NAMIBIA PALAEONTOLOGY EXPEDITION April-May 2016

Ferruginised quartz-rich lag deposits at the northern end of the Buntfeldschuh Depression, previously included in the Pomona Schichten. These rocks are a lateral facies of the Kakaoberg Ferricrete (ferruginised Terrestre Aeolianite) seen at the top of the scarp in the background, 3 km to the south, and are thus younger (Oligo-Miocene) than the deltaic-marine Buntfeldschuh Formation that comprises the basal deposits of the escarpment beneath the Terrestre Sandstone.

Martin PICKFORD

and

Brigitte SENUT

Sorbonne Universités (CR2P, UMR 7207 du CNRS, Département Histoire de la Terre,

Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle et Université Pierre et Marie Curie) case postale 38, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris

NAMIBIA PALAEONTOLOGY EXPEDITION April-May 2016

Aim . The purpose of the April-May, 2016, field trip of the Namibia Palaeontology Expedition, was to survey the Palaeogene and Neogene deposits of the Northern Sperrgebiet with a view to throwing light on the geochronology and palaeoenvironments of the region. Special attention was focussed on the Cretaceous occurrence and on the ferricretes. Personnel. The field trip was carried out by Dr Martin Pickford (Paris), Dr Brigitte Senut (Paris) and Helke Mocke (Geological Survey of Namibia, Windhoek). Official visit . A field tour was organised by the Ore Reserves Department, Namdeb, on the 26th April. Participants in the trip were Jurgen Jacob, Charlie August, Megan Runds, Gloudina Brand and Lynette Kirkpatrick. Sites visited included Wanderfeld IV Cretaceous occurrence, Langental Turritella Site, Langental Mammal Site, Ystervark Hill, Phytoherm Ridge and Eocliff. Authorisation Permission to carry out research and to collect fossils was provided by the National Heritage Council of Namibia, access to the Sperrgebiet was arranged by Namdeb and Nature Conservation of Namibia.

Field schedule.- 17-18 April – travel Paris-Windhoek. 19 April – in Windhoek, administration, logistics, museology, Communications of the Geological

Survey of Namibia. 20 April – drive Windhoek-Oranjemund. 21 April – study Neogene deposits at Kerbehuk. 22 April – drive to Bogenfels, start surveying at Langental. 23 April – survey Wanderfeld IV and Langental, collect at Neue Anlage Shark Site. 24 April – survey Grillental and E-feld. 25 April – survey at Langental and Wanderfeld IV. 26 April – visit of Ore Reserves Department : Wanderfeld IV, Langental, Ystervark and Eocliff. 27 April – Logistics at Lüderitz, survey at Hyaena Kloof, Bobiaan Kloof and north of

Eisenkieselklippenbake. 28 April – survey Wanderfeld IV and Langental. 29 April – survey at Langental. 30 April – am : survey of area north of Chameis and then Eisenkieselklippenbake, pm : survey of

northern part of the Buntfeldschuh Depression. 1 May – survey of the Runde Kuppe area, followed by collecting at Grillental and E-feld, then to

Tafelberg Sud. 2 May – supply run to Lüderitz, survey of Fiskus, Grillental and E-feld. 3 May – survey Kaukausib Tafelberg, then to Black Crow. 4 May – collecting at Eoridge and Eocliff, then to area 3 km southeast of Eisenkieselklippenbake. 5 May – collecting at Grillental VI, then to Lüderitz to fix punctures and compressor, survey of region

south of Schwartzerberg. 6 May – supply run to Lüderitz, followed by survey of Grillental Borrow Pit and GT 1. 7 May – Survey of Silica North, Silica South, Chalcedon Tafelberg and Lüderitz Krater area, followed

by brief survey of Langental. 8 May – survey E-feld, Kätchen Plateau and Langental. 9 May – survey the area around Blaubok Beacon.

10 May – pack up at Bogenfels and drive to Maltahöhe. 11-13 May – drive Maltahöhe to Windhoek, then in Windhoek arranging fossils in GSN Museum,

obtaining export permits, diplomacy and administration. 14 May – fly Windhoek-Johannesburg-Paris.

Background. The Namibia Palaeontology Expedition has been surveying the palaeontology and geology of the Sperrgebiet since 1992. Several previously unknown fossil occurrences have been found, including Eocene mammals at Black Crow, Eocliff, Eoridge, Silica North, Silica South and other sites in the region. These discoveries radically altered previous interpretations of the timing of geological events in the area, because they occur in rocks that had previously been correlated to the Middle and Late Cretaceous. Three monographs and many papers have been published on the geology and palaeobiology of the Sperrgebiet, yet because of the peculiarities of the region our understanding of its Tertiary geology remains incomplete. Results Archaeology Kerbehuk A potentially important archaeological site was identified northeast of Kerbehuk (28°10’39.0’’S : 16°01’28.6’’E : 74 masl). The deposits comprise two low mesas with a thickness of 5 metres of fine sand lying in the floor of the valley, subdivided into five or more beds by thin calcareous crusts. The basal beds contain abundant ostrich eggshell fragments, some of which have been burnt. There are also burnt tortoise bones and shells of Patella and Ostrea associated with stone tools, pottery and grind stones.

