Tholeiitic to calc-alkaline cyclic volcanism in the Roy Group, Chibougamau area, Abitibi Greenstone Belt — revised stratigraphy and implications for VHMS explorationGeological Survey of Canada Contribution 20100254. Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune Contribution 8439-2010-2011-17.

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Leclerc ◽  
Jean H. Bédard ◽  
Lyal B. Harris ◽  
Vicki J. McNicoll ◽  
Normand Goulet ◽  
...  

The Roy Group in the Chibougamau area of the Abitibi subprovince, Southeastern Superior craton, Quebec, exemplifies Archean volcanic evolution. The Roy Group formed in two volcanic cycles, with voluminous basal mafic tholeiitic volcanic rocks being capped by a thin succession of calc-alkaline felsic volcanic rocks, banded iron formations, and cherts that represent regional stratigraphic markers. The Gilman Formation is thought to represent the mafic base of the 2nd Roy Group volcanic cycle. Our new mapping reveals that the Gilman Formation (North of the Lac Doré Layered intrusive complex) can be subdivided into a tholeiitic lower part (David member), a calc-alkaline extrusive sequence (Allard member), and a tholeiitic, more mafic upper part (Bruneau Formation, newly defined here). New U–Pb zircon ages on Allard member tuffs (2726.6 ± 0.7 Ma) are within error of those obtained from rhyolites of the Waconichi Formation (2728.2–2728.7 Ma), which underlies the Gilman Formation. These ages, along with geochemical and lithological similarities, imply that the Allard member belongs to the Waconichi Formation and that the David member occupies the same stratigraphic position as the Obatogamau Formation. The upper part of the former Gilman Formation is reassigned to the new Bruneau Formation. A thin transitional calc-alkaline basalt unit at the base of the Allard member is geochemically similar to basalts occurring at the top of the Lemoine member of the Waconichi Formation near the Lemoine mine, suggesting that the Allard member is slightly younger than the Lemoine member, and that its base (also associated with iron formation, breccia, and chert) represents a regional stratigraphic break favourable for volcanogenic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) exploration.

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent C. Condie ◽  
Craig A. Shadel

The Green Mountain Formation of early Proterozoic age in the Sierra Madre Range of southeastern Wyoming comprises a bimodal mafic and felsic volcanic assemblage. The rocks, which are chiefly breccias, agglomerates, flows, and volcaniclastic sediments, represent both subaerial and submarine eruptions and in part were redeposited in fluvial and nearshore marine environments. Volcanic rocks are clearly calc-alkaline in character and share a large number of geochemical features in common with continental-margin arcs or evolved oceanic-arc systems.The low Mg numbers and Ni contents of the basalts require 30–40% olivine fractional crystallization, and the high contents of the most incompatible elements, high (La/Sm)N ratios, and low Zr/Nb ratios require an undepleted or enriched mantle source. Geochemical data are consistent with an origin for the felsic volcanics and associated Encampment River granodiorite by shallow fractional crystallization of calc-alkaline basalt in a tectonic setting similar to modern arc systems. The near absence of andesites may reflect the retention of andesitic magma in crustal reservoirs during fractional cyrstallization.


1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1770-1784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Green

Feldsparphyric basalts commonly occur as a distinctive 'marker horizon' 300 to 500 m below the felsic volcanic units of many Archean greenstone belts. Within the Knee Lake greenstone belt, northern Manitoba, glomeroporphyritic basalts, characterized by large irregularly-shaped aggregates of plagioclase phenocrysts, occupy this stratigraphic position within the two lower-most volcanic cycles. A major chemical and/or tectonic break does not occur within the volcanic cycles, but rather, the chemical affinities of the Knee Lake volcanic rocks changes gradually (at a silica content of approximately 55%) from tholeiitic to calc-alkaline with increasing stratigraphic height. The accumulation of plagioclase phenocrysts suggests extensive crystal fractionation of the Knee Lake magmas. The gradual transition in affinity of the Knee Lake lavas from tholeiitic to calc-alkaline can be explained by near-surface fractionation under constant fO2 conditions.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Xiaoxue Tong ◽  
Kaarel Mänd ◽  
Yuhao Li ◽  
Lianchang Zhang ◽  
Zidong Peng ◽  
...  

