Ecca Group

<h2 id="background">Background</h2>
During the time of the <a href="/facts/Deposition_(geology)/qxjlY8KL">deposition</a> of the Ecca Group, the depositional environment, with some exceptions, was predominantly <a href="/facts/Ocean/8W8lYgjD">marine</a>. The Ecca sea was vast but shallow, reaching only around 500 m at its deepest in its west/northwestern and southern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> where the Tanqua and Laingsburg <a href="/facts/Depocenter/S89KXMuM">Depocenters</a> are situated respectively. The marine environment ranged from deep <a href="/facts/Pelagic_zone/D6heJr5f">pelagic</a>, <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> systems in the lower deposits which grade steadily north-eastwards to shallow marine deposits including shelf (<a href="/facts/Continental_shelf/dpgHAR4U">continental</a>) marine and marginal marine <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a>, and finally to <a href="/facts/Beach/P8dhamMd">beach</a> deposits in younger successions. <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">Coal</a>-bearing <a href="/facts/Fluvial_processes/nkLrSheo">fluvial</a>-<a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">deltaic</a>, and <a href="/facts/Bog/LuPbb2qV">peatbog</a> settings are also well known from the Ecca Group.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>
The Ecca Group was deposited in a vast <a href="/facts/Retroarc/Tt82en0P">retroarc</a> <a href="/facts/Foreland_basin/DWF9lHUL">foreland basin</a>. This foreland system was caused by crustal uplift (<a href="/facts/Orogeny/XrvRMpsw">orogenesis</a>) that had previously begun to take course due to the <a href="/facts/Subduction/rkasNdTo">subduction</a> of the Palaeo-pacific plate beneath the <a href="/facts/Gondwana/zqbAvsnY">Gondwanan</a> Plate. This resulted in the rise of the Gondwanide mountain range in what is known as the <a href="/facts/Gondwanide_orogeny/A7BQbCwe">Gondwanide orogeny</a>. The mountain-building and erosion caused by the growing Gondwanide mountain range was the initial subsidence mechanism acting on the <a href="/facts/Karoo_Supergroup/W0Q0VuqX">Karoo Basin</a>. Flexural <a href="/facts/Tectonics/jPcFacFP">tectonics</a> partitioned the <a href="/facts/Karoo_Supergroup/W0Q0VuqX">Karoo Basin</a> into the <a href="/facts/Foredeep/DWF9lHUL">foredeep</a>, <a href="/facts/Forebulge/cVrRF5BR">forebulge</a>, and backbulge flexural provinces. This resulted in deposition of the <a href="/facts/Karoo_Supergroup/W0Q0VuqX">Karoo Basin</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>

<h2 id="geographic-extent">Geographic extent</h2>

The rocks of the Ecca Group first appear near <a href="/facts/Sutherland,_Northern_Cape/UY0BMyeU">Sutherland</a> in its westernmost deposits, and continues east through <a href="/facts/Laingsburg,_Western_Cape/zdnnEswd">Laingsburg</a>, <a href="/facts/Prince_Albert,_Western_Cape/hT9AWNAV">Prince Albert</a>, <a href="/facts/Jansenville/ygMDb5b2">Jansenville</a>, <a href="/facts/Grahamstown/RoHuAgCn">Grahamstown</a>, and up until the coast near <a href="/facts/Port_Alfred/u522luWP">Port Alfred</a>. In the central north deposits are found near <a href="/facts/Britstown/XjbuPGKo">Britstown</a>, running along the <a href="/facts/Orange_River/TI4nbSob">Orange River</a> between <a href="/facts/Petrusville/1nHVoXm7">Petrusville</a> and <a href="/facts/Hopetown/Ckp3VrVy">Hopetown</a>. In the extreme northeast deposits are found east of <a href="/facts/Johannesburg/DQd9T8FY">Johannesburg</a> past <a href="/facts/Vryheid/HnS6puy9">Vryheid</a>, <a href="/facts/Durban/ADRqGHGy">Durban</a>, <a href="/facts/Pietermaritzburg/wg4KSP3P">Pietermaritzburg</a> and all the way down to <a href="/facts/Port_St._Johns/d2B50LwR">Port St. Johns</a> in the southeast.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a>

<h2 id="stratigraphic-units">Stratigraphic units</h2>
The Ecca Group comprises sixteen recognized <a href="/facts/Geological_formation/mMhpw4G2">geological formations</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a> These individual formations have been grouped into three geographical areas, which are the southern, western/northwestern, and northeastern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> successions. In the east of <a href="/facts/South_Africa/vvXQpLgq">South Africa</a> there are deposits of as of yet undifferentiated <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstone</a> sequences attributed to the Ecca Group.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a>
With the exception of the Prince Albert, <a href="/facts/Whitehill_Formation/r70I44EX">Whitehill</a>, Collingham, and the uppermost Waterford Formations which are found in both the southern and western/northwestern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a>, the geological formations of the Ecca Group can only be found in one of the three previously aforementioned facies successions. This is because each of these facies successions represents differing preserved environments that can be observed in their diagnostic geological features. The facies successions, along with their geological formations, are described below:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a>
