Type Geological formation Other Sandstone Overlies Lower Karoo Group | Primary Gritstone Named for Descriptive name Underlies Pebbly Arkose Formation | |
Named by A.M. MacGregor, Zimbabwe Geological Survey Unit of Upper Karoo Group, Karoo Supergroup | ||
The Escarpment Grit is a Triassic geologic formation. It is also referred to as the Nyoka Grit.
Contents
Geology
The formation is composed of fluvial sediments, mainly gritstones and coarse sandstones. Uranium is present in the Escarpment Grit of southern Zambia.
Stratigraphy
The Escarpment Grit Formation is the basal unit of the Upper Karoo Group and underlies the Pebbly Arkose Formation. It has been dated as Upper Scythian (Early Triassic).
The Pebbly Arkose has been correlated to the Angwa Sandstone Formation in the Mana Pools and Cabora Bassa Basins and the Elliot Formation of the Great Karroo Basin, South Africa.
Flora
Alisporites spores have been identified from the Escarpment Grit in north-western Zimbabwe.
Hydrogeology
This formation constitutes a productive aquifer in north-western Zimbabwe, although of limited thickness.