Abstract Compared to other continents, the study of indigenous (non-western) knowledge of palaeontology in Africa is a relatively new field. The literature reviewed here nevertheless suggests a long-lasting string of traditions, geomyths and folklore related to fossilized items on the whole continent and encompassing many African cultures. It is often difficult to estimate the antiquity of these traditions, but the evidence gathered here suggests that they range from the 1800s to pre-colonial times, and up to many millennia. Palaeontological items were collected and used for a variety of reasons, but the African record seems unusual for its scarce use of fossils for traditional medicine. Also, despite substantial efforts, some famous localities with conspicuous fossils still remain without any documented indigenous knowledge. We stress that documenting fossil-related folklore and geomyths is not only a matter of preserving this knowledge or promoting diversity, but is also crucial for establishing strong bonds with local stakeholders to encourage preservation of geoheritage and discover new sites.

Abstract A partially tuned, ‘soft’ seismic reflection, overlying a regional limestone marker on the west African slope, is shown to represent a sequence, up to 30 m thick, within which various individual stratigraphic units are identified, some of which display characteristics of a mass-transport deposit (MTD). The seismic reflection is described in terms of its two-way time structure, reflection amplitude pattern, complex seismic attributes and AVO response. Frequency-dependent aspects of the AVO response, resulting from velocity attenuation and dispersion of seismic signals, are shown to indicate variations in pore-fluid gas concentration. These are exploited to assess lithological, petrophysical and pore-fluid characteristics of the various sub-units within the sequence. A relative acoustic impedance inversion of the seismic data is combined with a low-frequency model, constructed from acoustic velocity data, to approximate absolute acoustic impedance characteristics of the sequence and to model behaviour of the various sub-units across the area. These pseudo-absolute impedance data are combined with evidence from AVO analysis, to construct a 2D model of the MTD unit and to generate a synthetic seismic record, which confirms the interpretation of stratigraphic, petrophysical and lithological properties of the MTD complex.

Abstract The Rodinia supercontinent broke apart during the Neoproterozoic. Rodinia break-up is associated with widespread intraplate magmatism on many cratons, including the c. 720–719 Ma Franklin large igneous province (LIP) of Laurentia. Coeval magmatism has also been identified recently in Siberia and South China. This extensive magmatism terminates ∼1 myr before the onset of the Sturtian Snowball Earth. However, LIP-scale magmatism and global glaciation are probably related. U–Pb isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) baddeleyite dating herein identifies remnants of a new c. 724–712 Ma LIP on the eastern Kalahari Craton in southern Africa and East Antarctica: the combined Mutare–Fingeren Dyke Swarm. This dyke swarm occurs in northeastern Zimbabwe (Mutare Dyke Swarm) and western Dronning Maud Land (Fingeren Dyke Swarm). It has incompatible element-enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt-like geochemistry, suggesting an asthenospheric mantle source for the LIP. The Mutare–Fingeren LIP probably formed during rifting. This rifting would have occurred almost ∼100 myr earlier than previous estimates in eastern Kalahari. The placement of Kalahari against southeastern Laurentia in Rodinia is also questioned. Proposed alternatives, invoking linking terranes between Kalahari and southwestern Laurentia or close to northwestern Laurentia, also present challenges with no discernible resolution. Nevertheless, LIP-scale magmatism being responsible for the Sturtian Snowball Earth significantly increases.

Abstract Orientated carbonate (calcite twinning strains; n = 78 with 2414 twin measurements) and quartzites (finite strains; n = 15) were collected around Gondwana to study the deformational history associated with the amalgamation of the supercontinent. The Buzios orogen (545–500 Ma), within interior Gondwana, records the high-grade collisional orogen between the São Francisco Craton (Brazil) and the Congo–Angola Craton (Angola and Namibia), and twinning strains in calc-silicates record a SE–NW shortening fabric parallel to the thrust transport. Along Gondwana's southern margin, the Saldanian–Ross–Delamerian orogen (590–480 Ma) is marked by a regional unconformity that cuts into deformed Neoproterozoic–Ordovician sedimentary rocks and associated intrusions. Cambrian carbonate is preserved in the central part of the southern Gondwana margin, namely in the Kango Inlier of the Cape Fold Belt and the Ellsworth, Pensacola and Transantarctic mountains. Paleozoic carbonate is not preserved in the Ventana Mountains in Argentina, in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas or in Tasmania. Twinning strains in these Cambrian carbonate strata and synorogenic veins record a complex, overprinted deformation history with no stable foreland strain reference. The Kurgiakh orogen (490 Ma) along Gondwana's northern margin is also defined by a regional Ordovician unconformity throughout the Himalaya; these rocks record a mix of layer-parallel and layer-normal twinning strains with a likely Himalayan (40 Ma) strain overprint and no autochthonous foreland strain site. Conversely, the Gondwanide orogen (250 Ma) along Gondwana's southern margin has three foreland (autochthonous) sites for comparison with 59 allochthonous thrust-belt strain analyses. From west to east, these include: finite strains from Devonian quartzite preserve a layer-parallel shortening (LPS) strain rotated clockwise in the Ventana Mountains of Argentina; frontal (calcite twins) and internal (quartzite strains) samples in the Cape Fold Belt preserve a LPS fabric that is rotated clockwise from the autochthonous north–south horizontal shortening in the foreland strain site; Falkland Devonian quartzite shows the same clockwise rotation of the LPS fabric; and Permian limestone and veins in Tasmania record a thrust transport-parallel LPS fabric. Early amalgamation of Gondwana (Ordovician) is preserved by local layer-parallel and layer-normal strain without evidence of far-field deformation, whereas the Gondwanide orogen (Permian) is dominated by layer-parallel shortening, locally rotated by dextral shear along the margin, that propagated across the supercontinent.

Abstract The Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic Betsiboka Suite of Madagascar mainly consists of granitoid orthogneiss and migmatite variably metamorphosed to amphibolite and granulite facies during the late Neoproterozoic. New U–Pb zircon data yield emplacement ages of 2512 ± 17, 2507 ± 17, 2493 ± 14 and 2485 ± 16 Ma. Zircon δ 18 O data indicate involvement of the continental crust during magma genesis. Mostly positive ε Hf ( t ) values plot slightly below the depleted-mantle curve. The isotopic data favour mixing between an older Archean crustal source and a juvenile depleted-mantle source. Possible local crustal candidates for the older component in the exposed Malagasy basement are Neoarchean mafic gneisses in the Tsaratanana Complex and the c. 3200 Ma Nosy Boraha orthogneiss in the Antongil Domain. The new isotopic data support interpretations from previous studies investigating the genesis of Tonian plutonic rocks advocating crustal melting of a Mesoarchean crustal source in the Antananarivo Domain. In addition, detrital zircon in the Proterozoic Ambatolampy Group and Itremo Group probably had a local source with the same isotopic composition as the Betsiboka Suite. Our study demonstrates the significance of multi-isotopic data from zircon for constraining the sources of detrital zircon grains in sedimentary provenance studies.