Malley diabase dykes of the Slave craton, Canadian Shield: U–Pb age, paleomagnetism, and implications for continental reconstructions in the early Paleoproterozoic1Geological Survey of Canada Contribution 20110114.

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Buchan ◽  
Anthony N. LeCheminant ◽  
Otto van Breemen
Keyword(s):  
Relative Orientation ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Dyke Swarm ◽  
Slave Craton ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Thermal Demagnetization ◽  
Contact Test ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Superior Craton

The NE-trending Malley dyke swarm, dated herein at 2231 ± 2 Ma (U–Pb baddeleyite), extends from the central Slave craton to the vicinity of the Kilohigok basin, and may continue farther to the northeast as the geochemically similar Brichta dyke swarm, having been offset sinistrally along the prominent Bathurst fault. It carries a characteristic high unblocking temperature paleomagnetic component of single polarity directed up SE (mean direction: D = 138.3°, I = –53.8°), with corresponding paleopole at 50.8°S, 50.0°W. Lower unblocking temperature components, in some cases directed down SE, similar to ca 1.75 Ga post-Hudsonian overprints, are easily removed using combined alternating field (AF) thermal demagnetization, but difficult to remove using AF cleaning alone. The characteristic remanence has not been demonstrated primary, but is significantly older than 2.03 Ga, the age of Lac de Gras dykes, based on a baked contact test at a Lac de Gras – Malley dyke intersection. In addition, an E- to ESE-trending dyke carries a down WNW remanence, typical of 2.19 Ga Dogrib dykes near Yellowknife, suggesting that regional overprinting has not affected the study area since Dogrib emplacement, and that the Malley remanence was acquired at or shortly after Malley emplacement. Comparing Malley and Lac de Gras paleopoles with the 2.22–2.00 Ga Superior craton apparent polar wander path indicates that the two cratons were (i) not in their present relative orientation at 2.23 or 2.03 Ga, and (ii) likely not drifting in close proximity to one another as parts of a single (super)continent throughout the 2.23–2.03 Ga interval.

A detailed 40Ar/39Ar age study of an Abitibi dike from the Canadian Superior Province

1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1060-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Hanes ◽  
Derek York
Keyword(s):  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Superior Province ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Mafic Mineral ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
Step Heating ◽  
Apparent Age ◽  
Hydrothermal Event

40Ar/39Ar step-heating analyses were performed on 11 felsic and mafic mineral separates from a 90 m wide Precambrian diabase dike of the Abitibi swarm in the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield. Deuterically altered minerals from the dike interior define a primary age of 2150 ± 25 Ma. Updated ages, obtained from felsic separates within 30, and mafic within 1.5 m of the dike border, are evidence of a previously undetected 'Hudsonian' (1.7–1.8 Ga) hydrothermal event in the area. It is possible to distinguish the deuteric from the later hydrothermal alteration by both dating and petrographic methods. The data from this study demonstrate the successful application of 40Ar/39Ar dating to early Proterozoic dikes which have suffered low grade metamorphism. The ages support a north to south sense of motion of the Track 5 apparent polar wander path (APWP). A monotonic decrease in apparent age of felsic spectra indicates reactor induced recoil effects which are correlated with the fine-grained saussurite in the feldspar.

Paleomagnetism of the Lac St-Jean anorthosite and related rocks, Grenville Province, Quebec

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Buchan ◽  
W. F. Fahrig ◽  
G. N. Freda ◽  
R. A. Frith
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Regional Metamorphism ◽  
The Other ◽  
Central Portion ◽  
Grenville Province ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Thermal Demagnetization ◽  
The North ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
Normal Polarity

Alternating field and thermal demagnetization study of the Lac St-Jean anorthosite and related rock units in the central portion of the exposed Grenville Province reveals two components of magnetization, one of reversed and the other of normal polarity. Both components are thought to have been acquired during the last regional metamorphism, which was sufficiently intense in this area (mostly amphibolite grade) to reset any earlier magnetization. Corresponding paleopoles at 193°W, 8°S (dm = 7.3°, dp = 4.6°) and 213°W, 19°S (dm = 10.5°, dp = 8.5°) lie along the 950–900 Ma segment of the recently calibrated Grenville track of the North American apparent polar wander path, a track that has thus far been defined largely by results from rock units of the western Grenville.