Figure 1. Stratified valley infilling north of Kerbehuk. The area is an important archaeological site with concentrations (circles) of ostrich eggshell fragments (many of which have been burnt), tortoise bones, Patella and Oyster shells, as well as stone flakes, grind stones and pottery (scale : 500 m).

Figure 2. Archaeological materials in stratified valley infilling north of Kerbehuk. A) large grind stone, B) various stone tools, C) decorated potsherds, D) ostrich eggshell fragments, some of which have been burnt, E) Patella shell and ostrich eggshell fragments, F) ostrich eggshell fragments.

Hyaena Kloof and Bobiaan Kloof West of the Chameis-Rotkop road there are several places where the Namib 1 Calc-crust has been eroded into cliffs by fluvial action. At Hyaena Kloof (27°16’32.5’’S : 15°28’12.7’’E : 276 masl) there are cliffs some 4-5 metres high, with the occasional undercut, forming shallow caves which are occasionally occupied by jackals and hyaenas. The area adjacent to the cliffs shows scattered flakes of chalcedony some of which have been fashioned into arrow heads and blades. The geological succession comprises dolomitic basement overlain by 1-2 metres of brown, gritty marl, followed by 1-2 metres of Namib 1 Calc-crust which is overlain by loose sand.

Figure 3. Hyaena Kloof. Impressive outcrops of Namib I Calc-crust overlying weathered bedrock. At Bobiaan Kloof (27°17’50.9’’S : 15°28’19’’E : 260 masl) 1.75 km to the south of Hyaena Kloof, a similar geomorphological situation occurs. The cliffs a this locality are occasionally visited by baboons. Lithic implements of various sorts are scattered on the surroundings of the cliffs. Here the geological succession is slightly different from that at Hyaena Kloof, in that the dolomitic basement is overlain by 1-2 metres of redeposited alterite, followed by 3-4 metres of Namib 1 and Namib 2 Calc-crust. The calc-crust has karstic features infilled with various clasts including quartz, calc-crust and indurated red sand.

Geology Attention was focussed on five aspects of Sperrgebiet geology : 1) the Cretaceous occurrence, 2) the ferruginised deposits, 3) the silicified rocks, 4) the Blaubok Conglomerate and 5) the Namib Calc-crusts.

Figure 4. Bobiaan Kloof outcrops of Namib 1 and Namib 2 Calc-crusts forming cliffs that overlie grits and weathered bedrock. 1) The Cretaceous occurrence at Wanderfeld IV was studied closely. A historic photograph published by Klinger (2015) purportedly taken at the site at the moment of discovery by Haughton in 1929, turns out not to be of Wanderfeld IV. Extensive search of the area up to three km around Wanderfeld IV failed to identify the place where the image was taken. Examination of the succession of sediments at the Wanderfeld IV site reveal that Haughton’s original stratigraphy is erroneous in almost every respect. What he thought was a “basal bed of the marine series comprising a coarse shingle deposit dipping to the south” is in fact the Blaubok Conglomerate which is younger than the Priabonian Turritella Beds. The coarse feldspathic grit which he thought underlies the Eocene Turritella Beds is a superficial deposit containing reworked cobbles from the Blaubok Conglomerate. Elsewhere in the Langental, this grit overlies Early Miocene mammal-bearing marls. Liddle’s (1971) and Klinger’s (1977) stratigraphic successions are also faulty. Pitting from the outcrop of coarse feldspathic grit down to the area where the Cretaceous boulders occur revealed that the grit lies unconformably on a reddened marl deposit which overlies dolomite (hauptdolomite of Kaiser & Beetz, 1926). The grit has a concentration of reworked Blaubok clasts in its base. The Cretaceous boulders are floating in marl, most of which comprise weathered basement (alterite) but in the immediate vicinity of the Cretaceous Boulders the marl contains fragments of oysters. In fact the Cretaceous occurrence has itself been affected by the same weathering process as the basement. However, the question whether the Cretaceous rocks are “in situ” (in the strict sense of the term : i.e. are still in their original depositional setting) remains open. The Cretaceous boulders are almost pure limestone, but some of them contain exotic clasts (quartz and

black rock) up to 2 cm in diameter. The marl surrounding the boulders contains similar clasts, as was noted by Klinger (1977) but he thought that the marl was older than the Cretaceous rocks, rather than being a weathered version of them.

