Rock doughnut and pothole structures of the Clarens Fm. Sandstone in the Karoo Basin, South Africa: Possible links to Lower Jurassic fluid seepage

Abstract

South Africa has a wealth of sandstone landforms, yet many of these have not been examined in detail to expand knowledge on their morphology and process origins. Here we present data on primary morphological statistics, rock hardness, surface roughness and petrographic investigations of rock doughnuts and associated pothole structures in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) and in the Witkop III complex, with the aim of using such data and field observations to argue their likely origins. Schmidt hammer R-values indicate consistently harder doughnut rims (mean = 48.7; n = 150) than the enclosed potholes (mean = 37.8; n = 150) and surrounding sandstone platform (mean = 39.7; n = 250). The petrography of Clarens Fm. Sandstone shows that the typical whitish sandstone is affected by intense chemical weathering. Pothole rims and the irregular reddish crust typical of the Witkop III outcrops show a secondary cementation by microcrystalline silica. Although preservation of old land surfaces is difficult to prove, small and circular pipe structures filled with calcite-cemented sand are present locally surrounding the Witkop III hydrothermal complex, and represent conduits for fluidized sand. Based on the morphologies of the Witkop III summit with the associated potholes and pipes, we hypothesize that they are remnants of morphologies created by Jurassic fluid seepage, with a superimposed and secondary silica cementation. Given that fluidization structures evidently occur in Clarens Fm. Sandstone, as is the case at Witkop, such mechanisms could possibly have contributed to the observed rock doughnut structures elsewhere on Clarens Fm. Sandstones, such as at the GGHNP where the rock doughnut morphological attributes are typical to landforms originating from fluid venting.