Title:

Neogene and Quaternary vertebrate biochronology of the Sperrgebiet and Otavi Mountainland, Namibia

Author(s):
Publication Year:
2000
Abstract:

Since 1991, the Namibia Palaeontology Expedition has discovered well over 100 fossiliferous localities in Namibia which have provided useful biochronological data. The Otavi karst field has yielded fossiliferous breccias which span the period from late Middle Miocene (ca 13 Ma) to Recent. At several vanadium occurrences, including Berg Aukas and Harasib 3a, it is clear that vanadium mineralisation occurred during the Miocene, whereas at others, such as Rietfontein, mineralisation was taking place as recently as the Pleistocene. The only substantial vanadium deposit that remains undated is Abenab. The diamondiferous proto-Orange terrace deposits are now known to span the period early Miocene to basal Middle Miocene (Auchas, Arrisdrift) while the meso-Orange terraces are of Late Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene age. The raised beach deposits north of Oranjemund are older than previously thought, the earliest (50 m beach) dating from the Pliocene while the youngest ones (sub-10m beaches) are of Late Pleistocene to Recent age. There are boulders in some of the beach deposits at Oranjemund that may well represent reworked material from the 90 metre beach, although in situ deposits of this age have not been found in Namibia. The onset of desertification in the Namib dates from the end of the Early Miocene, some 17 Ma. The sandstones have yielded enormous quantities of fossil ostrich eggshells as well as mammals in a relatively complete succession spanning most of the Miocene and Pliocene. The widespread Kamberg Calcrete which overlies the Tsondab Sandstone has yielded Pleistocene fossils and stone tools at a number of localities, but its onset could have occurred during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene, some 2.6 Ma. The newly available geochronological data has thus provided important constraints on the timing of geological events in Namibia and has resolved much of the debate that centred on the ages of the superficial rocks in the country.

Publication Title:

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia

Publisher:
Geological Survey of Namibia
Volume:
12
Pages:
411-419
Item Type:
Journal Article
Language:
en

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