A new lithostratigraphic framework and unified nomenclature for the Nsuze Group of the Nkandla sub-basin, southern Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

Author(s):  
N. Hicks ◽  
D.J.C. Gold ◽  
M. Ncume ◽  
L. Hoyer

Abstract During the early 20th century the term Insuzi Series, later reclassified as the Nsuze Group of the Pongola Supergroup, was proposed for a volcano-sedimentary succession exposed in the upper Nsuze River valley in central KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Subsequently, however, there has been little consensus on lithostratigraphic frameworks within the type area, and limited correlation with the exceptionally well-defined stratigraphy within the main Pongola basin. Recent mapping, combined with newly acquired high-resolution aeromagnetic data, satellite imagery, and available published geochronological data suggest that previously published schemes within the Nkandla sub-basin require revision. Utilising important regional marker units, as well as the stratigraphic positions of distinct sedimentary facies within the otherwise volcanic Nsuze Group, a working model is proposed. Lithostratigraphic units are well represented in the Mhlatuze and Nkandla inliers with examples from these areas given prominence. Where exposed, potential correlates within the Nsuze nappe complex are discussed. Within the proposed scheme the siliciclastic Mantonga Formation forms the base of the Nsuze Group, nonconformably overlying basement granitoids of the Kaapvaal Craton within the Mhaltuze Inlier. Mafic volcanics of the Nhlebela Formation overlie the Mantonga Formation in the inlier. These two lower units are, however, not exposed elsewhere in the sub-basin. The sedimentary White Mfolozi Formation forms the base of the succession in the Nkandla Inlier. Diamictites and stromatolite-bearing carbonate lithologies unique to this unit are utilised for regional third-order correlations with the type-area in the White Mfolozi Inlier. Mafic volcanics of the Agatha Formation overlie the White Mfolozi Formation in all exposures, but are most extensively developed within the Mdlelanga syncline of the Nkandla Inlier. Sedimentary and volcaniclastic lithologies of the Mkuzane Formation cap the Nsuze Group in the Mhlatuze and Nkandla inliers. Thickness of this formation is, however, highly variable having been subjected to pre-Vutshini Formation erosion. Through detailed reinterpretation of the stratigraphy of the Nkandla sub-basin we present a third order, (formation) scale, lithostratigraphic scheme encompassing all the formational units of the currently accepted stratigraphy within the main Pongola basin. This working model has the potential for lower-ranking units to be identified and be placed at their appropriate stratigraphic levels in future.

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.M. Bordy ◽  
S. Spelman ◽  
D.I. Cole ◽  
P. Mthembi

Abstract The Lower Permian Pietermaritzburg Formation is a mudrock-dominated, upward-coarsening stratigraphic unit in the lower Ecca Group (Karoo Supergroup) in the northeastern part of the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. The formation extends over most of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, and due to its lithology and the local climate, it is usually poorly exposed; hence the description is mainly based on borehole records. From a measured thickness of about 430 m south of the type area around Pietermaritzburg, the formation thins progressively northwards and pinches out against the Dwyka Group and pre-Karoo basement north of latitude 26° 30' S. This Lower Permian formation is considered a stratigraphic equivalent of the Prince Albert Formation in the southern part of the main Karoo Basin. The Pietermaritzburg Formation only preserves scattered, fragmentary plant fossil and invertebrate trace fossils, which are diagnostic of marine conditions (e.g. Helminthopsis). Based on its sedimentary facies characteristics and ichnofossil assemblages, the unit was probably deposited under low energy conditions on a northerly shallowing marine shelf that initially experienced deepening (during a major Artinskian transgression) and then shallowing in the early Kungurian.


Author(s):  
Hilde Roos

Opera, race, and politics during apartheid South Africa form the foundation of this historiographic work on the Eoan Group, a so-called colored cultural organization that performed opera in the Cape. The La Traviata Affair: Opera in the Time of Apartheid charts Eoan’s opera activities from its inception in 1933 until the cessation of its work by 1980. By accepting funding from the apartheid government and adhering to apartheid conditions, the group, in time, became politically compromised, resulting in the rejection of the group by their own community and the cessation of opera production. However, their unquestioned acceptance of and commitment to the art of opera lead to the most extraordinary of performance trajectories. During apartheid, the Eoan Group provided a space for colored people to perform Western classical art forms in an environment that potentially transgressed racial boundaries and challenged perceptions of racial exclusivity in the genre of opera. This highly significant endeavor and the way it was thwarted at the hands of the apartheid regime is the story that unfolds in this book.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Slotznick ◽  
◽  
David A.D. Evans ◽  
Francis Sousa ◽  
Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 77-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rajab ◽  
E.A. Chohan

The Rosenzweig P — F Study was administered to a group of South African Indian students (N = 403) from the University of Durban-Westville with slight modifications in administration. The subjects were divided into three groups and were instructed to react to Blacks in Group A, to Whites in Group B, and to Indians in Group C. The results indicated that the subjects differed in their responses to the three racial groups revealing predominantly intropunitive and impunitive responses to Blacks, and extrapunitive responses to Indians.


1994 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. I. Alsop

AbstractThe gross geometries exhibited by crustal-scale fold nappes are considered a consequence of both original stratigraphic relationships associated with sub-basin configuration, coupled with the nature of the structural regime and tectonic processes involved in the generation of the nappe pile. The Neo-Proterozoic Dalradian metasediments of northwestern Ireland provide a well-constrained and correlatable stratigraphy which defines a sequence of sub-reclined, tight-isoclinal Caledonian (c. 460 Ma) fold nappes. Within this fold complex, the dominant structure is the crustal-scale Ballybofey Nappe, which may be traced for 40 km along strike and is responsible for a regional (500 km2) stratigraphie inversion. The gentle, NE-plunging attitude of this fold results in a complete spectrum of tectonic levels and deformation gradients being exposed. Relatively low strains in the upper fold limb gradually increase down through the nappe, resulting in the generation of composite foliations and lineations and the development of a 10 km thick shear zone which culminates in a high strain basal detachment with underlying pre-Caledonian basement. The Ballybofey Nappe nucleated and propagated along a major zone of lateral sedimentary facies variation, coincident with the margin of a major Dalradian sub-basin. The large amplitude of the nappe is strongly influenced by the lateral heterogeneity within the metasedimentary sequence, and is associated with a minimum of 25–30 km ESE-directed translation concentrated within the overturned limb. Additional significant displacement is also focused along the basal décollement. Generation of the nappe complex resulted in significant crustal thickening and amphibolite facies metamorphism consistent with 15–18 km of burial, induced by a sequence of nappes propagating in the direction of overshear. The ESE-directed translation of the major fold nappes is away from the Caledonian foreland and a gravity-driven mechanism of nappe emplacement is suggested. Rigorous structural analysis within the cohesive stratigraphie framework enables relationships between the tectonic evolution and stratigraphic patterns to be distinguished, thus allowing models of fold nappe generation and mid-crustal deformation to be evaluated.


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