Synonyms
Definition
The 35-km-long by up to 4-km-wide Isua supracrustal belt (ISB) lying within the Isukasia terrane, southern West Greenland (Fig. 1), consists of ca. 3,700 and 3,800 million years old (Ma) volcanic and sedimentary rocks that are among the oldest on the Earth. The ISB is the most significant and highly studied region for understanding early Earth chemistry and environments. This is because of its great antiquity and excellent exposures of a diverse range of rock types, including pillow basalts and banded iron formations (BIF).
Summary geological map of the Isua area, Nuuk region, West Greenland. The arcuate Isua supracrustal belt is composed of two temporally distinct terranes, both containing a range of volcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The northern terrane has rocks with ages of ca. 3,700 million years old and the southern terrane with rock ages of ca. 3,800 million years old (constrained by >30 zircon U/Pb age determinations – see...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Baadsgaard, H., 1976. Further U-Pb dates on zircons from the early Precambrian rocks of the Godthaabsfjord area, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters, 33, 261–267.
Compston, W., Kinny, P. D., Williams, I. S., and Foster, J. J., 1986. The age and lead loss behaviour of zircons from the Isua supracrustal belt as determined by ion microprobe. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 80, 71–81.
Crowley, J. L., 2003. U-Pb geochronology of 3810–3630 Ma granitoid rocks south of the Isua greenstone belt, southern West Greenland. Precambrian Research, 126, 235–257.
Michard-Vitrac, A., Lancelot, J., Allegre, C. J., and Moorbath, S., 1977. U-Pb ages on zircons from early Precambrian rocks of West Greenland and the Minnesota river valley. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 35, 449–453.
Moorbath, S., O’Nions, R. K., Pankhurst, R. J., Gale, N. H., and McGregor, V. R., 1972. Further rubidium-strontium age determinations on the very early Precambrian rocks of the Godthåb district: West Greenland. Nature, 240, 78–82.
Nutman, A. P., and Friend, C. R. L., 2009. New 1:20,000 scale geological maps, synthesis and history of investigations of the Isua supracrustal belt and adjacent orthogneisses, southern West Greenland: a glimpse of Eoarchean crust formation and orogeny. Precambrian Research, 172, 189–211.
Nutman, A. P., McGregor, V. R., Friend, C. R. L., Bennett, V. C., and Kinny, P. D., 1996. The Itsaq Gneiss Complex of southern West Greenland; the world’s most extensive record of early crustal evolution (3900–3600 Ma). Precambrian Research, 78, 1–39.
Nutman, A. P., Bennett, V. C., Friend, C. R. L., and Rosing, M. T., 1997. 3710 and ≥3790 Ma volcanic sequences in the Isua (Greenland) supracrustal belt; structural and Nd isotope implications. Chemical Geology, 141, 271–287.
Polat, A., Appel, P. W. U., and Fryer, B. J., 2011. An overview of the geochemistry of Eoarchean to Mesoarchean ultramafic to mafic volcanic rocks, SW Greenland: implications for mantle depletion and petrogenetic processes at subduction zones in the early Earth. Gondwana Research, 20, 255–283.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Crown Copyright
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bennett, V.C., Nutman, A.P. (2014). Isua Supracrustal Belt, West Greenland: Geochronology. In: Rink, W., Thompson, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_109-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_109-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6326-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences