The Molteno Formation is a palaeontological

Paleontology

Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...

 formation of the Stormberg Group

Stormberg Group

The Stormberg Group is the name given to the sedimentary geological formations found in Karoo Basin region of Southern Africa, immediately above the Beaufort Group...

, located in the main Karoo (Gondwana) Basin

Karoo Supergroup

The Karoo Supergroup is the largest stratigraphic unit in Southern Africa, covering almost two thirds of the present land surface, including central Cape Province, almost all of Orange Free State, western Natal, much of south-east Transvaal, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It dates to the Upper Triassic(Carnian) period and is rich in fossils.

Formed from river sands when the region's climate was still wet, this layer represents the first stage of the gradual desertification

Desertification

Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...

 that is recorded in the sediments of the Stormberg Group

Stormberg Group

The Stormberg Group is the name given to the sedimentary geological formations found in Karoo Basin region of Southern Africa, immediately above the Beaufort Group...

 - from the Triassic

Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...

 period, through the Jurassic

Jurassic

The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to  Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...

, as the Gondwana

Gondwana

In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...

 supercontinent

Supercontinent

In geology, a supercontinent is a landmass comprising more than one continental core, or craton. The assembly of cratons and accreted terranes that form Eurasia qualifies as a supercontinent today.-History:...

 moved slowly northwards. This sandstone is now exposed as cliffs in the Drakensberg

Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...

 and can be easily recognised by its sparkling appearance (this is due to tiny quartz crystals

Quartz

Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...

 that bind the sand grains together). Dolorite intrusives are also common. Rocks of this formation provide a unique window into the time of the origin of the dinosaurs, mammals, and possibly also of flowering plants.

Due to the lush vegetation of the Triassic river deltas, this is today the coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

-bearing horizon of the Eastern Cape, with four main coal seams: Indwe, Guba, Molteno and Gubenxa.

The rock formation stretches in a broad band, from the Eastern Cape, through Lesotho

Lesotho

Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...

 and the Orange Free-State. It is named after the town of Molteno

Molteno, Eastern Cape

Molteno is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.It was founded in 1874 and named for Sir John Molteno, the first prime minister of the Cape Colony....

 in the Stormberg Mountains

Stormberg Mountains

The Stormberg Mountains are a range of mountains situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and are a subsection of the greater Drakensberg mountain range. They form part of the 'Amatola and Stormberg' region which includes major towns like Grahamstown, East London and Port Alfred.Towns...

of the Eastern Cape.