Browsing by Author "Dingle, Richard"

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    The holocene ostracods of the Agulhas Bank, South Africa : their classification, distribution and ecology
    (1995) Conway-Physick, Jessica Ann; Dingle, Richard; Rogers, John
    An analysis of the Holocene ostracod fauna of the Agulhas Bank has been carried out on seventy-three surficial sediment samples. Sixty-six species of Ostracoda have been recorded, of which fifty-nine species are accounted for in forty genera and the remaining seven species are of indeterminate classification. The species are described and their distribution and ecology is given. An. analysis of the sedimentology, as well as an oceanographic analysis of the bottom water on the Agulhas Bank, has provided environmental parameters for each sediment sample location, enabling relationships to be described between ostracod faunas and environmental conditions. Quantitative factor analysis has been carried out on the twenty-four most abundant species, generating seven factor associations relating ostracod assemblages to a set of environmental parameters. The independent variables analyzed were the temperature, salinity and dissolved-oxygen content of the bottom water, as well as the sand content of the sediment. Contour maps of these variables have been drawn up using SADCO data for the oceanographic variables, and the sediment samples to calculate the sand content. The overall oceanography of the Agulhas Bank has been analyzed by relating the environmental parameters generated at each location to the water masses present on the shelf, and to the oceanic currents affecting them. Finally, the seven factor associations generated have been related directly to the substrate types, the water masses, and the currents present on the Agulhas Bank.
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    Palaeogene ostracods from the South African continental shelf
    (1987) Frewin, J; Dingle, Richard
    92 cytheracean species, representing 44 genera are recorded from the Palaeogene Agulhas Bank and west coast margin of South Africa. 11 genera and 3 species are common with the Upper Cretaceous faunas. 12 genera (18 species) are left in open nomenclature. The following genera are represented:- Bythoceratina, Incongruellina, Ruggieria, Eucythere, Krithe, Parakrithe, Eucytherura, Cytheropteron, Ambostracon, Urocythereis, Muellerina, Leguminocythereis, Loxoconcha, Schlerochilus, Poseidonamicus, Bradleya, Agrenocythere, Australileberis, Chrysocythere, Costa, Echinocythereis, Haughtonileberis, Henryhowella, Parvacythereis, Phacorhabdotus, Soudanella, Stigmatocythere, Togoina, Trachyleberis, Veenia, Atlanticythere, Xestoleberis. Data on South African Cretaceous and Palaeogene ostracod faunas are discussed in terms of: faunal associations for the South African Palaeogene JC-1, Agulhas Bank and west coast provinces; characteristic species of Upper Eocene and Upper Eocene to Oligocene strata; generic variations across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Palaeo-environmental trends from a Cytheracea, Cypridacea + Bairdiacea, Cytherellidae (CCBC) plot indicate a sea level change from <100m (Palaeocene- Eocene), to shallower water with restricted circulation (Upper Eocene) to moderate depth, 100 - 200m (Lower Oligocene). South African faunas are compared with those from adjacent Palaeogene ostracod faunal provinces. Strong generic links occur with West Africa (8 genera in common) and Pakistan (9 genera in common) with only 3 genera in common with Australia and 3 with Argentina.
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    Tectonic and sedimentary history of the Mid-Natal Valley (S.W. Indian Ocean)
    (1986) Goodlad, Stephen W; Goodlad, Stephen W; Dingle, Richard; Dingle, Richard
    The Natal Valley is a sediment-filled marine basin situated between the east coast of southern Africa (Natal) and the Mozambique Ridge. Geophysical and sedimentological techniques are used in a broad geological study of the mid Natal Valley. Major emphasis is directed to: (a) basin history and tectonic evolution; (b) seismic stratigraphy of the basin fill; (c) recent sedimentary processes and responses. General basin morphology is defined by five major physiographic provinces: continental shelf and slope, Tugela Cone, Central Terrace, Mozambique Ridge and deep basin plain. Thinned (20-25 km) continental crust, attenuated and subsided in response to Gondwana rifting and drifting, underlies the Central Terrace, Tugela Cone and Mozambique Ridge. Southern margins of the Central Terrace and Tugela Cone are cored by a series of subsea floor ridge and pinnacle complexes (Naude, East Tugela and South Tugela Ridges). Geochemical analyses of East Tugela Ridge basalts suggest a transitional origin but with continental affinities. These volcanic marginal ridges may approximately delineate the continental-oceanic crust boundary (COB) in the Natal Valley. To the south, the deep basin plain is underlain by oceanic crust.