Banded iron formations (BIFs) are enigmatic chemical sedimentary rocks that chronicle the geochemical and microbial cycling of iron and carbon in the Precambrian. However, the formation pathways of Fe carbonate, namely siderite, remain disputed. Here, we provide photomicrographs, Fe, C and O isotope of siderite, and organic C isotope of the whole rock from the ~2.52 Ga Dagushan BIF in the Anshan area, China, to discuss the origin of siderite. There are small magnetite grains that occur as inclusions within siderite, suggesting a diagenetic origin of the siderite. Moreover, the siderites have a wide range of iron isotope compositions (δ56FeSd) from −0.180‰ to +0.463‰, and a relatively negative C isotope composition (δ13CSd = −6.20‰ to −1.57‰). These results are compatible with the reduction of an Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide precursor to dissolved Fe(II) through microbial dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) during early diagenesis. Partial reduction of the precursor and possible mixing with seawater Fe(II) could explain the presence of siderite with negative δ56Fe, while sustained reaction of residual Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide could have produced siderite with positive δ56Fe values. Bicarbonate derived from both DIR and seawater may have provided a C source for siderite formation. Our results suggest that microbial respiration played an important role in the formation of siderite in the late Archean Dagushan BIF.


1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2145-2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Sims ◽  
W. R. Van Schmus ◽  
K. J. Schulz ◽  
Z. E. Peterman

The Early Proterozoic Penokean Orogen developed along the southern margin of the Archean Superior craton. The orogen consists of a northern deformed continental margin prism overlying an Archean basement and a southern assemblage of oceanic arcs, the Wisconsin magmatic terranes. The south-dipping Niagara fault (suture) zone separates the south-facing continental margin from the accreted arc terranes. The suture zone contains a dismembered ophiolite.The Wisconsin magmatic terranes consist of two terranes that are distinguished on the basis of lithology and structure. The northern Pembine–Wausau terrane contains a major succession of tholeiitic and calc-alkaline volcanic rocks deposited in the interval 1860–1889 Ma and a more restricted succession of calc-alkaline volcanic rocks deposited about 1835 – 1845 Ma. Granitoid rocks ranging in age from about 1870 to 1760 Ma intrude the volcanic rocks. The older succession was generated as island arcs and (or) closed back-arc basins above the south-dipping subduction zone (Niagara fault zone), whereas the younger one developed as island arcs above a north-dipping subduction zone, the Eau Pleine shear zone. The northward subduction followed deformation related to arc–continent collision at the Niagara suture at about 1860 Ma. The southern Marshfield terrane contains remnants of mafic to felsic volcanic rocks about 1860 Ma that were deposited on Archean gneiss basement, foliated tonalite to granite bodies ranging in age from about 1890 to 1870 Ma, and younger undated granite plutons. Following amalgamation of the two arc terranes along the Eau Pleine suture at about 1840 Ma, intraplate magmatism (1835 Ma) produced rhyolite and anorogenic alkali-feldspar granite that straddled the internal suture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 905-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Bedeaux ◽  
Lucie Mathieu ◽  
Pierre Pilote ◽  
Silvain Rafini ◽  
Réal Daigneault

The Piché Structural Complex (PSC) extends over 150 km within the Cadillac – Larder Lake Fault Zone (CLLFZ), a gold-endowed, east-trending, and high-strain corridor located along the southern edge of the Archean Abitibi Subprovince. The PSC consists of discontinuous units of volcanic rocks (<1 km thick) that host multiple gold deposits. It is spatially associated with molasse-type Timiskaming sedimentary basins. This study describes and interprets the origin of structures and lithologies within the poorly understood PSC to unravel the tectonic evolution of the CLLFZ. Field mapping, chemical analyses, as well as interpretations of cross-sections from drill-hole data, were used to interpret the geometry and structure of the PSC. The PSC is subdivided into six homogeneous fault-bounded segments or slivers. These slivers consist mostly of ultramafic to intermediate volcanic rocks and include some felsic volcanic flows and intrusions. Volcanic facies, chemical compositions, and isotopic ages confirm that these slivers are derived from the early volcanic units of the southern Abitibi greenstone belt, which are located north of the CLLFZ. Cross-cutting relationships between volcanic rocks of the PSC and the Timiskaming-aged intrusions suggest that the slivers were inserted into the CLLFZ during the early stages of the accretion-related deformation (<2686 Ma) and prior to Timiskaming sedimentation and ductile deformation (>2676 Ma). The abundant ultramafic rocks located within the CLLFZ may have focused strain, thereby facilitating the nucleation of the fault as well as the displacements along this crustal-scale structure.


