A detailed gravity profile across the English River Subprovince, northwestern Ontario

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a detailed gravity profile measured across the two lithotectonic domains of the English River Subprovince from Vermilion Bay to Red Lake, a distance of 190 km, in northwestern Ontario. Along the profile 283 fresh rock samples were collected for density measurements. The density data clearly suggest that there is a measurable and significant density difference between the migmatized metasediments and plutonic rocks.A crustal model based on the seismic data, along the profile, has been used for computing a regional gravity field, which in turn has been used in isolating the residual anomalies from the Bouguer anomaly field. A strong correlation has been found to exist between the residual anomalies, the rock densities, and the surface lithologies. The Northern Supracrustal Domain, which is at its widest (60 km) along the profile, is dominated by a pronounced 15 mGal (150 μm s−2) positive residual anomaly believed to be caused by outcropping, anomalously dense metasediments extending to a modelled depth of approximately 10 km. In the Southern Plutonic Domain the residual anomalies along the profile are small (less than 5 mGal (50 μm s−2)) and limited in depth. The Mystery Lake dome extends to a modelled depth of approximately 2.5 km.