<div><div><p>U-Pb radioisotopic data for the Suurberg and Uitenhage Groups acquired by ICPMS and TIMS.</p></div></div><div><br></div><div><div><p>The data were collected from 2015 to 2017. There are two types of data acquired from two different mass spectrometers, (1) LA-ICPMS and (2) CA-TIMS: </p><p><br></p></div><div><p> </p></div><div><p>(1) LA-ICPMS: This was achieved using an <b>ASI Resolution M-50-LR Excimer laser to ablate zircon grains within a Laurin Technic M-50 dual-volume cell, both coupled to a Thermo Scientific Element 2 single collector mass spectrometer. </b>All analyses were performed at the Central Analytical Facility at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. <br></p><p><br>(2) CA-TIMS: Following chemical abrasion pre-treatments, analysis was performed on a <b>Micromass Sector54 thermal-ionisation mass spectrometer</b> at the Berkeley Geochronology Center in California, USA.</p></div></div>
Funding
This project was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation African Origins Platform (GUN 91601 to EMB) and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences (GUN CoE2017-050; COE2016-347 to EMB). A doctoral bursary to RAM is provided by the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences. The Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST), DST-NRF and the University of Cape Town supported RAM in several international study visits.