Paleomagnetism and time-stratigraphic correlation of Proterozoic redbeds of the Labrador Trough and outliers of northern Quebec

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1725-1737 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Schwarz ◽  
G. N. Freda
Keyword(s):  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Stratigraphic Correlation ◽  
End Points ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Northeastern Part ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
South West ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Magnetic North ◽  
Group 1

One hundred and forty-two oriented cores were collected from redbeds of the Sakami Formation near LG-4 (85), Dieter (19), Cambrian (18), and Snow-ball (4) lakes, all in Quebec, and from two outliers in Labrador: Evening Lake (6) and Sims Lake (10). A further 73 oriented drill cores were collected from the strongly folded Chakonipau Formation redbeds (44) in the Labrador Trough and undeformed redbeds near Lac Imbault (29) on the western edge of the trough. Thermal demagnetization of the trough redbeds yielded 52 core directions, each of which showed good specimen end points and sufficient homogeneity of magnetization, and 101 such core directions were obtained for the outlier redbeds. In most of these samples, there are no indications that the stable remanence is multi-component, and the fold test yields (for LG-4 Sakami Formation and the Chakonipau Formation) a significant (95% probability) improvement of the dispersion parameter K. Thus, the Chakonipau Formation remanence is probably pre-Hudsonian and the Sakami Formation remanence is probably pre-faulting (not dated). Furthermore, a near reversal (165°) in the Chakonipau Formation suggests that the stable remanence was acquired during or soon after deposition. The pole positions for Circum-Superior orogen rocks, the Proterozoic outliers, and the Sutton Lake inlier suggest: (1) a time-stratigraphic correlation between the LG-4 Sakami, Dieter Lake, Sutton Lake, and the upper part of the Belcher Island sequences; and (2) a time-stratigraphic correlation between the lower part of the Belcher Islands sequence and the Richmond Gulf sequence, which must be substantially older than group 1. The Circum-Superior apparent polar wander path (APWP) is drawn through magnetic North poles from the group 1 poles to the group 2 poles, yielding a slightly lower age for the trough sediments represented by the Chakonipau Formation (two opposing polarities) and the Lac Imbault redbeds. The general North American APWP is simplified by the deletion of the Richmond Gulf South poles, and seems to be positioned as much as about 30° north of the Circum-Superior APWP down to about 1800 Ma ago. This may indicate (pre-) Hudsonian movement between the northeastern part of the Canadian Shield and paleomagnetically better investigated parts to the (south-) west.

Paleomagnetism of the Wintering Lake pluton and the Early Proterozoic tectonic motion of the Superior Boundary Zone, Manitoba

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1071-1083
Author(s):  
M J Harris ◽  
D TA Symons ◽  
W H Blackburn ◽  
A Turek ◽  
D C Peck
Keyword(s):  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Boundary Zone ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Early Proterozoic ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
Paleomagnetic Study ◽  
Paleomagnetic Result ◽  
Tectonic Motion ◽  
Host Rocks ◽  
Superior Craton

This Lithoprobe-funded paleomagnetic study of the Early Proterozoic Wintering Lake granitoid body supports tectonic models that suggest continental accretion of the Trans-Hudson Orogen with the Superior Craton occurred at ~1822 Ma. Thermal demagnetization data for the granitoid specimens suggest that the magnetic remanence carriers are coarse-grained magnetite or titanomagnetite, and saturation isothermal remanence tests suggest that the magnetite is mostly multidomain. Six of seven paleomagnetic contact tests were negative, indicating that the host rocks have been remagnetized and that the granitoid body may have been partially remagnetized near its margins. Acceptable site mean remanence directions for 20 of 21 granitic sites yield a paleopole at 46.8°N, 102.2°W (with semi-axes of the 95% ellipse of confidence about the paleopole of dp = 11° and dm = 11°). The paleopole fits on the extrapolated apparent polar wander path (APWP) for the Superior craton at ~1822 Ma, which is the interpreted emplacement age of the pluton close to the peak of the Trans-Hudson orogeny. This is the first well-constrained paleomagnetic result from the Superior Province that provides direct evidence from concordant paleopoles for the Early Proterozoic accretion of the orogen to the craton. Further, the paleomagnetic results from the pluton's host rocks, along with other recent results from the Superior Boundary Zone, fill in a gap in the APWP for the craton between ~1780 and ~1720 Ma. The Superior path is now shown to form a hairpin as the craton moves from mid to polar paleolatitudes from ~1880 to ~1830 Ma, suffers a stillstand from ~1830 to ~1770 Ma during the peak of the Trans-Hudson orogeny, returns to mid-paleolatitudes from ~1770 to ~1740 Ma, and then moves on to subequatorial paleolatitudes by ~1720 Ma.

Paleomagnetism and U–Pb geochronology of the Lac de Gras diabase dyke swarm, Slave Province, Canada: implications for relative drift of Slave and Superior provinces in the PaleoproterozoicGeological Survey of Canada Contribution 20080350.

