Yukon-Tanana Terrane Research Articles

Lawsonite eclogite records subduction rheology and slab detachment, Faro, Yukon-Tanana Terrane, Yukon Territory, Canada

Lawsonite eclogites represent cold subduction in the rock record, and new localities provide rare natural field laboratories to investigate deep deformation processes. We present a new lawsonite eclogite locality near Faro, Yukon Territory, Canada, the first reported lawsonite eclogite locality of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane. The discovery indicates that mid- to Late Permian subduction in the Yukon-Tanana Terrane subducted cold material in an oceanic subduction zone, in contrast to most previous models. We define a pressure-temperature-deformation (P-T-d) pathway for the lawsonite eclogites using a combination of microstructures, mineral compositional mapping, crystal orientation mapping, and phase equilibrium modeling. Metamorphism in the Faro eclogites followed a clockwise pathway through the lawsonite eclogite facies, reaching peak pressures of 22−24 MPa at 525−550 °C. Rocks then exhumed to 14.5−16 MPa during heating to 630−655 °C. Crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs) in omphacite developed dominantly by dissolution-precipitation creep and oriented grain growth concurrently with CPOs developed in glaucophane by a combination of dislocation- and dissolution-precipitation creep with oriented grain growth. We link this fabric and CPO development in omphacite and amphibole to lawsonite dehydration, slab decoupling, and initiation of exhumation of the eclogites, providing evidence that lawsonite dehydration plays a significant role in changes in subduction zone rheology.

In Situ Sulfur Isotope Geochemistry Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry of Sulfides in the ABM Replacement-Style Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Finlayson Lake District, Yukon, Canada

Abstract The ABM deposit is a bimodal-felsic, replacement-style volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit located in the Finlayson Lake district, Yukon, Canada, that is hosted by back-arc-affinity felsic volcanic rocks of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Massive sulfide mineralization occurs as a series of stacked and stratabound lenses subparallel to the volcanic stratigraphy, surrounded by an envelope of pervasive white mica and chlorite alteration. Three major mineral assemblages occur: (1) a pyrite-sphalerite assemblage enriched in Zn-Pb-As-Sb-Ag-Au that formed at temperatures ∼200–270 °C, (2) a pyrite-chalcopyrite-magnetite-pyrrhotite assemblage enriched in Cu-Bi-Se-Co that formed at temperatures ∼300–350 °C, and (3) a chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite-pyrite stringer assemblage formed at temperatures >300 °C. In situ analysis of the sulfur isotopic ratios (δ34S) using secondary ion mass spectrometry has been performed on sulfides (pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena, and arsenopyrite) from samples representative of the major mineral assemblages. The δ34S results range between +4.0 and +12.5‰. The pyrite-sphalerite assemblage has an average δ34S value of +6.6 ± 1.8‰ (n = 31), whereas the higher temperature assemblages have an average δ34S value of +9.9 ± 1.4‰ (n = 59). Examination of the δ34S values of adjacent mineral pairs shows that the sulfides were formed under disequilibrium conditions and were not significantly altered or re-equilibrated by greenschist facies metamorphism that affected the ABM deposit post-volcanogenic massive sulfide formation. The observed range of δ34S values suggests that H2S derived from thermochemical sulfate reduction of seawater sulfate and/or an igneous sulfur source as the likeliest sources of S for the sulfides in the ABM deposit. Modeling of thermochemical sulfate reduction of contemporaneous Late Devonian seawater sulfate (δ34S ∼ +25‰) at temperatures estimated for the fluids forming the ABM deposit mineral assemblages (200–350 °C) shows that the reduction of 5–30% of the seawater sulfate would result in isotopic signatures similar to those observed at the ABM deposit. This model also explains the distribution of δ34S values across the mineral assemblages, as thermochemical sulfate reduction at higher temperatures (350 °C) results in more isotopically positive δ34S values. Modeling of mixing lines between thermochemical sulfate reduction at different temperatures and an igneous sulfur source suggests that leaching of magmatic/volcanic rocks also acted as a source of sulfur and was a likely a major contributor (70–95%) to the hydrothermal fluid system at the ABM deposit.

