Onverwacht Group
The Onverwacht Group or Onverwacht Series is a series of greenstone belts and volcanic rock formations from the Archean Eon in the Kaapvaal Craton in South Africa and Eswatini.
| Onverwacht Group Stratigraphic range: Paleoarchean >3300 Ma | |
|---|---|
| Type | Geological group |
| Sub-units | Subunits |
| Underlies | Fig Tree Formation |
| Thickness | 16,370 m (53,710 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Greenstone belt |
| Other | Volcanic rock |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 25.8°S 31.0°E |
| Region | Barberton Greenstone Belt, Mpumalanga |
| Country |  South Africa Eswatini |
| Extent | Kaapvaal Craton |
 Location of the Barberton Greenstone Belt | |
A well known part of the Onverwacht Series is visible in the Komati valley, located in the east of the Transvaal region.
Subdivision
The Onverwacht Group can be divided into two subgroups with six formations:
- Geluk Subgroup
- Swartkoppie Formation - 920 metres (3,020 ft)
- Kromberg Formation - 1,920 metres (6,300 ft)
- Hooggenoeg Formation - 4,850 metres (15,910 ft)
- Tjakastad Subgroup
- Komatii Formation - 3,500 metres (11,500 ft)
- Theespruit Formation - 1,980 metres (6,500 ft)
- Sandspruit Formation - 3,200 metres (10,500 ft)
The fossils found in the Onverwacht Series are among the oldest found on Earth.[1]
References
- Engel et al., 1968
Bibliography
- Engel, A.E.; B. Nagy; L.A. Nagy; C.G. Engel; G.O. Kremp, and C.M. Drew. 1968. Alga-Like Forms in Onverwacht Series, South Africa: Oldest Recognized Lifelike Forms on Earth. Science 161. 1005–1008. Accessed 2008-07-12. doi:10.1126/science.161.3845.1005 PMID 17812798
External links
- (in German)Der Barberton Greenstone Belt und Komatiite
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