Pdf the centrally located kalahari karoo basin of botswana covers more than half the country and comprises a major carboniferous to. Hydrocarbonrich groundwater above shalegas formations. The role of fossils in interpreting the development of the. The southern main karoo basin of south africa is considered prospective for shale gas exploration. Refining the chronostratigraphy of the karoo basin, south. Later in the evolution of the karoo basin, flexural tectonics was supplemented by dynamic subsidence, which created additional accommodation across the entire foreland system. The karoo basins of southcentral africa article pdf available in journal of african earth sciences 43. Predrill groundwater geochemistry in the karoo basin, south africa by jennifer s. Swne schematic cross section of the main karoo basin, according to a foreland basin model e. Energy information administration useia, south africa has 390 trillion cubic feet tcf of technically recoverable shale gas resources. What follows is an open file report to the community and all.
Contact metamorphic devolatilization of shales in the karoo basin, south africa, and the effects of multiple sill intrusions ingrid aarnesa. Paul, mn 55105, usa b science museum of minnesota, 120 w. Karoo basin above the dolerite border woodford and chevallier 2002. The petroleum potential of south africas onshore karoo. Geological map of the main karoo basin and surrounding karooaged sedimentary subbasins and volcanic outliers in south africa, lesotho and swaziland, modified from vorster 2001. Magnetostratigraphic constraints on the age of the lower. Presentation layout geographical location of kbs of sca geological significance economic significance the main karoo basin mkb mechanism of formation stratigraphic fill type stratigraphy related extensional basins of sca mechanism of formation e. The great karoo basin covers an area of over 700,000 km 2 and constitutes a retroarc foreland basin. Contact metamorphic devolatilization of shales in the. The term karoo was extrapolated from the main karoo basin of south africa, to describe the sedimentary fill of all other basins of similar age across gondwana. Structural and stratigraphic studies of selected karoo transects.
The main karoo basin constitutes a retroarc foreland basin, while the rest are intracratonic sag basins or rift basins. Brief geologichydrologic overview of the karoo basin the karoo basin, located in south africa, spans an area of more than 200,000km2 and underlies a majority of the country aarnes et al. The province has a small emergent sustainable energy sector in the form of wind and solar generation facilities located in the more rural, sparsely populated areas. New late permian tectonic model for south africas karoo basin. Pdf the karoo supergroup of the kalahari basin researchgate. The karoo basin is bounded on its southern margin by the cape fold belt, onlaps onto the. It is an ideal stopover point for travel between cape town and johannesburg and is. The coalbearing sediments and coal seams of the karoo basin, southern africa are described and discussed.
The karoo basins of southcentral africa university of alberta. Investigation of hydraulic fracturing in the karoo basin. The palaeozoic palynostratigraphy of the karoo supergroup and. Figure 1 maximum downwarping occurred in the south where cumulative sediment thickness reached 12 km. Assessment of permian coalbed gas resources of the karoo. Wickens3 5 1stratigraphy group, school of earth, atmospheric and environmental sciences, university of 6 manchester, manchester m 9pl, uk. The supergroup consists of a sequence of units, mostly of nonmarine origin, deposited between the late carboniferous and early jurassic, a period of about 120 million years in southern africa, rocks of the karoo supergroup cover almost two thirds of the present land surface, including all of. A basin analysis involves the study of host rocks associated with fuel and mineral resources through the documentation of the.
With a basal skull length of 18 cm, it is the largest lopingian cynodont. Sedimentology and taphonomy of the upper karooequivalent mpandi formation in the tuli basin of zimbabwe, with a new 40ar39ar age for the tuli basalts raymond r. South africas main coal deposits occur in an arc across the northern flank of the basin but major reserves are also contained in the. Kirschvink,4 roger smith3 the karoo basin of south africa exposes a succession of upper permian to.
The basin comprises up to 6 km of sedi mentary strata, capped by at least 1. The aim of this paper is to document the structure, composi tion and evolution of sedimentdominated hydrothermal vent complexes in the karoo basin, south. The karoo basin of south africa has the best global record of lopingian late permian nonmammaliaform cynodonts, currently represented by five species. We believe that the environmentally sensitive karoo can be protected even if it becomes a national energy resource. The karoo supergroup in southern africa occurs in the areally extensive main karoo and kalahari basins as well as in a number of subsidiary basins in south africa, namibia, botswana, zimbabwe and mozambique. Currently the permian whitehill formation is thought to be most favourable target formation for shale gas exploration and production, owing to the high total organic content toc averaging 5%, favourable maturities ro 1 4 %, thickness 30m average. Abrupt and gradual extinction among late permian land.
