Lithostratigraphy,Sedimentology,and Provenance of the Balfour Formation(Beaufort Group) in the Fort Beaufort-Alice Area,Eastern Cape Province,South Africa

The Balfour Formation has a pronounced lithological variation that is characterized by alternating sandstone- and mudstone-dominated members.The sandstone-dominated Oudeberg and Barberskrans Members are composed of lithofacies that range from intraformational conglomerates to fine-grained sediments,whereas the mudstone-dominated members(Daggaboersnek,Elandsberg,and Palingkloof) are dominated by the facies Fm and Fl.Petrography,geochemistry,and a paleocurrent analysis indicated that the source rock of the Balfour Formation was to south east and the rocks had a transitional/dissected magmatic arc signature.The sandstones-rich members were deposited by seasonal and ephemeral high-energy,low-sinuous streams,and the fine-grained-rich members were formed by ephemeral meandering streams.The paleoclimates have been equated to present temperate climates;they were semiarid becoming arid towards the top of the Balfour Formation.This has been determined by reconstructing the paleolatitude of the Karoo Basin,geochemistry,paleontology, sedimentary structures,and other rock properties,like color.