Revised lithostratigraphy of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic succession of the onshore Rovuma Basin, northern coastal Mozambique

Abstract

A revised formal lithostratigraphy for the Mesozoic-Cenozoic succession of the onshore

The Lindi Formation (upper Albian–Coniacian) and Tanzania Drilling Project Sites 36–40 (Lower Cretaceous to Paleogene): Lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy

“…1). Descriptions of the regional geology and tectonic evolution of these basins can be found in Balduzzi et al (1992), Salman and Abdula (1995), Veeken and Titov (1996), Mpanda (1997), Kapilima (2003), Kejato (2003), Pearson et al (2004), Nicholas et al (2006Nicholas et al ( , 2007 and Key et al (2008). We focus on the mid-to Upper Cretaceous marine succession of southeastern Tanzania (Figs 2 and 3).…”

Lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous sediments from southern Tanzania: Tanzania drilling project sites 21–26

“…A second rifting phase with active seafloor spreading from about 157 Ma separated Gondwana into western (South America and Africa) and eastern (Antarctica, India, Madagascar and Australia) blocks (Salman and Abdula, 1995), and the rifting of Madagascar away from East Africa led to development of a passive margin along what is now the Tanzanian coastal region. A marine transgression accompanied seafloor spreading in the second phase of rifting and resulted in deposition of thick Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sediments in a series of marginal basins that included the Mandawa and Rovuma basins in coastal areas of Tanzania and northern Mozambique (Salman and Abdula, 1995;Key et al, 2008). A major transgression during the Late Cretaceous caused widespread deposition of mudstones in offshore environments of the Mandawa and Rovuma basins that persisted into the Paleogene.…”

“…A modern review of the tectonic history of coastal Tanzania can be obtained from Nicholas et al (2007), with reference to deposition during the Late Cretaceous-Neogene. Also, Key et al (2008) recently revised the lithostratigraphy of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic successions of the Rovuma basin in northern coastal Mozambique.…”

“…1b). In northern coastal Mozambique, Key et al (2008) formally described the Upper Cretaceous sediments as belonging to the Mifume Fm (Albian-Maastrichtian).…”

The Niassa Gold Belt, northern Mozambique – A segment of a continental-scale Pan-African gold-bearing structure?

“…This period corresponds to rifting related to dispersal of Gondwana and more specifically to dextral translation of Madagascar relative to the African plate, and initiation of seafloor spreading between the Antarctic and African plates (e.g., Rakotosolofo et al, 1999;Torsvik et al 2002). At the regional-scale, the age of 112 ± 14 Ma is quite close to the intrusion age of kimberlite at 140.5 ± 1.7 Ma in the Maniamba graben (Key et al, 2007) and overlaps with deposition of the Aptian (125-112 Ma) Macomia Formation in the Rovuma Basin (Key et al, 2008).…”