Multiproxy sediment provenance analysis of two megafans in the Owambo Basin, northern Namibia

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Andreas Gärtner - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Georg J. Houben - , Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Author)
  • Maria A. Sitnikova - , Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Author)
  • Roy Mcg Miller - , Consulting Geologist (Author)
  • Feiyu Wang - , Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • Mandy Zieger-Hofmann - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Johannes Zieger - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Ulf Linnemann - , Senckenberg Natural Historical Collections Dresden, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)

Abstract

The sediments in two stacked megafans in the Owambo Basin of northern Namibia and southern Angola were made accessible by a c. 400 m long, continuously cored borehole. Previous studies have indicated that the lower buried Paleocene– Eocene Olukonda Megafan was deposited by a palaeo-Kunene River transporting material from the NW (i.e. from the Kunene Intrusive Complex and the adjacent Angola Shield). The morphology of the overlying Eocene–Pliocene Cubango Megafan suggests the input of sediments from the north via the Cubango River. Mineralogical and geochemical data from the upper fan indicate felsic metamorphic and granitoid sources. Previous studies, however, did not provide a unique provenance identifier. Combining detrital zircon U–Pb data from both megafans with previously published and newly obtained mineralogical and geochemical data confirms two distinct provenances. The Olukonda Megafan can now be uniquely attributed by means of its detrital zircon ages to the Kunene Intrusive Complex and the surrounding Epupa Metamorphic Complex. In good agreement with the geochronologically more varied geology of the source region in the north, the Cubango Megafan detrital zircon record shows a wide distribution of Paleoproterozoic to Archean ages, but also a younger age range, probably related to a later Damaran/Pan-African source, which is absent in the Olukonda detrital zircon record.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numberjgs2022-065
JournalJournal of the Geological Society
Volume180
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2023
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

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