Controls on Precambrian sea level change and sedimentary cyclicity

The relatively limited number of studies of Precambrian sequence stratigraphy allows some preliminary conclusions to be drawn on duration of the first three orders of cyclicity. Archaean greenstone basins appear to have had first- and second-order cycle durations analogous to Phanerozoic equivalents, supporting steady state tectonics throughout Earth history. In direct contrast, however, preserved basin-fills from Neoarchaean-Palaeoproterozoic cratonic terranes have first- and second-order cycles of considerably longer duration than Phanerozoic examples, supporting less evolved tectonism affecting cratonic plates. It is possible that oceanic tectonic realms underwent more rapid and dynamic plate movements and arc generation, whereas early continental cratonic plates offered more stable platforms and may have been subject to slower migration rates. The wide range of controls on Precambrian sea level change, allied to their apparent variability (in rates and periodicity) through Precambrian time supports the conclusion that each order of cyclicity is relative and must be defined within the stratigraphic context of each individual case study. This underlines the importance of establishing a hierarchical order of cyclicity in sequence stratigraphic interpretations of Precambrian basins based on the relative importance of sequences rather than their temporal duration.