S. Afr. THERON, A. C. (1967). The sedimentology of the K oup subgroup near Laingsburg. Unpubl. M.Sc. thesis Stellenbosch, 25 pp. TRUSWELL, J. F. and RYAN, P. J . (1969). A flysch facies in the lower Ecca group of the southern Karroo and a portion of the Transkei. Trans. geol. soc. S. Afr. , 72; 151- 157. VENTER, J . J. (1969) . Strat igraphy and correla­ tion of the Cape and Karroo Supergroups in the southern Cape Province. 2nd Oil and Gas. Symp. Pap, 1969, Interim report 35 pp. S.O.E.K.O.R. J ohannesburg. VISSER, D. J. L. (1958). The geology and mineral deposits of the Griquatown area, Cape Province. Geol. SUrD. S. A fr., Expl. Sheet 185, 72 pp. VON HUENE, F. (1925). Die Sildafrikanische Karr oo-Formation als geologisches und faunistisches Lebensbild. F ortsch. Geol. Palaeont., 12; 124 pp. ---- (1941). Osteologie und systematische Stellung des Mesosaurier. Palaeontographica 92 A, 45-55. WASS, R. E. (1972). Permian bryozoa from South Africa. J. Paleont., 46; 871 - 873. WEEKS, L. G. (1953). Environment and mode of origin and facies relationships of carbonate concretions in shales. J. sedim. Petrol., 23 (3) , 162-173. WILLIAMS, M. E. (1972). The origin of "Spiral Coprolites". Univ. Kansas Paleo. Contn·b. , Paper 59, 19 pp. WINTER, H. de la R. and VENTER, J. J. (1970). Lithostratigraphic correlation of recent deep boreholes in the Karroo-Cape sequence. LU.G.S. 2nd Gondwana Symp. , Froc. Pap. pp. 395-408 South Africa 1970. Distributed by Geol. Soc. S. Afr. WOODS, H. (1922). Note on Pygocephalus from the Upper Dwyka shales of Kimberley. Trans. Geoi. Soc. S. Afr., 25; 41- 42. ;a u ·60 .... o ·2 0::> SITE \) c.!) Gaus and Itzawisis Gellap and s. Wasser Huns \) Viperstorf and s:: 0 Tses .... '" "d ;=j ~ I Tses ... \) "d '3 0 p:) '" \) Brukkaros '" f-; Locali ty unspecified Between Asab and Tses Tses TABLE 1 DWY KA INVE RTEBR ATE FAUNA- KALAHARI BASIN IN SOUTH WEST AFRICA For p lace names, see 1: 1,000,000 geological map of South West Africa (1963) . FOSSILS AV AILABLE SPECIMEN DETAILS SOURCE Lamellibranch: Numerous. Eurydesma cf globosum In dark shales above glacial tillite. Schroeder (1908, p. 695) identified specimens found by Range re-allocated to at I tzawisis. E. mytiloides by Range (1912, p. 29) recorded E. cf globosum from the farm Dickins (1961, p. 143) Itzawisis, and from Gaus, on the Kameelhaar river. Gastrop od, indet. Von Huene (1925, p. 27) listed Eurydesma and Conularia from Itzawisis and Gnus (? misquoting Range, 1912). Lam ellibranch: From turbidite sandstone interbedded with shale. Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p . 226) , name only. Eurydesma my tiloides Lamellibranch : 'steinkern ', isolated specimens Range (1912, p. 30). Tentative identification only. No figure. Inoceramus·like The position of this site, on Huns farm, 13 miles S.E . of bivalve Keetmanshoop, appears to fall within the Tses Boulder- Gastropod , indet. mudstone (from Martin, 1953 , PI. 5) . Range (1912) records the fossils also from Gibeon. Gastrop od : Several hundred, but only 4 good enough to Dickins (1961) described and figured 4 specimens from the Peruvispira vipersdor- describe. farm Viperstorf 63 . He also mentioned 'other specimens' fensis In calcareous concretions. from 8 miles West of Tses siding, near the main road. (Geological Survey, Pretoria) Nautiloid cephalop od : Single fragmentary specimen in a concretion . Du Toit e915, p. xlv}, name only. Orthoceras sp. External and internal moulds of portion of Du Toit 1921, p . 