The Elisabeth Bay Formation, alternatively spelled as Elizabeth Bay Formation, is an Early Miocene (Aquitanian to Burdigalian, around 21 Ma)[1] geologic formation in the Sperrgebiet, ǁKaras Region of southwestern Namibia, overlying the Blaubok Conglomerate.[2] The freshwater green and red siltstones, sandstones, intercalations of conglomerates and claystones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial environment,[3] infilling a paleovalley incised during the Oligocene low sea stand, which backfilled during the Burdigalian marine transgression.[1] The Elisabeth Bay Formation provides many fossil mammals, snakes and other reptiles.
| Elisabeth Bay Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Aquitanian-Burdigalian ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Overlies | Blaubok Conglomerate |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Siltstone |
| Other | Sandstone, claystone, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 27°00′S 15°18′E / 27.0°S 15.3°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 27°54′S 12°48′E / 27.9°S 12.8°E |
| Region | ǁKaras Region |
| Country |  Namibia |
| Extent | Sperrgebiet |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Elizabeth Bay |
  Elisabeth Bay Formation (Namibia) | |
Fossil content edit
The following fossils are reported from the formation:[4][5][6]
- Mammals
- Reptiles
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Pickford, 2018, p.88
- ^ Dauteuil et al., 2018, p.6
- ^ Elisabeth Bay Formation at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Elisabethfeld at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Grillental 6 at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Grillental at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Pickford, 2018, p.89
Bibliography edit
- Dauteuil, Olivier; Carole Picart; François Guillocheau; Martin Pickford, and Brigitte Senut. 2018. Cenozoic deformation and geomorphic evolution of the Sperrgebiet (Southern Namibia). Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia 18. 1–18. Accessed 2018-08-26.
- Pickford, Martin. 2018. Tenrecoid mandible from Elisabethfeld (Early Miocene) Namibia. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia 18. 87–92. Accessed 2018-08-26.
Further reading edit
- J.-C. Rage. 2008. Squamate reptiles from the Lower Miocene of the Sperrgebiet, Namibia. In M. Pickford and B. Senut (eds.), Geology and palaeobiology of the northern Sperrgebiet, Namibia. Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia (Ministry of Mines and Energy, Windhoek) 20:93-103