The Temagami Greenstone Belt (TGB) is a small 2.7 billion year old greenstone belt in the Temagami region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It represents a feature of the Superior craton, an ancient and stable part of the Earth's lithosphere that forms the core of the North American continent and Canadian Shield. The belt is composed of metamorphosed volcanic rocks that range in composition from basalt to rhyolite. These form the east-northeast trend of the belt and are overlain by metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. They were created during several volcanic episodes involving a variety of eruptive styles ranging from passive lava eruptions to viscous explosive eruptions.
Pillow lava exposed at Temagami's former garbage dump, part of the Younger Volcanic Complex.
A dike intruding igneous rock exposed along Highway 11 immediately north of Temagami North. This dike is about 2 m (6.6 ft) wide
Surface of a weathered pillow lava formation west of the Ontario Northland Railway. This is one of the several pillow lava outcrops throughout the Temagami Greenstone Belt
An S-shaped fold in banded iron formation exposed along Highway 11 just north of the town of Temagami
Banded iron formations are distinctive units of sedimentary rock consisting of alternating layers of iron oxides and iron-poor chert. They can be up to several hundred meters in thickness and extend laterally for several hundred kilometers. Almost all of these formations are of Precambrian age and are thought to record the oxygenation of the Earth's oceans. Some of the Earth's oldest rock formations, which formed about 3,700 million years ago (Ma), are associated with banded iron formations.
Banded iron formation, Karijini National Park, Western Australia
2.1 billion year old rock from North America showing banded iron formation, displayed in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Banded iron formation from the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa
Close-up of banded iron formation specimen from Upper Michigan