1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1566-1581 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Craig Ford ◽  
Norman A. Duke

Gold-bearing iron formations are widely distributed within extensive metasedimentary terranes of the Archean Slave Province, situated in the northwestern Canadian Precambrian Shield. Mineralized iron formations occur within thick turbidite sequences overprinted by a protracted history of deformation, metamorphism, and plutonism. Economically significant gold prospects are specifically sited at structural culminations characterized by polyphase folding. Based on garnet–biotite geothermometry on the stable prograde metamorphic assemblage of enveloping metapelites, peak metamorphic conditions are approximated to be 570 °C and 4 kbar (1 kbar = 100 MPa). Diagnostic prograde mineralogy reveals that two facies of silicate iron formation are represented at the five gold occurrences investigated: (1) amphibolitic iron formation (AIF), characterized by quartz + grunerite + hornblende + pyrrhotite ± garnet ± graphite + ilmenite, and (2) pelitic iron formation (PIF), consisting of quartz + biotite + garnet + ilmenite ± grunerite ± hornblende. Textures reveal that grunerite crystallization preceded hornblende and garnet. Within AIF, banded pyrrhotite is in textural equilibrium with prograde metamorphic minerals. Retrograde hornblende, garnet, zoisite, apatite, carbonate, ferroactinolite, and gold-bearing sulphide minerals replace the prograde mineral assemblages on the margins of quartz veins that intensify at AIF fold hinges.It is hypothesized that the iron-formation-hosted gold deposits of the Slave Province are a result of multistage processes. Gold concentrated at high background levels within pyrrhotite-bearing AIF was remobilized during fluid migration into brittle AIF fold hinges in subsequent metamorphic and deformational events. Metamorphic fluid, ponded in fractured AIF hinge domains, caused retrogressive replacement, quartz veining, and gold-bearing sulphide precipitation during waning temperature. Although the mineralized hinge zones commonly display evidence of late chloritization, this alteration did not further affect gold distribution. The gold precipitated with destabilization of thio complexes due to sulphidation prior to low-temperature hydrothermal activity.


Author(s):  
Antônio Carlos Pedrosa-Soares ◽  
Carlos Maurício Noce ◽  
Fernando Flecha de Alkmim ◽  
Luiz Carlos da Silva ◽  
Marly Babinski ◽  
...  

