Lower Karoo Group
Sequence of sandstone sedimentary rocks in Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lower Karoo Group is a sequence of late Carboniferous and Permian sandstone sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup, found in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
| Lower Karoo Group | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Carboniferous-Permian | |
Opencast coal mine in Upper Karoo sequence at Sengwa, Gokwe North District, Zimbabwe) | |
| Type | Geological group |
| Unit of | Karoo Supergroup |
| Underlies | Upper Karoo Group |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Coal, tillite, siltstone, mudstone |
| Location | |
| Country | Botswana Mozambique Zambia Zimbabwe |
Geology
The Lower Karoo corresponds to the lower portion of the Karoo Supergroup sequence. The basal unit comprises glacial tillites,[1] being the Dwyka Formation in the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Basal Beds in the Limpopo basins[2] and Kondo Pools Formation in the Mana Pools and Cabora Bassa Basins.[3] These are overlain in the Mid-Zambezi by the Wankie sandstones and coal and the Madumabisa Mudstone[1]
It is overlain and overstepped by the Upper Karoo Group.[1]
In the Mana Pools and Cabora Bassa Basins, the Kondo Pools Formation is overlain by the Mkanga Formation sandstone and mudstones.[4]