Beaufort Group

The Beaufort Group is the third of the main subdivisions of the Karoo Supergroup of geological strata in Southern Africa. It follows conformably after the Ecca Group and consists essentially of sandstones and shales, deposited in the Karoo Basin from the Middle Permian to the early part of the Middle Triassic Periods.

Fossils of tetrapods, especially therapsids, are common, and the vertebrate biostratigraphy has been mapped out in detail, beginning with the work of Robert Broom at the start of the 20th century and developed and revised a number of times since. Currently eight faunal zones are recognised, tracing the development of terrestrial life through the Permo-Triassic, and named after a characteristic genus that serves as an index fossil.

From earliest to latest (descending age order) these are:


 * Eodicynodon Assemblage Zone
 * Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone
 * Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone
 * Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone
 * Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone
 * Dicynodon Assemblage Zone
 * Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone
 * Cynognathus Assemblage Zone

The Beaufort Group deposits also yield numerous plant and insect fossils.