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Barberton Supergroup

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology
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Synonyms

Swaziland Supergroup

Definition

The volcano-sedimentary sequence that constitutes the Barberton greenstone belt has been grouped stratigraphically into the Barberton Supergroup, also known as the Swaziland Supergroup in the older literature. The Barberton Supergroup formed ca. 3.55 to 3.22 Ga ago, and is subdivided in ascending order into three stratigraphic units. The Onverwacht Group consists of submarine ultramafic-mafic volcanic rocks and minor felsic volcanic and silicified sedimentary rocks. The Fig Tree Group comprises of shale, graywacke, and felsic volcaniclastic rocks with minor conglomerate and banded iron formation. The Moodies Group consists of shallow-marine to fluvial sandstone and conglomerate with minor shale and banded iron formation.

See also

Archean Environmental Conditions

Banded Iron Formation

Barberton Greenstone Belt

Barberton Greenstone Belt, Sedimentology

Barberton Greenstone Belt, Traces of Early Life

Earth, Formation and Early Evolution

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Correspondence to Axel Hofmann .

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Hofmann, A. (2011). Barberton Supergroup. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1554

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