214}, name only. phragmacone 5 em long. Haughton & Frommurze (1927, p. 142), brief description , no (Sou th African Museum, Cape Town, No. 8931.) illustration. Echinoid remains Fragmentary ambulacral plates and spines. Haughton & Frommurze (1927, p. 141), brief description, no Archaeocidaris sp . In a calcareous concretion. illustration, from W. of Brukkaros siding, near the main road. Echinoid remains: sp ines Sponge spicules In calcareous concretions. Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p. 226), listed only . Scolecondonts Crinoid columns In calcareous concretions. Martin (195 3, p . . 17), mentioned only. Gastrop od, indet. Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p. 226), mentioned only the crinoid columns. Foraminifera: In calcareous concretions, from 2 localities near Martin & Wilczewski (1970, pp. 226- 227) reported. Identifica- genera Tses, close to one another. tions not yet completed. Hyperamm ina, A m modiscus, Glomosp ira, A m mobacculites, Spiroplectammina. '" o Schlip Cephalopod: Goniatite genus Eosianites, subgenus Glaphyrites. Radiolaria, indet. Hardap 110 Lamellibrach: Eurydesma my tiloides Gastropod, indet. Brachiopod, indet. ~ Bryozoa, indet. Later ~ identified as ..c: Dyscritella cf. D. ct:J '" spinigera (Bassler) :.a 0 Asteroidean, family ..lI: '2 Monasteridae. os C.!l Genus and species indet. Asteroidean, indet. Mariental, E. of Lamellibranch: railway station Eurydesma globosum Ganikobis Gastropod, indet. Conularia sp. Radiolaria, indet. Locality unknown Brachiopod: Productus sp. - -- - - A sin~le specimen, complete and well preserved. In a sIliceous, phosphatic concretion. (Geological Survey, Windhoek) In siliceous, phosphatic concretions. At least 5 moderately well-preserved specimens. In sandstone turbidite beds. (Geological Survey, Pretoria) One specimen. In fine grained sandstone. With bryozoan fragments. In sandstone turbidites, intercalated in shales. Identified by Dr. Glaessner. In sandstone turbidites, intercalated in shales. Single arm only. Associated with Eurydesma mytiloides and bryozoan fragments. (United States National Museum collections. No. 16259). Occur in sandstone turbidites interbedded with shale. According to Martin (pers. comm.) the specimens (in the Windhoek Museum) have been lost. In sandstone and shale, together with worm burrows and Phyllotheca-like stems. Single specimen. In siliceous concretion. Single specimen. In siliceous concretion. In siliceous concretions. No details. Martin, Walliser & Wilczewski (1970), described and figured (line drawing). Martin, Walliser & Wilczewski (1970, p. 621) , mentioned only . Martin (1953, p. 37), mentioned only. Dickins (1961) described and illustrated. Wass (1972, p. 871), mentioned only. Heath (1966, p . 30, PI. XVII). Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p. 226), listed. Dickins (1961, p. 138). Mentioned only. Wass (1972), described, illustrated, named. Lane & Frakes (1970) . In the Fish River valley, a few km N.W. of Mariental i.e. within 10 km of Hardap 110. Martin & Wilczewski (1970), listed one. Heath (1966, p . 30, PI. XVIII) found a specimen in his " yellow- green mudstone" zone. Du Toit (1916, p. 11), mentioned only. Heath (1966, p. 30) concluded that they derived from the same zone as the fish at Ganikobis i.e. Ganikobis shale. Martin & Wilczewski (1970 , p. 226) , listed. Schroeder (1908, p. 697) reported. Range (1912, Fig. 3), illustrated. Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p . 226), listed. Von Huene (1925, p. 27) noted a Productus in Dr. Reuning's collection. '" ...... -; u ·So .... o·~ SITE - I:: o::;J \I (j Haib II) -; -= Kanibeam en '" ..10: :>- ~ 0 .. Klipneus II) 0. 0. ::;J .... 0 .... .. '" 0. .. II) ~ 0 ....l Zwartbas TABLE 2 DWYKA INVERTEBRATE FAUNA-WARMBAD BASIN, SOUTHERN SOUTH WEST AFRICA For location of sites, see 1: 250,000 geological sheet Amib (H-33-F) in Haughton & Frommurze (1936). FOSSILS AVAILABLE SPECIMEN DETAILS SOURCE Lamellibranch: 2 specimens, one being very poor and fragmentary. Reed (1935), described and figured. Aphanaia haibensis (Probably housed in the South African Museum, Cape Town. (S.A.M.}.) Gastropod, indet. 1 specimen, a coiled shell, too poor for any Reed (1935, p. 161), discussed. No. illustration. satisfactory identification. (Probably S.A.M.) Arenaceous foraminifera: In calcareous concretions. Extracted by acid Martin & Wilczewski (1970, p. 227) . Mentioned only. almost identical with treatment. No further information. those from Tses, (Martin 1971, written comm.) Kalahari basin. Lamellibranch, indet. 2 poor in ternal moulds, in a calcareous concretion. (Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research (B.P.I.P.R.) 1.41.) Arenaceous foraminifera In calcareous concretions from fossil fish horilon. Radiolaria Extracted by acid treatment. Recently collected by the authors . Sponge spicules. (B.P.I.P.R.) Investigation proceeding. Lamellibranch, indet. 1 specimen, external mould, in a calcareous concretion. (B.P.I.P.R. 1.43) Arenaceous foraminifera. 4 specimens visible in 2 calcareous concretions also containing fish. (B.P.I.P.R. P.2 and P.6) Heavy lines indicate new finds. - - (.Jl r...o -; u ·60 .... 0·2 o~ ., o '0 § ~ ., ~ ... '" ., ., ~ ., o.?-~ o.~..c: ~O{/) TABLE 3 DWYKA INVERTEBRATE FAUNA-GREAT KARROO BASIN, SOUTH AFRICA SITE Kimberley area FOSSILS Crustacean: subclass: Eumalacostraca superorder: Eocarida order: Pygocephalomorpha family: Notocarididae Notocaris tapscotti Loeriesfontein Crustacean: area family: Notocarididae Laingsburg Crustacean: family: Notocarididae Py gasp is ginsburgi AVAILABLE SPECIMEN DETAILS Numerous specimens. Impressions in weathered White Band. (A.M.M.M. * and Albany Museum, Grahamstown.) Numerous specimens. Impressions in weathered White Band. (S.A.M.*, B.P.I.P.R.* and Stellenbosch University. ) Numerous specimens. Impressions in White Band. (S.A.M. and B.P.I.P.R.) SOURCE Rogers & du Toit (1909, p. 193): "probably Anthrapalaemon sp.", listed from the Upper shales. Haughton (1919, p. 9) " ... provisionally assigned to the Carboniferous genus Anthrapalaemon by Reed, in the White Band at the boring at Elandsdraai, Orange River Station". Woods (1922) described and figuredPygocephalus sp., from near Kimberley. Broom (1931) described and figured better material from Woods' (1922) site, and renamed the fossil No to caris tapsc0 tti. du Toit (1954, p. 279) listed "Notocaris (Pygocephalus) tapscotti Broom, Kimberley, and A nthrapalaem on sp., Orange River Station" (near Hopetown) from the White Band. Haughton (1969, p. 355): "From Kimberley ... Notocaris tapscotti and from Orange River Station another Crustacean Anthrapalaemon sp." Pygaspis ginsburgi Fabre not mentioned. Brooks (1969, p. R341): "Anthrapalaemon is believed to be a synonym of Pygocephalus" . We conclude, therefore, that the names Anthrapalaemon sp., Pygocephalus sp. and No to caris tapscotti probably refer to identical crustaceans from the White Band in the Kimberley- Orange River Station vicinity, and that Notocaris tapscotti is the only valid name. Its relationship to Pygaspis ginsburgi from the White Band at Laingsburg has not yet been established by direct comparison. Recently collected from the farm Ezels Fontein. Fabre (1967), described and figured. He did not re·examine