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Precambrian Greenstone Belts Host Different Ophiolite Types

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Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life

Part of the book series: Modern Approaches in Solid Earth Sciences ((MASE,volume 7))

Abstract

We use in this study the new description and classification of ophiolites in order to identify potential ophiolite complexes in four Precambrian greenstone belts, ranging in age from 3.8 Ga to 2.0 Ga, and their tectonic origin. The mafic-ultramafic rock assemblages in the 3.8 Ga Isua (Greenland) and 3.5 Ga Barberton (South Africa) greenstone belts show geochemical signatures that are comparable to those of Phanerozoic suprasubductionzone ophiolites. The 2.7 Ga greenstone belts of the Wawa greenstone belts of the Superior Province (Canada) and the 1.95 Ga Jormua Complex (Finland) display subduction-unrelated geochemical patterns, and represent plume- and continental margin-type ophiolites, respectively. This geochemical and tectonic diversity of the Precambrian greenstone belts is reminiscent of the Phanerozoic ophiolites, and suggests that the modern plate tectonics operated as far back as the early Archean, albeit perhaps in a different mode.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support over many years of field work in Phanerozoic ophiolites and Precambrian greenstone belts, have been supported by the Norwegian Research Council and the Meltzer Foundation at the University of Bergen (HF), the National Research Foundation of South Africa (MdeW), and Miami University, USA (YD). Jane Ellingsen helped with some of the illustrations. This is AEON publication No. 107.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science & Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Harald Furnes

  2. AEON and Faculty of Science, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 6031, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Maarten de Wit

  3. Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, 45056, Oxford, OH, USA

    Yildirim Dilek

  4. School of Earth Science and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 100083, Beijing, China

    Yildirim Dilek

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  1. Harald Furnes
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Correspondence to Harald Furnes .

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  1. Dept. of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA

    Yildirim Dilek

  2. Department of Earth Science & Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Harald Furnes

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Furnes, H., de Wit, M., Dilek, Y. (2014). Precambrian Greenstone Belts Host Different Ophiolite Types. In: Dilek, Y., Furnes, H. (eds) Evolution of Archean Crust and Early Life. Modern Approaches in Solid Earth Sciences, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7615-9_1

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