The Earliest Stable Continental Margin on Earth the Mesoarchaean Pongola Supergroup is an exceptionally well-preserved succession of volcanic and sedimentary rocks that extends for 270 km close to the eastern margin of the Kaapvaal craton in South Africa and Swaziland. This unit represents a volcano-sedimentary continental or epicontinental deposit that is one of the most extensive coherent Archaean terrains in the world, and the oldest of this extent. Its characteristics are unique among supracrustal terrains of this age and are different from those of other Archaean greenstone belts.

It, uniquely, marks the transition in southern African crustal development from the preceding early greenstone belts, such as the Barberton and Nondweni greenstone belts, to the late Archaean basin formation on stable continental crust.

Field Trip Leader: Allan Wilson, University of the Witwatersrand