GEOL 488 Quiz 1 Key Dates & Locations

Hadean Date

Circa 4.0 Ga to 4.56 Ga

Archean Date

4.0-2.5 Ga

Eoarchean Date

4.0-3.6 Ga

Paleoarchean Date

3.6-3.2 Ga

Mesoarchean Date

3.2-2.8 Ga

Neoarchean Date

2.8-2.5 Ga

Date of Stage 1 (Earth’s tectonic evolution)

>4.5 Ga

Date of Stage 2 (Earth’s tectonic evolution)

>3.0 Ga

Date of Stage 3 (Earth’s tectonic evolution)

3.0-1.7 Ga

Date of Stage 4 (Earth’s tectonic evolution)

1.7-0.75 Ga

Date of Stage 5 (Earth’s tectonic evolution)

<0.75 Ga

Date of first Wilson cycle initiation

1.0 Ga

Age of main accretion & early differentiation (Archean firsts)

4.56-4.53 Ga

Lunar basalt age

3.8-3.2 Ga

Lunar anorthosite age

4.5-4.2 Ga

Age of giant impact event (formed Moon) (Archean firsts)

4.53-4.5 Ga

Age of crystallization of primordial crust + detrital zircons (Archean firsts) (Archean firsts)

4.5-4.05 Ga

Age of oldest preserved detrital zircons

4.4 Ga

Age of lunar cataclysm, late heavy bombardment, oldest rocks (Archean firsts)

4.0-3.8 Ga

Age of Acasta Gneiss

4.03 Ga

Location of Acasta Gneiss

Slave Craton, NWT (~300km north of YK)

Age of the earliest basement duplexes and supracrustal sequences (Archean firsts)

3.8-3.6 Ga

Age of Isua supracrustal sequence

~3.8-3.7 Ga

Location of Isua supracrustal sequence

North Atlantic craton in Greenland

Location of Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal sequence

Eastern shore of Hudson Bay, 40 km southeast of Inukjuak, Quebec

Age of Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal sequence

~3825 Ma ± 16 Ma (age highly debated)

Age of Archean flood basalt-rhyolite and quartzite sequences (Archean firsts)

3.6-3.0 Ga

Age of first passive margin and strike-slip faults (Archean firsts)

3.0-2.5 Ga

Age of the first subduction

<3.0 Ga

Location of Archean cratons in North America

Age of high-grade gneiss subprovinces

>2.8 Ga

Age of volcano-plutonic subprovinces

2.7-2.8 Ga

Age of Great Oxidation Event (GOE)

~2.4-2.3 Ga

Age of Neoproterozoic Oxidation Event (NOE)

~850-541 Ma

Age of Warawoona stromatolites

~3.5 Ga

Age of Barberton stromatolites

~3.4 Ga

Age of abundant cyanobacteria

~2.7 Ga

Age of anoxic stage

>1850 Ma

Age of sulfidic stage

1850-1250 Ma

Age of oxic stage

<1250 Ma

Dates of Paleoproterozoic

2500-1600 Ma

Dates of Mesoproterozoic

1600-1000 Ma

Age of Trans-Hudson orogen

1.85 Ga

Age of Superior Province Archean break-up (evidenced by Sudbury dike swarms)

2.5 & 2.2 Ga

• Matachewan (2.5-2.45 Ga)

• Mistassini (ca. 2.5 Ga)

• Mafic magmatism in Superior & Southern provinces (ca. 2.2 Ga)

Age of Huronian Supergroup

2.5-2.1 Ga

Location of Huronian Supergroup

North shores of Lake Huron, south of Superior craton

Age of Coronation Supergroup

1900 Ma to 1885 Ma

Location of Coronation Supergroup

western Slave craton

Age of Wopmay orogen

ca. 1.8 Ga

Location of Wopmay orogen

western Slave craton (deformed Coronation supergroup)

Age of Purtuniq ophiolite

2.0 Ga

Location of Purtuniq ophiolite

Cape Smith belt in Superior Craton, NE QC

Age of Dongwanzi ophiolite

2.6-2.5 Ga

Location of Dongwanzi ophiolite

North China craton

Age of Nuna (Columbia) supercontinent

ca. 1.5 Ga (Mesoproterozoic)

Dates of Mesoproterozoic

1.6-1.0 Ga

Dates of Neoproterozoic

1.0-0.54 Ga

Age of Meso/Neoproterozoic cascade of events

1.3-0.9 Ga

Age of Yavapai-Mazatzal Provinces

1.8-1.6 Ga

Location of Yavapai-Mazatzal Provinces

The “four corners” of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico

Age of Keweenawan Rift

1109-1087 Ma

Location of Keweenawan Rift

Surrounding Lake Superior

Age of Elzevirian/Shawinigan

1190-1140 Ma

Age of Ottawan

1080-1020 Ma

Age of Rigolet

1020-980 Ma

Age of Pre-Grenvillian (stage 1 in Grenville orogen tectonic evolution)

>1300 Ma

Age of Pre-Shawinigan ≈ Elzevier phase (stage 2 in Grenville orogen tectonic evolution)

1290-1190 Ma

Age of Frontenac–Adirondack Belt evolution

1320-1190 Ma

Age of Pre-Shawinigan ≈ Elzevier phase (stage 2 in Grenville orogen tectonic evolution)

1290-1190 Ma

Age of Shawinigan phase (stage 3 in Grenville orogen tectonic evolution)

1190 – 1140 Ma

Age of Ottawan & Rigolet orogeny (stage 4 in Grenville orogen tectonic evolution)

1090 – 980 Ma

Age of Rodinia supercontinent

1.2 Ga to 750 Ma

Age of initiation of rifting of N. America (breakup of Rodinia)

ca. 650 Ma

Age of Cambrian

541-485 Ma

Age of Sauk megasequence

Ediacaran to early Ordovician

Age of Tippecanoe megasequence

Ordovician to early Devonian