Notocaris tapscotti. Small crustaceans also occur in the Iraty Formation in Brazil. The Iraty Formation is considered to be the equivalent of the White Band (du Toit, 1954, p. 353). Bigarella and Salamuni (1967, pp. 64- 65) list Pygaspis braziliensis, P. quadrata, Paulocaris pachecoi, Clarkecaris brazilicus, Liocaris huenei and L. augusta. Sambokkraal borehole Sponge? spicules Haughton et al. (1953, pp. 22, 40) mentioned "spicules, presumably from sponges" from a calcareous, carbonaceous shale, some 110 feet (34 m) below the base of the White Band. ~ *" .s ~ Matjiesfontein Radiolaria 5 specimens figured from a single thin section of Strydom (1964, p. 279, PI. II), briefly described and .... [~ phosphorite rock (Slide stored at Stellenbosch illustrated. o p...: University, Geology Department. Apparently Judging from the photographs and descriptions, it is possible ~;:J ~ now lost.) that the "radiolaria" migh t, in fact, have been spinose l:Q 0 acritarchs. Laingsburg Radiolarian spicules "Probable radiolarian spicules occur in the cherty A. C. Theron (1967, pp. 15,22), mentioned. (See forgoing II) textured part of the graded interval" of the quote.) ... ~ Matjiesfontein chert member, which is a Both Mr. A. C. Theron and his M.Sc. supervisor Prof. I. C. I:l ~ turbidite sequence. It lies within the Lower Rust (1972, written comms.) stress that the identification -tl c Schlip Z Ganikobis - IlJ V) ~ -( I=Q ..c: V) - '" ~ :E -( 0 ::t:: ....: -( '2 ...:I '" ~ C!> Haib '" IlJ ~ Z ..c: - V) Viool's Drift V) «I -( ....: I=Q >- ~ Cl Cl -( ... Klipneus** I=Q IlJ ::E p. p. ~ ;:J -( .... :: 0 IlJ '" Zwartbas** «I I=Q Ezels Fontein, farm near Loeriesfontein TABLE 4 DWYKA FISH FROM THE KALAHARI, WARMBAD AND GREAT KARROO BASINS FOSSILS AVAILABLE SPECIMEN DETAILS SOURCE Palaeoniscoid fish, indet. In siliceous concretions Martin & Wilczewski (1970) . Mention only. Palaeoniscoid fish: (a) Namaichthys schroederi 7 specimens in calcareous concretions. Giirich (1923) described and illustrated Namaichthy s Holotype lost. schroederi. (N eotype at Geological Survey, Pretoria, Gardiner (1962) re-described and figured new material. others at British Museum of Natural History.) (b) Watso'nichthys lotzi 1 specimen of incomplete fish. Giirich (1923) described and illustrated Acrolepis lotz i. (Original material at Central Geological Gardiner (1962) renamed. Service, Berlin. Presumed lost.) (c) Elonich th y s? ~d) Rhadinich thy s? Giirich (1923) described and illustrated. e) Genus V Fish scales, indet. In concretions. Haughton & Frommurze (1927, p . 141). Mention only. Also a "fragment of a large amphibian (? ) bone". No further details. Palaeoniscoid fish fragments In concretions. Haughton & Frommurze (1927, p. 141) . Mention only. "assigned to the genus Acrolepis". Palaeoniscoid fish, indet. 3 specimens in calcareous concretions and a Recently collected by the authors. number of isolated scales in individual concretions. (B.P.I.P.R.* P.7-P.I0.) Palaeoniscoid fish: Namaichthys schroederi? 6 specimens in calcareous concretions. Dr. R. A. Jubb made identifaction from specimens recently (B.P.I.P.R. P.I-P.6.) collected by the authors. Palaeoniscoid fish, indet. Several specimens. Impressions only. B.P.I.P.R. specimens collected recently. (S.A.M. *, Stellenbosch University, B.P.I.P.R.) Dr. R. A. Jubb likened the fossils to one of the incomplete specimens (S.A.M. 1066) described by Broom (1913a) as P. cap ensis. See below. -----_. - (j1 c:r> Hantamsberg Palaeoniscoid fish: 3 incomplete specimens, none having a head. Rogers & du Toit (1909, p . 