Tectono-Metamorphic Evolution of the Cretaceous Kluane Schist, Southwest Yukon

Abstract A wealth of information regarding the Mesozoic evolution of the Northern Canadian and Alaskan Cordillera is held within a series of variably metamorphosed and deformed rocks that formed in Jura-Cretaceous basins. Located at the interface between the pericratonic Intermontane and exotic Insular terranes, these basinal rocks are key to understanding the timing and tectonic style of Insular terrane accretion, a topic of longstanding debate. This study unravels the structural and metamorphic evolution of one of these basins, the Kluane Basin, within southwest Yukon Territory. The Kluane Schist is the primary assemblage of the Kluane Basin. It consists of metamorphosed and deformed low-Al pelites that were intruded by granodioritic plutons of the Paleocene Ruby Range batholith. Previous workers have suggested the variable metamorphic character of the Kluane Schist represents an extensive and static thermal aureole related to Ruby Range batholith emplacement. Our work, however, indicates that the Kluane Schist experienced Buchan-style metamorphism coeval with protracted deformation and can be divided into seven distinct petrologic zones, which, based on their unique combination of mineral assemblage and structure, are incompatible with static thermal metamorphism. Instead, we propose the Kluane Schist experienced two distinct metamorphic phases: (1) an early greenschist-facies phase that resulted in the development of a bedding-parallel chlorite-muscovite-titanite fabric, preserved by its lowest-grade units, and (2) a later amphibolite-facies phase that manifests as the progressive transposition of the earlier chlorite-muscovite-titanite fabric into a penetrative biotite-rich schistosity that transitions upgrade into a segregated gneissic fabric comprised of biotite-cordierite and plagioclase-quartz (± sillimanite-K-feldspar-melt). By integrating the results of detailed petrography and petrological modeling, we demonstrate that the second main metamorphic phase experienced by the Kluane Schist preserves a record of pressures and temperatures that align with other Buchan-style terranes worldwide. Our data defines a field gradient across the Kluane Schist ranging from 3.0–3.5 kbar at 375–400 °C to 4–4.5 kbar at 700–750 °C. This record of a coupled Buchan-style metamorphic-deformational evolution and tops-to-the SW non-coaxial shear structures is consistent with the override of the thermally mature Yukon-Tanana terrane as the principal driver of Kluane Schist metamorphism, with some limited heat likely contributed by the late-syn- to post-tectonic intrusion of the Ruby Range batholith.

Paleozoic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana terrane of the North American Cordillera, NW British Columbia

Abstract The origins and primary relationships between tectono-stratigraphic units are fundamental to the terrane concept in accretionary orogens, but they are challenging to assess in metamorphic terranes. In NW British Columbia, three tectonically bounded metamorphic suites of the Yukon-Tanana terrane formed in distinct tectonic settings, based on high-spatial-resolution geochronology and immobile trace-element geochemistry. The Florence Range suite comprises late Neoproterozoic or younger to pre–latest Devonian metasedimentary rocks derived from continental crust, 360 ± 4 Ma calc-alkaline intermediate orthogneiss, and 357 ± 4 Ma amphibolite with oceanic-island basalt composition, consistent with rifting of a continental margin. The detrital signature is dominated by late Mesoproterozoic zircon, which indicates different sources than other parts of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. The Boundary Ranges suite comprises pre–Late Devonian metasedimentary rocks derived in part from a mafic source, amphibolite derived from subduction-zone metasomatized mantle, and 369 ± 4 Ma to 367 ± 7 Ma calc-alkaline felsic to intermediate orthogneiss. The Whitewater suite comprises meta-chert, graphite-rich metapelite, and amphibolite with back-arc basin basalt composition consistent with an anoxic basin near a volcanic source. Our data indicate that the Florence Range and Boundary Ranges suites were separate until at least the Early Mississippian and may have formed a composite terrane since the Permian, whereas the relationship with the Whitewater suite is uncertain. We compare the Paleozoic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana terrane in NW British Columbia with several modern analogues in the west and southwest Pacific Ocean.

A record of Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene Insular terrane accretion within the northern Cordillera: Insights from monazite petrochronology across the Kluane Schist, southwest Yukon, Canada

