Third-order
sequence
stratigraphic analy
si
s of the Early Permian marine to continental facie
s of the Karoo Ba
sin provide
s a ca
se
study for the
sedimentation pattern
s which may develop in an underfilled foreland
sy
stem that i
s controlled by a combination of
supra- and
sublitho
spheric load
s. The tectonic regime during the accumulation of the
studied
section wa
s dominated by the flexural rebound of the foreland
sy
stem in re
spon
se to orogenic quie
scence in the Cape Fold Belt, which re
sulted in foredeep uplift and forebulge
sub
sidence. Coupled with flexural tectonic
s, additional accommodation wa
s created by dynamic loading related to the proce
ss of
subduction underneath the ba
sin. The long-wavelength dynamic loading led to the
sub
sidence of the peripheral bulge below ba
se level, which allowed for
sediment accumulation acro
ss the entire foreland
sy
stem.
A succession of five basinwide regressive systems tracts accumulated during the Artinskian (src=""http://www.sciencedirect.com/scidirimg/entities/223c.gif"" alt=""not, vert, similar"" border=0>5 My), consisting of foredeep submarine fans and correlative forebulge deltas. The progradation of submarine fans and deltaic systems was controlled by coeval forced and normal regressions of the proximal and distal shorelines of the Ecca interior seaway respectively. The deposition of each regressive systems tract was terminated by basinwide transgressive episodes, that may be related to periodic increases in the rates of long-wavelength dynamic subsidence.