Greenstone belt

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Greenstone belts are zones of variably metamorphosed mafic to ultramafic volcanic
sequences with associated sedimentary rocks that occur within Archaean and
Proterozoic cratons between granite and gneiss bodies.

The name comes from the green hue imparted by the colour of the metamorphic
minerals within the mafic rocks the typical green minerals are chlorite,
actinolite, and other green amphiboles.

A greenstone belt is typically several dozens to several thousand kilometres long

and although composed of a great variety of individual rock units, is considered a
'stratigraphic grouping' in its own right, at least on continental scales.

Typically, a greenstone belt within the greater volume of otherwise homogeneous

granite-gneiss within a craton contains a significantly larger degree of
heterogeneity and complications and forms a tectonic marker far more distinct than
the much more voluminous and homogeneous granites. Additionally, a greenstone belt
contains far more information on tectonic and metamorphic events, deformations and
palaeogeologic conditions than the granite and gneiss events, because the vast
majority of greenstones are interpreted as altered basalts and other volcanic or
sedimentary rocks. As such, understanding the nature and origin of greenstone belts
is the most fruitful way of studying Archaean geological history.

Contents [hide]
1 Nature and formation
2 Distribution
3 List of greenstone belts
3.1 Africa
3.2 Asia
3.3 Europe
3.4 North America
3.5 South America
3.6 Oceania
4 Sources
5 References
Nature and formation[edit]
Greenstone belts have been interpreted as having formed at ancient oceanic
spreading centers and island arc terranes.

Greenstone belts are primarily formed of volcanic rocks, dominated by basalt, with
minor sedimentary rocks inter-leaving the volcanic formations. Through time, the
degree of sediment contained within greenstone belts has risen, and the amount of
ultramafic rock (either as layered intrusions or as volcanic komatiite) has
decreased.

There is also a change in the structure and relationship of greenstone belts to

their basements between the Archaean where there is little clear relationship, if
any, between basalt-peridotite sheets of a greenstone belt and the granites they
abut, and the Proterozoic where greenstone belts sit upon granite-gneiss basements
andor other greenstone belts, and the Phanerozoic where clear examples of island
arc volcanism, arc sedimentation and ophiolite sequences become more dominant.
This change in nature is interpreted as a response to the maturity of the plate
tectonics processes throughout the Earth's geological history. Archaean plate
tectonics did not take place on mature crust and as such the presence of thrust-in
allochthonous greenstone belts is expected. By the Proterozoic, magmatism was
occurring around cratons and with established sedimentary sources, with little
recycling of the crust, allowing preservation of more sediments. By the
Phanerozoic, extensive continental cover and lower heat flow from the mantle has
seen greater preservation of sediments and greater influence of continental masses.

Greenstones, aside from containing basalts, also give rise to several types of
metamorphic rocks which are used synonymously with 'metabasalt' et cetera;
greenschist, whiteschist and blueschist are all terms spawned from the study of
greenstone belts.

Distribution[edit]

Weathered Precambrian pillow lava in the Temagami Greenstone Belt of the Canadian
Shield
Greenstone belts are distributed throughout geological history from the Phanerozoic
Franciscan belts of California where blueschist, whiteschist and greenschist facies
are recognised, through to the Palaeozoic greenstone belts of the Lachlan Fold
Belt, Eastern Australia, and a multitude of Proterozoic and Archaean examples.

Archaean greenstones are found in the Slave craton, northern Canada, Pilbara craton
and Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, Gawler Craton in South Australia, and in the
Wyoming Craton in the US. Examples are found in South and Eastern Africa, namely
the Kaapvaal craton and also in the cratonic core of Madagascar, as well as West
Africa and Brazil, northern Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula (see Baltic Shield).

Proterozoic greenstones occur sandwiched between the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons in
Australia, and adjoining the Gawler Craton and within the extensive Proterozoic
mobile belts of Australia, within West Africa, throughout the metamorphic complexes
surrounding the Archaean core of Madagascar; the eastern United States, northern
Canada and northern Scandinavia. The Abitibi greenstone belt in Ontario and Quebec
is one of the largest Archean greenstone belts in the world.

Phanerozoic ophiolite belts and greenstone belts occur in the Franciscan Complex of
south-western North America, within the Lachlan Fold Belt, the Gympie Terrane of
Eastern Australia, the ophiolite belts of Oman and around the Guiana Shield.

The belts often contain ore deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead.

One of the best known greenstone belts in the world is the South African Barberton
greenstone belt, where gold was first discovered in South Africa. The Barberton
Greenstone belt was first uniquely identified by Prof Annhauser at the University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His work in mapping and detailing the
characteristics of the Barberton Greenstone belt has been used as a primer for
other greenstone belts around the world.

He noted the existence of pillow lavas, indicating a lava being rapidly cooled in
water, as well as the spinifex textures created by crystals formed under rapidly
cooling environments, namely water.

List of greenstone belts[edit]

Main article List of greenstone belts
Africa[edit]
Barberton greenstone belt (South Africa)
Giyani greenstone belt (South Africa)
Pietersberg greenstone belt (South Africa)
Gwanda Greenstone Belt (Zimbabwe)