Stratigraphy and tectonic significance of Cretaceous volcanism in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1209-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashton F. Embry ◽  
Kirk G. Osadetz
Keyword(s):  
Hot Spot ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Canada Basin ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Sverdrup Basin ◽  
Cretaceous Volcanism ◽  
Volcanic Succession ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading

Cretaceous volcanic rocks, which consist mainly of basalt flows and pyroclastic rocks, occur on northern Ellesmere Island, Axel Heiberg Island, and northernmost Amund Ringnes Island as part of the Sverdrup Basin succession. Volcanic rocks are associated with each of four regional transgressive–regressive (T–R) cycles that constitute the Cretaceous clastic succession of Sverdrup Basin and are of Valanginian – early Barremian, late Barremian – Aptian, latest Aptian – early Cenomanian, and late Cenomanian – Maastrichtian age; the volcanic component of each increases northward. The centre of volcanism appears to have been north of Ellesmere Island and is interpreted as the site of a mantle plume that was active throughout the Cretaceous.Most of the volcanic activity took place from Hauterivian to early Cenomanian (T–R cycles 1–3) and was accompanied by widespread sill and dyke intrusion. This activity coincided with the main rifting phase of the adjacent oceanic Canada Basin and with minor crustal extension in the Sverdrup Basin. From late Cenomanian to Campanian, volcanism was restricted to the extreme northeast, and trachytes and rhyolites were extruded along with basalts. This volcanic succession is interpreted as being the southern limit of Alpha Ridge, a major volcanic edifice that formed as a hot-spot track across Canada Basin during sea-floor spreading in Late Cretaceous.

Early Paleozoic Volcanism and Metamorphism of the Moretons Harbour–Twillingate Area, Newfoundland

1973 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1363-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Strong ◽  
J. G. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Crust ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Metal Sulfides ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Extensive Area ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Pillow Lavas ◽  
Intense Deformation ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading ◽  
Harbour Area

In the Moretons Harbour area, at the eastern end of the Lushs Bight terrane of central Newfoundland, the volcanic rocks of the "Lushs Bight Supergroup" are divided into two new groups, viz, the Moretons Harbour Group and the Chanceport Group. The former is separable into four formations, consisting primarily of variable proportions of basaltic pillow lavas and volcanoclastic sediments, with a composite thickness in excess of 6 km, or around 8 km including an extensive area of 'sheeted' diabase dikes. These formations are steeply dipping and face southwest; they are separated by the Chanceport fault from the Chanceport Group to the south. The latter consists of interbedded basaltic pillow lavas with graywackes and banded red and green cherts, all facing north and steeply dipping to overturned, with a composite thickness of approximately 3 km.The Moretons Harbour Group has been intruded by the Twillingate trondhjemitic granite–granodiorite pluton and abundant basic dikes intrude the granite, indicating that the mafic and felsic magmatism were coeval. Both have undergone intense deformation and the volcanics show a change from greenschist to amphibolite facies mineralogy within a distance of 2 km on approaching the pluton, a result of buttressing by the pluton during deformation, and not an intrusive effect.Base metal sulfides are common throughout the area, but the main occurrences of Cu, As, Sb, and Au are concentrated in the Little Harbour Formation, a 2600 m thick sequence of volcanoclastic rocks within the Moretons Harbour Group.The great thickness of volcanic rocks is interpreted as having formed in an island arc environment, although it is possible that the lowermost parts of the sequence represent oceanic crust. It is unlikely that the sheeted diabases of the Moretons Harbour area were produced by sea-floor spreading.

A Discussion on volcanism and the structure of the Earth - Proposals concerning the variation of volcanic products and processes within the oceanic environment

1972 ◽  
Vol 271 (1213) ◽  
pp. 131-140 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Model ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Fracture Zones ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Incompatible Elements ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading ◽  
Low Pressures