The continental sediments of the karoo sequence in the huab basin, northwestern damaraland, namibia, are interpreted as marginal equivalents of a more than 2000 m thick succession of gondwana beds that have been accumulated in the parana basin of south america. The permocarboniferous to jurassic aged rocks off the main karoo basin of south africa are world renowned for the wealth of synapsid reptile and early dinosaur fossils, which have allowed a tenfold biostratigraphic subdivision of the karoo supergroup to be erected. Using a geologybased assessment methodology, the u. In southern africa, rocks of the karoo supergroup cover two thirds of the present land surface, including all of lesotho the. Hydrothermal vent complexes and volcanic phreatic complexes are numerous in the karoo. Sedimentology and taphonomy of the upper karooequivalent. The karoo basins of southcentral africa sciencedirect. Methane gas is known to occur in the ecca group shale of the karoo basin. Comment and response report for the application for gas exploration in the south western karoo basin by shell exploration company b. Exposures of the karoo supergroup occur in the northern and southern portions of malawi, south. The karoo basins of southcentral africa preserve a record of a special time in earths history, when the pangea supercontinent reached its maximum extent during the late paleozoicearly mesozoic interval. No exact definition of what constitutes the karoo is available, so its extent is also not precisely defined. Aukarob hardveld is a semi desert natural region of south africa.
Rogers a, kristina curry rogers b, darlington munyikwa c, rebecca c. The permocarboniferous to jurassic aged rocks oft1. The karoo basin is a retroarc foreland basin developed associated foreland basin, subsequently fragmented as a in front of the cape fold belt cfb, in relationship to result of gondwana breakup, is preserved today in the late palaeozoicearly mesozoic subduction episode south america parana basin, southern africa karoo. Anatomy of a mixedinfluence shelfedge delta, karoo basin. This part of the karoo basin also receives on average more rain in summer and snow in the winter than areas located in the north and west of the karoo basin from figure 2 it is evident that bha was drilled into typical. Geological survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 5. When the exploration began in 2018, there was a great deal of excitement and a number of karoo towns, especially in the central karoo basin.
Elangob adepartment of earth and atmospheric sciences, university of alberta, 126 earth sciences building, edmonton, alta. This sedimentary basin developed as a large retroarc foreland basin behind the cape fold belt between the latepaleozoic to midmesozoic. The karoo basin shell has applied for rights to explore for natural gas in the karoo. The supergroup consists of a sequence of units, mostly of nonmarine origin, deposited between the late carboniferous and early jurassic, a period of about 120 million years. Late permian karoo basin tectonics in south africa are reflected as two finingupward megacycles in the balfour and upper teekloof formations. Stratigraphy of the karoo supergroup in southern africa. Correlations with karoo sequence sediments in south africa and south america uruguay, brazil are further discussed. The petroleum agency evaluated this assessment and concluded that, owing to the limited amount of available data in the area, it is impossible to quantify the resource accurately, other than to say that it is potentially very large. Eymold1,jodiemiller,rickymurray4,sieptalma5, colin j. It is essential that additional, modern subsurface information be. Structure and evolution of hydrothermal vent complexes in.
Pdf the centrally located kalahari karoo basin of botswana covers more than half the country and comprises a major carboniferous to jurassic. Predrill groundwater geochemistry in the karoo basin. Karoo national park wide open spaces, majestic dolerite cliffs and utter tranquillity await you at the karoo national park, conveniently situated off the n1, just outside beaufort west. Singer e a department of geology, macalester college, 1600 grand avenue, st. The supergroup consists of a sequence of units of nonmarine origin, deposited between the late carboniferous and early jurassic, a period of about 120 million years. Waterberg, zambian and mozambique basins take home points. If found in commercially viable quantities, this gas could help secure south africas energy future, but only if we can preserve the unique character of the area as well. The karoo supergroup is the most widespread stratigraphic unit in africa south of the kalahari desert. V appendix, technical submissions homepage on the internet. If enough natural gas is found, it could provide south africa with a stable, cleanerburning energy supply for power generation and economic activity for decades. Sills and dykes are present throughout the sedimentary succession, and locally form up to 70% of the basin volume e. The karoo basin is bounded on its southern margin by the cape fold belt.
Pdf the coalbearing sediments and coal seams of the karoo basin, southern africa are described and discussed. Karoo basin the karoo basin in south africa is a sedi mentary basin covering more than half of south africa. In this interpretation, the basin formed km inland from the southern. Dolerite dyke and sill emplacement mechanisms in the karoo. May 18, 2020 drilling trends from may 4, 2011 may 18, 2020 the karoo basin reaches 600,000 sq km in central and southern south africa and contains thick, organic rich shales such as the permian whitehill formation. The karoo is partly defined by its topography, geology and climate, and above all, its low rainfall, arid air, cloudless skies, and extremes of heat. This is an overview of the karoo basin in south africa, and its geologic setting. Abrupt and gradual extinction among late permian land vertebrates in the karoo basin, south africa peter d.
Structure and evolution of hydrothermal vent complexes in the karoo. Geothermal energy from the main karoo basin south africa. The centrally located kalahari karoo basin of botswana covers more than half the country and comprises a major carboniferous to jurassic siliciclastic sequence with widespread continental flood. Darrah6 abstract enhanced production of unconventional hydrocarbons in the united states has driven interest in natural gas development.
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