Data Publication

Operational Dataset about drilling in the Moodies Group of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BASE – Barberton Archean Surface Environments)

GFZ Data Services

(2024)

Descriptions

All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Heubeck et al., 2024) of the ICDP project BASE (ICDP 5069) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS BASE) are given and are complemented by additional information on data from measurements done in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first two sampling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP, depths corrections and measurements are also introduced. The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project focused on recovering unweathered continuous core through strata of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2 Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. They comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings; they represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sandstones, siltstones, shales, and rare BIFs and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes operations from preparations to the sampling workshop and complements the related scientific report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495 m length, drilled during November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903 m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objectives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abundant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic sulfate concretions. Oxidative weathering reached far deeper than expected; fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two km-long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by geophysical instruments. Core was processed (oriented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. An exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and related the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders.

Keywords

Originally assigned keywords

Africa

South Africa

Barberton

Early Life Ecology

Greenstone Belt

Moodies

ocean and atmosphere

oxygen

ICDP

International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme

EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > LAND RECORDS > BOREHOLES

EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOCHEMISTRY > GEOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Precambrian > Archean

Corresponding MSL vocabulary keywords

oxygen

MSL enriched keywords

measured property

oxygen

Precambrian

Archean

sedimentary rock

mudstone

shale

siltstone

sandstone

minerals

chemical elements

iron

Paleoarchean

iron

sulphur

sulphate

civil engineered setting

tunnel

MSL enriched sub domains i

geochemistry

Source

https://dataservices.gfz-potsdam.de/icdp/showshort.php?id=cb30f43d-1f5e-11ef-967a-4ffbfe06208e

Source publisher

GFZ Data Services

DOI

10.5880/icdp.5069.001

Creators

Heubeck, Christoph

Department of Geosciences, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2632-2644

Beukes, Nic

deceased Jan. 9, 2023

de Kock, Michiel

Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5036-3438

Homann, Martin

Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5886-0677

Javaux, Emmanuelle J.

Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, Liège, Belgique

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5272-7610

Kakegawa, Takeshi

Geosciences Building, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai City, Japan

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1627-1385

Lalonde, Stefan

UMR 6538 Laboratoire Géosciences Océan, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Brest, France

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1318-2280

Mason, Paul

Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7569-5917

Mashele, Phumelele

Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1864-3042

Paprika, Dora

Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg | The MSA Group, Henley House, Greenacres Office

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5040-9830

Rippon, Chris

10 Amethys Street, Nelspruit, South Africa

Tice, Mike

Department of Geology & Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2560-1702

Tucker, Rodney

Wildlife Estate, Hoedspruit 1380, Limpopo, South Africa

Tucker, Ryan

Wildlife Estate, Hoedspruit 1380, Limpopo, South Africa

Ndazamo, Victor

Barberton Mines (Pty.) Ltd., Barberton, South Africa

Christianson, Astrid

Barberton Community Tourism, Barberton, South Africa

Kunkel, Cindy

GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0443-5661

Contributors

Heubeck, Christoph

ContactPerson

Department of Geosciences, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany

ICDP data and sample management team

ContactPerson

GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany

References

10.5194/sd-33-129-2024

10.48440/icdp.5069.001

10.48440/icdp.5069.002

Citation

Heubeck, C., Beukes, N., de Kock, M., Homann, M., Javaux, E. J., Kakegawa, T., Lalonde, S., Mason, P., Mashele, P., Paprika, D., Rippon, C., Tice, M., Tucker, R., Tucker, R., Ndazamo, V., Christianson, A., & Kunkel, C. (2024). Operational Dataset about drilling in the Moodies Group of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BASE – Barberton Archean Surface Environments) [Data set]. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/ICDP.5069.001

Dates

Issued:

2024

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Geo location(s)

Borehole 5069_1_A (depth: 497 m)

Borehole 5069_2_A (depth: 368 m)

Borehole 5069_3_A (depth: 280 m)

Borehole 5069_4_A (depth: 340 m)

Borehole 5069_4_B (depth: 355 m)

Borehole 5069_4_C (depth: 352 m)

Borehole 5069_5_A (depth: 451 m)

Borehole 5069_5_B (depth: 490 m)