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Palaeo- Meso- and Neoarchaean Granite-Greenstone Basement Geology and Related Rocks of the Central and Western Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

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The Archaean Geology of the Kaapvaal Craton, Southern Africa

Part of the book series: Regional Geology Reviews ((RGR))

Abstract

The Kaapvaal Craton, one of the oldest well-preserved crustal fragments on Earth, enables an understanding of the development of the early Earth. The craton comprises an older eastern component (Witwatersrand Block) ranging in age from ca. 3660 to 2700 Ma and a ca. 3174 to 2782 Ma western domain (Kimberley Block). This contribution deals with the geological nature of the central and western sectors of the Kaapvaal Craton where Archaean basement granite-greenstone rocks occur as inliers surrounded by younger cover formations. Three main areas discussed include the Johannesburg and Makoppa domes and the Kraaipan terrane. Also described are the Marydale terrane, the Rand Anticline, the linear Colesberg magnetic anomaly, and the Modipe Gabbro and Gaborone Granite complexes. Geophysical and geochronological findings suggest that the Kimberley Block is a younger terrane accreted onto the older eastern or Witwatersrand Block along or near the Colesberg Lineament—this despite meagre physical evidence of a collisional zone. Geophysical, petrological and geochemical techniques have helped to understand the crustal structure and depth extent of the roots of the craton. Findings suggest the keel extends to depths of 250–300 km, important for the stability field of diamonds.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank reviewers Marco Andreoli and Richard Viljoen for their constructive comments, which helped to improve the manuscript. Sonja Van Eck of the Council for Geoscience, Pretoria, granted the author permission to use diagrams sourced from The Geology of South Africa textbook, which was produced in 2006 jointly by the Geological Society of South Africa and the Council for Geoscience. Sara Burness, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, helped to modify the diagrams used in the review and assisted with the photographic layout. Finally, the author thanks Alfred Krӧner for having initiated this contribution on the Kaapvaal Craton and for inviting my participation.

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  1. Economic Geology Research Institute, School of Geosciences,University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Carl R. Anhaeusser

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  1. Institut für Geowissenschaften, University of Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

    Alfred Kröner

  2. Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg , Auckland Park, South Africa

    Axel Hofmann

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Anhaeusser, C.R. (2019). Palaeo- Meso- and Neoarchaean Granite-Greenstone Basement Geology and Related Rocks of the Central and Western Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. In: Kröner, A., Hofmann, A. (eds) The Archaean Geology of the Kaapvaal Craton, Southern Africa. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78652-0_3

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