U–Pb ages, geochemistry, and tectonomagmatic history of the Cambro-Ordovician Annidale Group: a remnant of the Penobscot arc system in southern New Brunswick?1This article is one of a series of papers published in this CJES Special Issue: In honour of Ward Neale on the theme of Appalachian and Grenvillian geology.

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C. Johnson ◽  
Leslie R. Fyffe ◽  
Malcolm J. McLeod ◽  
Gregory R. Dunning

The Penobscot arc system of the northeastern Appalachians is an Early Cambrian to early Tremadocian (ca. 514–485 Ma) ensialic to ensimatic arc–back-arc complex that developed along the margin of the peri-Gondwanan microcontinent Ganderia. Remnants of this Paleozoic arc system are best preserved in the Exploits Subzone of central Newfoundland. Correlative rocks in southern New Brunswick are thought to occur in the ca. 514 Ma Mosquito Lake Road Formation of the Ellsworth Group and ca. 497–493 Ma Annidale Group; however in the past, the work that has been conducted on the latter has been of a preliminary nature. New data bearing on the age and tectonic setting of the Annidale Group provides more conclusive evidence for this correlation. The Annidale Group contains subalkaline, tholeiitic to transitional, basalts to basaltic andesites, picritic tuffs and calc-alkaline to tholeiitic felsic dome complexes that have geochemical signatures consistent with suprasubduction zone magmatism that was likely generated in a back-arc basin. New U–Pb ages establish that the Late Cambrian to Early Tremadocian Annidale Group and adjacent ca. 541 Ma volcanic rocks of the Belleisle Bay Group in the New River belt were affected by a period of younger magmatism ranging in age from ca. 479–467 Ma. This provides important constraints on the timing of tectonism in the area. A ca. 479 Ma age for the Stewarton Gabbro that stitches the faulted contact between the Annidale and Belleisle Bay groups, demonstrates that structural interleaving and juxtaposition occurred during early Tremadocian time, which closely coincides with the timing of obduction of Penobscottian back-arc ophiolites onto the Ganderian margin in Newfoundland.

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 239-273
Author(s):  
Allan Ludman ◽  
Christopher McFarlane ◽  
Amber T.H. Whittaker

Volcanic rocks in the Miramichi inlier in Maine occur in two areas separated by the Bottle Lake plutonic complex: the Danforth segment (Stetson Mountain Formation) north of the complex and Greenfield segment to the south (Olamon Stream Formation). Both suites are dominantly pyroclastic, with abundant andesite, dacite, and rhyolite tuffs and subordinate lavas, breccias, and agglomerates. Rare basaltic tuffs and a small area of basaltic tuffs, agglomerates, and lavas are restricted to the Greenfield segment. U–Pb zircon geochronology dates Greenfield segment volcanism at ca. 469 Ma, the Floian–Dapingian boundary between the Lower and Middle Ordovician. Chemical analyses reveal a calc-alkaline suite erupted in a continental volcanic arc, either the Meductic or earliest Balmoral phase of Popelogan arc activity. The Maine Miramichi volcanic rocks are most likely correlative with the Meductic Group volcanic suite in west-central New Brunswick. Orogen-parallel lithologic and chemical variations from New Brunswick to east-central Maine may result from eruptions at different volcanic centers. The bimodal Poplar Mountain volcanic suite at the Maine–New Brunswick border is 10–20 myr younger than the Miramichi volcanic rocks and more likely an early phase of back-arc basin rifting than a late-stage Meductic phase event. Coeval calc-alkaline arc volcanism in the Miramichi, Weeksboro–Lunksoos Lake, and Munsungun Cambrian–Ordovician inliers in Maine is not consistent with tectonic models involving northwestward migration of arc volcanism. This >150 km span cannot be explained by a single east-facing subduction zone, suggesting more than one subduction zone/arc complex in the region.


