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Models of greenstone belt development are crucial for exploration. Allochthonous models predict belts to be a collage of unrelated fragments, whereas autochthonous models allow for prediction of syngenetic mineral deposits within specific stratigraphic intervals. Superior province greenstone belts consist of mainly volcanic units unconformably overlain by largely sedimentary “Timiskaming-style” assemblages, and field and geochronological data indicate that the Abitibi greenstone belt developed autochthonously. We describe major revisions to stratigraphy of the Abitibi greenstone belt and the implications of an autochthonous development of the volcanic stratigraphy for exploration for syngenetic mineralization. The Abitibi greenstone belt is subdivided into seven discrete volcanic stratigraphic episodes on the basis of groupings of numerous U-Pb zircon ages of pre-2750, 2750 to 2735, 2734 to 2724, 2723 to …