The lecture is organized as part of the “ Research University Excellence Initiative ” (IDUB) program and will take place during the Scientific Webinarg of the Institute of Geological Sciences UWr on Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 at 10:15 a.m., hybrid:
- In lecture room no. 220 in the Institute of Geological Sciences UWr (9, Maks Born Square Wrocław, II floor) as well as
- online in TEAMS.
“Formation of mobile orogenic belts – case study from the Limpopo belt (South Africa – Botswana)”
Abstract
An orogenic belt, orogen, or mobile belt, is a zone of Earth’s crust affected by orogeny. An orogenic belt develops when a continental plate crumples and is uplifted to form one or more mountain ranges; this involves a series of geological processes collectively called orogenesis. The Limpopo Belt offers a unique possibility to study particular fragments of well-developed, fossil orogenic belt. Here it will be shown how to create tectonic models in the Precambrian and modern times in combination with geology, metamorphism, magmatism, geochemistry and detailed geochronology.
Limpopo Belt is a high-grade metamorphic province bounded by the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal cratons, comprising Archean to Paleoproterozoic rocks. Lithologically and structurally, it can be subdivided into three distinct domains, which are separated by major shear zones. The Central Zone is structurally bounded by the 410 km wide Palala-Zoetfontain and Triangle shear zones against the Southern and Northern Marginal zones, respectively. The Southern Marginal Zone consists of high-grade, intensely deformed and metamorphosed, tonalitic, trondjemitic and granodioritic rocks (TTGs) with minor greenstones, interpreted as reworked counterparts of the Kaapvaal Craton, whereas the Northern Marginal Zoneis dominated by enderbite and charnoenderbitic orthogneisses with some greenstones and granitoid rocks.