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Buchan ◽  
Anthony N. LeCheminant ◽  
Otto van Breemen
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Polarity ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Dyke Swarm ◽  
Superior Province ◽  
Igneous Complex ◽  
Contact Test ◽  
Slave Province ◽  
Formed Part ◽  
Dyke Swarms

Lac de Gras diabase dykes trend north to NNE across the central Slave Province of the Canadian Shield. U–Pb baddeleyite ages of 2023 ± 2 and 2027 ± 4 Ma are interpreted as dyke emplacement ages. These ages are similar to that of the Booth River igneous complex, exposed along the margins of Kilohigok Basin near the northern end of the dyke swarm. Ten paleomagnetic sites (from four to six dykes) yield a mean paleopole at 11.8°N, 92.1°W (dm = 8.4°, dp = 6.0°). A positive baked contact test where a Lac de Gras dyke crosscuts a NE-trending Malley dyke demonstrates that this pole is primary. It represents the first key Paleoproterozoic pole from the Slave Province and, hence, the first Paleoproterozoic Slave pole suitable for reconstructing paleocontinents. Although a direct comparison is not available with precisely dated paleopoles of identical age from other Archean cratons, a comparison is made with a sequence of precisely dated poles from Superior Province dyke swarms, including those 40–50 million years older and 25 million years younger. It yields two options depending on the relative magnetic polarity assumed for data from the two cratons. The two cratons were either at similar latitudes, but not in their present relative orientations, when the swarms were emplaced, or separated in latitude by ∼40°–60°. In either case, they may have drifted separately or formed part of a single (super)continent that subsequently broke up with the two cratons drifting separately to attain their present configuration. Additional key paleopoles are required to distinguish between these interpretations.

The 1830 Ma Trans-Hudson hairpin from paleomagnetism of the Wapisu gneiss dome, Kisseynew Domain, Manitoba

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 913-922
Author(s):  
D TA Symons ◽  
M J Harris
Keyword(s):  
Remanent Magnetization ◽  
Amphibolite Facies ◽  
Gneiss Dome ◽  
North Central ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
Northeastern Part ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path ◽  
Peak Metamorphism ◽  
Superior Craton

The Wapisu gneiss dome is located in the northeastern part of the Kisseynew Domain of the Trans-Hudson Orogen (THO) in north-central Manitoba. The dome is circular, about 6 km in diameter, with steeply-dipping flanks. It is composed of upper amphibolite-facies gneisses derived from turbiditic sediments, with leucogranitic sill-like intrusions that were metamorphosed, starting at about 1830 Ma. Alternating field and thermal step demagnetization of 153 specimens from 17 sites around the perimeter of the dome isolated a characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) direction of D = 346.6°, I = 78.9° (α95 = 5.3°, k = 46, N = 17) that gives a pole of 119.5° W, 75.8° N (dp = 9.5°, dm = 10.0°). Unblocking temperatures and saturation isothermal remanence analyses show that the ChRM resides mostly in single to pseudosingle domain magnetite or titanomagnetite, with minor hematite commonly present and with minor pyrrhotite present in the leucogranites. The ChRM is found to be postfolding with >>99.9% confidence, indicating acquisition on cooling from peak metamorphism at ~1810 ± 10 Ma. This Wapisu gneiss dome paleopole is the first from the Kisseynew Domain and the first from the 1830 to 1770 Ma interval in the THO. It indicates an ~90° bend or hairpin in the apparent polar wander path for the THO juvenile terranes and Superior craton. It is speculated that the hairpin marks the collisional impact of the Archean Sask craton and (or) Hearne craton, which drove the Paleoproterozoic Kisseynew Domain into the Archean Superior craton.

Paleomagnetism of the Callander Complex and the Cambrian apparent polar wander path for North America

1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. A. Symons ◽  
A. D. Chiasson
Keyword(s):  
Remanent Magnetization ◽  
Pole Position ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Complete Spectrum ◽  
Isothermal Remanent Magnetization ◽  
Alkaline Complex ◽  
Grenville Province ◽  
Polar Wander ◽  
The Core ◽  
Apparent Polar Wander Path

The 7 km2 circular Callander alkaline complex was emplaced into anorthositic and granitic gneisses of the Grenville Province in the Canadian Shield about 575 ± 5 Ma ago at the start of the Cambrian. The complex has not been subsequently metamorphosed or tilted. Detailed alternating-field and thermal step demagnetization of 252 specimens from 29 sites led to the identification of a characteristic A magnetization component with a direction of D = 82.2°, I = 82.7° (α95 = 3.1°, k = 83, N = 26 sites) in 5 sites of mesocratic to leucocratic syenite from the core of the complex, in 5 sites of fenitized host rock from its aureole, and in 16 sites of lamprophyre from radiating dikes. Isothermal remanent-magnetization tests show that the A component is retained by both magnetite and hematite in a complete spectrum of domain sizes. A reversals test suggests and a contact test shows the A component to be primary. Its pole position at 46.3°S, 121.4°E(dp = 5.9°, dm = 6.1°) does not fall on published but poorly defined Cambrian apparent polar wander paths, leading to speculation on an alternative Cambrian path.

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