Molteno Formation

The Molteno Formation is a palaeontological formation of the Stormberg Group, located in the main Karoo (Gondwana) Basin, South Africa. It dates to the Upper Triassic(Carnian) period and is rich in fossils.

Formed from river sands when the region's climate was still wet, this layer represents the first stage of the gradual desertification that is recorded in the sediments of the Stormberg Group - from the Triassic period, through the Jurassic, as the Gondwana supercontinent moved slowly northwards. This sandstone is now exposed as cliffs in the Drakensberg and can be easily recognised by its sparkling appearance (this is due to tiny quartz crystals that bind the sand grains together). Dolorite intrusives are also common. Rocks of this formation provide a unique window into the time of the origin of the dinosaurs, mammals, and possibly also of flowering plants.

Due to the lush vegetation of the Triassic river deltas, this is today the coal-bearing horizon of the Eastern Cape, with four main coal seams: Indwe, Guba, Molteno and Gubenxa.

The rock formation stretches in a broad band, from the Eastern Cape, through Lesotho and the Orange Free-State. It is named after the town of Molteno in the Stormberg Mountains of the Eastern Cape.

See also

• List of fossil sites

References

• Vickers-Rich, Patricia & Rich, Thomas Hewett (1993); Wildlife of Gondwana. Reed. ISBN 0-7301-0315-3
• {{http://www.aridareas.co.za/pdf%20documents/Bruce%20Rubidge%20paper%20The%20karoo%20as%20a%20unique%20geological%20site%20the%20economic%20potential%20of%20deep%20history.pdf}}