Sequence stratigraphy and plate tectonic significance of the Transvaal succession of southern Africa and its equivalent in Western Australia

Precambrian Research

Volumn 79, Issue 1-2, 1996, Pages 3-24

  Cheney, E S ^a,b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG   (South Africa)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CONTINENTAL BREAKUP; PRECAMBRIAN; RIFTING; SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY; STRATIGRAPHY; TECTONIC RECONSTRUCTION; VAALBARA;

SOUTH AFRICA, KAAPVAAL CRATON;

EID: 0030455974     PISSN: 03019268     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/0301-9268(95)00085-2     Document Type: Article

References (88)

1. Altermann, W. and Hälbich, I.W., 1990. Thrusting, folding, and stratigraphy of the Ghaap Group along the southwestern margin of the Kaapvaal Craton. S. Afr. J. Geol., 98: 553-566.
2. Anhaeusser, C.R. and Maske, S. (Editors), 1986. Mineral Deposits of Southern Africa. Geological Society of South Africa, Johannesburg, 2 Volumes, 2335 pp.
3. Armstrong, R.A., Compston, W., Retief, E.A., Williams, I.S. and Welke, H.J., 1991. Zircon ion microprobe studies bearing on the age and evolution of the Witwatersrand triad. Precambrian Res., 53: 243-266.
4. Arndt, N.T., Nelson, D.R., Compston, W., Trendall, A.F. and Thorne, A.M., 1991. The age of the Fortescue Group, Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. Aust. J. Earth Sci., 38: 261-281.
5. Barley, M.E., Blake, T.S. and Groves, D.I., 1992. The Mount Bruce Megasequence Set and eastern Yilgarn Craton: examples of Late Archean to Early Proterozoic divergent and convertent craton margins and controls on mineralization. Precambrian Res., 58: 55-70.
6. Barton, E.S., Alterman, W., Williams, I.S. and Smith, C.B., 1994. U-Pb zircon age for a tuff in the Campbell Group, Griqualand West Sequence, South Africa: implications for early Proterozoic rock accumulation rates. Geology, 22: 343-346.
7. Barton, J.M., Jr. and van Reenen, D.D., 1992. When was the Limpopo Orogeny? Precambrian Res., 55: 7-16.
8. Barton, J.M., Jr., Holzer, L., Kamber, B., Doig, R., Kramers, J.D. and Nyfeler, D., 1994. Discrete metamorphic events in the Limpopo belt, southern Africa: implications for the application of P-T paths in complex metamorphic terrains. Geology, 22: 1035-1038.
9. Beukes, N.J., 1980. Stratigrafie and litofasies van die Campbellrand-Subgroup van die Proterofitiese Ghaap-Group, Noord Kaapland. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Trans., 83: 141-170.
10. Beukes, N.J., 1983. Paleoenvironmental setting of iron formations in the depositional basin of the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. In: A.F. Trendall and R.C. Morris (Editors), Iron Formation Facts and Problems. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 131-209.
11. Beukes, N.J., 1984. Sedimentology of the Kuruman and Griquatown iron formations, Transvaal Supergroup, Griqualand West, South Africa. Precambrian Res., 24: 47-84.
12. Blake, T.S., 1984. The lower Fortescue Group of the northern Pilbara Craton: stratigraphy and paleogeography. In: J.R. Muhling, D.I. Groves and T.S. Blake (Editors), Archean and Proterozoic Basins of the Pilbara: Evolution and Mineralization Potential. Geol. Dept. Univ. Extension, Univ. W. Aust. Publ., 9: 123-143.
13. Blake, T.S., 1993. Late Archean crustal extension, sedimentary basin formation, flood basalt volcanism and continental rifting. The Nullagine and Mount Jope Supersequences, Western Australia. Precambrian Res., 60: 185-241.
14. Button, A., 1973. A Regional Study of The Stratigraphy and Development of The Transvaal Basin in The Eastern and Northeastern Transvaal. Ph.D. dissertation (unpublished). Univ. Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 352 pp.
15. Button, A., 1976. Transvaal and Hamersley basins - review of basin development and mineral deposits. Miner. Sci. Eng., 8: 262-293.
16. Chang, K.H., 1975. Unconformity-bounded stratigraphic units. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 86: 1544-1552.
17. Cheney, E.S. and Twist, D., 1986. The Waterberg "Basin" - a reappraisal. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Trans., 89: 353-360.
18. Cheney, E.S. and Twist, D., 1991. The conformable emplacement of the Bushveld mafic rocks along a regional unconformity in the Transvaal succession of South Africa. Precambrian Res., 52: 115-132.
19. Cheney, E.S. and Winter, H. De La R., 1995. The late Archean to Mesoproterozoic major unconformity-bounded units of the Kaapvaal Province of southern Africa. Precambrian Res., 74(4): 203-223.
