Crustal evolution and architecture of the Wawa Subprovince, Superior Province: Insights from zircon U-Pb-Hf-O isotopes and geochemistry

Crustal evolution and geodynamic setting of the Sefwi Greenstone Belt, WAC. The Palaeoproterozoic West African Craton (2.25 - 2.07 Ga) represents one of the youngest, large provinces of juvenile crust on Earth. It displays lithological and architectural similarities to a numberof late Archean Provinces, including the Abitibi-Opatica terrane, Superior Province and Karelian and Kola cratons of the Fennoscandian Shield. Forming just after the Archean-Palaeoproterozoic transition, the magmatic evolution and geodynamic setting of juvenile crust formation of the WAC continues to stimulate scientific debate.

Archean supracrustal rocks in the western Wabigoon Subprovince, Superior Province, Canadian Shield, have undergone four phases of deformation, D1-D4. D1, confined to the oldest rocks, includes a large, refolded, reclined, isoclinal anticline (F1) with moderately developed axial-planar cleavage (S1). Rocks affected by D1 are overlain by a regional unconformity. D2 includes post-unconformity, steeply plunging, north-northeast-south-southwest-striking, isoclinal folds (F2) that are approximately coaxial with F1, but have contorted the F1 axial trace. D3 is represented by east-west-striking, steeply plunging folds at various scales (F3) which occur mainly in rocks near the regional Manitou Stretch - Pipestone Lake Shear Zone, also interpreted to be a D3 structure. D4 is represented by pervasive cleavage (S4), locally penetrative but mainly spaced, including crenulation cleavage, fractures, small faults, and brittle-ductile shears. S4 is parallel to the margin of the Jackfish Lake Pluton. D1-D3 are ascribed to convergence of the Wabigoon Subprovince with adjacent subprovinces, ending with formation of the Manitou Stretch - Pipestone Lake Shear Zone as a (presently) steep thrust and oblique-ramp structure. D4 is the result of either diapiric emplacement of the Jackfish Lake Pluton, or marginal strain intensification due to the rigidity of the older Ash Bay Dome during late north-south compression. Previously available zircon U-Pb geochronology provides a maximum age for D1 of 2728 Ma, and an approximate age for D4 of 2698 Ma. The unconformity developed between D1 and D2, 2725-2713 Ma.

Archean supracrustal rocks in the western Wabigoon Subprovince, Superior Province, Canadian Shield, have undergone four phases of deformation, D1-D4. D1, confined to the oldest rocks, includes a large, refolded, reclined, isoclinal anticline (F1) with moderately developed axial-planar cleavage (S1). Rocks affected by D1 are overlain by a regional unconformity. D2 includes post-unconformity, steeply plunging, north-northeast-south-southwest-striking, isoclinal folds (F2) that are approximately coaxial with F1, but have contorted the F1 axial trace. D3 is represented by east-west-striking, steeply plunging folds at various scales (F3) which occur mainly in rocks near the regional Manitou Stretch - Pipestone Lake Shear Zone, also interpreted to be a D3 structure. D4 is represented by pervasive cleavage (S4), locally penetrative but mainly spaced, including crenulation cleavage, fractures, small faults, and brittle-ductile shears. S4 is parallel to the margin of the Jackfish Lake Pluton. D1-D3 are ascribed to convergence of the Wabigoon Subprovince with adjacent subprovinces, ending with formation of the Manitou Stretch - Pipestone Lake Shear Zone as a (presently) steep thrust and oblique-ramp structure. D4 is the result of either diapiric emplacement of the Jackfish Lake Pluton, or marginal strain intensification due to the rigidity of the older Ash Bay Dome during late north-south compression. Previously available zircon U-Pb geochronology provides a maximum age for D1 of 2728 Ma, and an approximate age for D4 of 2698 Ma. The unconformity developed between D1 and D2, 2725-2713 Ma.

Autochthonous development of Superior Province greenstone belts?

