The Mesoarchean Pongola Supergroup is a thick volcano-sedimentary succession that is unique in the early record of Earth's history because of the nature and composition of the lava flows that, in addition to basalts, have a high proportion of intermediate and acid compositions. The succession contrasts with other contemporaneous volcanic deposits in southern Africa and in other parts of the world that gave rise to greenstone belts by having a low state of deformation and a uniformly low grade of metamorphism.

The White Mfolozi inlier is a deeply eroded river section that exposes spectacular structures and textures of two sequences...