Western/Northwestern Ecca facies
This <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> succession is purely <a href="/facts/Sea/7eo8zrRW">marine</a>. The rocks contain a complete transition, grading laterally into one other, from <a href="/facts/Seabed/VvxuEWJu">basin-floor</a> marine deposits through to channelized submarine slope to <a href="/facts/Continental_shelf/dpgHAR4U">shelf</a>, pro-delta and beach environment deposits. The deposits of the western/northwestern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> fall within the Tanqua <a href="/facts/Depocenter/S89KXMuM">Depocenter</a>, one of the vast <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> systems known from the marine Ecca.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a> Associated formations are listed below (from oldest to youngest):

<ul><li>Prince Albert Formation: In the west/northwestern facies the Prince Albert Formation is characterized by either greyish or olive <a href="/facts/Mica/ag4cdnsb">micaceous</a> or <a href="/facts/Silt/HAxJkhDP">silty</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a>, <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a>, and <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">rhythmites</a>. <a href="/facts/Greywacke/Fx5p7h5a">Wackes</a> and <a href="/facts/Arenite/tc6Jstgg">arenites</a> are found in the northernmost section of the western/northwestern facies, and upward-fining <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> sequences that often contain ice rafted <a href="/facts/Debris/V10YQYym">debris</a> are a character diagnostic of its western outcrops. These rock sediments were deposited in a deep marine and distal <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> setting, and various <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> marine <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossils</a>, the <a href="/facts/Chimaera/gUmgE3Jl">chimaeroid</a> <a href="/facts/Chondrichthyes/xcW7PJDU">cartilaginous fish</a> <a href="/facts/Dwykaselachus/qM69dSAC">Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni</a>, <a href="/facts/Palaeoniscidae/yLT1xSWu">palaeoniscoid</a> fishes, and <a href="/facts/Coprolite/VX4K6BNX">coprolites</a> have been recovered from this formation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Whitehill_Formation/r70I44EX">Whitehill Formation</a>: <a href="/facts/Mudrock/WhYRS8Dh">Mudrock</a> and <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> dominant in the west/northwestern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a>. The <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> rock in this formation weather out white on the surface, often referred to in literature as the “white band”. It is the main diagnostic feature of this formation in this facies succession. The <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a> are <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> and contain <a href="/facts/Lens_(geology)/W7qHBVkJ">lenses</a> of <a href="/facts/Pyrite/41CYREyr">pyrite</a> and <a href="/facts/Chert/pmvbVy6U">chert</a>. Fossil plant matter, <a href="/facts/Palaeoniscidae/yLT1xSWu">palaeoniscoid</a> fish, and <a href="/facts/Arthropod/JKJLTFzp">arthropod</a> remains are frequently found. The <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a> are considered to have been deposited in a suspension setting under <a href="/facts/Dead_zone_(ecology)/TPtDu4c7">anoxic</a>, although shallower, <a href="/facts/Seabed/VvxuEWJu">sea floor</a> conditions. Rare <a href="/facts/Marine_reptile/3Go3Kgk2">marine reptile</a> fossils, most notably of <a href="/facts/Mesosaurus/GfEnWzzA">Mesosaurus tenuidens</a>, and another <a href="/facts/Mesosaur/6dWBIqG8">mesosaurid</a>, <a href="/facts/Stereosternum/6P8gy7rz">Stereosternum tumidum</a>, have been recovered from this formation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31">31</a></li></ul>

<ul><li>Collingham Formation: Is composed of thin beds of <a href="/facts/Siliceous/A3WILp6J">siliceous</a>, dark grey <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstone</a> alternated with softer, yellow-grey <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">tuff</a> beds. The fine-grained nature of the sediments indicate that the depositional environment was a low energy suspension setting in a <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> environment. The presence of <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">tuff</a> beds indicates that <a href="/facts/Volcanism/0s6p1eFJ">volcanic activity</a> took place during the time of sediment <a href="/facts/Deposition_(geology)/qxjlY8KL">deposition</a>.</li>
