Two hundred and twenty million years of Archean evolution: a zircon U–Pb age stratigraphic study of the Uchi–Confederation Lakes greenstone belt, northwestern Ontario
Three metavolcanic units in the Uchi–Confederation Lakes greenstone belt have been dated by the zircon U–Pb method. Ages obtained reveal a time interval of [Formula: see text] separating the cycle I crystal tuff (2958.6 ± 1.7 Ma) from the cycle III rhyolite ([Formula: see text]). A cycle II rhyolite about 2794 Ma old lies between the other two units. Uranium-rich xenocrystic cores occur in the cycle I zircons and are indirect evidence of preexisting sialic material.A metamorphosed granodiorite, intrusive into the cycle III rhyolite, is about the same age as the rhyolite. A post-metamorphic quartz monzonite pluton is dated at 2729.6 ± 1.3 Ma. A period of dynamothermal metamorphism in this portion of the Superior Province indirectly dated at [Formula: see text] reflects the Kenoran orogeny.