The youngest Paleozoic plutonism of the Newfoundland Appalachians: U–Pb ages from the St. Lawrence and François granites

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 2328-2333 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kerr ◽  
G. R. Dunning ◽  
R. D. Tucker

The posttectonic St. Lawrence and François granites have long been regarded as the youngest Paleozoic plutonic suites of the Newfoundland Appalachians. Their U–Pb ages of 374 ± 2 and 378 ± 2 Ma, respectively, define a Middle to Late Devonian magmatic event. Mid-Carboniferous magmatic and (or) rifting events, suggested on the basis of earlier Rb–Sr dating of the St. Lawrence Granite, are not supported by these new data. Both granites intrude major ductile and brittle structures that were active during the early Paleozoic, and they provide a younger age limit for major tectonic activity in the Avalon Zone and on the south coast of Newfoundland. The granites may correlate with plutons of closely similar age reported from the Aspy and Mira terranes of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1673-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rex J. E. Johnson ◽  
Rob Van der Voo

Volcanogenic sediments of the Fourchu Group and a gabbroic intrusion, which are found in the Avalonian terrane of south-eastern Cape Breton Island, have been sampled for paleomagnetic analysis. Upon detailed thermal and alternating-field demagnetization, three often-superimposed components of magnetization are obtained. One of these is aligned with the present-day geomagnetic field direction in Nova Scotia and is assumed to be of recent origin. The second group of directions is south-southeasterly and shallow, is postfolding in age, and is inferred to represent a Carboniferous overprint. The third direction, carried almost always by hematite, is also postfolding and yields a dual-polarity mean direction to the northwest or south-east, with a fairly steep inclination (D = 132°, I = −63°). This last direction is not seen in Avalonian or other North American rocks of Devonian or younger age; it is, therefore, bracketed in age between the earliest folding of the rocks and the latest Silurian. Given that Taconic folding has not been reported for this area, we assume that this magnetization was introduced in the rocks during uplift and oxidation after an Avalonian folding phase. For the Avalon terrane of Nova Scotia, the available paleomagnetic data reveal a set of moderately high paleolatitudes for the Late Precambrian and early Paleozoic, in contrast to the near-equatorial values predicted for the area under the assumption that it remained fixed with respect to the craton. On the other hand, strong similarities exist between Avalonian paleolatitudes and those for Armorica and Gondwana; a tentative reconstruction is proposed in which Avalon is adjacent to Armorica and Gondwana in the Late Precambrian and early Paleozoic.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1219-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg R Dunning ◽  
Sandra M Barr ◽  
Peter S Giles ◽  
D Colin McGregor ◽  
Georgia Pe-Piper ◽  
...  

Fifteen U–Pb (zircon) radiometric age determinations have been made on igneous rocks of Middle Devonian to Early Carboniferous age from the southern margin of the Magdalen basin in Cape Breton Island and northern mainland Nova Scotia. Volcanic rocks interbed with early rift-basin sedimentary rocks with some palynological biostratigraphy; dated intrusive rocks cut these sedimentary units. Our biostratigraphically constrained ages are in close agreement with the current Devonian time scale. Combined with previously published data, the age determinations show that igneous activity occurred in four pulses: Middle Devonian (390–385 Ma), early Late Devonian (375–370 Ma), latest Devonian to early Tournaisian (365–354 Ma), and late Tournaisian to early Visean (ca. 339 Ma). Middle Devonian (385–389 Ma) volcanic rocks are confined to the Guysborough Group. The Fisset Brook Formation (basalt and minor rhyolite) in the type area and elsewhere in Cape Breton Island and northern mainland Nova Scotia is Late Devonian (ca. 373 Ma), whereas the biostratigraphically distinct succession at Lowland Cove is younger (365 Ma). These Late Devonian rocks are synchronous with plutonism in the Cape Breton Highlands and the Meguma terrane. In the Cobequid Highlands, rhyolite of the Fountain Lake Group was synchronous with Horton Group deposition and with widespread granite plutons (362–358 Ma) emplaced during shear on the Cobequid fault zone. The overlying Diamond Brook Formation basalts are slightly younger (355 Ma). Late Tournaisian – early Visean mafic intrusions and minor basalt occur along the Cobequid – Chedabucto fault zone and in a belt from southern New Brunswick through Prince Edward Island to southwestern Cape Breton Island.


2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 279-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Mossman ◽  
James D. Duivenvoorden ◽  
Fenton M. Isenor

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
D A Kellett ◽  
S M Barr ◽  
D van Rooyen ◽  
C E White

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