The Kluane Schist is a metamorphosed package of siliciclastic and lesser calcareous rocks that lies between the inboard pericratonic Intermontane terranes and outboard Insular terranes of the North American Cordillera within Yukon, Canada. The metamorphic sequence of the Kluane Schist preserves a record of the tectono-thermal evolution and timing of Insular terrane accretion. Here we document the timing of metamorphism and deformation across the Kluane Schist using in situ laser ablation−inductively coupled plasma−mass spectrometry U-Th-Pb monazite petrochronology. Monazite-bearing samples collected across an inverted metamorphic sequence preserved in the northern regions of the Kluane Schist yield dates ranging from ca. 70 Ma to 55 Ma. Complementary phase equilibria modeling and thin section analysis indicate monazite grew between ∼450 °C and 3.0−3.5 kbar to ∼700−715 °C and 4.0−4.5 kbar, coeval with the development of the Kluane Schist’s inverted metamorphic sequence. Dating the four chemical zones preserved by monazite demonstrates its protracted growth during three distinct periods of garnet crystallization and breakdown, as well as coeval with melt generation. Our data illustrate that peak metamorphic conditions were reached at progressively younger ages with decreasing structural level within the Kluane Schist. Our results are consistent with Buchan-style metamorphism associated with the terminal accretion of the outboard Insular terranes and southwest-directed overriding of the inboard Yukon-Tanana terrane from ca. 70 Ma to 55 Ma. These findings are further congruous with a Late Cretaceous timing for the terminal accretion of the Insular terranes within southwest Yukon, facilitated by east-dipping subduction beneath a westward migrating North American continent.

Mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the ABM replacement-style volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit, Finlayson Lake district, Yukon, Canada

The ABM deposit is a bimodal-felsic, replacement-style volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit (VMS) that is hosted by back-arc affinity rocks of the Yukon–Tanana terrane in the Finlayson Lake VMS district, Yukon, Canada. Massive sulfide zones occur as stacked and stratabound lenses subparallel to the volcanic stratigraphy, surrounded by pervasive white mica and/or chlorite alteration. Remnant clasts of volcanic rocks and preserved bedding occur locally within the massive sulfide lenses and indicate that mineralization formed through subseafloor replacement of pre-existing strata. Three mineral assemblages occur at the ABM deposit: (1) a pyrite–chalcopyrite–magnetite–pyrrhotite assemblage that is associated with Cu–Bi–Se–Co-enrichment and occurs at the center of the massive sulfide lenses; (2) a pyrite–sphalerite assemblage, which occurs more commonly towards lens margins and is enriched in Zn–Pb–Ag–Au–Hg–As–Sb–Ba; and (3) a minor assemblage comprising chalcopyrite–pyrrhotite–pyrite stringers associated with pervasive chlorite alteration, which occurs mostly at the sulfide lens margins. Petrographic observations of preserved primary, zone refining, and metamorphic textures in combination with in situ geochemistry show that the pyrite–sphalerite assemblage formed at lower temperatures (< 270 °C) than the other two mineral assemblages (~ 270–350 °C), and that mineral chemistry in all mineral assemblages was affected by greenschist facies metamorphism, although the effects are limited to recrystallization, small-scale remobilization (< 1 m) and trace element redistribution.

Zircon and the role of magmatic petrogenesis in the formation of felsic-hosted volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits: a case study from the mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana terrane, northern Canadian Cordillera

Magmatism is a critical component in sustaining hydrothermal convection and metal transport during the formation of volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. Previous studies of magmatic petrogenesis in VMS systems have demonstrated that ore-related volcanic rocks have distinct whole-rock geochemical and isotopic signatures (i.e., high HFSE, REE, Th, εHf-Nd, zircon saturation T) relative to barren volcanic rocks, which supports models of elevated crustal heat flow during periods of ore deposition; however, the petrologic characteristics and intrinsic parameters (e.g., T, fO2) related to these magmatic events in VMS districts remain poorly understood. Arc–back-arc assemblages from the mid-Paleozoic Yukon-Tanana terrane are well-characterized and include the Finlayson Lake VMS district, which is host to several felsic-hosted deposits (e.g., Kudz Ze Kayah, GP4F, Wolverine) that were generated in a peri-Laurentian continental back-arc tectonic setting. In this study, zircon from back-arc and coeval arc rocks in the Yukon-Tanana terrane was used as a proxy for primary magma formation conditions that generated VMS-proximal and VMS-distal stratigraphy. Our results indicate that zircon grains in VMS-proximal environments have unique textural, geochemical, and isotopic characteristics (e.g., low-aspect ratios, greater abundance of zircon-phosphate intergrowths, Th/U > 1, Zr/Hf > 80, Tzrc > 780 °C, εHfi > –7) that are clearly distinguished from zircon in VMS-distal rocks in both the back-arc and arc settings (Th/U < 1, Zr/Hf < 80, Tzrc < 780 °C, εHfi < –7). These signatures correlate to VMS-proximal magmas that were hotter, less fractionated, and contained greater juvenile melt contributions compared to VMS-distal magmas and reflect a series of high-flux magmatic events that directly correspond to the early tectonic development of Yukon-Tanana terrane. Moreover, this study underscores the importance of mineral-scale petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology in defining the primary magmatic conditions that generated VMS-related felsic rocks and highlights the utility of zircon as a prospectivity tool in both grassroots and brownfields VMS exploration.

Detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotope signature of Carboniferous and older strata of the Yukon-Tanana terrane in Yukon, Canadian Cordillera: Implications for terrane correlations and the onset of Late Devonian arc magmatism

Abstract The Yukon-Tanana terrane in Yukon, Canada, records Late Devonian (ca. 366–360 Ma) rifting and the onset of latest Devonian–Carboniferous arc and back-arc magmatism (ca. 360–325 Ma) in the Northern Cordillera. Detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotope analyses indicate that the metasedimentary basement of the Yukon-Tanana terrane was sourced in northwestern Laurentia. Sandstones in Late Devonian–Carboniferous successions generally have robust Late Devonian–Mississippian age peaks, and their Hf isotope signatures are characterized by strongly negative εHft values in Late Devonian zircons followed by progressively more juvenile εHft values in Carboniferous zircons. This Hf isotopic “pull-up” reflects the melting of Precambrian crust related to regional extension in the Late Devonian, followed by progressively more juvenile magmatism as the arc matured through the Carboniferous. Paleozoic rocks of the Tracy Arm terrane in southeastern Alaska, USA (formerly Yukon-Tanana south), have been compared with the Yukon-Tanana terrane in Yukon. Detrital zircons from the metasedimentary basement to the Tracy Arm terrane have distinct Precambrian populations that indicate sources along a different segment of the Laurentian margin compared to basement of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Magmatism in the Tracy Arm terrane ranges from 440 Ma to 360 Ma and is characterized by an Hf isotopic “pull-down” in the Silurian to Early Devonian, followed by a “pull-up” in the Middle to Late Devonian and a second “pull-down” in the Late Devonian to early Mississippian. Thus, the Yukon-Tanana and Tracy Arm terranes record distinct pre-Carboniferous histories. Interactions between these two terranes are suggested by the influx of exotic early Mississippian clasts and detrital zircons on the Tracy Arm terrane that match sources in the Yukon-Tanana terrane.

Lateral Variations of Attenuation in the Crust of Alaska Using Lg Q Tomography

ABSTRACT We have conducted a crustal seismic (QLg) attenuation tomography study across Alaska using recordings from the EarthScope USArray from 2014 to 2019. The resolving power of the inversion is 150 × 150 km for most of Alaska, and it is 75 × 75 km in central and southern Alaska. Numerous fault systems and high mountain ranges are present across Alaska and accommodate compression in the north–south direction and shearing of southern Alaska toward the west. These mountain ranges include the Brooks range in the north, the Alaska range in central Alaska, and the Aleutian range in the southwest. The average LgQ for all of Alaska is significantly higher than in the western United States and Canada. This lower average attenuation impacts seismic hazard estimates for the region. According to the tomographic results, we see a significant variation of the QLg values from low to high across the southern part of the Brooks range. Also, we found higher attenuation in the southeast region of Alaska, where the Wrangell volcanoes are located. Moreover, we see an area of lower attenuation associated with weak frequency dependence in the south-central region of Alaska next to Anchorage. Another anomaly with lower attenuation can be seen extending from central Alaska to southeast Alaska, possibly associated with the Yukon–Tanana terrane. There are a few areas like southwest Alaska associated with the Togiak terrane and an area next to Fairbanks in Alaska’s interior that shows lower attenuation with lower frequency dependence and higher attenuation with higher frequency dependence, respectively, for low frequencies up to 3 Hz. Our model’s highest η zones (η≳95) are mostly confined to major tectonic terranes and other major tectonic elements such as faults and fractures. Regional variations in crustal attenuation can impact local seismic hazard estimates if incorporated into the hazard analysis.

