Depositional palaeoenvironments of the coal-bearing Permian Vryheid Formation in the east Witbank Coalfield, South Africa

The co-existence of braided fluvial systems and coal is relatively uncommon as these settings are not usually conducive for extensive peat accumulation. Climatic control, however, played an important role as sedimentation occurred during glacial retreat of the continental Dwyka ice sheets. The bed-load fluvial systems higher in the succession reflect deposition in a proximal setting near to the granitic source terrane of the northern basin margin. -from Authors