Figure 5. Well-rounded 2 cm quartz clast in the Cretaceous limestone at Wanderfeld IV. Similar pebbles occur in marl surrounding the limestone blocks. Previous interpretation of the pebbly marl (e.g. Klinger, 1977) had it predating the Cretaceous limestone, whereas it is simply a completely decalcified version of the same rock. 2) The ferruginised deposits of the Sperrgebiet have had a chequered history of interpretation with estimates of their formation varying in age from Middle Cretaceous to Pleistocene. Our study reveals that there was probably a single phase of ferruginisation in the region which occurred some time between the Late Oligocene and basal Middle Miocene. A detailed report about these deposits is in preparation, but it is clear that, in the area between Runde Kuppe and Kerbehuk, the ferruginised horizons are younger than the first arrival of diamonds in the region. Thus, the presence of ferruginised rocks onshore and offshore Namibia is not a reliable indication of the footwall of the Sperrgebiet diamond placers. 3) Additional observations reveal that in its type area, the White House Silcrete described by Pickford (2015) is in fact a lightly silicified facies of the Namib 1 Calc-crust. It is therefore a synonym of the Namib 1 Calc-crust which is widespread in the region. The occurrences near the Cattle Post and in the vicinity of Schwartzerberg comprise concentrations of boulders of the Sperrgebiet Silicified Suite. These changes effectively remove the last evidence of “genuine” silcrete in the Sperrgebiet. None of the silicified rocks in the Sperrgebiet are silcrete sensu stricto (i.e. formed within soil profiles overlying weathered (kaolinised) basement rocks), but comprise silicified superficial rocks including chalcedony, chert, quartzite and silicified dolomite among other rock types (silicified phytoherms, silicified travertine, silicified plaquette limestone, silicified marl). 4) The literature reveals that most authors have considered the Blaubok Conglomerate to be a reliable stratigraphic marker horizon, usually thought to be of Oligocene (Stocken, 1978) or Eocene age (Kalbskopf, 1976; Jacob et al., 2006) but Corbett (1979) realised that it was a composite unit, part of it being Miocene. Examination of the Blaubok Conglomerate in the region between Blaubok Beacon (the type area) and Wanderfeld IV, reveals that in many places it has been subjected to redeposition. Indeed, it is still downwasting in some areas where a combination of bioturbation and wind is at play. Insects and rodents burrow into the alterite underlying the conglomerate and bring fine sediment to the surface whereupon it is blown away by the wind, leaving behind a feldspathic grit containing cobbles of Nama Quartzite and locally derived milky quartz. In the past there has also been the effect of running water at the surface which has concentrated cobbles from the Blaubok Conglomerate into channels. A good example of such a process is exposed at the Langental Mammal Site. Kalbskopf (1976) also noted these redeposited cobbles and grit in the Langental, which he correlated to the Miocene.

Figure 6. A channel infilling comprised of redeposited cobbles from the Blaubok Conglomerate overlying Early Miocene fossiliferous marl at Langental Mammal site. The upper part pf the section is comprised of feldspathic grit. 5) Additional observations were made on the Namib Calc-crusts at Hyaena Kloof, Bobiaan Kloof and north of Chameis. It was during this research that it was realised that what had previously been called White House Silcrete is in fact a lightly silicified facies of the Namib 1 Calc-crust of Miocene age. This calc-crust can be traced continuously from the type area of the WHS to the Buntfeldschuh Cliffs where it overlies the Kakaoberg Aeolianites.

Figure 7. Aspects of redeposited clasts of Blaubok Conglomerate in its type area. A) Low ridge of conglomerate overlying ferricrete and alterite on the slope leading down towards Neue Anlage, 2-3 metres lower than in situ conglomerate (behind the photographer); B-D) insect activity brings fine sediment from the underlying alterite to the surface where it is blown away by the wind (red sediment shadows on the downwind side of the heaps). Such activity repeated many times leads to regional downwasting of the coarse fraction.

Palaeontology

Cretaceous One block of limestone was collected from Wanderfeld IV. It contains an external mould of a non-ostreid bivalve.

Figure 8. Block of Cretaceous limestone from Wanderfeld IV containing a non-ostreid bivalve (arrow) and numerous shells of Rhynchostreon.

Eocene

Neue Anlage

The Neue Anlage Shark Site, previously called the Langental Shark Site, yielded many shark teeth and a few rays and invertebrates.

Langental Turritella Beds

A couple of shark teeth were collected at the Langental Turritella Site. A second species of nautiloid has been recognised at the site. Previous records of nautiloids at the site comprised Aturia lotzi. The specimen is under study to determine its affinities.

Figure 9. Nautiloid from the Langental Turritella Beds.