Heat flow variations in the Grenville Province, Canada

Corrigendum to “Crustal evolution and architecture of the Wawa Subprovince, Superior Province: Insights from zircon U-Pb-Hf-O isotopes and geochemistry” [Precambrian Res. 418 (2025) 107705

Crustal evolution in a cratonic nucleus: Granitoids and felsic volcanic rocks of the North Caribou Terrane, Superior Province Canada

Over the past decade, the Kapuskasing uplift has been the subject of intense geological and geophysical investigation as Lithoprobe's window on the deep-crustal structure of the Archean Superior Province. Enigmatic since its recognition as a positive gravity anomaly in 1950, the structure has been variably interpreted as a suture, rift, transcurrent shear zone, or intracratonic thrust. Diverse studies, including geochronology, geothermobarometry, and various geophysical probes, provide a comprehensive three-dimensional image of Archean (2.75–2.50 Ga) crustal evolution and Proterozoic (2.5–1.1 Ga) cooling and uplift. The data favour an interpretation of the structure as an intracratonic uplift related to Hudsonian collision.Eastward across the southern Kapuskasing uplift, erosion levels increase from < 10 km in the Michipicoten greenstone belt, through the Wawa gneiss domain (10–20 km), into granulites (20–30 km) of the Kapuskasing structural zone, juxtaposed against the low-grade Swayze greenstone belt along the Ivanhoe Lake fault zone. Most volcanic rocks in the greenstone belts erupted in the interval 2750–2700 Ma and were thrust, folded, and cut by late plutons and transcurrent faults before 2670 Ma. Wawa gneisses include major 2750–2660 and minor 2920 Ma tonalitic components, deformed in several events including prominent late subhorizontal extensional shear zones prior to 2645 Ma. Supracrustal rocks of the Kapuskasing zone have model Nd ages of 2750–2700 Ma, metamorphic zircon ages of 2696–2584 Ma, and titanite ages of 2600–2493 Ma, reflecting deposition, intrusion, complex deformation, recrystallization, and cooling during prolonged deep-crustal residence. Postorogenic unroofing rapidly cooled shallow (10–20 km) parts of the Superior Province, but metamorphism and local deformation continued in the ductile deep crust, overlapping the time of late gold deposition in shear zones in the shallow brittle regime.Elevation of granulites, expressed geophysically as positive gravity anomalies and a west-dipping zone of high refraction velocities, dates from a major episode of transpressive faulting. Analysis of deformation effects in Matachewan (2454 Ma), Biscotasing (2167 Ma), and Kapuskasing (2040 Ma) dykes, as well as the brittle nature of fault rocks and cooling patterns of granulites, constrains the time of uplift to ca, 1.9 Ga. Approximately 27 km of shortening was accommodated through brittle upper crustal thrusting and ductile growth of an 8 km thick root in the lower crust that has been maintained by relatively cool, strong mantle lithosphere. The present configuration of the uplift results from overall dextral displacement in which the block was broken and deformed by dextral, normal, and sinistral faults, and modified by later isostatic adjustment. Seismic reflection profiles display prominent northwest-dipping reflectors believed to image lithological contacts and ductile strain zones of Archean age; the indistinct reflection character of the Ivanhoe Lake fault is probably related to its brittle nature formed through brecciation and cataclasis at temperatures < 300 °C. The style and orientation of Proterozoic structures may have been influenced by the Archean crustal configuration.

In this study the authors contrast insights on Precambrian crustal growth and maturation from radiogenic and oxygen isotope systematics in the Superior (3.0--2.7 Ga) and Grenville (1.3--1.0 Ga) Provinces of the Canadian shield. Oxygen isotope ratios in zircon provide the best evidence of supracrustal input into ancient orogens. Archean Superior Province zircons have relatively low {delta}{sup 18}O values and a limited range (5.7{per_thousand} {+-} 0.6{per_thousand}), while Proterozoic Grenville Province zircons have elevated {delta}{sup 18}O values and a wider range (8.2{per_thousand} {+-} 1.7{per_thousand}). These data reflect fundamental differences in crustal evolution and maturation between the Superior and the Grenville Provinces. In the Grenville Province, radiogenically juvenile supracrustal material with high {delta}{sup 18}O values was buried (or subducted) to the base of the crust within 150 m.y. of initial crust production, causing high magmatic {delta}{sup 18}O values ({delta}{sup 18}O [zircon] {ge} 8{per_thousand}) in anorthosite suite and subsequent plutons. Information about large volumes and rapid recycling of Grenville crust is not accessible from radiogenic isotope data alone. The Grenville data contrast with the restricted {delta}{sup 18}O values of Superior Province magmatism, where subtle ({approximately}1{per_thousand}) elevation in {delta}{sup 18}O occurs only in volumetrically minor, late to postorogenic (sanukitoid) plutons. Differences in sediment {delta}{sup 18}Omore » values between the Superior and Grenville Provinces are predominantly a function of the {delta}{sup 18}O of source materials, rather than differences in chemical maturity or erosion styles. This study shows that zircon is a robust reference mineral to compare igneous processes in rocks that have undergone radically different histories.« less

