Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms and large igneous provinces of northern Canada and their use in understanding extension, rifting, and paleocontinental reconstructions

Abstract

Giant mafic dyke swarms and related large igneous provinces play an important role in the understanding of the tectonic evolution of ancient continents and supercontinents. The information available for well dated Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms and large igneous provinces in northern Canada is summarized in this synthesis, with an emphasis on their age, geographic distribution, paleomagnetism, and potential linkages to coeval magmatic events. Their tectonic settings, with a focus on links to rifting and continental breakup, are also discussed. Finally, the use of giant dyke swarms and large igneous provinces for testing paleocontinental reconstructions is considered, based mainly on paleomagnetism or on matching coeval magmatic events or sequences of magmatic events (magmatic barcoding) between cratons.