Balfour Formation
The Balfour Formation is a geological formation that is found in the Beaufort Group, a major geological group that forms part of the greater Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. The Balfour Formation is the uppermost formation of the Adelaide Subgroup which contains all the Late Permian - Early Triassic aged biozones of the Beaufort Group. Outcrops and exposures of the Balfour Formation are found from east of 24 degrees in the highest mountainous escarpments between Beaufort West and Fraserburg, but most notably in the Winterberg and Sneeuberg mountain ranges near Cradock, the Baviaanskloof river valley, Graaff-Reniet and Nieu Bethesda in the Eastern Cape, and in the southern Free State province.
| Balfour Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Lopingian - Induan | |
Outcrops of the Balfour Formation are found in the hillsides surrounding Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape, South Africa | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Adelaide Subgroup, Beaufort Group |
| Sub-units | Oudeberg Member, Daggaboersnek Member, Ripplemead Member, Elandsberg Member, Palingkloof Member |
| Underlies | Katberg Formation |
| Overlies | Middleton Formation |
| Thickness | up to 2,150 m (7,050 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Mudstone, siltstone |
| Other | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Region | Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State |
| Country | South Africa |
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