The Precambrian drift history and paleogeography of the Kalahari Craton

Available paleomagnetic data from Precambrian southern Africa are reviewed and evaluated. Reliable paleopoles are used to define Precambrian apparent polar wander paths and constrain the paleolatitudinal drift and evolution of the Kalahari Craton and its constituents. Available paleomagnetic data do not support the reconstruction of the Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons in a contiguous Vaalbara configuration, and incorporation of Vaalbara as a crustal element in Kenorland and Columbia is questioned. The Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal cratons were far apart between ~2.63 and 2.43 Ga, and a modern relative configuration is supported only after ~1.85 Ga. Much of Paleoproterozoic and parts of the Mesoproterozoic drifts are relatively well-constrained, but a dearth of reliable ~1.64–1.40 Ga data obscures the position of Proto-Kalahari within Columbia. Also, the Neoproterozoic paleomagnetic database from the Kalahari Craton is poorly populated. The database of well-dated reliable Precambrian poles in general, however, has grown significantly in recent years.