The Flinton Group: a late Precambrian metasedimentary succession in the Grenville Province of eastern Ontario

Abstract

Clastic and carbonate metasediments, preserved in narrow synclines, have been correlated over an area of 2000 km2. These strata, the Flinton Group, lie unconformably on metamorphosed volcanic, clastic, and carbonate rocks, and on large granitic intrusions. The group, which comprises six formations, has undergone at least two major folding episodes and one main regional metamorphism of varying grade. The only post-Flinton intrusions are pegmatites at high grade and one tectonically emplaced ultramafic slice.Depositional environment ranged from fluvial to moderate-depth marine. Rapid facies changes, coupled with persistence of some units along strike and close relationships between facies and underlying lithology, point to local sources and local tectonic control of deposition basins. At the onset of sedimentation, a deeply weathered source terrain yielded mature basal redbeds, which were succeeded by less mature clastics as block faulting caused increase of relief between sources and basins. These facies passed offshore into finer, more reduced sediments. Deposition took place between 1050 and 1080 (±25) Ma ago, after arc volcanism, plutonism, uplift, and erosion, and before major regional metamorphism. All these events can be grouped within the Grenvillian orogenic cycle, spanning at least the interval 1300–1000 Ma and including, in eastern Ontario, the pre-Flinton Elzevirian Orogeny and post-Flinton Ottawan Orogeny.