Abstract
Grey gneisses from the Tokwe and Rhodesdale terrains of the Zimbabwe craton have zircon ages of ~3.63, 3.52, and 3.34 Ga, validating the existence of Eo-to Palaeoarchaean crust. In-situ zircon Hf isotope compositions reveal the interplay between episodes of juvenile magma addition, crustal thickening and crustal differentiation. Starting from juvenile mafic crust (with chondritic composition) at ~3.9 Ga, the oldest nucleus of the Zimbabwe craton developed into a stable crustal block by ~3.35 Ga, following a tectonic and mantle evolution that is mirrored by other ancient terrains.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | South African Journal of Geology |
| Volume | 125 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Geological Society of South Africa. All rights reserved.
Funding
AH acknowledges support by the Department of Geology of the University of Zimbabwe. On behalf of AK, we thank the DFG (grant KR590/9x), the DAAD, and the Hong Kong Research Council. We thank Elis Hoffmann and Oliver Nebel for reviews and Jeff Vervoort for comments on a previous version of the manuscript.