<li>Tierberg Formation: Predominantly composed of blackish, planar, <a href="/facts/Argillaceous_minerals/wQkDNh9P">argillaceous</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a>. <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">Tuff</a> beds are found in the lower sections of this formation while <a href="/facts/Calcareous/sGpRISvY">calcareous</a> <a href="/facts/Concretion/zNoJ5Fu3">concretions</a> and clay pellet <a href="/facts/Conglomerate_(geology)/llpnLX76">conglomerates</a> are found in the upper sections. Upwards-coarsening sequences of <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstones</a>, siltstones, and sandstones that exhibit ball-and-pillow structures are also found in the uppermost sections. The presence of the shales in the lower Tierberg indicate a low energy marine environment that transitioned to pro-delta to distal delta depositional environments with the appearance of the upward coarsening sequences and other associated geological features. Various invertebrate fossils have been recovered, namely fish scales, sponge spiracles, and trace fossils of Planolites and Nereites.</li>
<li>Skoorsteenberg Formation: Only found in the southernmost area of the western facies. A lens-shaped formation composed of five <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a>-rich units that are interbedded with <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> layers. These contain <a href="/facts/Bouma_sequence/V9LINqNV">bouma turbidite sequences</a>. The depositional environment is thought to have been an unstable <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a>-front slope of a <a href="/facts/Fluvial_processes/nkLrSheo">fluvial</a> <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> system. <a href="/facts/Trace_fossil/kaucgzNj">Trace fossils</a> of worm feeding trails and <a href="/facts/Glossopteris/AtaEvTvs">Glossopteris</a> fossils are common.</li>
<li>Kookfontein Formation: The lower section of this formation is composed of horizontally laminated dark-grey <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a> that are interbedded with <a href="/facts/Clastic_rock/3y4SoUxl">clastic</a> <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">rhythmites</a>. Minor upward thickening cycles are observed here which grow more prominent in the upper sections. The rock type changes in the upper sections to alternating <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> and fine-grained <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> beds. This formation is a continuation of the environmental <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> of the Skoorsteenberg Formation where sediments were deposited in a pro-<a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> setting.</li>
<li>Waterford Formation: The western/northwestern deposits of this formation are composed of a mix of <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a>, <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a>, <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">rhythmite</a>, and fine to medium-grained <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a>. The <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstones</a> are horizontally laminated and often exhibit wave-<a href="/facts/Ripple_marks/3PYhXeYh">rippled surfaces</a>. Alternating slump and slide and coarsening upward cycles are observed in the lower sections while in the upper sections <a href="/facts/Ball-and-pillow_structures/qJn9uNrB">ball-and-pillow structures</a> and channel-fill deposits are observed. These features indicate that the depositional environment constituted <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> front deposits in the lower sections which transitioned to a <a href="/facts/Fluvial_processes/nkLrSheo">fluvial</a> <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta-plain</a>. <a href="/facts/Petrified_wood/JBu2j1N8">Fossilized tree</a> logs are frequently found in the <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> layers, and in the other rock layers <a href="/facts/Cruziana/AmaBEXQY">Cruziana</a> and <a href="/facts/Skolithos/W6eK37k5">Skolithos</a> burrow traces are found. Together with the underlying Tierberg, Skoorsteenberg, and Kookfontein Formation, the Waterford Formation forms an upward-coarsening <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">deltaic</a> megacycle.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32">32</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33">33</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34">34</a></li></ul>
Southern Ecca facies
