Pergamon JoumslofAfricm Earth Sciences, zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTS Vol. 29, No. 1. pp. 91-104, 1999 Pll:SO899-5362(99)00082-2 B 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0699.5362/99 S- see front matter A comparative study of the geology, petrology and palynology of Permian coals in Tanzania and southern Brazil WOLFGANG KALKREUTH,‘,* MICHAEL HOLZ,’ MIRIAM CAZZULO-KLEPZIG,’ MARLENI MARQUES-TOIGO,’ JOHN UTTING* and PASCAL SEMKIWA3 ‘Institute de Geoci&xias, UFRGS, Av. Bento Goncalves, 9500, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 2Geological Survey of Canada (Calgary), 3303rd Street NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2L 2A7 3Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Mineral Resources Department, PO Box 903, Dodoma, Tanzania ABSTRACT-Preliminary results are presented on a comparative study of two Permian coal- bearing successions in the Parana Basin of Brazil and in the Rukwa Basin of Tanzania. The sedimentary fill of the intra-cratonic Parana Basin of Brazil was controlled by eustatic-tectonic events, which are reflected in the coal-bearing Early Permian succession by four third-order depositional sequences. In Tanzania, coal-bearing strata formed in small disconnected graben structures associated with the East African Rift System. Comparison of the stratigraphy of the two basins suggests that Early Permian tectonic activity was Gondwana-wide, as evidenced by a major unconformity at the top of the ldusi and ltarare formations. Palynomorph assemblages in the two basins are similar and suggest that the Scheuringipollenites and Scheuringipollenites/Protohaploxypinus assemblages (K2 interval) from Tanzania are correlative with the Caheniasaccites ovatus Sub-zone of Brazil. The age for the coal-bearing strata is Artinskian to Kungarian(?). Many coal seams in the two basins have common compositional features, such as high inertinite and mineral matter contents. Based on facies critical macerals and derived ratios (Tissue Preservation Index, Gelification Index) a lower delta plain/back barrier depositional setting is suggested for the Parana Basin coals in the southern area, whereas compositional data for the coals in the Rukwa Basin of Tanzania suggest coal formation in an upper delta plain depositional setting. @1999 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved. RESUME-Nous presentons les resultats preliminaires de I’btude comparative de deux sequences permiennes a charbon du Bassin du Parana (Bresil) et du Bassin de Rukwa (Tanzanie). Le remplissage sedimentaire du bassin intra-cratonique du Parana (Bresil) a et6 contr816 par des Bvenements eustatiques et tectoniques, ce qui se reflete dans la succession a charbon du Permien inferieur par quatre sequences de depot du troisieme ordre. En Tanzanie, les strates a charbon se sont formees dans de petites structures en graben deconnectees et associees au systeme du Rift Est Africain. La comparaison de la stratigraphie des deux bassins suggere que I’activite tectonique du Permien inferieur Btait a l’echelle du gondwana, comme le montre la discordance majeure au sommet des formations d’ldusi et d’ltarare. Les associations palynomorphes semblables des deux bassins suggerent que les assemblages de Tanzanie a Scheuringipollinites et ScheuringipolleniteslProtohaploxypinus (intervalle K2) se correlent avec la Sous-Zone du Bresil a Caheniasaccites ovatus. L’bge des niveaux a charbon est Artinskien a Kungarienf?). *Corresponding author wkalk@if.ufrgs.br (W. Kalkreuth) Journal of African Earth Sciences 9 1