One of the five cratons of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate
The geological eons and eras of the West African Craton
−4000 —
–
−3500 —
–
−3000 —
–
−2500 —
–
−2000 —
–
−1500 —
–
−1000 —
–
−500 —
Archean
Protero -zoic
Eo
Paleo
Meso
Neo
Paleo
Meso
Neo
Scale: millions of years
The West African Craton (WAC) is one of the five cratons of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate, the others being the Kalahari craton, Congo craton, Saharan Metacraton and Tanzania Craton.[1] Cratons themselves are tectonically inactive, but can occur near active margins,[2] with the WAC extending across 14 countries in Western Africa, coming together in the late Precambrian and early Palaeozoic eras to form the African continent. It consists of two Archean centers juxtaposed against multiple Paleoproterozoic domains made of greenstone belts, sedimentary basins, regional granitoid-tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) plutons, and large shear zones. The craton is overlain by Neoproterozoic and younger sedimentary basins. The boundaries of the WAC are predominantly defined by a combination of geophysics and surface geology, with additional constraints by the geochemistry of the region.[1] At one time, volcanic action around the rim of the craton may have contributed to a major global warming event.[3]
^ abJessell M.W., Liégeois J-P. (2015). "100 years of research on the West African Craton". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 112(B): 377– 381. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2015.10.008
^Ennih N. & Liégeois J-P. (2008). The Boundaries of the West African Craton. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 297: 1–17. doi:10.1144/SP297.1
^Doblas, Miguel; López-Ruiz, José; Cebriá, José-María; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Degroote, Eugenio (September 2002). "Mantle insulation beneath the West African craton during the Precambrian-Cambrian transition". Geology. 30 (9): 839. Bibcode:2002Geo....30..839D. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0839:MIBTWA>2.0.CO;2.
and 27 Related for: West African Craton information
The WestAfricanCraton (WAC) is one of the five cratons of the Precambrian basement rock of Africa that make up the African Plate, the others being the...
are from south to north, the Kalahari Craton, Congo Craton, Tanzania Craton and WestAfricanCraton. The cratons were widely separated in the past, but...
Southern Africa – Southernmost region of the African continent Vai syllabary – Writing system WestAfricanCraton – One of the five cratons of the Precambrian...
fragment WestAfricanCraton East Saharan Meta-craton Congo Craton, central southern Africa Bangweulu Block, Zambia Tanzanian Craton Kalahari Craton Kaapvaal...
Tanzania Craton – Old and stable part of the continental lithosphere in central Tanzania (Tanzania) WestAfricanCraton – One of the five cratons of the...
(the Kaapvaal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and WestAfricancratons) makes up the modern continent of Africa. These cratons were formed between about 3.6 and 2.0...
The Kalahari Craton is a craton, an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere, that occupies large portions of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia...
the Tuareg shield to the west, the Congo craton to the south, the Arabian-Nubian Shield to the east, and the northern African continental margin. The southern...
The Kaapvaal Craton (centred on the Limpopo Province in South Africa), along with the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia, are the only remaining areas...
Archaean cratons, including the Siberian Craton, with its Anabar/Aldan shields in Siberia, and the Slave, Wyoming, Superior, and North Atlantic cratons in North...
in the Eglab shield to the north of the WestAfricancraton and in the Man Shield to the south of the craton. There is evidence of three major Eburnean...
largest producers of gold in Africa, respectively. The Birimian terranes in the southern part of the WestAfricancraton are a mix of metamorphosed volcanic...
East African Orogeny. The Trans-Saharan Belt in WestAfrica is the result of the collision between the East Saharan Shield and the WestAfricanCraton when...
Sedimentary basin in WestAfrica, named after the Taoudenni village in northern Mali. It covers large parts of the WestAfricancraton in Mauritania and...
The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the...
Baltica), the Amazonian Craton and the WestAfricanCraton; in the south with the Río de la Plata and São Francisco cratons; in the southwest with the...
is a geological formation lying between the WestAfricancraton and the Saharan Metacraton in WestAfrica. Named after the Tuareg people, it has complex...
Laurentia or the North American Craton is a large continental craton that forms the ancient geological core of North America. Many times in its past, Laurentia...
fractionates originating from island-arc volcanic activity in the WestAfricancraton". Precambrian Research. 101 (1): 25–47. Bibcode:2000PreR..101...25B...
Shield (Leo-Man Shield or Leo-Man Craton) is a geological shield or craton in the southeast portion of the WestAfricanCraton. The shield is in part overlaid...
Archean supercontinent consisting of the Kaapvaal Craton (now in eastern South Africa) and the Pilbara Craton (now in north-western Western Australia). E....
equatorial Middle Africa that lies between the Gulf of Guinea and the African Great Lakes. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system...
while the southeast margin was connected to the WestAfricanCraton. Baltica, Amazonia, and WestAfrica rotated 75° clockwise relative to Laurentia until...
establish Eglab Shield to the north of WestAfricanCraton and Man Shield to its south – Birimian domain of WestAfrica established and structured. c. 2,200...
The East Antarctic Shield or Craton is a cratonic rock body that covers 10.2 million square kilometers or roughly 73% of the continent of Antarctica. The...
Pharusian Ocean by the WestAfricancraton and the eastern Hoggar. Closure was completed when the WestAfrican and Saharan cratons collided around 635 million...
Global Information