An attempt is made to fit available petrochemical data on oceanic volcanic rocks into the structural model for the ocean basins presented by the plate tectonic theory. It is suggested that there are three major volcanic regimes: (i) the low-potassic olivine tholeiite association of the axial zones of the oceanic ridges where magmatic liquids are generated at low pressures high in the mantle, (ii) the alkalic (Na > K) associations along linear fractures where liquids generated at greater depth gain easy egress to the surface, (iii) those alkalic associations, rich in incompatible elements, of island groups, remote from fracture zones, where magmas created at depth proceed slowly to the surface and in consequence suffer intense fractionation. There are certain discrepancies in this pattern, notably that there is no apparent relation between rate of sea-floor spreading and degree of over-saturation of the axial zone basalts and that certain areas, such as Iceland, are characterized by excess volcanism. Explanation of these anomalies is sought by examining an oceanic area in an early stage of development—the Red Sea. It is tentatively suggested that the initial split of a contiguous continent might be brought about by the linking of profound fractures, caused by domal uplift related to rising isolated lithothermal systems, and that the present anomalies in oceanic volcanism may reflect the variation in rate of thermal convection within the original isolated lithothermal plumes.

Paleomagnetism of Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the Sverdrup Basin—magnetostratigraphy, paleolatitudes, and rotations

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1220-1239 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Wynne ◽  
E. Irving ◽  
K. G. Osadetz
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Structural Domain ◽  
Nares Strait ◽  
Sverdrup Basin ◽  
Plate Reconstructions ◽  
Normal Polarity

The principal magnetization of lavas of the Isachsen and Strand Fiord formations on Axel Heiberg Island is shown to predate the Eocene Eurekan Orogeny. Basalt flows of the Strand Fiord Formation, volcanigenic sandstone from the Christopher Formation, and the uppermost flows of the Isachsen Formation are normally magnetized. Reversed magnetizations are found only in the Isachsen Formation, occurring at two horizons, which, we suggest, correspond to M0 and M1 of the M sequence of marine magnetic anomalies (118–123 Ma). It is possible, therefore, that we have located, at least approximately, the base of the Cretaceous normal polarity superchron in these sections. Because inclinations are steep, the analysis of directions of magnetization is not straightforward and has been done by two methods. Method I assumes that no relative rotations have occurred amongst sample localities, and calculations on this basis show a 33 ± 24 °(P = 0.05) counterclockwise rotation with no paleolatitudinal displacement relative to North America. The rotation is in agreement with the rotation of 36 ± 8 °(P = 0.05) determined earlier from the Permian Esayoo Formation on Ellesmere Island. Analysis by method I assumes that the Esayoo and the Isachsen – Strand Fiord sampling localities on Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere Island are contained within what is essentially one large structural domain. The agreement (using method I) of paleolatitude with that of North America is consistent with standard plate reconstructions in which there is a gap of about 300 km between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. However, the dispersion of site-mean directions is greater than that expected for paleosecular variation during the Cretaceous, and therefore some of the dispersion may be attributable to relative motions amongst collecting localities. Therefore, by method II, relative rotations amongst localities are assumed to have occurred, and inclinations and declinations are analysed separately. As with method I, declinations are predominantly counterclockwise from that expected, but by method II the mean inclination (74 ± 2 °standard error) is significantly shallower than that expected (79 ± 1 °standard error). This apparent flattening is consistent with the idea that the Arctic Islands were close to Greenland in the Cretaceous and that there was no gap along Nares Strait. Hence both methods of calculation yield similar counter clockwise rotation, but each gives slightly different paleolatitudes. The latter difference cannot at present be resolved.

Distribution of volcanic rocks about mid-ocean ridges and the Kenya Rift Valley

1970 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Rift Valley ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Pressure Relief ◽  
Kenya Rift ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Ocean Ridges ◽  
Volcanic Islands ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading ◽  
Kenya Rift Valley

SummaryQuartz-trachytic differentiates characterise volcanic islands on or near mid-ocean ridges, while phonolitic trends are found on islands rising from ocean basins. A large part of the Kenya Rift Valley is dominated by Plio-Pleistocene quartz-trachytes, which are underlain and flanked by variably nepheline-rich Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene lavas.Phonolitic and nephelinitic lavas dominate the assemblages of Miocene age, trachytes and olivine basalts those of Plio-Pleistocence age. This change in petrographic character with time is attributed to two stages of sub-crustal pressure relief corresponding to Lower Miocene and late Pliocene elevations of the Kenya dome. The result was a change in partial melting products from less to more silicic, especially along the axial rift valley.The doming movements and related vulcanism are believed to have originated because of lateral compression, induced by sea-floor spreading movements in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Evolution of sedimentary basins in the Canadian Arctic