This <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> succession is the largest of the three facies succession. Its lowermost formations are deep marine comprising <a href="/facts/Seabed/VvxuEWJu">basin floor</a> <a href="/facts/Pelagic_zone/D6heJr5f">pelagic</a> sediments and <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> systems that grade upwards into channelized submarine slopes to <a href="/facts/Continental_shelf/dpgHAR4U">shelf</a> marine and beach environments. The Laingsburg <a href="/facts/Depocenter/S89KXMuM">Depocenter</a> is found in this facies succession and include the following formations (from oldest to youngest):

<ul><li>Prince Albert Formation: Black to dark grey <a href="/facts/Chert/pmvbVy6U">chert</a> layers with yellowish grey weathering are only known from the southern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a>. These rock sediments were deposited in a deep marine and distal <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">submarine fan</a> setting. Various <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> marine <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossils</a>, <a href="/facts/Palaeoniscidae/yLT1xSWu">palaeoniscoid</a> fishes, and <a href="/facts/Coprolite/VX4K6BNX">coprolites</a> have been recovered from this formation.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Whitehill_Formation/r70I44EX">Whitehill Formation</a>: In the southern facies the Whitehill Formation loses its diagnostic white band marker horizon. The rock type changes here to light brown, fine-grained <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> deposits that contain <a href="/facts/Carbonate_rock/pKYTxRkM">carbonate</a> <a href="/facts/Concretion/zNoJ5Fu3">concretions</a>. <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">Tuff</a> deposits also occur intermittently. It is regarded as a distal, southern equivalent of the Vryheid Formation.</li>
<li>Collingham Formation: The southern facies deposits of this formation yield diagnostic pale yellowish-grey <a href="/facts/Chert/pmvbVy6U">chert</a>, often referred to in literature as the “Maijiesfontein <a href="/facts/Chert/pmvbVy6U">Chert</a> Bed”.</li>
<li>Vischkuil Formation: Dominated by dark coloured <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> in its westernmost outcrops which grade into <a href="/facts/Greywacke/Fx5p7h5a">greywacke</a> <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a> in the east. The <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> layers alternate with subordinate <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a>, <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstones</a>, and minor yellow-grey <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">tuff</a> deposits. The <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> layers often contain <a href="/facts/Calcareous/sGpRISvY">calcareous</a> and <a href="/facts/Phosphate/FDGVCxUG">phosphatic</a> <a href="/facts/Lens_(geology)/W7qHBVkJ">lenses</a>, and also <a href="/facts/Liesegang_rings_(geology)/fQDW9Vhx">liesegang rings</a>. The depositional environment is considered to have been deep marine within a basin-plain or outer <a href="/facts/Abyssal_fan/bXg1cGbp">basin-floor fan</a>. The presence of <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">tuff</a> layers indicates that volcanic activity took place during the time of deposition.</li>
<li>Laingsburg Formation: Composed of four, massive <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> units that are interbedded with planar-laminated <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstones</a>. <a href="/facts/Calcareous/sGpRISvY">Calcareous</a> <a href="/facts/Concretion/zNoJ5Fu3">concretions</a> and clay pebble <a href="/facts/Clastic_rock/3y4SoUxl">clasts</a> are often found in the massive <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a>. Coalified plant fragments are frequently found in the <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> layers. It grades laterally into the upper Ripon Formation in the east.</li>
<li>Ripon Formation: Consists mainly of tabular, poorly-sorted fine-grained <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a>. The <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a> alternate with dark-grey <a href="/facts/Clastic_rock/3y4SoUxl">clastic</a> <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">rhythmite</a> composed of thin, <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a>/<a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> layers. Spherical, <a href="/facts/Calcareous/sGpRISvY">calcareous</a> <a href="/facts/Concretion/zNoJ5Fu3">concretions</a> are found in the <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> layers along with larger, brown-weathering <a href="/facts/Calcareous/sGpRISvY">calcareous</a> structures. Various <a href="/facts/Deformation_(geology)/z1LEmkQX">deformation</a> structures, namely <a href="/facts/Load_cast/JXUuVgkN">load casts</a> and slump structures, are found here. <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">Invertebrate</a> <a href="/facts/Fossil_trackway/l6B0fCXB">fossil trackways</a> and <a href="/facts/Burrow/vgY0GpEH">burrows</a> occur throughout this formation. All these are indicative of a deep-water depositional environment. Carbonised plant fragments and <a href="/facts/Petrified_wood/JBu2j1N8">fossil logs</a> are also found.</li>