The Araçuaí Fold Belt was defined as the southeastern limit of the São Francisco Craton in the classicalpaper published by Fernando Flávio Marques de Almeida in 1977. This keystone of the Brazilian geologicliterature catalyzed important discoveries, such as of Neoproterozoic ophiolites and a calc-alkaline magmaticarc, related to the Araçuaí Belt and paleotectonic correlations with its counterpart located in Africa (the WestCongo Belt), that provided solid basis to define the Araçuaí-West-Congo Orogen by the end of the 1990thdecade. After the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in Cretaceous times, two thirds of the Araçuaí-West-CongoOrogen remained in the Brazil side, including records of the continental rift and passive margin phases ofthe precursor basin, all ophiolite slivers and the whole orogenic magmatism formed from the pre-collisionalto post-collisional stages. Thus, the name Araçuaí Orogen has been applied to the Neoproterozoic-Cambrianorogenic region that extends from the southeastern edge of the São Francisco Craton to the Atlantic coastlineand is roughly limited between the 15º and 21º S parallels. After 30 years of systematic geological mappingtogether with geochemical and geochronological studies published by many authors, all evolutionary stagesof the Araçuaí Orogen can be reasonably interpreted. Despite the regional metamorfism and deformation, thefollowing descriptions generally refer to protoliths. All mentioned ages were obtained by U-Pb method onzircon. The Macaúbas Group records rift, passive margin and oceanic environments of the precursor basinof the Araçuaí Orogen. From the base to the top and from proximal to distal units, this group comprises thepre-glacial Duas Barras and Rio Peixe Bravo formations, and the glaciogenic Serra do Catuni, Nova Auroraand Lower Chapada Acauã formations, related to continental rift and transitional stages, and the diamictitefreeUpper Chapada Acauã and Ribeirão da Folha formations, representing passive margin and oceanicenvironments. Dates of detrital zircon grains from Duas Barras sandstones and Serra do Catuni diamictitessuggest a maximum sedimentation age around 900 Ma for the lower Macaúbas Group, in agreement withages yielded by the Pedro Lessa mafic dikes (906 ± 2 Ma) and anorogenic granites of Salto da Divisa (875 ±9 Ma). The thick diamictite-bearing marine successions with sand-rich turbidites, diamictitic iron formation,mafic volcanic rocks and pelites (Nova Aurora and Lower Chapada Acauã formations) were depositedfrom the rift to transitional stages. The Upper Chapada Acauã Formation consists of a sand-pelite shelfsuccession, deposited after ca. 864 Ma ago in the proximal passive margin. The Ribeirão da Folha Formationmainly consists of sand-pelite turbidites, pelagic pelites, sulfide-bearing cherts and banded iron formations,representing distal passive margin to oceanic sedimentation. Gabbro and dolerite with plagiogranite veinsdated at ca. 660 Ma, and ultramafic rocks form tectonic slices of oceanic lithosphere thrust onto packagesof the Ribeirão da Folha Formation. The pre-collisional, calc-alkaline, continental magmatic arc (G1 Suite,630-585 Ma) consists of tonalites and granodiorites, with minor diorite and gabbro. A volcano-sedimentarysuccession of this magmatic arc includes pyroclastic and volcaniclastic rocks of dacitic composition datedat ca. 585 Ma, ascribed to the Palmital do Sul and Tumiritinga formations (Rio Doce Group), depositedfrom intra-arc to fore-arc settings. Detrital zircon geochronology suggests that the São Tomé wackes (RioDoce Group) represent intra-arc to back-arc sedimentation after ca. 594 Ma ago. The Salinas Formation, aconglomerate-wacke-pelite association located to northwest of the magmatic arc, represents synorogenicsedimentation younger than ca. 588 Ma. A huge zone of syn-collisional S-type granites (G2 Suite, 582-560Ma) occurs to the east and north of the pre-collisional magmatic arc, northward of latitude 20º S. Partialmelting of G2 granites originated peraluminous leucogranites (G3 Suite) from the late- to post-collisionalstages. A set of late structures, and the post-collisional intrusions of the S-type G4 Suite (535-500 Ma) andI-type G5 Suite (520-490 Ma) are related to the gravitational collapse of the orogen. The location of themagmatic arc, roughly parallel to the zone with ophiolite slivers, from the 17º30’ S latitude southwardssuggests that oceanic crust only developed along the southern segment of the precursor basin of the Araçuaí-West-Congo Orogen. This basin was carved, like a large gulf partially floored by oceanic crust, into the SãoFrancisco-Congo Paleocontinent, but paleogeographic reconstructions show that the Bahia-Gabon cratonicbridge (located to the north of the Araçuaí Orogen) subsisted since at least 1 Ga until the Atlantic opening.This uncommon geotectonic scenario inspired the concept of confined orogen, quoted as a new type ofcollisional orogen in the international literature, and the appealing nutcracker tectonic model to explain theAraçuaí-West-Congo Orogen evolution. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaav2869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine J. Thompson ◽  
Paul A. Kenward ◽  
Kohen W. Bauer ◽  
Tyler Warchola ◽  
Tina Gauger ◽  
...  

Banded iron formation (BIF) deposition was the likely result of oxidation of ferrous iron in seawater by either oxygenic photosynthesis or iron-dependent anoxygenic photosynthesis—photoferrotrophy. BIF deposition, however, remains enigmatic because the photosynthetic biomass produced during iron oxidation is conspicuously absent from BIFs. We have addressed this enigma through experiments with photosynthetic bacteria and modeling of biogeochemical cycling in the Archean oceans. Our experiments reveal that, in the presence of silica, photoferrotroph cell surfaces repel iron (oxyhydr)oxides. In silica-rich Precambrian seawater, this repulsion would separate biomass from ferric iron and would lead to large-scale deposition of BIFs lean in organic matter. Excess biomass not deposited with BIF would have deposited in coastal sediments, formed organic-rich shales, and fueled microbial methanogenesis. As a result, the deposition of BIFs by photoferrotrophs would have contributed fluxes of methane to the atmosphere and thus helped to stabilize Earth’s climate under a dim early Sun.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 999-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
D A Schneider ◽  
M E Bickford ◽  
W F Cannon ◽  
K J Schulz ◽  
M A Hamilton