20. Cheney, E.S., Roering, C. and Stettler, E., 1988. Vaalbara. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Geocongr. '88, Ext. Abst., pp. 85-88.
21. Cheney, E.S., Barton, J.M., Jr. and Brandl, G., 1990a. Extent and age of the Soutpansberg sequences, southern Africa. S. Afr. J. Geol., 93: 664-675.
22. Cheney, E.S., Roering, C. and Winter, H. De La R., 1990b. The Archean-Proterozoic boundary in the Kaapvaal Province of southern Africa. Precambrian Res., 46: 329-340.
23. Clendenin, C.W., Charlesworth, E.G. and Maske, S., 1988a. Tectonic style and mechanism of early Proterozoic successor basin development, southern Africa. Tectonophysics, 156: 275-291.
24. Clendenin, C.W., Charlesworth, E.G. and Maske, S., 1988b. Early Proterozoic successor basin development, southern Africa. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Geocongr. '88, Ext. Abst., pp. 101-104.
25. Clendenin, C.W., Charlesworth, E.G. and Maske, S. 1988c. Resurgent basin development within an early Proterozoic successor basin sequence, southern Africa. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Geocongr. '88, Ext. Abst., pp. 105-108.
26. DeWit, M., Jeffrey, M., Bergh, H. and Nicolaysen, L., 1988. Geological map of sectors of Gondwana reconstructed to their disposition ∼150 Ma. American Association Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Okla., 1:10,000,000.
27. DeWit, M.J., Jones, M.G. and Buchanan, D.L., 1992a. The geology and tectonic evolution of the Pietersburg Greenstone Belt. Precambrian Res., 55: 122-153.
28. DeWit, M.J., Roering, C., Hart, R.J., Armstrong, R.A., de Ronde, C.E.J., Green, R.W.E., Tredoux, M., Peberdy, E. and Hart, R.A., 1992b. Formation of an Archean continent. Nature, 357: 553-562.
29. DeWit, M.J., Armstrong, R.A., Kamo, S.L. and Erlank, A.J., 1993. Gold-bearing sediments in the Pietersberg greenstone belt: age equivalents of the Witwatersrand Supergroup sediments, South Africa. Econ. Geol., 88: 1242-1252.
30. Du Toit, A.L., 1954. The Geology of South Africa. Oliver Boyd, Edinburgh, 611 pp.
31. Eriksson, P.C., 1988. Sedimentology of the Rooihoogte Formation, Transvaal Sequence. S. Afr. J. Geol., 91: 477-489.
32. Eriksson, P.G. and Cheney, E.S., 1992. Evidence for the transition to an oxygen-rich atmosphere during the evolution of red beds in the lower Proterozoic sequences of southern Africa. Precambrian Res., 54: 257-269.
33. Eriksson, P.G., Meyer, R. and Botha, W.J., 1988. A hypothesis on the nature of the Pretoria Group basin. S. Afr. J. Geol., 91: 490-497.
34. Gaál, G., 1992. Global Proterozoic tectonic cycles and Early Proterozoic metallogeny. S. Afr. J. Geol., 95: 80-87.
35. Goodwin, A.M., 1991. Precambrian Geology, The Dynamic Evolution of The Continental Crust. Academic Press, London, 666 pp.
36. Grobler, N.J., van der Westhuizen, W.A. and Tordiffe, E.A., 1989. The Sodium Group, South Africa: reference section for late Archean-Early Proterozoic cratonic cover sequences. Austr. J. Earth Sci., 36: 41-64.
37. Groenewald, P.B., Grantham, G.H. and Watkeys, M.K., 1991. Geological evidence for a Proterozoic to Mesozoic link between southeastern Africa and Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. J. Geol. Soc. London, 148: 1115-1123.
38. Harmsworth, R.A., Kneeshaw, M., Morris, R.C., Robinson, C.J. and Shrivastava, P.K., 1990. Banded iron formation-derived iron ores of the Hamersley Province. In: F.E. Hughes (Editor), Geology of the Mineral Deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Australian Institite of Mining and Metallurgy, Melbourne, pp. 617-642.
39. Hassler, S.W., 1993. Depositional history of the Main Tuff interval of the Wittenoom Formation, late Archean-early Proterozoic Hamersley Group, Western Australia. Precambrian Res., 60: 337-359.
40. Hickman, A.H., 1983. Geology of the Pilbara block and its environs. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Bull., 127, 268 pp.
41. Horwitz, R.C., 1990. Paleogeographic and tectonic evolution of the Pilbara Craton, northwestern Australia. Precambrian Res., 48: 327-340.
42. Horwitz, R.C. and Smith, R.E., 1978. Bridging the Yilgarn and Pilbara Blocks, Western Australia. Precambrian Res., 6: 293-322.
43. ISSC (International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification, A. Salvador, chairman), 1987. Unconformity-bounded stratigraphic units. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 98: 232-237.
