Elisabeth Bay Formation

The Elisabeth Bay Formation, alternatively spelled as Elizabeth Bay Formation, is an Early Miocene (Aquitanian to Burdigalian, around 21 Ma)[1] geologic formation in the Sperrgebiet, ǁKaras Region of southwestern Namibia, overlying the Blaubok Conglomerate.[2] The freshwater green and red siltstones, sandstones, intercalations of conglomerates and claystones of the formation were deposited in a fluvial environment,[3] infilling a paleovalley incised during the Oligocene low sea stand, which backfilled during the Burdigalian marine transgression.[1] The Elisabeth Bay Formation provides many fossil mammals, snakes and other reptiles.

Elisabeth Bay Formation Stratigraphic range: Aquitanian-Burdigalian ~21 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Overlies	Blaubok Conglomerate
Lithology
Primary	Siltstone
Other	Sandstone, claystone, conglomerate
Location
Coordinates	27.0°S 15.3°E
Approximate paleocoordinates	27.9°S 12.8°E
Region	ǁKaras Region
Country	Namibia
Extent	Sperrgebiet
Type section
Named for	Elizabeth Bay
Elisabeth Bay Formation (Namibia)

Fossil content

The following fossils are reported from the formation:[4][5][6]

Mammals

• Afrosmilus africanus
• Apodecter stromeri[1]
• Bathyergoides neotertiarius[1]
• Diamantomys luederitzi[1]
• Leptoplesictis senutae
• Metapterodon kaiseri
• Miohyrax oswaldi[1]
• Namasector soriae
• Parapedetes namaquensis[1]
• Promicrogale namibiensis[7]
• Isohyaenodon sp.
• Ysengrinia sp.
• Viverridae indet.

Reptiles

• cf. Python
• Amphisbaenia indet.
• Boidae indet.
• Colubridae indet.
• Colubroidea indet.
• Gekkonidae indet.
• Lacertilia indet.
• Viperidae indet.

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Namibia
• Geology of Namibia
• Penguin Islands

References

1. Pickford, 2018, p.88
2. Dauteuil et al., 2018, p.6
3. Elisabeth Bay Formation at Fossilworks.org
4. Elisabethfeld at Fossilworks.org
5. Grillental 6 at Fossilworks.org
6. Grillental at Fossilworks.org
7. Pickford, 2018, p.89

Bibliography

• Dauteuil, Olivier; Carole Picart; François Guillocheau; Martin Pickford, and Brigitte Senut. 2018. Cenozoic deformation and geomorphic evolution of the Sperrgebiet (Southern Namibia). Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia 18. 1–18. Accessed 2018-08-26.
• Pickford, Martin. 2018. Tenrecoid mandible from Elisabethfeld (Early Miocene) Namibia. Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia 18. 87–92. Accessed 2018-08-26.

Further reading

• J.-C. Rage. 2008. Squamate reptiles from the Lower Miocene of the Sperrgebiet, Namibia. In M. Pickford and B. Senut (eds.), Geology and palaeobiology of the northern Sperrgebiet, Namibia. Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia (Ministry of Mines and Energy, Windhoek) 20:93-103