Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail

Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail Mostly Earth sciences posts centered on or stimulated by the Barberton Makhonjwa geotrail through the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa.

Welcome to the Makhonjwa-Barberton Mountainland (Barberton Greenstone Belt) Geotrail –– A journey to the beginning of time. This area of rugged mountains is perhaps the most complete portrait of the Earth approximately 3.2 - 3.5 billion years ago. It tells an astonishing story of the Earth soon after it had cooled sufficiently to have a crust and liquid water; but an Earth unrecognisable to us ––

wholly different to the blue planet we inhabit today. It was an Earth of colossal asteroid impacts, an enormous moon only half as far away as today, profoundly deep oceans, gigantic tides, titanic tsunamis, and cataclysmic volcanic eruptions and outpourings. An Earth with an atmosphere of methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide, perhaps in near darkness, blanketed by volcanic smoke and ash. In spite of these outrageously hostile conditions, this Archaean Earth also gave rise to the first life –– microscopic bacteria preserved in some of these rocks and which, over millions of years, began the processes that transformed our planet into the beautiful blue and watery home we have today. We are building an illustrated trail through these beautiful mountains, nominated for World Heritage Site status –– a journey to the beginning of time. Visit our page and “Like” us to contribute ideas and opinions and to keep up-to-date with progress.

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20/11/2025

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While there is fossil evidence of life older than 3.3bn years, this is the first time that its molecular chemical fingerprints have been detected through high-tech sleuthing.

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28/10/2024

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When a meteorite with the mass of four Mount Everests hit Earth 3.2 billion years ago, it caused global chaos and provided an unexpected silver lining for life.

20/07/2024
07/02/2024
23/06/2023

A groundbreaking study published in Nature has challenged the long-held belief that plate tectonics is a prerequisite for the emergence of life on Earth.

The study, which was done by examining detrital zircon crystals from the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa, shows a lack of plate tectonics between 3.9 and 3.3 billion years ago – the time that life on Earth originated.

South Africa is only one of three places in the world where zircon grains as old as 4 billion years old have been reported, with the other places being in Australia and India.

Read more: https://shorturl.at/vCEZ7

28/02/2023

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18/01/2023

A proud moment for South Africa as the University of Johannesburg's Geology Professor Nic Beukes has been elected to the United States National Academy of Sc...

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