Facies architecture and depositional dynamics of the Upper Permian Rangal Coal Measures

dation in a retroarc foreland basin setting. They reflect peatland de-position towards the close of a long-lived climatic regime that came to an abrupt termination at the Permian–Triassic boundary, which is well developed in the Newlands mine highwall and adjoining borefield. Six lithofacies are represented in the Newlands district: (1) erosionally based, vertically stacked, ribbon and sheet-like sandstone bodies (up to 30 m thick and 1000 m wide); (2) heterolithic lobes and wedges; (3) interbedded siltstone and sandstone sheets; (4) interlaminated clay-stone and coal stringers; (5) laterally extensive bituminous coal sheets; and (6) laterally extensive laminated carbonaceous siltstone sheets. This facies assemblage is interpreted to correspond to six alluvial, cold-climate depositional environments: (1) trunk river channels and cre-vasse feeder channels; (2) levee bank–proximal crevasse splay; (3) dis-tal splay–overbank; (4) marsh; (5) peat mire and (6) floodbasin lake, respectively. The sequence architecture at Newlands reveals that a pro