44. Jacobs, J., Thomas, R.J. and Weber, K., 1993. Accretion and indentation tectonics at the southern edge of the Kaapvaal craton during the Kibaran (Grenville) orogeny. Geology, 21: 203-206.
45. Jahn, B., Bertrand-Sarfati, J., Morin, N. and Mace, J., 1990. Direct dating of stromatolite carbonates from the Schmidtsdrif Formation (Transvaal Dolomite), South Africa, with implications on the age of the Ventersdorp Supergroup. Geology, 18: 1211-1214.
46. Klein, C. and Beukes, N.J., 1989. Geochemistry and sedimentology of a facies transition from limestone to iron-formation deposition in the early Proterozoic Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. Econ. Geol., 84: 1733-1774.
47. Martini, J.E.J., 1979. A copper-bearing bed in the Pretoria Group in northeastern Transvaal. In: A.M. Anderson and W.J. Van Biljion (Editors), Some Sedimentary Basins and Associated Ore Deposits of South Africa. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Spec. Publ., 6: 65-72.
48. McCourt, S. and Vearncombe, J.R., 1992. Shear zones of the Limpopo Belt and adjacent granitoid-greenstone terranes: implication for late Archean collision tectonics in southern Africa. Precambrian Res., 55: 553-570.
49. Mitchum, R.M., Jr. and Van Wagoner, J.C., 1991. High-frequency sequences and their stacking patterns: sequence stratigraphic evidence of high-frequency eustatic cycles. Sediment. Geol., 70: 131-160.
50. Mitchum, R.M., Jr., Vail, P.R. and Thompson, S., III, 1977. Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea level, Part 2. The depositional sequence as a basic unit for stratigraphic analyses. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Mem., 26: 53-62.
51. Morris, R.C., 1985. Genesis of iron ore in banded iron-formation by supergene and supergene-metamorphic processes - a conceptual model. In: K.H. Wolf (Editor), Handbook of Strata-Bound and Strataform Ore Deposits, 13. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 73-235.
52. Morris, R.C., 1993. Genetic modelling for banded iron-formation of the Hamersley Group, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. Precambrian Res., 60: 243-286.
53. Morris, R.C. and Horwitz, R.C., 1983. The origin of the iron-formation-rich Hamersley Group of Western Australia - deposition on a platform. Precambrian Res., 21: 273-297.
54. Mortimer, C. (Compiler), 1984. Geological Map of the Republic of Botswana. Botswana Geol. Surv. 1:1,000,000, 2 sheets.
55. Muhling, P.C., Brakel, A.T. and Grey, K., 1985. Geology of the Bangemall Group, the evolution of an intracratonic Proterozoic basin. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Bull., 128, 266 pp.
56. Myers, J.S. and Hocking, R.M. (Compilers), 1988. Geologic Map of Western Australia, W. Aust. Geol. Surv., 1 sheet, 1:2,500,000.
57. Roering, C., Barton, J.M., Jr. and Winter, H. de la R., 1990. The Vredefort structure: A perspective with regard to new tectonic data from adjoining terranes. Tectonophysics, 171: 7-22.
58. Schreiber, U.M., Eriksson, P.G. and Snyman, C.P., 1991. A provenance study of the sandstones of the Pretoria Group, Transvaal Sequence (South Africa): petrography, geochemistry, and paleocurrent directions. S. Afr. J. Geol., 94: 288-298.
59. Seymour, D.B., Thome, A.M. and Bright, D.F., 1988. Explanatory notes on the Wyloo 1:250,000 geological sheet. Western Australia (2nd ed.). W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Rec., 87/3, 69 pp.
60. Simonson, B.J., Schubel, K.A. and Hassler, S.W., 1993. Carbonate sedimentology of the early Precambrian Hamersley Group of Western Australia. Precambrian Res., 60: 287-335.
61. Sloss, L.L., 1963. Sequences in the cratonic interior of North America. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 74: 93-113.
62. Sloss, L.L., 1988. Tectonic evolution of the cratonic in Phanerozoic time. In: L.L. Sloss (Editor), Sedimentary Cover - North American Craton. The Geology of North America, Vol. D2, U.S. Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colo., pp. 25-51.
63. Smit, C.A., Roering, C. and van Reenen, D.D., 1992. The structural framework of the southern margin of the Limpopo Belt, South Africa. Precambrian Res., 55: 51-67.
64. South African Committee for Stratigraphy, 1980. Stratigraphy of South Africa. Part 1, L.E. Kent (Compiler), Lithostratigraphy of the Republic of South Africa, South West Africa/Namibia and the republics of Bophuthatswana, Transkei and Venda. S. Afr. Geol. Surv. Handb., 8, 690 pp.
65. Stowe, C.W., 1986. Synthesis and interpretation of structures along the northeastern boundary of the Namaqua tectonic province, South Africa. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Trans., 89: 185-198.