Black Crow A sample of 40 kg of limestone was collected at Black Crow for acid treatment. It is currently under digestion in Paris. A lower tooth, a maxilla with P4/-M1/ and isolated upper molars and premolars of Diamantochloris inconcessus have already been found, along with several crocodile teeth. The blocks have yielded the first boid snake vertebrae known from the Eocene of Namibia. There are also several amphisbaenid vertebrae and a pipid frog humerus in the residue. Eoridge Survey of Eoridge resulted in the identification of additional chelonian and mammal fossils. One block of limestone was repatriated to Paris for acid treatment. It yielded a small mammal femur. Eocliff 15 kg of fossiliferous limestone from a previously unsampled part of the Eocliff outcrop was transported to Paris for acid digestion. The blocks have already yielded remains of birds, tenrecoids, chrysochlorids, macroscelidids and abundant rodents.

Figure 10. Silicamys mandible in situ in calcareous tufa at Eocliff, Namibia. Eisenkieselklippenbake Survey of Eisenkieselklippenbake revealed the presence of plants and gastropods in the silicified deposits. Fossils observed were left in place.

Miocene Chameis Northwest of the Chameis post is a large, elongate, saucer-shaped plateau comprised of Namib 1 Calc-crust (27°49’08.4”S : 15°39’44.4”E : 94 masl). A brief visit to this plateau led to the discovery of fossilised termite hives (Namajenga mwichwa) in variegated, bioturbated sands and silts beneath the calc-crust cliffs. The hives are at the base of the exposures, overlain by 3 metres of bioturbated silt/sand, followed by 1-2 metres of calc-crust. The two adjacent hives indicate that the termite responsible was polycalate, probably Hodotermes, which today is found in savannah and woodland predominantly in summer rainfall areas with less than 750 mm annual rainfall.

Figure 11. Elongated plateau of Namib 1 Calc-crust northwest of Chameis. The circle locates the fossilised hives of the harvester termite, Hodotermes. Scale bar : 1 km.

Figure 12. Heavily bioturbated sands, 3-4 metres thick, beneath a cap of Namib 1 Calc-crust at the plateau northwest of Chameis.

Figure 13. Fossilised hive (Namajenga mwichwa) of the harvester termite, Hodotermes, in heavily bioturbated sands at the base of the cliffs of Namib 1 Calc-crust, northwest of Chameis. This well-preserved example is accompanied by a second, poorly preserved specimen. Diameter of hive ca 50 cm. Langental Langental yielded some interesting remains of hyracoids, sanitheres and macroscelidids, as well as rodents and frogs. Grillental Grillental yielded some associated maxillae and mandibles of Diamantomys, along with an ostrich tibiotarsus and remains of other vertebrates and invertebrates. Elisabethfeld Elisabethfeld yielded few fossils but some were of excellent quality including two tarsometatarsals of an ostrich, a lower premolar of Deinotherium, a well-preserved calcaneum of a ruminant and several jaws of Myohyrax. Fiskus Fiskus yielded only a few fragments of bone and teeth, among which was a partial tooth row of an amphicyonid.

Figure 14. Tarsometatarsus of Struthio coppensi eroding out of red silts at Elisabethfeld. 15 cm long tool for scale. Discussion The fossiliferous sites in the Sperrgebiet are far from being exhausted. The field catalogues for 2016 contain almost as many entries as in previous years. The only site which yielded very little material was Fiskus, but only two hours were spent examining the deposits. A goodly proportion of the fossil material is in excellent condition including associated maxillae and mandibles of Diamantomys, mandibles and maxillae of Protypotheroides, Prohyrax and Diamantohyus. Close geo-palaeontological examination of the Tertiary deposits between Bogenfels and Pomona reveals that many of the previous interpretations of the sequence and timing of events need to be modified. From an economic perspective perhaps the most interesting finding was the determination of the age of emplacement of the Sperrgebiet ferricretes as Oligo-Miocene, and thus long post-dating the first arrival of diamonds in the region. Previous work suggested (erroneously) that much of the ferricrete was older than the Kätchen Plateau Quartzite and thus thought to pre-date the first arrival of diamonds. The presence of diamonds north of Elfert’s Tafelberg in the region well north of the distribution of agates, has always posed a problem. Hallam (1964) attributed to Reuning (without providing references to the paper) the thought that the Pomona diamonds were eroding from the quartzites of the tafelberge, an idea that was dropped when Hallam (1964) among others interpreted the quartzites as silcrete developed on the end-Cretaceous geomorphological surface and thus much too old to represent the source of the diamonds. However, the discovery of lebenspurren in the sandy fraction of the quartzite at Tafelberg Nord (along with concretions) indicates that they were deposited in shallow marine conditions rather than on land. The main phase of silicification in the Sperrgebiet was during the Lutetian-Bartonian. The Kätchen Plateau Quartzite was likely silicified at the same time as the rest of the Sperrgebiet Silicified Suite, from which it flows that the sands and gravels could have been deposited during the Lutetian or somewhat earlier, and thus later than the first diamond mineralisation of the area.