Isotope evidence for Archean accordion-tectonics in the Superior Province

The structure of the Archaean crust of the North America has been studied based on the synthesis of geolo‐ gical and geophysical data, including seismic sections along LITHOPROBE Geotransects, magnetic and gravity anomaly maps, and seismic tomography data. The authors rely on the experience gained in the Russian Program of the deep geological and geophysical studies of the East European Craton. The juvenile Neoarchaean crust, containing the frag‐ ments of reworked Meso‐ and Paleoarchaean rocks, forms an asymmetric round‐oval‐shaped domain, wherein the geophysical, structural, and metamorphic parameters display a concentric zoning pattern. The Central zone occupies the Hudson Bay basin. The Internal zone (the northeastern and northern Superior Province) is mainly composed of the granulite facies of metaplutonic, metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The External zone encompasses the southern Superior Province together with Hearne and Rae Provinces. This paper presents 3D crustal models of sou‐ thern Superior Province. The crust development resulted from rifting and a partial disruption of the continental crust, short‐term opening of the linear oceans, successive northward subduction and accretion of the ancient continental and juvenile Neoarchaean oceanic and island‐arc terranes between ~2.78 and ~2.70 Ga. Subsequent events in the epicontinental environment, including formation of the metasedimentary belts, granulite facies metamorphism and intense ore formation processes, took place within the range from ~2.71 to ~2.63 Ga. The SCLM morphology within the limits of the Archaean North American Craton can be represented as a flattened overturned cone with a vertical axis (down to a depth of ~350 km). The Hudson Bay basin is located right above the lithospheric keel. A number of the main features of the structure and evolution of the Archaean crust of the North American Craton, primarily the oval‐ concentric zoning, the important role of high‐temperature magmatic and metamorphic processes and mainly in‐ tracontinental magmatism and sedimentation, indicates the leading role of the mantle‐plume type processes. The Neoarchaean evolution of the North American craton represents the plate‐tectonic processes initiated by a super‐ plume. The Neoarchaean North American Craton is one of a series of similar phenomena that occurred ~2.75 Ga ago in a number of continental regions. The most important features, repeated to a certain degree in tectonic units of this type, are: (1) synchronous formation between 2.79 and 2.58 Ga; (2) mainly intracontinental development; (3) the prevalence of oval‐shaped synformal tectonic structures of different ranks with some form of concentric zoning; (4) high‐temperature magmatism (usually with the participation of enderbite‐charnockites and gabbro‐anorthosites) and metamorphism of the granulite facies; (5) a frequently repeated combination of high‐grade (granulite and high‐ temperature amphibolites facies) and low‐ or moderate‐grade (greenschist and epidote‐amphibolite facies) meta‐ morphic rocks; (6) the lower‐crust granulite‐basaltic layer that had formed and was deformed at the final stage of endogenic activity; (7) a thick lithosphere (the lithospheric keel reaches a depth of 250–350 km).

