Unlocking Gondwana's 120-million-year archive: Karoo record refines timing of extinctions and climate upheavals

A new review by professor Emese Bordy at the University of Cape Town's Department of Geological Sciences delves into the Karoo Supergroup, a 120-million-year-old archive of Earth's history. Over the past two decades, this iconic geological formation has been the subject of extensive research, revealing a more complex and fascinating story than previously understood.

The Karoo, which encompasses the Late Carboniferous to Early Jurassic periods, preserves evidence of climatic changes, volcanic and tectonic activity, ecosystem turnover, and several major extinction events.

Bordy emphasizes that the deeper researchers delve into the Karoo, the more intricate and captivating its history becomes. While the review is not the final word on the Karoo, it serves as a progress report on an extraordinary geological archive that continues to provide valuable insights into Earth's past. The Karoo Supergroup's significance extends beyond paleontology, as the rock layers also inform us about groundwater resources, potential for critical minerals, and carbon storage.