It is suggested that the first diamonds arrived in the region prior to the first agates, and this could explain why the Pomona fields possess diamonds without agates, whereas the more southern fields in the vicinity of Elfert’s Tafelberg and further south, Langental, Advokat Bake and Buntfeldschuh contain both diamonds and agates. Conclusions The 2016 field survey in the Sperrgebiet, Namibia, was extremely successful, not only from a palaeontological perspective, but also from geological and stratigraphic ones. The stratigraphic findings may have an economic relevance for the country in that they throw light on the succession and timing of geological events in the region, including the first arrival of diamonds and their position relative to other rock units, in particular the ferricretes which are currently used to define the footwall of the placers (e.g. at offshore operations near Kerbehuk). In brief, horizons that were previously correlated to the Cretaceous, turn out to be considerably younger, some of them Middle-Late Eocene (silicified levels), some Oligo-Miocene (ferricrete) and some as young as Pleistocene (Namib 2 Calc-crust). Publications Two issues of the Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia were handled by M. Pickford. Several papers on the geology and palaeontology of the Sperrgebiet and other parts of Namibia are included in these two issues. Mocke, H., Nankela, A., Pickford, M., Senut, B. & Ségalen, L., 2016. Fossil Freshwater Molluscs from Simanya

in the Kalahari System, Northern Namibia. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 17, 68-86. Pickford, M., 2015. Cenozoic Geology of the Northern Sperrgebiet, Namibia, accenting the Palaeogene.

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 10-104. Pickford, M., 2015. Chrysochloridae (Mammalia) from the Lutetian (Middle Eocene) of Black Crow, Namibia.

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 105-113. Pickford, M., 2015. Late Eocene Potamogalidae and Tenrecidae (Mammalia) from the Sperrgebiet, Namibia.

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 114-152. Pickford, M., 2015. Late Eocene Chrysochloridae (Mammalia) from the Sperrgebiet, Namibia. Communications

of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 153-193. Pickford, M., 2015. Late Eocene Lorisiform Primate from Eocliff, Sperrgebiet, Namibia. Communications of the

Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 194-199. Pickford, M., 2015. New Titanohyracidae (Hyracoidea: Afrotheria) from the Late Eocene of Namibia.

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 200-214. Pickford, M., 2015. Bothriogenys (Anthracotheriidae) from the Bartonian of Eoridge, Namibia. Communications

of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 215-222. Pickford, M., 2015. Encore Hippo-thèses: Head and neck posture in Brachyodus (Mammalia, Anthracotheriidae)

and its bearing on hippopotamid origins. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 16, 223-262. Pickford, M., Mocke, H. Ségalen, L. & Senut, B. 2016. Update of the Pliocene fauna of the Ekuma Valley,

Etosha, Namibia. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 17, 115-144. Pickford, M., Mocke, H. Senut, B. Ségalen, L. & Mein, P. 2016. Fossiliferous Plio-Pleistocene Cascade Tufas of

Kaokoland, Namibia. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 17, 87-114. Acknowledgements. Authorisation to carry out palaeontological research in the country was provided by the National Monuments Council of Namibia (Mr Karipi). Thanks to the Geological Survey of Namibia and the French Embassy in Windhoek. Funding for the survey was provided by Namdeb, the French CNRS and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Support from the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (M. Portes) is greatly appreciated.

References to Ferricrete in the Sperrgebiet and other relevant literature Barbieri, S., 1968. Sperrgebiet Geological Investigation Report, Swartkopp Mapping Report.

Unpublished Report, The Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa, Ltd, 6 pp. Beetz, W., 1926. Die Tertiärablagerungen der Küstennamib. In: E. Kaiser (Ed.) Die Diamantenwüste

Südwest-Afrikas, 2: 1-54, D. Reimer, Berlin. Böhm, J., 1926. Über Tertiäre Versteinerungen von den Bogenfelser Diamantefeldern. In: E. Kaiser

(Ed.) Die Diamantenwüste Südwest-Afrikas, 2: 55-87, D. Reimer, Berlin. Corbett, I.B., 1989. The Sedimentology of the Diamond Deflation Deposits within the Sperrgebiet,

Namibia. PhD Thesis, University of Cape Town, 430 pp. Du Toit, A.L., 1954. The Geology of South Africa. (3rd Edition), Oliver & Boyd, London, 611 pp. Fowler, J.A., 1970. Report on the mapping of the Klinghardt Mountains. Sperrgebiet Geological

Investigation Report. Unpublished Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd.

Fowler, J.A., & Liddle, R.S., 1970. Sperrgebiet Prospect. Klinghardt Mountains, Unpublished Geological Map, 1 : 36,000. Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd.

Gradstein, F., Ogg, J., & Smith, A., (Eds) 2004. A Geological Time Scale 2004. New York, Cambridge (UK), Cambridge University Press, 589 pp.

Hallam, C.D., 1964. The Geology of the coastal diamond deposits of southern Africa. In: S.H. Haughton (Ed.). The Geology of Some Ore Deposits of Southern Africa. Geological Society of South Africa, 2: 671-728.

