This file was created by the TYPO3 extension publications --- Timezone: CEST Creation date: 2026-10-17 Creation time: 12:22:54 --- Number of references 10 article https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.70085 Abstract Investigating fluvio-marine depositional environments from early geological times is of great importance, as they provide key insights into the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the early Earth. The present study aims to reconstruct the deposition and evolution of these systems from the Palaeoarchean Moodies Group in the Stolzburg Syncline of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. It is based on a detailed investigation of the new, ~490 m-long research drillcore BASE-5B, using sedimentological logging, facies analysis and palaeocurrent measurements. Thirteen sedimentary facies were recognised and grouped into five facies associations. The stratigraphically lower section of the core, from ~490to ~294 m drilled depth, with an overall coarsening-upward trend, is mainly characterised by unidirectionally cross-stratified sandstones with occasional conglomerates and silicified sulphate concretions; this section was interpreted as a regressive, river-dominated fluvio-deltaic environment. The stratigraphically upper section, from ~294 to ~17 m, with an overall fining-upward trend, is characterised by cross-stratified sandstones with mudstone drapes and bidirectional palaeocurrents; this section was interpreted as a transgressive, fluvio-estuarine environment dominated by combined tidal and riverine processes and with a well-defined turbidity maximum. The vertical stacking pattern implies an evolution from a fluvio-deltaic to a fluvio-estuarine system with an overall regressive to transgressive trend due to an increase in basin subsidence and/or decrease in sediment supply. Two orders of transgressive–regressive cycles are superimposed on this general trend, reflecting relative sea-level fluctuations, most probably driven by changes in sediment supply. These results help in understanding the sedimentary dynamics of Archean fluvial-marine systems and their response to external forcings. 2026 https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.70085 The Depositional Record 12 e70085 4 Archean, Kaapvaal Craton, river-dominated delta, tidal bars, tide-dominated estuary, turbidity maximum https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dep2.70085 e70085 1345595 Sanway Mukhopadhyay Dennis Schreiber Nina Wichern David De Vleeschouwer Christoph Heubeck Marcello Gugliotta article Baidya2025 Article 2025 10.1038/s43247-025-02824-x Communications Earth and Environment 6 1 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105021527578&doi=10.1038%2fs43247-025-02824-x&partnerID=40&md5=86963d98204128f56a1644cc20dad2f6 Cited by: 0; All Open Access, Gold Open Access, Green Open Access Abu Saeed Baidya Michelle M. Gehringer Cristian Savaniu Christoph Heubeck Eva E. Stüeken article Heubeck2024129 The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project aimed at recovering an unweathered continuous core from the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. These strata comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings. They represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sandstones, siltstones, shales, and rare banded-iron formations (BIFs) and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes objectives, drilling, and data sets; it supplements the operational report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495m length, drilled from November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objectives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abundant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic silicified sulfate concretions. Oxidative weathering reached far deeper than expected. Fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two ca. 1km long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by downhole wireline geophysical instruments. The core was processed (oriented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. A geological exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and related the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach, and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders. © 2024 Christoph Heubeck et al. Article 2024 English 18168957 10.5194/sd-33-129-2024 Scientific Drilling 33 Copernicus Publications 129 – 172 2 Boreholes; Infill drilling; Iron; Shale; Stratigraphy; Sulfur compounds; Weathering; Archaean; Banded iron formations; Banded iron-formations; Banded-iron formations; Barberton; Greenstone belts; Paleoarchean; Scientific drilling; Siltstones; Surface environments; Sandstone https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85196639312&doi=10.5194%2fsd-33-129-2024&partnerID=40&md5=15015337e05e1c85ed9add006e99654e Cited by: 0; All Open Access, Gold Open Access Christoph Heubeck Nic Beukes Michiel De Kock Martin Homann Emmanuelle J. Javaux Takeshi Kakegawa Stefan Lalonde Paul Mason Phumelele Mashele Dora Paprika Chris Rippon Mike Tice Rodney Tucker Ryan Tucker Victor Ndazamo Astrid Christianson Cindy Kunkel article mashele2024 2024 10.3389/frym.2024.1252881 Frontiers for Young Minds 12 P Mashele C Heubeck article item_5026155 All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Heubeck et al., 2024) of the ICDP project BASE (ICDP 5069) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS BASE) are given and are complimented by additional information on data from measurements done in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first two sam-pling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP, depths corrections and measurements are also introduced. Article 2024 eng 10.48440/ICDP.5069.002 International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ data services

Potsdam

30 C. Heubeck N. Beukes M. Kock M. Homann E. J. Javaux T. Kakegawa S. Lalonde P. Mason M. Tice P. Mashele D. Paprika C. Rippon Rodney Tucker Ryan Tucker V. Ndazamo A. Christianson Cindy Kunkel article RN96 2024 10.22498/pages.32.2.106 Past Global Changes Magazine 32 106-107 2 Christoph Heubeck Nic Beukes article item_5025555 All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Heubeck et al., 2024) of the ICDP project BASE (ICDP 5069) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS BASE) are given and are complemented by additional information on data from measurements done in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first two sampling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP, depths corrections and measurements are also introduced. The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project focused on recovering unweathered continuous core through strata of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2 Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. They comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings; they represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sandstones, siltstones, shales, and rare BIFs and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes operations from preparations to the sampling workshop and complements the related scientific report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495 m length, drilled during November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903 m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objectives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abundant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic sulfate concretions. Oxidative weathering reached far deeper than expected; fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two km-long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by geophysical instruments. Core was processed (oriented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. An exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and related the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders. ICDP Dataset 2024 eng 10.5880/ICDP.5069.001 International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ data services

Potsdam

C. Heubeck N. Beukes M. Homann E. J. Javaux T. Kakegawa S. Lalonde P. Mason M. Tice P. Mashele D. Paprika C. Rippon Rodney Tucker Ryan Tucker V. Ndazamo A. Christianson Cindy Kunkel article item_5025554 The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project focused on recovering unweathered continuous core through strata of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2 Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. They comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings and represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sand-stones, siltstones, shales, and rare BIFs and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes operations from preparations to the sampling workshop and complements the related scientific report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495 m length, drilled during November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903 m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objec-tives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abun-dant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic sulfate concretions. Oxidative weather-ing reached far deeper than expected; fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two km-long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by geophysical instruments. Core was processed (ori-ented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. An exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and relat-ed the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders. ICDP Operational Report 2024 eng 10.48440/ICDP.5069.001 International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ data services

Potsdam

74 C. Heubeck N. Beukes M. Homann E. J. Javaux T. Kakegawa S. Lalonde P. Mason M. Tice P. Mashele D. Paprika C. Rippon Rodney Tucker Ryan Tucker V. Ndazamo A. Christianson Cindy Kunkel article RN256 Journal Article 2022 10.1126/science.abq5220 Science Advances 376 228-229 P. Voosen article 2022 10.25131/geobulletin.65.1 Geobulletin 65 18-21 Christoph Heubeck Nick Beukes BASE Onsite Geoscience Team