Bernard Price Research Articles

Special issue of MAPS in honor of Wolf Uwe Reimold on occasion of his 65th birthday

Special issue of <i>MAPS</i> in honor of Wolf Uwe Reimold on occasion of his 65th birthday

Correction: Small-Bodied Humans from Palau, Micronesia

There is an error in the first affiliation. It should appear: Institute for Human Evolution and the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontology, School of GeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Glendonites (pseudomorphs after ikaite) in late carboniferous Marine Dwyka beds in Southern Africa

Research Article| September 01, 2001 Glendonites (pseudomorphs after ikaite) in late carboniferous Marine Dwyka beds in Southern Africa I. R. McLachlan; I. R. McLachlan Honorary Research Associate, Bernard Price Institute for Palaeont. Research, PO Box 1174, Parow, 7499, email: mclachlai@petroleumagencysa Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar H. Tsikos; H. Tsikos Rand Afrikaans University, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006. *Present address: Department Earth Sciences, University Oxford, Parks Rd, OX1 3PR, Oxford, UK. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. Cairncross B. Cairncross Rand Afrikaans University, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, 2006. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar South African Journal of Geology (2001) 104 (3): 265–272. https://doi.org/10.2113/1040265 Article history first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation I. R. McLachlan, H. Tsikos, B. Cairncross; Glendonites (pseudomorphs after ikaite) in late carboniferous Marine Dwyka beds in Southern Africa. South African Journal of Geology 2001;; 104 (3): 265–272. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/1040265 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySouth African Journal of Geology Search Advanced Search Abstract Glendonites are carbonate pseudomorphs after monoclinic crystals of ikaite (calcium carbonate hexahydrate: CaCO3.6H2O). Ikaite forms at present within organic-rich marine or brackish sediments that are at near freezing temperatures and decomposes to a mush of calcium carbonate and water when the temperature rises above 5°C. These unusual pseudomorphs were first recognised in southern Africa in 1972 as a rare component in marine shales just above the top of the Dwyka Group in the Great Karoo basin in South Africa. The crystal casts are rhomb-shaped in cross-section, show well-developed pyramid faces and are up to 19cm long. The glendonites occur in two forms: 1. as hollow or ochre-filled casts of ikaite crystals in concretions in fossiliferous marine Dwyka shales at Blaauwkrantz near Kimberley and also in the Ganigobis Shale at Zwartbas on the Orange River. 2. as carbonate pseudomorphs after ikaite, in concretions within shaly siltstone in the upper part of the marine glacial boulder mudstone at De Kalk (adjacent to Blaauwkrantz). The concretions are unweathered and the crystal casts are filled with a hard dark brown granular carbonate. Each granule encloses one or more stellate aggregates of zoned calcite crystals with an outer layer of brown carbonate. Electron microprobe analysis shows that the stellate crystals are pure calcite CaO: 55% (by wt.), Mg: 0.19% and the enclosing brown carbonate layer is Fe/Mg/Mn-enriched calcite (FeO+MgO+MnO: 6.18%, CaO: 48.5%).The presence of glendonite demonstrates that the fossiliferous host sediments accummulated under near freezing, highly alkaline, orthophosphate-rich bottom water conditions. These stressful conditions help to explain the observed severely limited species diversity of the associated fossil assemblage. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

