The Tendaguru Formation (Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, southern Tanzania): definition, palaeoenvironments, and sequence stratigraphy

R Bussert,M Aberhan,W.-D Heinrich

doi:10.5194/fr-12-141-2009

Abstract

The well-known Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Tendaguru Beds of southern Tanzania have yielded fossil plant remains, invertebrates and vertebrates, notably dinosaurs, of exceptional scientific importance. Based on data of the German-Tanzanian Tendaguru Expedition 2000 and previous studies, and in accordance with the international stratigraphic guide, we raise the Tendaguru Beds to formational rank and recognise six members (from bottom to top): Lower Dinosaur Member, Nerinella Member, Middle Dinosaur Member, Indotrigonia africana Member, Upper Dinosaur Member, and Rutitrigonia bornhardti-schwarzi Member. We characterise and discuss each member in detail in terms of derivation of name, definition of a type section, distribution, thickness, lithofacies, boundaries, palaeontology, and age. The age of the whole formation apparently ranges at least from the middle Oxfordian to the Valanginian through Hauterivian or possibly Aptian. The Tendaguru Formation constitutes a cyclic sedimentary succession, consisting of three marginal marine, sandstone-dominated depositional units and three predominantly coastal to tidal plain, fine-grained depositional units with dinosaur remains. It represents four third-order sequences, which are composed of transgressive and highstand systems tracts. Sequence boundaries are represented by transgressive ravinement surfaces and maximum flooding surfaces. In a more simple way, the depositional sequences can be subdivided into transgressive and regressive sequences/systems tracts. Whereas the transgressive systems tracts are mainly represented by shallow marine shoreface, tidal channel and sand bar sandstones, the regressive systems tracts predominantly consist of shallow tidal channel, tidal flat, and marginal lagoonal to supratidal deposits. doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200900004" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.200900004</a>

Highlights

The Tendaguru area is located in the Lindi hinterland in the southern coastal region of Tanzania, East Africa (Fig. 1), the earth history of which has attracted the attention of geologists and palaeontologists since the end of the 19th century
The first report of the geology and palaeontology of the Tendaguru area, which is named after Tendaguru Hill located approximately 10 km south of Mtapaia in the Lindi district, southeast Tanzania (Fig. 1), was made by the German geographer Wilhelm Bornhardt who explored much of the hinterland of Lindi and Kilwa in 1896 and 1897 (Bornhardt 1900)
Utilising all available sedimentological and palaeontological data, including those obtained by the recent German-Tanzanian Tendaguru Expedition, we are in the position to formally define the Tendaguru Formation and its six constituent members

Summary

Introduction

The Tendaguru area is located in the Lindi hinterland in the southern coastal region of Tanzania, East Africa (Fig. 1), the earth history of which has attracted the attention of geologists and palaeontologists since the end of the 19th century. The first report of the geology and palaeontology of the Tendaguru area, which is named after Tendaguru Hill located approximately 10 km south of Mtapaia in the Lindi district, southeast Tanzania (Fig. 1), was made by the German geographer Wilhelm Bornhardt who explored much of the hinterland of Lindi and Kilwa in 1896 and 1897 (Bornhardt 1900) He collected fossils at several sites such as Ntandi located approximately 15 km southeast of Tendaguru Hill and dated them as Neocomian (Mçller 1900; Weissermel 1900). The first palaeontologist to explore the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks exposed in the surroundings of Tendaguru Hill was Eberhard Fraas in 1907 (Wild 1991) He concentrated on the recovery of dinosaur bones, and collected fossil invertebrates, e.g. from Ntandi, Tendaguru Hill, Matapua, Niongala, and Mikadi, which were regarded as Early Cretaceous (Krenkel 1910).

Literature

Methods

Conclusions