<li>Fort Brown Formation: <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">Rhythmites</a> of alternating <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a>/<a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> or <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a>/<a href="/facts/Mudrock/WhYRS8Dh">claystone</a> layers, <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mudrock/WhYRS8Dh">mudrocks</a>, which are usually olive grey in color, are extremely common. The <a href="/facts/Rhythmite/mKMdI154">rhythmites</a> and <a href="/facts/Mudrock/WhYRS8Dh">mudrock</a> comprise the bulk of the lower deposits of the Fort Brown Formation. Minor impure <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> <a href="/facts/Greywacke/Fx5p7h5a">wacke</a> intercalations are found in its upper sections, displaying horizontal, wavy, ripple, and ripple-drift cross lamination. <a href="/facts/Tuff/PhhRoLdJ">Tuffs</a> are sometimes found due to the Cape Orogenic event taking place during the time of deposition. The <a href="/facts/Mudrock/WhYRS8Dh">mudrocks</a> and <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a> are extremely fine-grained, finely laminated and are considered to represent <a href="/facts/Continental_shelf/dpgHAR4U">shelf marine</a> <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> that were deposited in a pro-<a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> setting. Fragmentary plant hash material and <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> <a href="/facts/Trace_fossil/kaucgzNj">trace fossils</a> are found here.</li>
<li>Waterford Formation:This formation is exposed along a series of east-west trending <a href="/facts/Syncline/fTVloA4E">synclines</a> and <a href="/facts/Anticline/FQDWhobn">anticlines</a>. It is rich in <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a>, which are generally light in colour and are frequently interbedded with dark-grey to light yellowish grey <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> and sometimes <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstone</a>. Well-preserved symmetrical <a href="/facts/Wave-formed_ripple/SrwG7TDP">wave ripples</a> are often found in the <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> layers. Outcrops of this formation are extremely diagnostic as a result of the alternating “bands” of <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> and <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> This is thought to represent a marginal marine setting either within the <a href="/facts/Intertidal_zone/grnBDVQ3">intertidal zone</a> or within a <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> or <a href="/facts/Beach/P8dhamMd">beach</a> setting.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35">35</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36">36</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37">37</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38">38</a></li></ul>
Northeastern Ecca facies
The northeastern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> is shallow marine in its lowermost and uppermost sections, and then changes to <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">coal</a>-bearing <a href="/facts/Fluvial_processes/nkLrSheo">fluvial</a>-<a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">deltaic</a> <a href="/facts/Peat/F0kJcsLt">peat</a> <a href="/facts/Swamp/rjE9QKpm">swamp</a> settings in its central deposits. The northern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> often overlies unconformably on much older basement rocks unlike the other facies of the Ecca Group. It comprises three geological formations (from oldest to youngest):

<ul><li>Pietermarizberg Formation: Generally composed of dark colored <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> and <a href="/facts/Silt/HAxJkhDP">silt</a>-rich <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> rocks, <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstone</a> with subordinate <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> layers. This formation is only found in the easternmost section of the northeastern <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">facies</a> succession and is not well studied due to poor <a href="/facts/Outcrop/3MC1NG4y">outcrops</a> and exposures. The majority of the data collected from this formation have been from <a href="/facts/Borehole/3d6xu8E5">borehole</a> cores. In addition exposed outcrops quickly <a href="/facts/Erosion/gaGJXy0W">erode</a> out due to the <a href="/facts/Sub-tropical/gK0KyFUD">sub-tropical</a> climate of <a href="/facts/KwaZulu-Natal/uKrg6YKI">KwaZulu-Natal</a> where deposits of this formation are only found. Sporadic <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossil</a> plant material and various <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrate</a> <a href="/facts/Trace_fossil/kaucgzNj">trace fossils</a> have been found, and the depositional environment is thought to be shallow marine.</li>