193 ) " White Band . . . in on farm Toren Palaeoniscus capensis Impressions in shale. Calvinia .. . Elonich thys sp." Z near Calvinia Broom (1913) said they were "probably Broom (1913 a) described and figured P. capensis from 12 - Upper Dwyka". He did not mention the miles west of Calvinia. No mention of Elonich th ys sp. rn <: discoverer. from Calvinia. ~ Roger & du Toit (1909) listed Elonichthys du Toit (1954 , p.279) "White Band- Palaeoniscus capensis 0 "t:l sp . from the White Band near Calvinia. Broom, Calvinia". No further mention of Elonich th ys. 0 I: du Toit (1954) listedP. capensis, Broom Gardiner (1962, p.18) : "Elonich thys sp., from the ~ <'d ~ a:I from the White Band, with no mention of White Beds of the Upper Dwyka shales, * Clavinia" II) <: ~ Elonichthys. (*Typing error? Should read Calvinia" ). ~ We gather that du Toit (or Rogers) was the We conclude that Broom (1913a) possibly renamed E-< <: finder of the fossils near Calvinia, and Elonichthys sp. from Calvinia as Palaeoniscus capensis. ~ that they derive from the White Band. If correct, the latter is the valid name. ~ (S.A.M. 1061,1062,1066). Dr. R. A.jubb (1972, written comm.), suggests that the 0 three specimens of P. cap ensis described by Broom, probably represent more than one species. Langb erg Palaeoniscoid fish " .. . undoubted fin- and scale-impressions of Hiilbich (1958, p.124) . mountain, Paleonisclls were seen." ab out 20 miles N.W. of Loeriesfontein ". Kimberley, Palaeoniscoid fish: 5 fragmentary specimens on a single shaly Broom (1913b) described and illustrated. <'d u Diamond Acrolepis addamsi sandstone block displaced within a Dr. R. A.jubb (written comm., 1972) : may involve 2 genera u ~ pipe Kimberlite pipe. Horizon, therefore, ". cannot be ascertained with confidence. <'d ~ Broom said it might be either Dwyka or >- ~ Ecca. (We feel it could also be Beaufort.) Cl (A.M.M.M. ) '0 ... ~ III Blaauw Palaeoniscoid fish: Sev~ral specimens of dismembered fish in Identified by Dr. R. A. jubb from A.M.M.M. specimens. II) II) >-~ Kran tz** Namaichthys schroederi? calcareous concretions. B.P.I.P.R. specimens recently collected by the authors. III Q.. ~ <'d and oth ers (A.M.M.M., collections 4902,5008; ~&Cl~ B.P.I.P .R. P.ll - P.23 , P.29- P.42.) ---- * B.P.I.P.R. = Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research , Johannesburg. S.A.M. = South African Museum, Cape Town. A.M.M.M. = Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, Kimberley . **Coprolit es were found by the au thors at Klipneus (B.P.I.P.R. 1.42), Zwartbas (B.P.I.P.R. 1.44) and Blaauw Krantz (B.P.1.P.R. 1.18- 1.3 7) (Figs 17- 2 1). There are true coprolites as well as occasional h eteropolar "spiral cop rolites" that probably represent fossil spiral valves from the intestines of chondrichthyians (Williams, 1973, written comm.) . Heavy lines indicate new finds. (J1 ...., TABLE 5 LITERATURE ON THE MESOSAURIDAE FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA. AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION SITE MUSEUM NO. FOSSIL DESCRIPTION Gervais (1865) Mesosaurus tenuidens Griqualand West , north of Museum of Natural Head, neck, forelimbs and most the Orange River History, Paris of thoracic and abdominal (Kimberley area). region. Giirich (1889) Ditrich osaurus Near Hopetown ? Posterior region, with 1 slightly capensis imperfect forelimb, ribs and vertebrae Seeley (1892) Mesosaurus Yl ex> 2. Mesosaurus capensis (Giirich) 3. Mesosaurus pleurogaster Seeley Broom (1913c, Noteosaurus p.358-360) africanus Reuning & Mesosaurus tenuidens von Huene (1925 ) von Huene Mesosaurus tenuidens (1925) von