A juvenile Elginia and early growth in pareiasaurs

Although pareiasaurs are one of the most abundant and conspicuous elements of Late Permian terrestrial ecosystems, small individuals of these reptiles (either small species or juveniles of large species) are extremely rare. Until now, the smallest known pareiasaur is the type of the late, heavily armored form Anthodon (=Nanoparia) pricei (Bernard Price Institute of Palaeontological Research, Johannesburg 1/6), with a skull length of 10 cm and an inferred snout-vent length of approximately 50 cm. This is presumably an adult of a dwarf form, since all elements of the skull and postcranial skeleton are fully ossified, sutures are closed, and the dermal armor is more highly developed than in any other pareiasaur (Broom and Robinson, 1948; Brink, 1955; Findlay, 1970; Lee, 1997). A second and as yet undescribed specimen (Geological Survey, Pretoria CM86/544) is approximately the same size, being only very slightly larger (Lee, 1997). No other specimens of this taxon are known. An unnumbered humerus in the Amalitsky collection of the Palaeontological Institute, Moscow, is from a pareiasaur of similar size to the second specimen of A. pricei. However, this specimen is presumably a juvenile of a large form: the ends of the humerus are unossified, and the specimen comes from the North Dvina bone beds, which have yielded numerous specimens of the large pareiasaur Scutosaurus but no other pareiasaur taxon. Here, we re-evaluate a specimen originally described as a dicynodont tail, and later as a procolophonoid, and demonstrate that it is actually a juvenile of the pareiasaur Elginia mirabilis. It is also by far the smallest pareiasaur so far known, being approximately half the dimensions of the next smallest individual, the type specimen of Anthodon pricei. The newly recognized specimen provides new information on the ontogeny of pareiasaurs and the homology of some problematic skull elements.

A JUVENILEELGINIAAND EARLY GROWTH IN PAREIASAURS

Although pareiasaurs are one of the most abundant and conspicuous elements of Late Permian terrestrial ecosystems, small individuals of these reptiles (either small species or juveniles of large species) are extremely rare. Until now, the smallest known pareiasaur is the type of the late, heavily armored form Anthodon (=Nanoparia) pricei (Bernard Price Institute of Palaeontological Research, Johannesburg 1/6), with a skull length of 10 cm and an inferred snout-vent length of approximately 50 cm. This is presumably an adult of a dwarf form, since all elements of the skull and postcranial skeleton are fully ossified, sutures are closed, and the dermal armor is more highly developed than in any other pareiasaur (Broom and Robinson, 1948; Brink, 1955; Findlay, 1970; Lee, 1997). A second and as yet undescribed specimen (Geological Survey, Pretoria CM86/544) is approximately the same size, being only very slightly larger (Lee, 1997). No other specimens of this taxon are known. An unnumbered humerus in the Amalitsky collection of the Palaeontological Institute, Moscow, is from a pareiasaur of similar size to the second specimen of A. pricei. However, this specimen is presumably a juvenile of a large form: the ends of the humerus are unossified, and the specimen comes from the North Dvina bone beds, which have yielded numerous specimens of the large pareiasaur Scutosaurus but no other pareiasaur taxon. Here, we re-evaluate a specimen originally described as a dicynodont tail, and later as a procolophonoid, and demonstrate that it is actually a juvenile of the pareiasaur Elginia mirabilis. It is also by far the smallest pareiasaur so far known, being approximately half the dimensions of the next smallest individual, the type specimen of Anthodon pricei. The newly recognized specimen provides new information on the ontogeny of pareiasaurs and the homology of some problematic skull elements.

Potassium-argon radioages of karroo volcanic rocks from Lesotho

The geology of Lesotho is relatively simple: the overall structure being that of a large shallow basin of Karroo sediments and volcanics. The rocks analysed in this study were collected in December 1966. The principal objectives of the study were (a) to date the inception of Karroo volcanism and (b) to arrive at an estimate of the time-span represented by the lava section along the Bushman’s Pass road east of Maseru. The date at which volcanism began in Lesotho is important because of recent discoveries of early mammalian fossils in underlying beds; in relation to the Phanerozoic Time-Scale and to the K-Ar age pattern found in the Karroo dolerites of South Africa byMcDougall (1963). Cox andHornung (1966) have suggested that the fractionation stage reached by Karroo magmas may depend upon either the height of the magma column or the time that elapsed since the beginning of the volcanic episode. An estimate of the time-span of volcanism along the Bushman’s Pass section is of interest because of the extensive palaeomagnetic work done on these rocks at the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research in Johannesburg. The paper contains the results of triplicate conventional total degassing whole rock K-Ar age determinations on 8 Drakensberg lavas and on 8 Karroo dolerite sills and dykes. The analysed rocks are described petrographically and the age pattern obtained from them is discussed in relation to the age and petrological information available from other Karroo igneous rocks. It is concluded that Karroo volcanism began in Lesotho around 187 m.y. and that « Karroo » intrusive activity continued intermittently until at least 155 m.y. ago. Some possible geological and petrological implications of these conclusions are outlined.

