A brief lithostratigraphic review of the Abrahamskraal and Koonap formations of the Beaufort Group, South Africa: Towards a basin-wide stratigraphic scheme for the Middle Permian Karoo

Abstract

The Beaufort Group contains the most continuous record of Permian therapsid faunas. The south-western Abrahamskraal Formation contains four arenaceous members. The south-eastern Koonap Formation cannot be subdivided into members. The geographic distribution of these members provides data for Karoo Basin evolution. This research facilitates biodiversity studies of the terrestrial Middle Permian. The basal strata of the Beaufort Group of the South African Karoo Basin, comprising the western Abrahamskraal and eastern Koonap formations, contain the most time extensive record of Middle Permian fossil tetrapods and hold the key to understanding Middle Permian biodiversity change in the continental realm. To determine faunal stratigraphic ranges a reliable lithostratigraphic framework for Middle Permian Beaufort deposits is essential. Until now this has proved difficult to achieve, largely due to the homogeneity of the fluvial succession coupled with structural complexity as a result of...