Archean rocks from the eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt, northwestern Ontario, part 2. Geochronology

Abstract

The region is divided into two domains, which are defined by their contrasting petrology, structure, and aeromagnetic anomaly pattern. The northern domain is underlain by east-trending, steeply south-dipping, migmatized garnet–biotite paragneiss. The southern domain is underlain by gneissic tonalite and trondhjemite, intruded by granite plutons, and with abundant amphibolite inclusions.Twelve U–Pb isotopic age determinations of zircons from two gneisses and four granite bodies from the eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt indicate the following sequence of events. The tonalite gneiss of the southern domain was emplaced definitely more than 3008 m.y. ago and probably more than 3040 ± 40 m.y. ago. Local anatexis or injection associated with regional metamorphism produced a local pegmatite leucosome in the paragneiss 2681 ± 20 m.y. ago. Late- or post-orogenic granites, which invade both the paragneiss and the tonalite, were emplaced 2660 ± 20 m.y. ago, after the major metamorphism in the region. The youngest rock in the area, a cross-cutting pegmatitic granite, was emplaced 2560 ± 40 m.y. ago.