Development of the Whitehorse trough as a strike-slip basin during Early to Middle Jurassic arc-continent collision in the Canadian Cordillera

Abstract The Whitehorse trough is a synorogenic basin in the northern Cordillera that resulted from arc-collision processes along the northwestern margin of North America, but its filling history and tectonic significance remain uncertain. New detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope analyses of 12 rock samples, including six basal sandstones that sit unconformably on Triassic rocks of Stikinia, were combined with published detrital zircon and fossil data to establish the depositional ages of synorogenic Laberge Group strata in Yukon and test proposed links between Intermontane terrane exhumation and basin-filling events. Laberge Group strata yielded 205–170 Ma and 390–252 Ma detrital zircon populations that indicate derivation from local Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic arc and syncollisional plutons and metamorphosed Paleozoic basement rocks of the Stikinia and Yukon-Tanana terranes. Basal sandstone units have Early Jurassic depositional ages that show the Whitehorse trough filled during early Sinemurian, late Sinemurian to Pliensbachian, and Toarcian subsidence events. Late Triassic to Early Jurassic detrital zircon grains confirm that syncollisional plutons near the northern trough were exhumed at 0.5–7.5 mm/yr and replicate their excursion to subchondritic Hf isotope compositions as a result of increasing crustal contributions from Rhaetian to Sinemurian time. The new detrital zircon data, combined with recent constraints for Triassic–Jurassic metamorphism and magmatism in Yukon, require modification of published forearc to syncollisional basin models for the Whitehorse trough. We reinterpret Jurassic subsidence patterns and architecture of the Whitehorse trough to reflect sinistral transtension within a transform fault system that resulted from the reorganization of subduction after end-on arc collision.

High-Precision CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb Zircon Geochronology of Felsic Rocks in the Finlayson Lake VMS District, Yukon: Linking Paleozoic Basin-Scale Accumulation Rates to the Occurrence of Subseafloor Replacement-Style Mineralization

Abstract Felsic igneous complexes and associated volcano-sedimentary rocks in continental back-arc environments host large-tonnage and/or high-grade volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. The emplacement mechanisms, style, and preservation of these deposits is thought to be partially dependent on depositional rates of the host lithofacies (i.e., discrete volcanic eruptions) relative to the setting of massive sulfide genesis on the seafloor as mounds and/or via subseafloor replacement of existing strata. The localization and occurrence of subseafloor replacement-style VMS deposits is therefore strongly influenced by the characteristics of the volcano-sedimentary facies in the hosting basin and the rates of their emplacement; the latter are poorly constrained in the literature due to the difficulty of obtaining high-precision dates that make this possible in Phanerozoic and older rocks. New high-resolution U-Pb geochronology and detailed regional stratigraphic investigation indicate that Devonian-Mississippian volcanic rocks and associated VMS mineralization in the Yukon-Tanana terrane in the Finlayson Lake district, Yukon, Canada, were erupted or emplaced during distinct time periods (ca. 363.3, 362.8, and 355.2 Ma) in two discrete submarine basins: the Kudz Ze Kayah formation and the Wolverine Lake group. The VMS deposits in both settings are contained within intrabasinal rocks that accumulated at rapid rates of ~350 to 2,000 m/m.y. over 0.6 to 1.4 m.y. Locally, these rates reach peak rates up to 7,500 m/m.y. in the Wolverine Lake group, which are interpreted to reflect facies deposition by mass transport complexes or turbidity currents. These new dates indicate that rapid accumulation of volcanic rocks in the back-arc basins was critical for localizing subseafloor replacement-style mineralization and the development of the Zn-enriched GP4F, Kudz Ze Kayah, and Wolverine VMS deposits. Rapid depositional processes observed in these deposits and their host basins are interpreted to have an important role in developing highly porous and permeable, water-saturated lithofacies that provide optimal conditions for enhancing zone refining processes and subsequent preservation of massive sulfide mineralization, which are key in the development of high-grade and large-tonnage VMS deposits. It is herein suggested that quantitative basin-scale accumulation rates, as a result of new U-Pb geochronological methods and increased precision combined with detailed stratigraphic and facies analysis, may provide important perspectives on the formation of continental back-arc basins and the localization of VMS deposits in other continental margin environments globally.

Age and Chemostratigraphy of the Finlayson Lake District, Yukon: Implications for Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) Mineralization and Tectonics along the Western Laurentian Continental Margin

