Manda Formation

One of the first to study rocks of the Manda Formation was British geologist G. M. Stockley. In 1932, Stockley explored the geology of the Ruhuhu Basin in Tanzania. He called a series of layers dating from the Late Carboniferous to the Middle Triassic the Songea Series and divided it into eight units labelled K1-K8. Stockley was also the first to describe fossils from these rocks, naming an older layer the "Lower Bone Bed" and a younger layer the "Upper Bone Bed".

In 1957, paleontologist Alan J. Charig described many more fossils from the bone beds in his Ph.D. thesis for the University of Cambridge.Charig, A. J. (1957). New Triassic archosaurs from Tanganyika, including Mandasuchus and Teleocrater: Dissertation Abstracts. Cambridge University.{{Cite journal | last1 = Nesbitt | first1 = S. J. | last2 = Butler | first2 = R. J. | s2cid = 129115107 | doi = 10.1017/S0016756812000362 | title = Redescription of the archosaur Parringtonia gracilis from the Middle Triassic Manda beds of Tanzania, and the antiquity of Erpetosuchidae | journal = Geological Magazine | pages = 225–238 | year = 2012 | volume=150| issue = 2 }} Charig renamed the youngest of Stockley's units in 1963, calling unit K6 the Kawinga Formation, K7 the Kingori Sandstones, and K8 the Manda Formation. Fossils were identified in many strata, invalidating Stockley's division into two distinct bone beds. Since Charig's description, the Kawinga Formation has been renamed the Usili Formation, the Kingori Sandstones have become the Kingori Sandstone Member of the Manda Formation, and Charig's original Manda Formation has become a subunit of the formation called the Lifua Member. Six formations and one informal unit are currently recognized in the Songea Group (Ruhuhu basin) rocks range in age from Pennsylvanian to Anisian, including the Idusi (K1), Mchuchuma (K2), Mbuyura (K3), Mhukuru (K4), Ruhuhu (K5), and Usili (K6) formations and the informal Manda Beds, which include the Kingori Sandstone (K7) and Lifua Member (K8).{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1080/02724631003758086| title = Tetrapod fauna of the lowermost Usili Formation (Songea Group, Ruhuhu Basin) of southern Tanzania, with a new burnetiid record| journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology| volume = 30| issue = 3| pages = 696–703| year = 2010| last1 = Sidor | first1 = C. A. | last2 = Angielczyk | first2 = K. D. | last3 = Weide † | first3 = D. M. | last4 = Smith | first4 = R. M. H. | last5 = Nesbitt | first5 = S. J. | last6 = Tsuji | first6 = L. A. | bibcode = 2010JVPal..30..696S| s2cid = 55397720| url = http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/375| url-access = subscription }}

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The upper Manda Beds have been assigned to the Perovkan LVF based on reports that Eryosuchus,{{Cite journal |last=Damiani |first=Ross J. |date=2001-12-01 |title=A systematic revision and phylogenetic analysis of Triassic mastodonsauroids (Temnospondyli: Stereospondyli) |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=133 |issue=4 |pages=379–482 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2001.tb00635.x |issn=0024-4082|doi-access=free }} Shansiodon,{{Cite journal |last1=Surkov |first1=Mikhail V. |last2=Benton |first2=Michael J. |date=2004 |title=The basicranium of dicynodonts (Synapsida) and its use in phylogenetic analysis |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=619–638 |doi=10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00382.x |s2cid=84244568 |issn=1475-4983|doi-access=free |bibcode=2004Palgy..47..619S }} Angonisaurus, and Scalenodon{{Cite journal |last=Crompton |first=Alfred Walker |date=1972 |title=Postcanine occlusion in cynodonts and tritylodontids |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36951686#page/65/mode/1up |journal=Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=29–71 |via=}} were present.{{Cite journal |last=Lucas |first=Spencer G. |date=2010-01-01 |title=The Triassic timescale based on nonmarine tetrapod biostratigraphy and biochronology |url=https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/334/1/447 |journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications |language=en |volume=334 |issue=1 |pages=447–500 |doi=10.1144/SP334.15 |bibcode=2010GSLSP.334..447L |s2cid=128911449 |issn=0305-8719|url-access=subscription }} Angonisaurus does seem to tie the Manda Beds to subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone in the Karoo Basin.{{Cite journal |last1=Hancox |first1=P. John |last2=Angielczyk |first2=Kenneth D. |last3=Rubidge |first3=Bruce S. |date=2013-05-01 |title=Angonisaurus and Shansiodon, dicynodonts (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (Middle Triassic) of South Africa |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2013.723551 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=655–676 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2013.723551 |bibcode=2013JVPal..33..655H |s2cid=128538910 |issn=0272-4634 |via=|url-access=subscription }} However, the relations of the other Tanzanian taxa are more ambiguous. Purported Tanzanian "Eryosuchus" and "Shansiodon" specimens likely represent new genera unrelated to their supposed namesakes,{{cite journal |last=Schoch |first=Rainer |date=2008 |title=The Capitosauria (Amphibia): characters, phylogeny, and stratigraphy |url=http://www.palaeodiversity.org/pdf/01/Palaeodiversity_1_13_189-226.pdf |journal=Palaeodiversity |volume=1 |pages=189–226}} while Scalenodon may be endemic to Africa due to the uncertain relations of non-African "Scalenodon" species.{{Citation |last1=Liu |first1=Jun |title=Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Traversodontidae |date=2014 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6841-3_15 |work=Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida |volume= |pages=255–279 |editor-last=Kammerer |editor-first=Christian F. |series=Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-6841-3_15 |isbn=978-94-007-6841-3 |last2=Abdala |first2=Fernando |editor2-last=Angielczyk |editor2-first=Kenneth D. |editor3-last=Fröbisch |editor3-first=Jörg|url-access=subscription }} One Upper Manda cynodont, Aleodon, has also been found in the Dinodontosaurus assemblage zone of the Santa Maria Formation in Brazil.{{Cite journal |last1=Martinelli |first1=Agustín G. |last2=Kammerer |first2=Christian F. |last3=Melo |first3=Tomaz P. |last4=Neto |first4=Voltaire D. Paes |last5=Ribeiro |first5=Ana Maria |last6=Da-Rosa |first6=Átila A. S. |last7=Schultz |first7=Cesar L. |last8=Soares |first8=Marina Bento |date=2017-06-14 |title=The African cynodont Aleodon (Cynodontia, Probainognathia) in the Triassic of southern Brazil and its biostratigraphic significance |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=e0177948 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0177948 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=5470689 |pmid=28614355|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1277948M }}

• Geology of Tanzania
• Beaufort Group
• Omingonde Formation

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Category:Triassic System of Africa

Category:Triassic Tanzania

Category:Anisian Stage

Category:Sandstone formations

Category:Siltstone formations

Category:Marl formations

Category:Deltaic deposits

Category:Fluvial deposits

Category:Lacustrine deposits

Category:Paleontology in Tanzania

Category:Mudstone formations