Waves and weathering at 3.7 Ga: Geological evidence for an equitable terrestrial climate under the faint early Sun

• Published in: Australian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Authors: Nutman, Allen P, Bennett, Victoria, Friend, Clark
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Keywords: banded iron formation; basalt; breccia; chemical reaction; chemical weathering; continental crust; depositional environment; ice cap; igneous rock; Phanerozoic; Precambrian; sedimentary rock; structural analysis; supracrustal rock; volcanic rock chemical weathering; early atmosphere; Eoarchean; faint early Sun; Isua supracrustal belt; storm deposits; Ice cap
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/66239; https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2012.618512; https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/66239/5/f5625xPUB1249_2012.pdf.jpg; https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/66239/7/01_Nutman_Waves_and_weathering_at_3.7_2012.pdf.jpg

Chemical sedimentary rocks such as banded iron formation (BIF) and pillow basalts are persistent features of the oldest volcanic and sedimentary record by 3.8-3.7 Ga, and are direct evidence for oceans by the start of the Archean. However, their presence