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High Archean climatic temperature inferred from oxygen isotope geochemistry of cherts in the 3.5 Ga Swaziland Supergroup, South Africa

L. Paul Knauth^,1 and Donald R. Lowe^,2

¹ Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, USA
² Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA

New and compiled oxygen isotope data combined with the results of geological and sedimentological studies demonstrate that enclaves of synsedimentary to very early diagenetic cherts are widely preserved in the 3.5–3.2 Ga Swaziland Supergroup, Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa. The low ¹⁸O values of these cherts indicate extremely high ocean temperatures of 55–85 °C. Previously, the large depletion in ¹⁸O shown by all Barberton cherts relative to their Phanerozoic counterparts has been attributed to low ¹⁸O in Archean oceans, chert formation during late diagenesis, wholesale loss of ¹⁸O during alteration, and/or regional silicification of sediments around hot springs. These alternative explanations are not compatible with the new results.

Cherts in the Onverwacht Group display an isotopic stratigraphy that is inversely repeated in conglomerates in the overlying Fig Tree and Moodies Groups, demonstrating that the chert ¹⁸O values were fixed prior to Archean uplift and erosion, which started at 3.26 Ga. The maximum ¹⁸O value in Barberton cherts (+22) is lower than the minimum values (+23) in Phanerozoic bedded cherts, precluding late diagenesis as the explanation of the overall low ¹⁸O values. Regional metamorphic, hydrothermal, or long-term resetting of original ¹⁸O values is also precluded by preservation of ¹⁸O values across different metamorphic grades and by systematic ¹⁸O differences among interbedded chert types, stratigraphic units, and conglomerate clasts.

The 7 ¹⁸O variation of these Archean cherts is similar to that of Phanerozoic deep-sea cherts—formed when opal converted to microquartz during burial—but the actual Archean values are 10 lower. Marine opal was apparently converted to microquartz during burial to depths of <1 km. Cherts with ¹⁸O < 15 reflect conversion during deepest burial or in local areas of enhanced geothermal gradient and/or hydrothermal activity. Cherts with higher ¹⁸O values formed during early diagenesis and indicate an extremely hot Archean ocean and surface environment.

Key Words: ¹⁸O/¹⁶O • chert • Onverwacht Group • Swaziland Sequence • paleoclimatology

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