Eriksson, Patrick GeorgeBartman, R.D. (Reynard Dirk)Catuneanu, OctavianMazumder, RajatLenhardt, Nils2012-06-122012-06-122012-07P.G. Eriksson, R. Bartman, O. Catuneanu, R. Mazumder & N. Lenhardt, A case study of microbial mat-related features in coastal epeiric sandstones from the Paleoproterozoic Pretoria group (Transvaal supergroup, Kaapvaal craton, South Africa) : the effect of preservation (reflecting sequence stratigraphic models) on the relationship between mat features and inferred paleoenvironment, Sedimentary Geology, vol. 263-264, no.7, pp.67-75 (2012), doi: 10.1016/j/sedgeo.2011.08.0060037-0738 (print)1879-0968 (online)10.1016/j/sedgeo.2011.08.006http://hdl.handle.net/2263/19151The Magaliesberg Formation sandstones within the upper part of the Pretoria Group are interpreted as a second-order highstand systems tract within an overall clastic epeiric marine setting, where episodic braided fluvial systems fed sediment directly into a tidally dominated coastline setting. Mat-related features are abundantly preserved within the inferred tidal flat and supratidal deposits. The Daspoort Formation sandstones at a lower stratigraphic level are ascribed to a closely analogous palaeoenvironmental setting, yet have hardly any preserved mat features at all; they are ascribed to a second-order transgressive systems tract in a sequence stratigraphic framework. During highstand the depositional systems are inferred to have aggraded, thus preserving the mat-related features formed in Magaliesberg intertidal-supratidal environments. During second-order transgression, the formation of the wave/tidal ravinement surface in the subtidal/intertidal environments largely obliterated the features of the Daspoort intertidal and supratidal environments, leading to a paucity of mat-related structures in the preserved Daspoort succession. This case study thus supports the application of mat-related features to integrated palaeoenvironmental and sequence stratigraphic analysis, while emphasizing the role of preservation.en© 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Paleoproterozoic Pretoria groupMat-related featuresPalaeoenvironmentsSystems tractsMicrobial mats -- South Africa -- Pretoria GroupEpeirogeny -- South Africa -- Pretoria GroupSequence stratigraphyPostprint Article