Huene (1941, p.55) On the S.A.M. specimen described by Seeley (1892): "The specimen .... must thus be • regarded as a distinct species" (from M. tenuidens). Comparing Giirich's (1889) type specimen and the S.A.M. specimen described by Seeley (1892), Broom concluded that it is "highly probable that the Cape specimen is the adult of Giirich's type". "M. capensis represented by Giirich 's type and the specimen described by Seeley from the S.A.M." "Very imperfectly known". Victoria West S.A.M. 2355 Pelvic region with the anterior Described and illustrated. district part of the tail and the "the possession of 6 phalanges in the 5th greater part of the two hind toe of Noteosaurus is a striking difference limbs. from Mesosaurus when certainly there are only 4 in the known specimens". With regard to its geological setting: " There is no doubt it is from the same horizon as the South African species of Mesosaurus". Haughton (1920, p . 9) , however, noted that in no portion of the Victoria West district has the White Band been mapped, although it occurs just outside the boundary to the N. of Vosburg. He concluded that "It is just possible, therefore , that Noteosaurus is from the Lower Ecca shales" . We regard the location of Broom's Noteosaurus as effectively unknown. Doros, in the ? Fractured, disarticulated ribs, Originally described as occurring in a Kaokoveld. vertebrae and some extremity volcanic breccia underlain by tuffaceous 20° 45' S. 14° 15' E. bones. No.skulls. beds containing volcanic "Kalkbomben". Martin (1961, pAO) re-examined the site and described the fossil bed as being a dark course , conglomeratic quartzite band about 1 foot thick containing numerous rolled and broken Mesosaurus bones. The erroneously described "Kalkbomben" of Reuning are apparently calcareous concretions. Coaly carbonaceous shales occur about 300 ft (90 m) below the Mesosaurus zone and seem to be equivalent to the Auob sandstone coals. He reviewed the literature without re-examination of the South African material, and suggested that all the previously described South African Mesosaurus species might be included under M. tenuidens. He made no mention of N oteosaurus africanus. In discussing the dispersed bones in the Doros bonebed in the Kaokoveld (north of the Windhoek highlands), he concluded that, because of the lack of distinguishing features, they belong to the same species as occurs in the Kalahari and Karroo basins, namely M. tenuidens. With regard to Noteosaurus: "I suspect that the data given on Mesosaurus (including Stereostemum etc.) of 4 phalanges in the 5th toe is based only on incomplete preservation. If this is so, the genus name N oteosaurus has to disappear". continued overleaf (.Jl <.0 TABLE 5- Continued AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION SITE MUSEUM NO. FOSSIL DESCRIPTION COMMENTS Haughton & Mesosaurus sp. Kanibeam, Warm bad No mention "A few moulds of bones" Only mentioned. Frommurze basin. (1927, p. 14) Hau1hton & M. tenuidens Bibliographic list only. Brin (1954) (Gervais) von Huene (1925,1941) was not mentioned. M. pleurogaster (Seeley) M. capensis (Giirich) Broom Noteosaurus africanus - ,- Stromer (1914) Mesosaurus sp. Kabus (Khabus 146), ? A hind limb and a hand. Described and illustrated. farm N. of Keetmanshoop, S.W.A. Martin (1953, Mesosaurus sp. Gellap-Ost 3 and Windhoek Museum? ? Localities shown on map. PI. V, p. 39) Khabus 146, farms N. of The Mesosaurus remains are from a "fine, Keetmanshoop, S.W.A. hard siltstone .... The White Band, which can still be recognised in the Warmbad district, is not developed