<li>Vryheid Formation: This formation has been subdivided into three different <a href="/facts/Facies/G73u7SIg">lithofacies</a> arrangements. They are dominated by fine-grained <a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstone</a>, <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> with alternating layers of <a href="/facts/Bituminous_coal/ETUBa9ee">bituminous coal</a> seams, and coarse-grained, <a href="/facts/Bioturbation/1IXWzju8">bioturbated</a> immature <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a> respectively. The rock sediments are predominantly arranged in upward-coarsening cycles, although some fining-upward cycles are found in this formation's easternmost deposits. The alternating rock types observed in the Vryheid Formation indicate seasonal variations of storms and fairer weather in a pro-<a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> setting. The <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbonaceous</a> <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shales</a> were formed below the water surface in <a href="/facts/Dead_zone_(ecology)/TPtDu4c7">anoxic</a> conditions and the <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">coal</a> formed from compacted plant matter deposited at the bottom of <a href="/facts/Peat/F0kJcsLt">peat</a> <a href="/facts/Swamp/rjE9QKpm">swamps</a>. These <a href="/facts/Swamp/rjE9QKpm">swamps</a> formed on abandoned <a href="/facts/Alluvial_plain/YWX4BlV3">alluvial plains</a> where <a href="/facts/Stagnant_(water)/1cbBED8V">stagnant</a> water accumulated. The Vryheid Formation reaches a maximum of 1030m in <a href="/facts/Nongoma/m7SpQ0SJ">Nongoma</a>, <a href="/facts/KwaZulu-Natal/uKrg6YKI">KwaZulu-Natal</a>, within the Nongoma Graben. Diverse <a href="/facts/Glossopteris/AtaEvTvs">Glossopteris</a> <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossil</a> <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">coal</a> <a href="/facts/Flora/2xkcTn2d">floras</a> are known from the Vryheid Formation, including their fertile organs and <a href="/facts/Fructification/wQJyAeFD">fruitifications</a>, <a href="/facts/Lycopodiophyta/n3pgWJCH">lycopods</a>, rare <a href="/facts/Fern/e6Cngdyo">ferns</a> such as <a href="/facts/Asterotheca/WrE7EkRq">Asterotheca hammanskraalensis</a>, <a href="/facts/Equisetum/mkQoSHEz">horsetail</a> <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> such as <a href="/facts/Annularia/hLehJLyc">Annularia</a>, <a href="/facts/Cordaitales/dxHNuoJE">cordaitales</a>, <a href="/facts/Pinophyta/vDUgqxCx">conifers</a>, <a href="/facts/Ginkgoales/mVmToE16">ginkgoales</a>, rare <a href="/facts/Fossil_wood/yMqHlmUE">fossil wood</a>, and diverse <a href="/facts/Palynology/BYNoHNtq">palynomorphs</a>. Abundant, low diversity <a href="/facts/Trace_fossil/kaucgzNj">trace fossils</a>, namely of <a href="/facts/Skolithos/W6eK37k5">Skolithos</a>, <a href="/facts/Diplocraterion/hz8JLC5H">Diplocraterion</a>, <a href="/facts/Helminthopsis/RTbELEm0">Helminthopsis</a> and <a href="/facts/Planolites/fhPY6W5k">planolites</a>, rare <a href="/facts/Insect/IgDNvnUL">insects</a>, possible <a href="/facts/Clam_shrimp/S7cGfJbb">conchostracans</a>, non-marine <a href="/facts/Bivalvia/IQDxHVc8">bivalves</a>, and fish scales. The <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">coal</a> seams themselves are classified as compaction fossils.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39">39</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40">40</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41">41</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42">42</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43">43</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44">44</a></li>
<li>Volksrust Formation: Mainly comprises <a href="/facts/Silt/HAxJkhDP">silt</a>-rich, grey to black <a href="/facts/Shale/bsIhqY5F">shale</a> containing thin, <a href="/facts/Bioturbation/1IXWzju8">bioturbated</a> <a href="/facts/Siltstone/sI119qT3">siltstone</a> or <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a> <a href="/facts/Lens_(geology)/W7qHBVkJ">lenses</a>. Deposits of this formation interfinger laterally with the underlying Vryheid Formation and overlying <a href="/facts/Beaufort_Group/kb0uCIzK">Beaufort Group</a> rock deposits. The rock sediments are fine-grained overall, indicating that the rock sediments were deposited in both <a href="/facts/Lake/YP0xxn0E">lacustrine</a> to <a href="/facts/Lagoon/IBp4ez2D">lagoonal</a> and shallow <a href="/facts/Coast/RBD0wxn3">coastal</a> settings. A large <a href="/facts/Pelecypod/IQDxHVc8">pelecypod</a> marine <a href="/facts/Bivalvia/IQDxHVc8">bivalve</a> has been recovered from this formation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45">45</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46">46</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47">47</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="correlation">Correlation</h2>