Igneous intrusions are important to the thermomechanical evolution of continents because they inject heat into their relatively cold host rocks, and potentially change the distribution of radiogenic heat production and thermal properties within the crust. To explore one aspect of the complex evolution of the continental crust, this paper investigates the local thermal effects of two intrusive rock types (carbonatites and anorthosites) on the Archean Superior Province of the Canadian shield. We provide new data on their contrasting properties: rock density near 298 K, thermal diffusivity, and heat capacity up to 800 K (which altogether yield thermal conductivity), plus radiogenic element contents. The volumetrically small carbonatites have widely varying radiogenic heat production (2–56 µW m−3) and moderate thermal conductivity at 298 K (~ 1 to 4 W m−1 K−1) which decreases with temperature. The massive Shawmere anorthosite has nearly negligible radiogenic heat production (< 0.002 µW m−3) and low, roughly temperature-independent thermal conductivity (~ 1.6 W m−1 K−1). Steady-state thermal structures within and around these intrusions, which have quite different shapes and physical properties, were modeled using a pipe geometry for carbonatite and a tabular geometry for anorthosite. We found that the thermal aureoles of these intrusion types persist for hundreds of millions of years after the magmatic heat advected by the intrusions has dissipated. Longevitity of aureoles is due to the high radiogenic element concentrations of the small carbonatite intrusions, and to the low thermal conductivity of the Shawmere anorthosite. Our findings apply to other anorthosite bodies, which vary little in composition and mineralogy, whereas results for carbonatites depend on variations in their radiogenic content.

The Slave Province is a relatively small Late Archean craton that exhibits distinctive rock associations and structures. By comparison with the much larger Superior Province, differences are evident in (i) the abundance of sedimentary versus volcanic rocks and of felsic versus mafic volcanic rocks; (ii) the greater evidence for sialic basement; (iii) the higher proportion of more evolved potassium-rich granite; (iv) the type, setting, and timing of gold and base-metal mineralization; and (v) a regional zonation of gold deposits that seems to be a unique feature of the Slave Province. Contrasts in structure are also significant: the large-scale linear belts and boundaries (sutures?) that characterize the Superior Province have no obvious counterpart in the Slave Province. Despite some similarities with other Archean cratons, the distinct features of the Slave Province are important, for they imply that no single Archean craton should be used to develop a universal paradigm for the genesis and tectonic evolution of Archean crust.

Post-orogenic thermal evolution of newborn Archean continents

Research Article| December 01, 1980 The Great Lakes tectonic zone — A major crustal structure in central North America P. K. SIMS; P. K. SIMS 1U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. D. CARD; K. D. CARD 2Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa KlA 0E4, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar G. B. MOREY; G. B. MOREY 3Minnesota Geological Survey, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Z. E. PETERMAN Z. E. PETERMAN 4U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1980) 91 (12): 690–698. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1980)91<690:TGLTZA>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation P. K. SIMS, K. D. CARD, G. B. MOREY, Z. E. PETERMAN; The Great Lakes tectonic zone — A major crustal structure in central North America. GSA Bulletin 1980;; 91 (12): 690–698. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1980)91<690:TGLTZA>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Great Lakes tectonic zone is a major Precambrian crustal feature more than 1,200 km long extending eastward from Minnesota into Ontario, Canada. It is a zone of distinctive tectonism, affecting both Archean and early Proterozoic rocks, along the northern margin of the early Proterozoic Penokean fold belt adjacent to the Archean Superior province. The zone coincides with the boundary between two Archean crustal segments recognized in the region: a greenstone-granite terrane (∼2,700 m.y. old) to the north (Superior province) and an older (in part 3,500 m.y. old) gneiss terrane to the south. Tectonism along the zone began in the late Archean, during the joining together of the two terranes into a single continental mass, and culminated in the early Proterozoic, when steep or northward-facing overturned folds were formed in the supracrustal rocks, and intense cataclasis and a penetrative cleavage developed in subjacent basement rocks of the greenstone-granite terrane. The Proterozoic deformation took place under low to intermediate pressures.Movement occurred along the Great Lakes tectonic zone through much of the Precambrian time recorded in the region. In the early Proterozoic, crustal foundering, which was parallel to the zone and was diachronous, initiated the structural basins in which the early Proterozoic sequences of the Lake Superior and Lake Huron regions were deposited. Later, during the Penokean orogeny (∼1,850 to 1,900 m.y. ago), compression deformed the sequences in both regions. Still later, intermittent (∼1,850 to 1,100 m.y. ago) crustal extension provided sites for emplacement of abundant mafic igneous rocks. There is no definite evidence that any of the extensional events progressed to the stage of development of oceanic crust; probably the zone has been wholly intracratonal since its inception in late Archean time.During the Phanerozoic, minor differential movements occurred locally in the Great Lakes tectonic zone, as recorded by the thinning of Cretaceous strata and their subsequent tilting and by historic earthquakes in Minnesota. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.