2018 ◽  
pp. 021-080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra M. Barr ◽  
Deanne Van Rooyen ◽  
Chris E. White

Granitoid plutons are a major component of pre-Carboniferous rocks in Cape Breton Island and knowledge of the time and tectonic setting of their emplacement is crucial for understanding the geological history of the island, guiding exploration for granite-related economic mineralization, and making along-orogen correlations. The distribution of these plutons and their petrological characteristics have been used in the past for recognizing both Laurentian and peri-Gondwanan components in Cape Breton Island, and for subdividing the peri-Gondwanan components into Ganderian and Avalonian terranes. However, ages of many plutons were assumed on the basis of field relations and petrological features compared to those of the relatively few reliably dated plutons. Seventeen new U–Pb (zircon) ages from igneous units reported here provide enhanced understanding of the distribution of pluton ages. Arc-related plutons in the Aspy terrane with ages of ca. 490 to 475 Ma likely record the Penobscottian tectonomagmatic event recognized in the Exploits subzone of central Newfoundland and New Brunswick but not previously recognized in Cape Breton Island. Arc-related Devonian plutonic activity in the same terrane is more widespread, continuous, and protracted (445 Ma to 395 Ma) than previously known. Late Devonian magmatism in the Ganderian Aspy terrane is similar in age to that in the Avalonian Mira terrane (380 to 360 Ma) but the tectonic settings are different. In contrast, magmatic activity in the Bras d’Or terrane is almost exclusively arc-related in the Late Ediacaran (580 to 540 Ma) and rift-related in the Late Cambrian (520 to 490 Ma). The new data support the terrane distinctions previously documented.


1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1674-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Les Fyffe ◽  
Sandra M. Barr ◽  
Mary Lou Bevier

The Miramichi Highlands of New Brunswick are underlain by subgreenschist- to greenschist-facies sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Cambro-Ordovician Tetagouche Group and by amphibolite-facies paragneisses, amphibolites, and felsic orthogneisses of the Trousers Lake and Sisson Brook suites. New field, geochemical, and geochronologic data for the amphibolites and felsic orthogneisses suggest that they are high-grade metamorphic equivalents of the Tetagouche volcanic rocks and their associated intrusions.Amphibolites in the Miramichi Highlands occur as striped and unstriped varieties that possess chemical characteristics indicative of an igneous origin. However, the two types are compositionally distinct: the striped amphibolites resemble volcanic-arc tholeiites, whereas the unstriped amphibolites are like within-plate tholeiites. The geochemically inferred tectonic origin of these amphibolites is compatible with a recently proposed intracontinental back-arc tectonic setting for the Tetagouche Group.Felsic orthogneisses (Fox Ridge augen granite and Trousers Lake felsic orthogneiss) exhibit concordant contacts with the unstriped amphibolites. U–Pb zircon ages for the Fox Ridge augen granite [Formula: see text] and Trousers Lake felsic orthogneisses [Formula: see text] indicate a Late Ordovician intrusive event. Thus, there is no evidence for Precambrian granite and orthogneiss in the Miramichi Highlands, as had been previously inferred from a correlation with purported Precambrian rocks in the Gander Zone of Newfoundland. The age of the unstriped amphibolites is interpreted as being the same as that of the felsic orthogneisses because these two rock types always exhibit close relationships in the field. The age of the striped amphibolites is less certain, although a correlation with Ordovician basalts of the Tetagouche Group is consistent with their field relationships and tectonic setting.


1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1329-1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. van Staal

A regional compilation and reinterpretation of geochemical analyses of mafic igneous rocks from the Ordovician Tetagouche Group in northern New Brunswick indicates the presence of at least three mafic assemblages: two groups of basalts and gabbros and one group of gabbros only. The three groups can be separated on the basis of TiO2 and trace-element content. Group A basalts generally have mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)-like compositions, whereas group B basalts indicate a "within-plate" setting (WPB). Group C gabbros intrude into silicic volcanics that underlie the basalts but are rare or absent in the areas underlain by group A and B basalts. The group C gabbros probably represent the earliest stages of mafic igneous activity and have MORB-like compositions or represent a transition between MORB and arc basalts.The association of group A and B basalts with abundant marine sediments, such as thinly bedded turbidites and black and red shales, and the fact that they erupted locally on top of continental-crust-derived silicic volcanics suggest that they represent a marginal-sea or back-arc-basin environment rather than true oceanic (Iapetus) eruptives as has been suggested.The proposed back-arc environment and existing structural data are inconsistent with previously proposed tectonic models and large-scale correlations. Evidence for penetrative pre-Late Ordovician (Taconic orogeny sensu stricto) deformation is lacking in the northern part of the Miramichi Zone. Instead the earliest folding and related thrusting (D1) is ascribed to deformation associated with closure of the back-arc basin in post-middle Caradocian times.


