Chemical analyses of the sediment in the Beaufort group suggests that the climate changed from glacial to post-glacial in the Early Permian, creating a marine environment in the Karoo Basin. There is evidence this change in climate lead to a vegetation explosion, from soil acidity measurements. Moving into the middle Permian, the climate changed from a warm-humid climate to warm-arid, and the environment became terrestrial, supporting the Therapsids that are now found in the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone.
