Geology of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

摘要: The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is underlain by stratigraphic units belonging to the upper part of Karoo Sequence. These include Beaufort Group and Molteno, Elliot, Clarens Drakensberg Formations. Dolerite dykes sills are intruded into succession while recent alluvium scree cover valley floors mountain slopes. represented red mudstone light brown fine-grained feldspathic sandstone Tarkastad Subgroup. Molteno Formation consists medium- coarse-grained trough cross-bedded sandstone, Elliot comprises a thick mudstone, siltstone interlayered fine- medium-grained, yellow-brown sandstone. most characteristic feature park yellowish cliffs Formation. Cave formation caused exudation, differential weathering due different degrees carbonate cementation undercutting highest peaks capped numerous layers amygdaloidal massive varieties basaltic lava A possible volcanic pipe occurs in eastern park. Formations rich vertebrate fossil remains, especially Massospondylus sp. Remains Notochampsa sp., Pachygenelus monus, Clarencea gracilis, Lanasaurus scalpridens cluster unidentified dinosaur eggs have also been found. formations underlying were formed during Late Triassic Epoch Jurassic Period (roughly 150 230 million years ago). strata show very little structural deformation only obvious structures faults which dolerite.