Author(s):  
Jian-Wei Zi ◽  
Stephen Sheppard ◽  
Janet R. Muhling ◽  
Birger Rasmussen

An enduring problem in the assembly of Laurentia is uncertainty about the nature and timing of magmatism, deformation, and metamorphism in the Paleoproterozoic Wisconsin magmatic terranes, which have been variously interpreted as an intra-oceanic arc, foredeep or continental back-arc. Resolving these competing models is difficult due in part to a lack of a robust time-frame for magmatism in the terranes. The northeast part of the terranes in northern Wisconsin (USA) comprise mafic and felsic volcanic rocks and syn-volcanic granites thought to have been emplaced and metamorphosed during the 1890−1830 Ma Penokean orogeny. New in situ U-Pb geochronology of igneous zircon from the volcanic rocks (Beecher Formation), and from two tonalitic plutons (the Dunbar Gneiss and Newingham Tonalite) intruding the volcanic rocks, yielded crystallization ages ranging from 1847 ± 10 Ma to 1842 ± 7 Ma (95% confidence). Thus, these rocks record a magmatic episode that is synchronous with bimodal volcanism in the Wausau domain and Marshfield terrane farther south. Our results, integrated with published data into a time-space diagram, highlight two bimodal magmatic cycles, the first at 1890−1860 Ma and the second at 1845−1830 Ma, developed on extended crust of the Superior Craton. The magmatic episodes are broadly synchronous with volcanogenic massive sulfide mineralization and deposition of Lake Superior banded iron formations. Our data and interpretation are consistent with the Penokean orogeny marking west Pacific-style accretionary orogenesis involving lithospheric extension of the continental margin, punctuated by transient crustal shortening that was accommodated by folding and thrusting of the arc-back-arc system. The model explains the shared magmatic history of the Pembine-Wausau and Marshfield terranes. Our study also reveals an overprinting metamorphic event recorded by reset zircon and new monazite growth dated at 1775 ± 10 Ma suggesting that the main metamorphic event in the terranes is related to the Yavapai-interval accretion rather than the Penokean orogeny.


Author(s):  
Dennis Sánchez-Mora ◽  
Christopher R.M. McFarlane ◽  
James A Walker ◽  
David R. Lentz

Gold mineralization at Williams Brook in northern New Brunswick is hosted within the Siluro-Devonian, bimodal, volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Tobique-Chaleur Zone (Wapske Formation). Gold mineralization occurs in two styles: 1) as disseminations (refractory gold) in rhyolite, and 2) in cross-cutting quartz veins (free gold). Dating of the felsic volcanic host rocks by in situ LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb geochronology returned ages of 422 ± 3, 409 ± 2, 408 ± 3, 405 ± 2, 401 ± 9 Ma. Zr/Y of subvolcanic felsic intrusion (<8 for syn-mineralization and >8 for post-mineralization) suggests evolution from transitional to more alkalic affinities. Two mineralizing events are recognized; the first is a disseminated mineralization style formed at ~422–416 Ma and the second consists of quartz vein-hosted gold emplaced at 410–408 Ma. Felsic rocks from Williams Brook and elsewhere in the Tobique Group (i.e. Wapske, Costigan Mountain, and Benjamin formations), and the Coastal Volcanic Belt have similar Th/Nb ratios of ~0.1 to 1, reflecting similar levels of crustal contamination, and similar Nb and Y content, suggesting A-type affinities. These data indicate a similar environment of formation. Regionally, mafic rocks show similar within-plate continental signatures and an E-MORB mantle source that formed from partial melts of 10–30%. Mafic volcanic rocks from Williams Brook have a more alkaline affinity (based on Ti/V), and derivation from lower percentage partial melting (~5%). The chemical and temporal variations in the Williams Brook rocks suggest that they were erupted in an evolving transpressional tectonic setting during the oblique convergence of Gondwana and Laurentia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W.D. Lodge ◽  
Harold L. Gibson ◽  
Greg M. Stott ◽  
James M. Franklin ◽  
George J. Hudak

