IDENTIFICATION OF A FOSSIL WOOD SPECIMEN IN THE RED SANDSTONE GROUP OF SOUTHWESTERN TANZANIA - STRATIGRAPHICAL AND TECTONIC IMPLICATIONS

A piece of silicified fossil wood was found in the middle part of the Red Sandstone Group of the Songwe-Kiwira area, north of Lake Malawi (N yasa) in the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. It is ide ntified as Pahudioxylon Chowdhury et al., 1960. Until now, Pahudioxylo n has been strictly restricted to the Cenozoic. The occurrence of Pahu dioxylon in the Red Beds Formation supports a Cenozoic (Miocene) age r ather than a Mesozoic age for this formation. Comparison with a collec tion of modern species gives information about the environmental condi tions of deposition of the Red Sandstone Group. A discussion follows o n the significance of the Red Sandstone Group during the Rukwa-Malawi Rift development. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited.