The value of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt, Zimbabwe, as a national Geoheritage site

Abstract

Products of geological processes such as rock formations, unconformities, structures, minerals, fossils, and landforms, represent unique records of the evolution of the Earth. These form a coherent picture showing how the Earth evolved. The picture becomes blurred with antiquity. Consequently, there are challenges in gathering information from the Archaean, the period during which the foundations of the Earth were laid down. The 2.7 Ga Belingwe Greenstone Belt in Zimbabwe has proved to be valuable because it has some of the best-preserved Archaean stratigraphy in the world. An unconformity between sialic basement and supracrustal rocks of the greenstone belt, and exotic rocks such as komatiites and stromatolites, are immensely contributing towards the knowledge about the evolution of the young Earth and the beginning of life. The frequent use of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt examples to explain geotectonic processes of the early Earth give testimony to the importance of this structure. Interpretation of some of the features of the greenstone belt is sometimes controversial, which forms areas of endless research to better understand the Archaean Era. It is for these reasons that arguments are presented for consideration of the Belingwe Greenstone Belt as a national Geoheritage site.