The continuing power of Nd isotope mapping in Precambrian orogenic belts: A demonstration from the Ontario Grenville Province

Abstract

With the increasing availability of U-Pb-Hf isotope analysis of zircon suites, does whole-rock Nd isotope analysis still have a role to play in mapping Precambrian gneiss terranes? I answer this question by examining the Ontario Gneiss Belt of the Grenville Province, and show that Nd isotope mapping still has a vital role to play in studies of Precambrian crustal evolution. Although U-Pb-Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircons can provide large suites of crystallization ages and epsilon Hf values, the poor spatial control of these data means that precise geographical control of crustal structure from Nd isotope mapping is still important. I demonstrate this for several regions of the Ontario Gneiss Belt, including northern Algonquin Park, western Lake Nipissing and Georgian Bay. In all these regions, mapping complex geographical patterns of crustal formation ages allows detailed documentation of large-scale crustal structure. Only with such an accurate understanding of crustal structure can accurate models of tectonic evolution be constructed in a complex, deeply exhumed orogenic belt such as the Grenville Province.