1982 ◽  
Vol 305 (1489) ◽  
pp. 193-205 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Early Carboniferous ◽  
Canada Basin ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Sverdrup Basin

Since middle Proterozoic time, two long-lasting phases affected the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, each forming a different sedimentary basin. The Franklinian Basin, which was floored by continental or quasi-continental crust, received 10 km or more of clastic, carbonate and volcanic rocks from the mid-Proterozoic to Devonian. Internal parts of the basin were deformed, intruded and metamorphosed locally, and external parts were folded and thrust cratonward by compressional episodes of the Ellesmerian Orogeny, which culminated in the late Devonian. This marked the end of a phase, at which time the entire region may have been emergent. The nature of plate interactions that produced Ellesmerian deformation are unknown. The second phase began in the early Carboniferous, when plate movements of the Boreal Rifting Episode created the proto-Canada Basin by left-hand transform motion of a plate along the modern continental margin and the location of the Kaltag Fault of northern Alaska. As a marginal side effect of that motion, the Sverdrup Basin developed as a peri-cratonic incipient rift. From the Carboniferous to late Cretaceous the basin received about 13 km of cratonic-derived clastic detritus. From late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time, the Arctic Archipelago was disrupted by the interference of two plate movements originating in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions. Those events had three main effects: the craton was extended and a graben-filled depression formed in the southeastern part of the archipelago; the eastern and central parts of the Sverdrup Basin were compressed and uplifted (Eurekan Orogeny); and resultant elastics prograded northwestward toward the Canada Basin, to form the Arctic continental terrace wedge.

Petrogenesis of the peralkaline Flowers River Igneous Suite and its significance to the development of the southern Nain Batholith

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Taylor A. Ducharme ◽  
Christopher R.M. McFarlane ◽  
Deanne van Rooyen ◽  
David Corrigan
Keyword(s):  
Trace Element ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Discrete Events ◽  
Volcanic Event ◽  
Volcanic Succession ◽  
Intrusive Suite ◽  
Tectonic Boundaries ◽  
Host Rocks ◽  
Nain Plutonic Suite

Abstract The Flowers River Igneous Suite of north-central Labrador comprises several discrete peralkaline granite ring intrusions and their coeval volcanic succession. The Flowers River Granite was emplaced into Mesoproterozoic-age anorthosite–mangerite–charnockite–granite (AMCG) -affinity rocks at the southernmost extent of the Nain Plutonic Suite coastal lineament batholith. New U–Pb zircon geochronology is presented to clarify the timing and relationships among the igneous associations exposed in the region. Fayalite-bearing AMCG granitoids in the region record ages of 1290 ± 3 Ma, whereas the Flowers River Granite yields an age of 1281 ± 3 Ma. Volcanism occurred in three discrete events, two of which coincided with emplacement of the AMCG and Flowers River suites, respectively. Shared geochemical affinities suggest that each generation of volcanic rocks was derived from its coeval intrusive suite. The third volcanic event occurred at 1271 ± 3 Ma, and its products bear a broad geochemical resemblance to the second phase of volcanism. The surrounding AMCG-affinity ferrodiorites and fayalite-bearing granitoids display moderately enriched major- and trace-element signatures relative to equivalent lithologies found elsewhere in the Nain Plutonic Suite. Trace-element compositions also support a relationship between the Flowers River Granite and its AMCG-affinity host rocks, most likely via delayed partial melting of residual parental material in the lower crust. Enrichment manifested only in the southernmost part of the Nain Plutonic Suite as a result of its relative proximity to multiple Palaeoproterozoic tectonic boundaries. Repeated exposure to subduction-derived metasomatic fluids created a persistent region of enrichment in the underlying lithospheric mantle that was tapped during later melt generation, producing multiple successive moderately to strongly enriched magmatic episodes.

Episodes of sea-floor spreading recorded by the North Atlantic basement

1971 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Vogt ◽  
G.L. Johnson ◽  
T.L. Holcombe ◽  
J.G. Gilg ◽  
O.E. Avery
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Floor Spreading
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