Research at the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

The Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research was founded in 1937 with funds provided by the late Dr Bernard Price and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. On several occasions thereafter Dr Price made contributions to the funds of the Institute to enable it to expand its activities. The extension of the activities of the Institute to cover geochronology was made possible by grants from the Carnegie Corporation and the Nuffield Foundation. The Institute owes a great debt to Dr Price, and the first Director, Dr Basil Schonland, F. R. S., for their vision in recognizing the possibilities of geophysical research in South Africa. I hope that the record of research at the Institute will be regarded as having justified their confidence.

Crustal structure and surface-wave dispersion in Africa*

In 1953, through cooperation of the Bernard Price Geophysical Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Natal, a Columbia University-type long-period seismometer (To = 15 sec., Tg = 75 sec.) was installed in the seismological observatory of the University of Natal at Pietermaritzburg, Union of South Africa. This instrument was well situated for receiving surface waves from the shock in northern Algeria of September 9, 1954, and the aftershock next day, which was of such intensity that its seismogram supplemented that of the original shock for the larger phases. The dispersion of the Rayleigh waves from these seismograms can be measured with greater precision than has been practicable heretofore for continents, because the path is longer (7,890 km.) than any which has been available for a long-period vertical instrument, and is remarkably free from obvious anomalies such as major mountain ranges. The scarcity of suitable seismograms for the study of Raleigh-wave dispersion along continental paths is due to the fact that suitably placed long-period vertical seismographs have not been available until recently.

Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, Johannesburg: Prof. A. L. Hales

Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, Johannesburg: Prof. A. L. Hales

Geophysical Conference in South Africa

A THREE-DAY conference on geophysical subjects, organised by toe Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, of the University of the Wit-watersrand was held in July in Johannesburg. It was atteaued by some seventy-five scientific workers, mainly from the Witwatersrand and Pretoria, but including visitors from universities and other organisations in the Cape and Natal, and one or two from Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo. Thirty-eight papers were presented in two sessions running simultaneously. These covered the fields of meteorology, seismology, terrestrial magnetism, lightning, the ionosphere, gravity and geophysical prospecting methods, the last of which aroused much interest. Some interesting papers were read on behalf of members of the staff of the Department of Terrestrial Electricity and Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. All these papers dealt with unpublished, or recently published, work by the authors, and some were accompanied by demonstrations of instruments, equipment, etc. The convention gave a good picture of the flourishing state of geophysical science in southern Africa, and of the considerable interest taken in the application of it to practical problems. Its success has led to the intention of repeating the venture in a few years time.

Special Publication of the Royal Society of South Africa Robert Broom Commemorative Volume

THE Royal Society of South Africa has honoured Dr. Robert Broom, of the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, by publishing a volume of papers by many men on subjects to our understanding of which he has so greatly contributed. After a delightful introduction by General Smuts, we are given a short biography and some personal reminiscences by D. A. Roberts ; then follow a number of articles dealing with fossil reptiles, the field of study within which so much of Broom‘s work has lain. Special Publication of the Royal Society of South Africa Robert Broom Commemorative Volume. Edited on behalf of the Society and the Bernard Price Foundation of the University of the Witwatersrand by Alex. L. du Toit. Pp. v+257. (Cape Town: Royal Society of South Africa, 1948.) 22s.