Haughton, S.H., 1930a. Note on the occurrence of Upper Cretaceous marine beds in South West Africa. Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, 33: 61-63.

Haughton, S.H., 1930b. On the occurrence of Upper Cretaceous marine fossils near Bogenfels, S.W. Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 18: 361-365.

Jacob, J., Ward, J.D., Bluck, B.J., Scholz, R.A., & Frimmel, H.E., 2006. Some observations on diamondiferous bedrock gully trapsites on Late Cainozoic, marine-cut platforms of the Sperrgebiet, Namibia. Ore Geology Reviews, 28: 493-506.

Kaiser, E., 1926. Die Diamantenwüste Südwestafrikas. D. Reimer, Berlin, Vol. 2, 535 pp. Kaiser, E., & Beetz, W. 1926. Geological Maps In: E. Kaiser (Ed.) Die Diamantenwüste Südwest-

Afrikas. Reimer, Berlin, 2: p. 158. Kalbskopf, S., 1976. Sperrgebiet Geological Investigation, Progress Report, March, 1976. Unpublished

Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd, 3 pp. King, L.C., 1949. On the ages of African land surfaces. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of

London, 104: 438-459. Klinger, H., 1977. Cretaceous deposits near Bogenfels, South West Africa. Annals of the South African

Museum, 73, 81-92. Klinger, H., 2016. Herbie Klinger (retired). Pal-News, 20 (3): 52-53. Liddle, R.S., 1970a. Sperrgebiet Investigation Report, Progress Report for September, 1970.

Unpublished Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd. 3 pp. Liddle, R.S., 1970b. Sperrgebiet Investigation Report, Progress Report for October, 1970. Unpublished

Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd. 3 pp Liddle, R.S., 1970c. Sperrgebiet Investigation Report, Progress Report for November, 1970.

Unpublished Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd. 2 pp. Liddle, R.S., 1971. The Cretaceous deposits of the North West Sperrgebiet. Sperrgebiet Geological

Investigation, Unpublished Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd, (Namdeb archives ref. 78127). 22 pp + 2 annexes of 10 pp.

Merensky, H., 1909. The Diamond deposits of Lüderitzland, German South-West Africa. Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, 12: 13-23.

Miller, R. McG., 2008. Namib Group. In: The Geology of Namibia, Volume 3, Palaeozoic to Cenozoic, Chapter 25, pp. 1-66, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey, Windhoek, Namibia.

Pickford, M., 2008. Arthropod bioconstructions from the Miocene of Namibia and their palaeoclimatic implications. Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 20: 53-64.

Pickford, M., & Senut, B., 1999. Geology and Palaeobiology of the Namib Desert, Southwestern Africa. Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia, 18: 1-155.

Siesser, W.G., 1977. Upper Eocene age of the marine sediments at Bogenfels, South West Africa, based

on nannofossils. In: Papers on Biostratigraphic Research. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of South Africa, 60: 72-74.

Siesser, W.G., & Salmon, D., 1979. Eocene marine sediments in the Sperrgebiet, South-West Africa. Annals of the South African Museum, 79 (2): 9-34.

Stocken, C.G., 1978. A Review of the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic Deposits of the Sperrgebiet, Unpublished Report, Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd, 1-33.

Stromer, E., 1926. Reste land- und süsswasser-bewohnender Wirbeltiere aus den Diamantfeldern Deutsch-Südwestafrikas. In: E. Kaiser (Ed.). Die Diamantenwüste Südwest-Afrikas, 2: 107-153, D. Reimer, Berlin.

Figure 15. Micromammalian fossils from Grillental VI, Sperrgebiet, Namibia. GT 2’16, 3’16, Diamantomys luederitzi maxillae and mandibles; GT 14’16, Protypotheroides beetzi, right mandible (scales : 1 mm).

Figure 16. Ruminants and an ostrich from Grillental VI, Sperrgebiet, Namibia. GT 30’16, associated ruminant post-cranial elements (distal radius, metapodials, carpals and phalanges); GT 72’16, ruminant proximal radio-ulna; GT 54’16, distal tibio-tarsus of Struthio coppensi (scales : 1 cm).

Field Catalogues : 2016 Elisabethfeld EF 01'16 Struthio tarsometatarsus

EF 02'16 Propalaeoryx distal humerus EF 03'16 Propalaeoryx calcaneum

EF 04'16 Ruminant second and third phalanges

EF 05'16 Deinotherium p/4

EF 06'16 Myohyrax maxilla (Dom's patch) EF 07'16 Myohyrax associated jaws and bones

