Omingonde Formation
| Omingonde Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: | |
Waterberg Plateau in Namibia | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Endothiodon AZ–Cynognathus AZ; (Karoo Supergroup) |
| Sub-units | Lower, middle, upper |
| Underlies | Etjo Sandstone |
| Overlies | Damara basement |
| Thickness | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, siltstone |
| Other | Shale, conglomerate |
| Location | |
| Location | Damaraland |
| Coordinates | 21°06′S 16°30′E / 21.1°S 16.5°E |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 53°36′S 11°42′W / 53.6°S 11.7°W |
| Region | Erongo & Otjozondjupa Regions |
| Country | Namibia |
| Extent | Waterberg Basin |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Omingonde water well |
Geologic map of Namibia with the Omingonde Formation partly cropping out in the north-central area (orange) | |
The Omingonde Formation is a Late Permian (Wuchiapingian) to Middle Triassic (Ladinian) geologic formation, part of the Karoo Supergroup, in the western Otjozondjupa Region and northeastern Erongo Region of north-central Namibia. The formation has a maximum thickness of about 600 metres (2,000 ft) and comprises sandstones, shales, siltstones and conglomerates, was deposited in a fluvial environment, alternating between a meandering and braided river setting.
The Omingonde Formation is correlated with a series of formations in northwestern Argentina and the Paraná Basin in southeastern Brazil, deposited in a larger basinal area, 120 million years before the break-up of Pangea. The lower part of the formation has yielded fossils of a gorgonopsian and dicynodont, and can be assigned to the upper part of the Endothiodon Assemblage Zone. The upper part of the formation has provided fossils of several therapsids, amphibians, and ichnofossils and belongs to the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone. The Omingonde Formation preserves the most diverse fauna of Middle Triassic cynodonts in the world.