Petrogenesis of the 1.9 Ga mafic hanging wall sequence to the Flin Flon, Callinan, and Triple 7 massive sulphide deposits, Flin Flon, Manitoba, CanadaThis is a companion paper to DeWolfe, Y.M., Gibson, H.L., Lafrance , B., and Bailes, A.H. 2009. Volcanic reconstruction of Paleoproterozoic arc volcanoes: the Hidden and Louis formations, Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 46: this issue.
A detailed study of the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the volcanic rocks of the Hidden and Louis formations, which make up the hanging wall to the volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits at Flin Flon, Manitoba, was carried out on a stratigraphically controlled set of samples. The stratigraphy consists of the lowermost, dominantly basaltic, Hidden formation, and the overlying, dominantly basaltic, Louis formation. Of importance petrogenetically, is the 1920 unit a basaltic andesite with Nb/Thmn = 0.54–0.62, εNd(1.9Ga) = +3.6–+5.9, εHf(1.9Ga) = +8.5–+9.6, and 204Pb/206Pb = 23.9. The basaltic flows that dominate the Hidden formation have Nb/Thmn = 0.16–0.29, εNd(1.9Ga) = +1.7–+4.4, εHf(1.9Ga) = +7.0–+11.8 and 204Pb/206Pb = 16.9–18.6). The Carlisle Lake basaltic–andesite (top of Hidden formation) is characterized by Nb/Thmn = 0.16–0.14, and 204Pb/206Pb = 21.4. The rhyodacitic Tower member (bottom of Louis formation) has Nb/Thmn = 0.23, εNd1.9Ga = +4.6, εHf1.9Ga = +9.3, and 204Pb/206Pb = 22.2. The basaltic flows that dominate the Louis formation have Nb/Thmn = 0.18–0.25, εNd(1.9Ga) = +3.6–+4.2, εHf(1.9Ga) = +8.4–+11.3 and 204Pb/206Pb = 17.9. The Hidden and Louis formations show dominantly transitional arc tholeiite signatures, with the 1920 unit having arc tholeiite characteristics. It is interpreted to have formed through extensive fractional crystallization of differentiated magmas at shallow levels in oceanic crust. Given the geological, geochemical, and isotopic characteristics of the Hidden and Louis formations, they are interpreted to represent subducted slab metasomatism with minor contamination from subducted sediments.