The lower <a href="/facts/Geological_formation/mMhpw4G2">geological formations</a> of the Ecca Group, particularly the rocks of the <a href="/facts/Whitehill_Formation/r70I44EX">Whitehill Formation</a>, correlate in age with the Huab Basin of northwestern <a href="/facts/Namibia/ahXuaypy">Namibia</a>, and lower formations of the <a href="/facts/Kalahari_Basin/LMrNkxm7">Kalahari Basin</a> found in <a href="/facts/Namibia/ahXuaypy">Namibia</a>, <a href="/facts/Botswana/dGw6g94p">Botswana</a>, and <a href="/facts/Zimbabwe/8Yqt8490">Zimbabwe</a>. Near the small town of <a href="/facts/Khorixas/S5vsxdPn">Khorixas</a> in <a href="/facts/Namibia/ahXuaypy">Namibia</a> there is a locally well-known national monument called the <a href="/facts/Petrified_forest,_Khorixas/xFIcGk6I">Petrified Forest</a>. <a href="/facts/Petrified_wood/JBu2j1N8">Petrified logs</a> were brought into the area and are considered to have been sourced from the nearby deposits of the Huab Basin.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48">48</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49">49</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50">50</a>

Abroad, Ecca-aged deposits are known from the <a href="/facts/Paran%C3%A1_Basin/9JIrb32c">Paraná Basin</a> of <a href="/facts/Brazil/QHkG46GL">Brazil</a> and the Petolas Basin of both <a href="/facts/Brazil/QHkG46GL">Brazil</a> and <a href="/facts/Uruguay/X6V0apCb">Uruguay</a> where fossils of <a href="/facts/Mesosaurus/GfEnWzzA">Mesosaurus</a> and <a href="/facts/Glossopteris/AtaEvTvs">Glossopteris</a> have also been recovered. Finally, <a href="/facts/Geochronology/U8hRTGwL">geological dating</a> has also proven the lower Ecca formations to correlate with the <a href="/facts/Barnett_Shale/NuYpTRxd">Barnett Shale</a> and <a href="/facts/Marcellus_Formation/SDEvtlGg">Marcellus Formation</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>.

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Geology_of_South_Africa/CY2UByY9">Geology of South Africa</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Geography_of_South_Africa/dAu8KRnT">Geography of South Africa</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Visser, J. C.; Loock, J. N. J. & (1978-05-01). "Water depth in the Main Karoo Basin, South Africa, during Ecca (Permian) sedimentation". South African Journal of Geology. 81 (2): 185–191. ISSN 1996-8590. <a href="https://journals.co.za/content/sajg/81/2/AJA10120750_2896" target="_blank">https://journals.co.za/content/sajg/81/2/AJA10120750_2896</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">R.M.H. Smith, P.G.Eriksson, W.J.Botha (1993-01-01). "A review of the stratigraphy and sedimentary environments of the Karoo-aged basins of Southern Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences (and the Middle East). 16 (1–2): 143–169. Bibcode:1993JAfES..16..143S. doi:10.1016/0899-5362(93)90164-L. ISSN 0899-5362.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Jirah, Sifelani; McPhee, Blair W.; Viglietti, Pia A.; Bamford, Marion K.; Choiniere, Jonah N.; Hancox, P. John; Barbolini, Natasha; Day, Michael O.; Rubidge, Bruce S. (2016), "Advances in Nonmarine Karoo Biostratigraphy: Significance for Understanding Basin Development", Origin and Evolution of the Cape Mountains and Karoo Basin, Regional Geology Reviews, Springer, Cham, pp. 141–149, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-40859-0_14, ISBN 9783319408583 <a href="9783319408583" target="_blank">9783319408583</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Jirah, Sifelani; McPhee, Blair W.; Viglietti, Pia A.; Bamford, Marion K.; Choiniere, Jonah N.; Hancox, P. John; Barbolini, Natasha; Day, Michael O.; Rubidge, Bruce S. (2016), "Advances in Nonmarine Karoo Biostratigraphy: Significance for Understanding Basin Development", Origin and Evolution of the Cape Mountains and Karoo Basin, Regional Geology Reviews, Springer, Cham, pp. 141–149, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-40859-0_14, ISBN 9783319408583 <a href="9783319408583" target="_blank">9783319408583</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Hobday, David K. (1977). "Fluvial Deposits of the Ecca and Beaufort Groups in the Eastern Karoo Basin, Southern Africa": 413–429. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) <a href="http://archives.datapages.com/data/cspg_sp/data/005/005001/413_cspgsp0050413.htm" target="_blank">http://archives.datapages.com/data/cspg_sp/data/005/005001/413_cspgsp0050413.