A (?) Promethean Australopithecus from Makapansgat Valley

DURING 1947 the Bernard Price Foundation for Palaeontological Research in the University of the Witwatersrand maintained an archaeological party in the Makapansgat Valley, twelve miles north-east of Potgietersrust. Their principal objective was to excavate the Cave of Hearths, a site of human habitation containing palaeoliths of Chell-Acheul facies embedded in limestone breccia.

Physical Society: Charles Chree Medallist

THE Charles Chree Medal and Prize are provided by the income from a fund given to the Physical Society in 1939 by Miss Jessie S. Chree, of Edinburgh, in memory of her brother, Dr. Charles Chree, a former president of the Society and superintendent of the Kew Magnetic Observatory. The Prize and Medal are awarded biennially in recognition of distinguished research in terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity or cognate subjects, in which Dr. Chree was specially interested. The Council of the Society made the first award to Prof. Sydney Chapman in 1941 for his work in the first of these fields. The Medal and Prize for 1943 have been awarded to Prof, (now Brigadier) Basil F. J. Schonland, director of the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysics, Johannesburg, in recognition of his valuable researches in the second field (see NATURE, February 20, p. 218). The presentation will be made at a meeting of the Society at the Royal Institution on July 16, when Brigadier Schonland will deliver the second Charles Chree Lecture, taking as his subject “Thunderstorms and their Electrical Effects”.

The Physical Society : Charles Chree and Duddell Medallists

THE Council of the Physical Society has awarded the Charles Chree Medal and Prize for 1943 to Prof, (now Colonel) B. F. J. Schonland and the Duddell Medal for 1942 to Dr. C. R. Burch. Col. Schonland, formerly professor of physics at Cape Town and afterwards director of the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysics at Johannesburg, is now in Great Britain doing scientific work in connexion with the War. Dr. Burch, formerly of the Research Department of the Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company, has continued his work in the Physics Laboratories of the Imperial College and the University of Bristol.

Ionospheric Observations during the Solar Eclipse of October I

DURING the total solar eclipse of October 1 ionospheric observations were made at three points in South Africa by the following three institutions: Cruft Laboratory, Harvard; Commonwealth Solar Observatory, Canberra; Bernard Price Institute for Geophysical Research, Johannesburg.

Heat flow in South Africa

It has been known for many years that the increase of temperature with depth on the Witwatersrand is exceptionally slow. The normal gradient in Europe and America is about 33° C/km., whilst that in the gold mines near Johannesburg is only about 10° C/km. It has been generally supposed that the conductivities did not differ by any large factor,* and that the low-temperature gradient indicated a heat flow much less than that in other parts of the world. As there is reason to suppose (Jeffreys 1929) that most of the heat is generated by the radioactivity of a layer of granite underlying the continents, and since the principle of isostasy requires this layer to be thicker under the African plateau than elsewhere, a greater heat flow would be expected in Africa than in Europe. The conductivity data are meagre and of doubtful reliability, and it seemed desirable to make a systematic study of the question. The temperatures and conductivities in a number of English bores have been studied by Benfield in this laboratory, and detailed and accurate temperature measurements have been made by Dr Krige (1939) and Mr Weiss (1938) in deep boreholes in South Africa. When the author was invited to visit Johannesburg as a guest of the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research he took the opportunity to measure the conductivities of specimens of rock from some of the boreholes in which temperature measurements had been made. It is the purpose of this paper to describe these measurements and to discuss the results. As the conditions were exceptionally favourable, both for the temperature and for the conductivity measurements, the problem has been investigated in considerable detail. It was thought that, in addition to the direct interest of the results, they may be useful in indicating the disturbances to be feared in cases where no such detailed study is possible.

The Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, provides higher education for the largest City in the Union of South Africa and, as a result of the considerable mining and industrial activities of the City, is well staffed and equipped on the scientific and engineering sides. The University has recently been able to establish a geophysical research laboratory through the generosity of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and of Dr. Bernard Price, a Director of the Victoria Falls and Transvaal Power Company. The Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, as it is called, will be opened officially in October of this year.