Abstract
Terra Nova, 24, 207–212, 2012AbstractThe subsurface structure of the Cape Fold Belt (CFB) that traverses southern Africa remains largely unknown because it lacks deep‐penetrating, high‐resolution geophysics. This hampers studies from local‐scale exploration for important resources such as water, to continental‐scale modelling, such as Gondwana reconstructions. Our Magnetotelluric (MT) soundings across the CFB provide a high‐resolution crustal‐scale electrical conductivity image. Inversion models of these data correlate well with surface geology, and resolve deep resistive roots of the CFB’s regional Palaeozoic quartzite ridges (Swartberg and Outeniqua Mountains) and thin tectonic wedges of Proterozoic rocks of higher resistivity (Kango and Kaaimans Inliers), separated by 2–3 km of Cretaceous sediments in asymmetric intermontaine basins. One of these basins, the Oudtshoorn Basin, is flanked by a listric normal fault rooted in an upper crustal detachment zone, and is underlain by a massive conductivity anomaly that is likely to be a major saline water reservoir.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