66. Sumner, D.Y. and Bowring, S.A., 1996. U-Pb geochronologic constraints on deposition of the Campbellrand Subgroup, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. In: A. Danielson and A.J. Kaufman (Editors), Geology and Geochemistry of the Transvaal Supergroup. Precambrian Res., 79: 25-35 (this issue).
67. Tankard, A.J., Jackson, M.P.A., Eriksson, K.A., Hobday, D.K., Hunter, D.R. and Minter, W.E.L., 1982. Crustal Evolution of Southern Africa, 3.8 Billion Years of Earth History. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 523 pp.
68. Thorne, A.M., 1990. Ashburton basin. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Mem., 3: 210-219.
69. Thorne, A.M. and Blake, T.S., 1990. Fortescue Group. In: S.E. Ho, J.E. Glover, J.S. Myers and J.R. Muhling (Editors), 3rd Int. Archean Symp., Perth, Excursion Guidebook. Geol. Dep. Univ. Extension, Univ. W. Aust. Publ., 21: 14-18.
70. Trendall, A.F., 1968. Three great basins of Precambrian banded iron formation deposits - a systematic comparison. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 79: 1527-1544.
71. Trendall, A.F., 1979. A revision of the Mount Bruce Supergroup. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Annu. Rep. 1978, pp. 63-71.
72. Trendall, A.F., 1983. The Hamersley basin. In: A.F. Trendall and R.C. Morris (Editors), Iron-formation, Facts and Problems. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 69-129.
73. Trendall, A.F., 1990. Hamersley Basin. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Mem., 3: 163-190.
74. Trendall, A.F. and Blockley, J.G., 1970. The Iron Formations of the Precambrian Hamersley Group, Western Australia. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Bull., 119, 366 pp.
75. Trendall, A.F., Compston, W., Williams, I.S., Armstrong, R.A., Arndt, N.T., McNaughton, N.J., Nelson, D.R., Barley, M.E. Beukes, N.J., de Laeter, J.R., Retief, E.A. and Thorne, A.M., 1990. Precise Zircon U-Pb chronological comparison of the volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons between about 3.1 and 2.4 Ga. In: J.E. Glover and S.E. Ho (Compilers), 3rd Int. Archean Symp., Perth, 1990, Dep. Geology, Univ. W. Aust., Perth, Ext. Abstr., pp. 81-83.
76. Trevoar, P.J., Coward, M.P. and Harris, N.B.W., 1992. Himalayan-Tibetan analogies for the evolution of the Zimbabwe Craton and Limpopo Belt. Precambrian Res., 55: 571-587.
77. Tyler, I.M., 1989. Newman, sheet 2851, 1:100,000. W. Aust. Geol. Surv.
78. Tyler, L.M. and Thorne, A.M., 1990. Structural evolution of the northern margin. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Mem., 3: 223-232.
79. Visser, D.J.L. (Compiler), 1984. Geological map of the republics of South Africa, Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei and the kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland. S. Afr. Geol. Surv., 1:1,000,000, 4 sheets.
80. Walraven, F. and Hattingh, E., 1993. Geochronology of the Nebo Granite, Bushveld Complex. S. Afr. J. Geol., 96: 31-41.
81. Walraven, F., Armstrong, R.A. and Kruger, F.J., 1990. A chronostratigraphic framework for the north-central Kaapvaal craton, the Bushveld Complex and Vredefort structure. Tectonophysics, 171: 23-48.
82. Walraven, F., Smith, C.B. and Kruger, F.J., 1991. Age determinations of the Zoetlief Group - Ventersdorp Supergroup correlative. S. Afr. J. Geol., 94: 220-227.
83. Wheeler, H.E., 1963. Post-Sauk and pre-Absaroka Paleozoic stratigraphic patterns in North America. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull., 47: 1497-1526.
84. Williams, I.R., 1989. Explanatory notes on the Balfour Downs 1:250,000 geological sheet, Western Australia (2nd ed.). W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Rec., 89/2, 68 pp.
85. Williams, I.R. and Tyler, I.M., 1989. Explanatory notes on the Robertson 1:250,000 geological sheet, Western Australia (2nd ed.). W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Rec., 89/5, 70 pp.
86. Williams, S.J., 1986. Geology of the Gascoyne Province, Western Australia. W. Aust. Geol. Surv. Rep., 15, 85 pp.
87. Winter, H. de la R., 1976. A lithostratigraphic classification of the Ventersdorp succession. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. Trans., 79: 31-48.
88. Winter, H. de la R., 1989. A tectonic classification of certain South African depositional basins and criteria for recognition of major unconformity-bounded sequences. S. Afr. J. Geol., 92: 167-182.