EF 08'16 Ruminant axis

EF 09'16 Carnivore scat with bones

EF 10'16 Myohyrax mandibles EF 11'16 Rodent incisor

EF 12'16 Propalaeoryx metatarsal

EF 13'16 Chelonian two scutes

EF 14'16 Ruminant patella EF 15'16 Pedetidae phalanx

EF 16'16 Myohyrax mandible

EF 17'16 Ruminant third phalanx

EF 18'16 Struthio tarsometatarsus EF 19'16 Ruminant edentulous mandible

EF 20'16 Bird sacrum and associated vertebrae

Fiskus FS 01'16 Ruminant distal tibia

FS 02'16 Amphicyonid mandibular teeth

Grillental GT 01'16 Gastropod shell in matrix GT 6

GT 02'16 Diamantomys palate and mandible GT 6 GT 03'16 Diamantomys skull (associated with 4'16) GT 6

GT 04'16 Rodent calcaneum (found with 3'16) GT 6

GT 05'16 Ruminant distal tibia GT 6

GT 06'16 Ruminant first phalanx GT 6 GT 07'16 Ruminant metatarsal diaphysis GT 6

GT 08'16 Ruminant sesamoid GT 6

GT 09'16 Ruminant talus GT 6

GT 10'16 Ruminant metapodial pulley GT 6 GT 11'16 Bathyergoides mandible GT 6

GT 12'16 Diamantomys mandible GT 6

GT 13'16 Bird coracoid GT 6

GT 14'16 Protypotheroides mandible GT 6 GT 15'16 Frog bones GT 6

GT 16'16 Small mammal bones GT 6

GT 17'16 Small mammal calcaneum GT 6

GT 18'16 Rodent incisors GT 6 GT 19'16 Small mammal talus GT 6

GT 20'16 Bird bone GT 6

GT 21'16 Bird bone GT 6

GT 22'16 Frog skull GT 6 GT 23'16 Frog skull GT 6

GT 24'16 Suidae half premolar GT 6

GT 25'16 Small mammal skull fragments GT 6

GT 26'16 Tsondabornis eggshell fragment GT 6 GT 27'16 Bathyergidae mandible GT 6

GT 28'16 Bird bone GT 6

GT 29'16 Bird bone GT 6

GT 30'16 Ruminant fragments of skeleton GT 6 GT 31'16 Myohyrax mandible GT 6

GT 32'16 Rodent calcaneum GT 6

GT 33'16 Myohyrax premolar GT 6

GT 34'16 Rodent incisors GT 6

GT 35'16 Small mammal two metapodials GT 6

GT 36'16 Rodent phalanx (found close to 35'16) GT 6 GT 37'16 Tsondabornis eggshell fragment GT 6

GT 38'16 Rodent mandible GT 6

GT 39'16 Small mammal proximal ulna GT 6

GT 40'16 Small mammal fragments of skeleton GT 6 GT 41'16 Frog proximal humerus GT 6

GT 42'16 Small mammal pelvis GT 6

GT 43'16 Ruminant distal tibia GT 6

GT 44'16 Carnivore coprolites GT 6 GT 45'16 Ruminant carpal GT 6

GT 46'16 Ruminant carpal GT 6

GT 47'16 Ruminant carpal GT 6

GT 48'16 Ruminant carpal GT 6 GT 49'16 Small mammal lumbar and caudal vertebre GT 6

