Paleoarchean bedrock lithologies across the Makhonjwa Mountains of South Africa and Swaziland linked to geochemical, magnetic and tectonic data reveal early plate tectonic genes flanking subduction margins

Research on the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains reveals that plate tectonics and associated processes were established by 3.2–3.6 billion years ago, challenging earlier assumptions about Earth's early geodynamic behavior. The study integrates geological mapping, geochemistry, magnetism, and thermochronology to demonstrate similarities between Paleoarchean subduction zones and modern Western Pacific-like systems. Key findings include robust rates of horizontal and vertical tectonic processes that align with those observed in contemporary oceanic and orogenic terrains, providing critical constraints for testing Paleoarchean geodynamic models over a span comparable to the Phanerozoic eon.

de Wit, M., Furnes, H., MacLennan, S., Doucouré, M., Schoene, B., Weckmann, U., Martinez, U., & Bowring, S. (2018). Paleoarchean bedrock lithologies across the Makhonjwa Mountains of South Africa and Swaziland linked to geochemical, magnetic and tectonic data reveal early plate tectonic genes flanking subduction margins. Geoscience Frontiers, 9(3), 603–665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2017.10.005