Dl. Jones et al., Age of the Batoka basalts, northern Zimbabwe, and the duration of Karoo Large Igneous Province magmatism, GEOCH GEO G, 2, 2001, pp. NIL_1-NIL_14
Analysis of the Batoka Basalts exposed in the Zambezi Gorge some 40 km east
of Victoria Falls characterizes them as high Fe, moderately high Ti, and l
ow K, P, and Zr tholeiites. The Ar-40-Ar-39 age determinations are tightly
clustered at 180-179 Ma. All of the lavas that were sampled have normal pal
eomagnetic polarity, and the corresponding pole position is 63.9 degreesN,
260.6 degreesE, A(95) = 14.9 degrees. In South Africa, Lesotho, and Namibia
the vase majority of Karoo basalts were extruded at 183 +/- 1 Ma with some
as young as 179 Ma [Duncan et al., 1997]. Paleomagnetic and geochemical co
rrelation of the similar to 179 Ma rocks between Zimbabwe and Lebombo suppo
rts the conclusion that the age difference is real and hence confirms the e
stimate of similar to5 Myr for the duration of emplacement of the Karoo Lar
ge Igneous Province.