Chemostratigraphic division of the Blake River Group, Rouyn–Noranda area, Abitibi, Quebec

Abstract

The effusive rocks of the Blake River Group in the Abitibi volcanic belt, Rouyn–Noranda region, belong to a bimodal sequence in which andesites and rhyolites clearly dominate. The identification of calc-alkaline and tholeiitic affinities is made upon examination of the major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) content. Thus, the andesites (58% normalized SiO2 value without volatiles) of the calc-alkaline units have average K (4800 ppm), Ba (160 ppm), and Rb (13 ppm) values that are greater than the average K (1800 ppm), Ba (130 ppm), and Rb (3 ppm) values for andésites (57% SiO2) that belong to associated tholeiitic units. Furthermore, tholeiitic andesites have distinctive average values of Ti (9600 ppm) and Y (40 ppm) that are higher than the average values of Ti (6700 ppm) and Y (25 ppm) of calc-alkaline andesites. An effective discrimination between the calc-alkaline and tholeiitic affinities is obtained using the Zr/Y and Ti/Zr ratios, which are, respectively, less than 4 and greater than 70 in andesites of the tholeiitic units.REE profiles of tholeiitic andesites are flat when compared with those of calc-alkaline andesites, which show an enrichment in light rare earths.The tholeiitic units of the Blake River Group are found in the proximity of the Porcupine-Destor and Larder Lake – Cadillac faults, the major faults of the region, and at the periphery of an ensemble of calc-alkaline units. Four of the five tholeiitic units are differentiated, showing an enrichment of iron passing from basalt to andesite. These units possess felsic variole-bearing flows, the result of an unmixing, which was probably responsible for the formation of minor associated quantities of porphyries and rhyolitic volcaniclastites.A progressive increase in the concentration of hygromagmatophile elements (REE, Zr, Nb) is observed in the tholeiitic units from the Pelletier unit beginning at the base and passing through the Trémoy, Destor, and Dufresnoy units, at the top of the Blake River Group. The calc-alkaline units are characterized by an alternation of rhyolitic complexes and calc-alkaline andesites. This cyclic repetition occurs without significant modification of the calc-alkaline andesite composition.It is proposed that the volcanism responsible for the formation of the Blake River Group was restricted to a concentric zone centring on a continental environment. Mafic magmas nourished the central reservoir where melting of the sialic crust took place. The rhyolitic magma occupying the upper part of this reservoir mixed with the basaltic magma, producing calc-alkaline andesites. Successive mantle melt products were also emplaced into subsidiary reservoirs peripheral to the central chamber. Injections of tholeiitic magma in the peripheral reservoirs underwent differentiation and unmixing during emplacement of a part of the magma at the surface.