Abstract
This thesis presents sedimentological characterizations and magnetostratigraphic sections of
Permian clastic rocks from drill cores from the southwest and southeast Karoo Basin of South
Africa. Firstly, identification of correlative facies association, depositional sequences and
bounding surfaces within the southern part of the main Karoo Basin allowed for a regional
correlation of the Permian successions and provide a better understanding of clastic
sedimentation and the geology of the Permian rocks in the southern Karoo Basin.
Secondly, IRM/ARM coercivity analysis and paleomagnetic measurement of these rocks helps
to understand the nature of the magnetic minerals in these rocks and facilitated calculation of
the virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs) and the development of magnetostratigraphic sections
that were tied to U-Pb SHRIMP and CA-TIMS ages of volcanic ash layers within the
stratigraphy. The southwest magnetostratigraphic section spanning the lower Ecca Group rocks
was incorporated with published sections from overlying sections that correlates to the Permian
reference section proposed by Hounslow and Balabanov (2018). The southeast Karoo rocks
revealed slightly different paleomagnetic records compared to the southwestern part of the
Basin due to numerous dolerite sills intrusions in the rocks. Several baked contact tests were
conducted to demonstrate the effect and limits of the baking of the host rocks by the intrusions.
Identification of identical polarity units allowed for the development of a magnetostratigraphic
framework and regional correlation across the southern Karoo Basin composite section. The
dominantly reversed polarity magnetostratigraphic sections in this thesis confirm that
deposition of the southern Karoo Permian successions occurred during the Kiaman reversed
superchron (KRS), that is, ca. 318 to 265 Ma. The presence of brief normal magnetozones
within the sections improve our understanding of the geodynamics of field reversals which
remains unachieved and could serve to resolve the geomagnetic behaviour of the KRS.
Lastly, sediment accumulation rates (SAR) and age-depth model derived for the southern Karoo
strata indicate SAR values on both sides of the basin that were initially low in the Early Permian,
rapidly increased in the Mid Permian, and a rapid decrease in the Late Permian interval for the
southwest. However, slightly higher SAR values were derived for the southeast suggesting the
early onset of basin migration of the strata in the southeast. The derived sedimentation history
allows for a comparison of the sedimentation history across the southern Karoo Basin and a
discussion of the implication for basin evolution and tectonostratigraphy. This integrated
approach of polarity stratigraphy tied to high precision isotopic ages coupled with correlation
with sections globally, provides enhanced stratigraphic control in the Permian interval.