here". von H uene (19 25) referred to the Khabus specimen as M. tenuidens. Martin (1961, Mesosaurus sp. Gross Daberas, 17 miles Windhoek Museum P.C. 37*: lower part of body Only mentioned. p.14). N.E. of Tses, S.W.A. and portion of tail. Poorly *Heath (1966, PI. XXII) illustrated specimen preserved. P.C.37. c. ------ There are undescribed specimens in various museum collections (their localities are indicated on fig. 1): 1. In S.A.M. (South African Museum, Cape Town) there are about ten specimens (without skulls) from sites in the Western Cape: Laingsburg gypsum works; Tankwa Karroo, N.W. of Laingsburg; Toren, 12 miles (19 km) W. of Calvinia; Ezels Fontein farm, N.W. of Loeriesfontein; Brandvlei, 120 km E.N.E. of Loeriesfontein. 2. Mr. B. Oelofsen of Stellenbosch University Zoology Department is presently making a collection from the Loeriesfontein district. 3. The A.M.M.M. (Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, Kimberley) has rib, vertebrae and limb moulds, mostly from the Kimberley townlands, but there are also specimens catalogued from farther afield at Belmont, Heuningneskloof and Kameelpan (32 km N.E. of Kimberley). 4. The State Museum in Windhoek, S.W.A. apparently has a number of specimens. We have confirmation of one from near Haib (Mr. C. G. Coetzee, Director, written comm. to Dr. E. P. Plumstead, B.P.I.P .R.),? three (with skulls) from Kirchberg farm, N .W. of Warmbad, and? one from Commissioner's Pan, N .E. of Loeriesfontein (Dr. A. Keyser, Geological Survey, Pretoria, pers. comm.). It would seem that the Mesosauridae are in need of revision before meaningful comparisons can be made between the African and South American species, where M. braz iliensis and Stereosternum tumidum occur. 0'> o Fig. 6: Fig. 7: Fig. 8: Fig. 9: Fig. 10: Fig. 11: Grey shale with bands of fossiliferous concretions Blaauw Krantz Site viewed from the east, showing stratigraphy. Varved shale at Blaauw Krantz. Dropstones to the right and left of hammer head, arrowed. Concretion in situ at Blaauw Krantz. Fossiliferous zone at Blaauw Krantz. "Q" indicates Quaternary sediments. The arrows indicate fossiliferous concretion horizons. Fossil wood from Blaauw Krantz (Specimen BK3). Transverse section (XY2). In situ fossil wood at Olie Rivier. Note rounded end. 61 62 Orthocerid cephalopods-Blaauw Krantz Figs. -12-l4: Internal moulds of body chamber (xl). Fig. l2-Lateral view 1.3 (Stereopair xl). Fig. l3-Dorsal view 1.3 (xl). Fig. 14-Ventral view 1.3 (Stereopair xl). Fig. 15: External mould, showing ornamentation 1.4 (x2). Blaauw Krantz fauna Fig. 16: Orthocerid cephalopod. External cast and partly preserved septa and siphuncle, 1.9 (Stereopair xl). Fig. 17: Coprolite, consisting partly of fish scales P.44 (XY2). Figs. 18-21: "Spiral coprolites" Fig. 18-Longitudinal section of heteropolar spiral coprolite ("enterospira" of Williams, 1972) 1.20 (Stereopair xl). Fig. 19-Longitudinal section showing more coarsely coiled structure 1.24 (xl). Fig. 20-Transverse section of coprolite with finely coiled structure 1.18 (x2). Fig. 21-Transverse section of more coarsely coiled coprolite 1.26 (x2). 63 64 Blaauw Krantz fauna Figs. 22-26: Lamellibranchs (x5). Fig. 22-Nuculopsis sp. External mould. Lateral view, 1.39 (Stereopair). Fig. 23-Nuculopsis sp. Internal mould. Lateral view, 1.39 (Stereopair). Fig. 24-Phestia sp. External mould. Dorsal surface 1.38 (Stereopair). Fig. 25-Phestia sp. Internal mould. Dorsal view 1.38 (Stereopair). Fig. 26-Phestia sp. Internal mould. Lateral view 1.38. Fig. 27: Palaeoniscoid fish skull in concretion. Lateral view P.15 (xl).