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Richard G.Vos, David K.Hobday (1977-01-01). "Storm beach deposits in the late Palaeozoic Ecca Group of South Africa". Sedimentary Geology. 19: 217–232. Bibcode:1977SedG...19..217V. doi:10.1016/0037-0738(77)90032-X. ISSN 0037-0738. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Van Vuuren, C.J. and Cole, D.I., 1979. The stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Ecca Group in the northern part of the Karoo Basin. Geological Society of South Africa Special Publication, 6, pp.103-111. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Rubidge, B. S.; Hancox, P. J.; Catuneanu, O. (1998-12-01). "Reciprocal flexural behaviour and contrasting stratigraphies: a new basin development model for the Karoo retroarc foreland system, South Africa". Basin Research. 10 (4): 417–439. Bibcode:1998BasR...10..417C. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2117.1998.00078.x. ISSN 1365-2117. S2CID 56420970. <a href="http://www.earthdoc.org/publication/publicationdetails/?publication=62697" target="_blank">http://www.earthdoc.org/publication/publicationdetails/?publication=62697</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">O. Catuneanu, P.J Hancox, B. Cairncross, and B.S Rubidge (2002-11-01). "Foredeep submarine fans and forebulge deltas: orogenic off-loading in the underfilled Karoo Basin". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 35 (4): 489–502. Bibcode:2002JAfES..35..489C. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(02)00154-9. ISSN 1464-343X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">O. Catuneanu, H. Wopfner, P.G. Eriksson, B. Cairncross, and B.S.Rubidge, R.M.H. Smith, and P.J. Hancox (2005-10-01). "The Karoo basins of south-central Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 43 (1–3): 211–253. Bibcode:2005JAfES..43..211C. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.007. ISSN 1464-343X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Cj, Van Vuuren (2016-09-22). "A basin analysis of the northern facies of the Ecca group". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) <a href="http://nrfnexus.nrf.ac.za/handle/20.500.11892/95346" target="_blank">http://nrfnexus.nrf.ac.za/handle/20.500.11892/95346</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">Waschbusch, Paula; Beaumont, Christopher; Catuneanu, Octavian (1997-12-01). "Interplay of static loads and subduction dynamics in foreland basins: Reciprocal stratigraphies and the "missing" peripheral bulge". Geology. 25 (12): 1087–1090. Bibcode:1997Geo....25.1087C. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<1087:IOSLAS>2.3.CO;2. <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/25/12/1087/187381/interplay-of-static-loads-and-subduction-dynamics" target="_blank">https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/25/12/1087/187381/interplay-of-static-loads-and-subduction-dynamics</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">Baiyegunhi, Christopher; Liu, Kuiwu; Gwavava, Oswald (2017). "Grain size statistics and depositional pattern of the Ecca Group sandstones, Karoo Supergroup in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa". Open Geosciences. 9 (1): 554–576. Bibcode:2017OGeo....9...42B. doi:10.1515/geo-2017-0042. S2CID 135113186. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515%2Fgeo-2017-0042" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1515%2Fgeo-2017-0042</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">B. Cairncross (1989-06-01). "Paleodepositional environments and tectonosedimentary controls of the postglacial Permian coals, Karoo Basin, South Africa". International Journal of Coal Geology. 12 (1–4): 365–380. doi:10.1016/0166-5162(89)90058-X. ISSN 0166-5162. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">Visser, J. N. J. (1992-01-01). "Deposition of the Early to Late Permian Whitehill Formation during a sea-level highstand in a juvenile foreland basin". South African Journal of Geology. 95 (5–6): 181–193. ISSN 1996-8590. <a href="https://journals.co.za/content/sajg/95/5-6/AJA10120750_607" target="_blank">https://journals.co.za/content/sajg/95/5-6/AJA10120750_607</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">M.R Johnson, C.J Van Vuuren, W.F Hegenberger, R. Key, and U. Show (1996-07-01). "Stratigraphy of the Karoo Supergroup in southern Africa: an overview". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 23 (1): 3–15. Bibcode:1996JAfES..23....3J. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(96)00048-6. ISSN 1464-343X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Johnson, M.R., Van Vuuren, C.J., Visser, J.N.J., Cole, D.I., Wickens, H.D.V., Christie, A.D.M., Roberts, D.L. and Brandl, G., 2006. Sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup. The geology of South Africa, pp.461-499. <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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</ol>

Ecca Group open-in-new

Ecca Group