A rhyolite in the Hemlock Formation, a mostly bimodal submarine volcanic deposit that is laterally correlative with the Negaunee Iron-formation, yields a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon age of 1874 ± 9 Ma, but also contains inherited Archean zircons as old as 3.8 Ga. This precise age determination for the classic Paleoproterozoic stratigraphic sequence of northern Michigan, the Marquette Range Supergroup (MRS), necessitates modification of previous depositional and tectonic models. Our new data indicate that the Menominee Group, previously ascribed to continental rifting during early, pre-collision phases of the Penokean orogenic cycle, is coeval with arc-related volcanic rocks now preserved as accreted terranes immediately to the south and is more aptly interpreted as a foredeep deposit. We interpret these to be second-order basins created by oblique subduction of the continental margin rather than basins formed on a rifting margin. Along with a recently reported age for the Gunflint Formation in Ontario of 1878 ± 2 Ma, our data suggest that an extensive foredeep in the western Lake Superior region was the locus of iron-formation deposition during arc accretion from the south. Further, we interpret the lower MRS (Chocolay Group), a glaciogenic and shallow-marine succession that lies atop Archean basement, to be equivalent to the upper part of the Huronian Supergroup of Ontario and to represent the original continental rifting and passive-margin phase of the Penokean cycle. The upper MRS (Baraga Group) represents deeper marine basins, dominated by turbidites and lesser volcanic rocks, resulting from increased subsidence and continued collision. A stitching pluton, which cuts correlatives of the Hemlock Formation in a thrust sheet, yielded a U–Pb zircon age of 1833 ± 6 Ma, consistent with other post-tectonic plutons in Wisconsin and northern Michigan, indicating that Penokean convergence lasted no longer than ~40 million years.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Fazio ◽  
Elder Yokoyama ◽  
Lucieth Cruz ◽  
Guilherme Trigilio

&lt;p&gt;The iron biogeochemical cycle is redox-sensitive and, therefore, can be linked to the major variations on the atmospheric and ocean compositions over the Earth&amp;#8217;s evolution. Regarding the two main increases in the oxygen levels during the Precambrian, the Great and the Neoproterozoic Oxidation Events, both are related to paleogeographic, paleoenvironmetal and biochemical changes, linked also to global glaciations. These paleoclimatic variations caused disturbances in the iron cycle, which reacted by depositing paleoclimatic archives as banded iron formations (BIF). Investigations on the iron cycle can shed a light on the responses of the ocean redox state and the iron reservoir through these atmospheric variations. Thus, the analyses of the iron isotopic composition in the BIFs are a fundamental tool for these studies. It is essential to considerate the associated isotopic fractionation processes and uncertainties during the interpretation of these data. To this extend, many authors address the possibility of the impact of post-depositional processes in the primary signature of iron isotopic values, such as diagenesis, metamorphism and weathering. In all these scenarios and along the depositional process, the metabolic activity of planktonic bacteria must be considered as an active mechanism of isotopic fractioning. Therefore, the biologic enrolment in Fe (II) oxidation in a poor-O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; atmosphere environment can help the understanding of BIF genesis during the major paleoclimatic events and its connection to life evolutionary leaps. In this study, we have performed a statistic evaluation of a bulk iron isotopic compilation from BIFs of different localities through the Precambrian, highlighting the Archean, the Paleoproterozoic and the Neoproterozoic. This evaluation was applied to ensure an iron isotopic anomaly, pointing towards an intense fractionation, found in the Neoproterozoic BIF of Banda Alta Formation (Jacadigo Group), located at Urucum district, West Brazil, bordering Bolivia. This formation is mainly composed of banded iron formations, interbedded with manganese facies, granular iron formation, diamictite and pelitic siliciclastic units. Its age constrains is in current debate, often linked to the Marinoan glaciation, whereas a recent biostratigraphic study indicates connection to the Sturtian glaciation. One of the main goals of this research is the evaluation of the uncertainty of primary isotopic signature regarding the impacts of post-depositional processes. To this extent, we have performed a detailed diagenetic characterization using clay mineralogy on stratigraphic cores establishing the diagenetic-low metamorphic stage in which these BIFs where submitted to. Moreover, in order to interpret the iron isotopic anomalous values, this research aimed the recognition of biogenic contribution in the BIF genesis. For this purpose, magnetic measures, such as low temperature magnetic measurements and standard bulk rock magnetism analyses, were performed to understand the minerology of the iron oxide phases and their genesis, in particular the attempt to identify biogenic magnetite proxies. In conclusion, a multiproxy approach was used targeting the understanding of the observed iron isotopic anomaly in the BIF of Urucum district.&lt;/p&gt;


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