GT 50'16 Gastropod shells GT 6

GT 51'16 Ruminant humerus GT 6

GT 52'16 Ruminant fibula GT 6 GT 53'16 Tsondabornis eggshell fragment GT 6

GT 54'16 Struthio distal tibio-tarsus GT 6

GT 55'16 Ruminant metapodial pulley GT Borrow Pit

GT 56'16 Ruminant first phalanx GT 1 GT 57'16 Chelonian scute GT 1

GT 58'16 Bathyergidae mandible GT 1

GT 59'16 Rodent incisor GT 1

GT 60'16 Diamantomys mandible GT 6 GT 61'16 Frog two humeri GT 6

GT 62'16 Small mammal caudal vertebrae GT 6

GT 63'16 Rodent talus GT 6

GT 64'16 Frog skull GT 6 GT 65'16 Rhinocerotidae enamel GT 6

GT 66'16 Small mammal talus GT 6

GT 67'16 Small mammal calcanea GT 6

GT 68'16 Namibiomeryx first phalanx GT 6 GT 69'16 Rodent incisors GT 6

GT 70'16 Ruminant sesamoid GT 6

GT 71'16 Artiodactyl fragmentary humerus GT 6

GT 72'16 Ruminant radio-ulna GT 6 GT 73'16 Lymnaea ferruginised shell GT 6

GT 74'16 Small mammal bones GT 6

GT 75'16 Ruminant distal femur GT 6

GT 76'16 Apodecter mandible both sides GT 6 GT 77'16 Frog bone GT 6

Langental LT 01'16 Chelonian phalanx

LT 02'16 Tragulid patella

LT 03'16 Ruminant first phalanx

LT 04'16 Ruminant second phalanx LT 05'16 Protypotheroides mandible

LT 06'16 Frog two skulls

LT 07'16 Chelonian two scutes

LT 08'16 Ruminant sesamoid LT 09'16 Prohyrax upper molar

LT 10'16 Rodent mandible

LT 11'16 Tragulid second phalanx

LT 12'16 Diamantomys mandible LT 13'16 Prohyrax maxillary and mandibular teeth

LT 14'16 Chelonian scute

LT 15'16 Protypotheroides upper molar

LT 16'16 Tsondabornis eggshell fragment

LT 17'16 Protypotheroides mandible

LT 18'16 Rodent incisors

LT 19'16 Rodent metapodial LT 20'16 Ruminant sesamoid

LT 21'16 Chelonian scute

LT 22'16 Ruminant proximal radius

LT 23'16 Rhinocerotidae enamel LT 24'16 Ruminant proximal tibia

LT 25'16 Chelonian scutes

LT 26'16 Propalaeoryx mandible

LT 27'16 Diamantohyus maxilla with Cf/ and P1/ LT 28'16 Frog skull

LT 29'16 Frog bone

LT 30'16 Ruminant third phalanx

LT 31'16 Protypotheroides molar LT 32'16 Ruminant sesamoid

LT 33'16 Artiodactyl (?suid) half second phalanx

LT 34'16 Propalaeoryx distal humerus

LT 35'16 Ruminant distal end first phalanx LT 36'16 Suidae associated foot bones

LT 37'16 Protypotheroides left mandible

LT 38'16 Protypotheroides left mandible

LT 39'16 Paraphiomys mandible LT 40'16 Propalaeoryx upper molar

LT 41'16 Ruminant fibula

LT 42'16 Ruminant carpal

LT 43'16 Protypotheroides teeth LT 44'16 Ruminant sesamoid

LT 45'16 Ruminant carpal

LT 46'16 Ruminant carpal

LT 47'16 Rodent distal humerus LT 48'16 Pomonomys maxilla

LT 49'16 Prohyrax maxilla with M2/-M3/

LT 50'16 Diamantomys mandible

LT 51'16 Ruminant metapodial pulley LT 52'16 Ruminant sesamoid

LT 53'16 Sanitheriidae tibia

LT 54'16 Sanitheriidae lateral metapodial

LT 55'16 Protypotheroides mandible LT 56'16 Ruminant sesamoid

LT 57'16 Snake vertebra

LT 58'16 Ruminant upper molar

LT 59'16 Ruminant magnum LT 60'16 Bathyergoides maxilla and mandible

LT 61'16 Small mammal two humeral diaphyses

LT 62'16 Ruminant distal tibia

LT 63'16 Tragulid scaphoid LT 64'16 Tragulid third phalanx

LT 65'16 Ruminant carpal

LT 66'16 Ruminant second phalanx

LT 67'16 Ruminant mandible with tooth LT 68'16 Ruminant first phalanx

LT 69'16 Mammal bone (taphonomy)

LT 70'16 Ruminant half navicular-cuboid

LT 71'16 Suidae maxilla (no teeth) LT 72'16 Rodent distal humerus

LT 73'16 Ruminant proximal metatarsal

LT 74'16 Bathyergidae edentulous maxilla

LT 75'16 Snake vertebra LT 76'16 Chelonian scute

LT 77'16 Ruminant metapodial pulley

LT 78'16 Protypotheroides mandible

LT 79'16 Rodent mandible

LT 80'16 Bathyergoides mandible

LT 81'16 Chelonian scute LT 82'16 Frog skull

LT 83'16 Ruminant upper molar (associated with 84)

LT 84'16 Ruminant upper molar (associated with 83)

LT 85'16 Diamantomys left and right mandibles LT 86'16 Diamantomys tooth

LT 87'16 Rhinocerotidae enamel

LT 88'16 Chelonian scute and bone

LT 89'16 Protypotheroides molar LT 90'16 Protypotheroides mandible

LT 91'16 Protypotheroides i/2

LT 92'16 Rodent edentulous mandible

LT 93'16 Rodent calcaneum LT 94'16 Ruminant pisiform

LT 95'16 Frog skull

LT 96'16 Myohyrax upper molar

LT 97'16 Mammal tooth fragments LT 98'16 Frog bone

LT 99'16 Small mammal proximal tibia

LT 100'16 Sanitheriidae mandible

LT 101'16 Ruminant first phalanx LT 102'16 Ruminant p/4

LT 103'16 Myohyrax two mandible fragments

Figure 17. Fossil vertebrates from Fiskus and Elisabethfeld, Sperrgebiet, Namibia. EF 1’16 and EF 18’16, Struthio coppensi tarsometatarsus; EF 5’16, premolar of Deinotherium hobleyi; EF 7’16, associated skeletal remains of Myohyrax oswaldi; FS 2’16, Amphicyonid lower m/2 (scales : 1 cm).

Figure 18. Diamantohyus africanus from Langental, Namibia. LT 100’16, juvenile left mandible; LT 27’16, right maxilla with canine and P1/ (scales : 1 cm).