The greenstone belts along the northern margin of the Wawa subprovince of the Superior Province (Vermilion, Shebandowan, Winston Lake, Manitouwadge) formed at ca. 2720 Ma and have been interpreted to be representative of a rifted-arc to back-arc tectonic setting. Despite a common inferred tectonic setting and broad similarities, these greenstone belts have a significantly different metallogeny as evidenced by different endowments in volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), magmatic sulphide, and orogenic gold deposits. In this paper, we examine differences in geodynamic setting and crustal architecture as they pertain to the metallogeny of each greenstone belt by characterizing the regional-scale trace-element and isotopic (Nd and Pb) geochemistry of each belt. The trace-element geochemistry of the Vermilion greenstone belt (VGB) shows evidence for a transition from arc-like to back-arc mafic rocks in the Soudan belt to plume-driven rifted arcs in the ultramafic-bearing Newton belt. The Shebandowan greenstone belt (SGB) has a significant proportion of calc-alkalic, arc-like basalts, intermediate lithofacies, and high-Mg andesites, which are characteristic of low-angle, “hot” subduction. Extensional settings within the SGB are plume-driven and associated with komatiitic ultramafic and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like basalts. The Winston Lake greenstone belt (WGB) is characterized by a transition from calc-alkalic, arc-like basalts to back-arc basalts upward in the strata and is capped by alkalic ocean-island basalt (OIB)-like basalts. This association is consistent with plume-driven rifting of a mature arc setting. Each of the VGB, SGB, and WGB show some isotopic evidence for the interaction with a juvenile or slightly older differentiated crust. The Manitouwadge greenstone belt (MGB) is characterized by isotopically juvenile, bimodal, tholeiitic to transitional volcanic lithofacies in a back-arc setting. The MGB is the most isotopically juvenile belt and is also the most productive in terms of VMS mineralization. The Zn-rich VMS mineralization within the WGB suggests a relatively lower-temperature hydrothermal system, possibly within a relatively shallow-water environment. The Zn-dominated and locally Au-enriched VMS mineralization, as well as mafic lithofacies and alteration assemblages, are characteristic of relatively shallower-water deposition in the VGB and SGB, and indicate that the ideal VMS-forming tectonic condition may have been compromised by a shallower-water depositional setting. However, the thickened arc crust and compressional tectonics of the SGB suprasubduction zone during hot subduction may have provided a crustal setting more favourable for the magmatic Ni–Cu sulphide and relative gold endowment of this belt.


1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1430-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Winchester ◽  
C. R. van Staal ◽  
J. P. Langton

An investigation of the geology and chemistry of the basic igneous rocks in the Elmtree and Belledune inliers in northern New Brunswick shows that the bulk of the Middle Ordovician rocks of the ophiolitic Fournier Group are best interpreted as the products of volcanism and sedimentation in an extensive ensimatic back-arc basin southeast of a volcanic arc. The oceanic back-arc-basin igneous rocks form the basement to renewed arc-related basaltic volcanism in late Middle to Late Ordovician time. The Fournier Group is separated from the structurally-underlying, shale-dominated Elmtree Formation of the Tetagouche Group by an extensive tectonic melange, which incorporates lenses of serpentinite, mafic volcanic rocks, and sedimentary rocks of both the Tetagouche and Fournier groups. The mafic volcanic rocks in the Elmtree Formation correlate best with those intercalated with the lithologically similar sediments of the Llandeilian–Caradocian Boucher Brook Formation in the northern Miramichi Highlands. The melange and the present structural amalgamation of the Tetagouche and Fournier groups result from closure of the marginal basin by northward-directed subduction at the end of the Ordovician. Most mafic suites in the Elmtree and Belledune inliers can be chemically correlated with similar suites in the northern Miramichi Highlands, showing that the two areas are not separated by a terrane boundary.


1993 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange Artimos de Oliveira ◽  
Akira Homma ◽  
Léa Camillo-Coura ◽  
Maria Lucília P. Loureiro ◽  
Maria Teresa G. N. de Almeida

ln order to study the measles antibody behavior of three vaccination schedules, 684 children were divided into 4 Groups: Group A (341 vaccinated children under the age of one); Group B (101 children at the age of one); Group C (74 children under the age of one and one at the age of one); Group D (163 unvaccinated children with a history of measles in the past - Group control). Children of Group A presented lower rates and 25.9% of the age group under two did not show any measles antibodies. In Group B, all the children presented antibodies. In Group C onby 4.0% did not. In all age groups, the geometric mean HI antibody titers of Group A were lower than the valuesfound in the other groups. The age at vaccination was the factor of greater influence on the results of this study.


Iceland is built up of volcanic rocks with sedimentary interbeds, which have been piled up continuously since Miocene times. In the Pleistocene rock series, sediments of fluvial, lacustrine, marine and glacial origin and soils are very common and frequently thick. A sudden climatic deterioration took place at about 3 Ma BP. The Pliocene lusitanic marine fauna was replaced by a boreal fauna. Conifers and deciduous forest vanished and the flora became similar to the present one. From 3 to 2 Ma BP, inland ice caps were common during cold spells. From then on ice sheets reaching down to sea level have covered most of the country at least 12 times during glacials.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document