Ray Cas Geodynamic Influences on the Volcanological, Paleoenvironmental and Tectonic Evolution

Geodynamic Influences on the Volcanological, Paleoenvironmental and Tectonic Evolution of the Archean Kalgoorlie Terrane LIP, Western Australia, and Implications for the Yilgarn Craton

The Archean represents 45% of Earth history, yet there is much we don't understand about it, especially the tectonic-geodynamic processes. Although it is commonly assumed that plate tectonics operated throughout Earth history, the geological evidence during the Archean doesn't seem to stack up. This week Ray Cas will review the volcanological and paleoevironmental evolution of the Kalgoorlie Terrane of the Eastern Yilgarn Craton, one of the most ore deposit endowed pieces of real estate on the planet. We'll assess what that tells us about the tectonic framework at the time, and explore some geofantasy to assess the most likely tectonic-geodynamic regimes that existed during the Archean.