Abstract The Yukon-Tanana terrane in the Finlayson Lake district, Yukon, represents one of the first arc–back-arc systems that formed adjacent to the Laurentian continental margin in the mid-Paleozoic. Back-arc rocks contain many large and high-grade volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. This study integrates U-Pb zircon geochronology, lithogeochemistry, and Hf-Nd isotopes to establish precise controls on tectonomagmatic activity adjacent to the western Laurentian margin in the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian. High-precision chemical abrasion- (CA-) ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology defines coeval arc (ca. 363.1 to 348 Ma) and back-arc (ca. 363.3 to 355.0 Ma) magmatism in the Finlayson Lake district that intruded continental crust of Laurentian affinity (e.g., Snowcap assemblage). Mafic and felsic rocks display geochemical and isotopic characteristics that are consistent with being formed from mixtures of depleted asthenosphere and enriched lithospheric mantle sources. These melts variably entrained Laurentian continental crust via high-temperature crustal melting due to basaltic underplating. The high-temperature back-arc felsic magmatism occurs at specific time periods coinciding with VMS deposits and supports previous genetic models for VMS mineralization that suggest elevated heat flow and hydrothermal circulation were due to regional-scale rift-related magmatism rather than from local subvolcanic intrusions. The short timescales and transient nature of tectonomagmatic events in the Finlayson Lake district suggest that rapid and complex subduction initiation of oceanic and continental crust fragments facilitated coeval compression, extension, and magmatism in the arc and back-arc regions. We thus reevaluate the presently accepted tectonostratigraphic framework of the Finlayson Lake district and suggest revised interpretations that shed light on VMS depositional environments and a possible broader association with the ca. 358 Ma Antler Orogeny. Results of this study have implications for incipient tectonics, magmatism, and mineralization along the western Laurentian continental margin and other orogenic belts globally.

A juvenile Paleozoic ocean floor origin for eastern Stikinia, Canadian Cordillera

Abstract The Cordillera of Canada and Alaska is a type example of an accretionary orogen, but the origin of some terranes remains contentious (e.g., Stikinia of British Columbia and Yukon, Canada). Presented herein are igneous and detrital zircon U/Pb-Hf and trace-element data, as well as the first radio larian ages from the Asitka Group, the basement to eastern Stikinia. The data are used to evaluate the role of juvenile and ancient crust in the evolution of Stikinia and the tectonic environment of magmatism. Two rhyolites are dated by U-Pb zircon at 288.64 ± 0.21 Ma and 293.89 ± 0.31 Ma, with εHf(t) = +10. Red chert contains radiolarians that are correlated with P. scalprata m. rhombothoracata + Ruzhencevispongus uralicus assemblages (Artinskian–Kungurian). Detrital zircon U/Pb-Hf from a rare Asitka Group sandstone have a mode at ca. 320 Ma and εHf(t) +10 to +16; the detrital zircon suite includes five Paleoproterozoic zircons (~5% of the population). Detrital zircons from a stratigraphically over lying Hazelton Group (Telkwa Formation) volcanic sandstone indicate deposition at ca. 196 Ma with zircon εHf(t) that are on a crustal evolution line anchored from the Asitka Group. Zircon trace-element data indicate that the Carboniferous detrital zircons formed in an ocean arc environment. The Proterozoic detrital zircons were derived from a peripheral landmass, but there is no zircon εHf(t) evidence that such a land-mass played any role in the magmatic evolution of eastern Stikinia. The data support that eastern Stikinia formed on Paleozoic ocean floor during the Carboniferous to early Permian. Consistent with previous fossil modeling, zircon statistical comparisons demonstrate that Stikinia and Wrangellia were related terranes during the Carboniferous to Permian, and they evolved separately from Yukon-Tanana terrane and cratonic North America.

150 Myr of Episodic Metamorphism Recorded in the Yukon-Tanana Terrane, Northern Canadian Cordillera: Evidence from Monazite and Xenotime Petrochronology

Abstract We used in situ laser-ablation split-stream petrochronology to target monazite and xenotime associated with specific metamorphic index minerals in the Florence Range metamorphic suite in the northern Canadian Cordillera. Based on this petrochronological approach, we reconstruct the polyphase metamorphic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana terrane in northwestern British Columbia. Our new data reveal a complex P–T–t path, requiring three metamorphic episodes and passing through the kyanite, sillimanite, and andalusite stability fields over 150 Myr from the Permian to the Early Cretaceous. The earliest preserved metamorphic event is cryptic, reaching the kyanite stability field (&amp;gt;600°C, &amp;gt;0.6 GPa) at ca. 270–240 Ma followed by retrograde metamorphism at ca. 240–215 Ma. Renewed garnet growth occurred during a second prograde metamorphic event at ca. 195–185 Ma. Garnet breakdown, possibly linked to decompression and/or cooling in the suprasolidus stability field of sillimanite and K-feldspar (&amp;gt;675°C, &amp;lt;0.8 GPa), is well-documented at ca. 185–170 Ma. Finally, a third metamorphic episode is characterized by the local growth of andalusite, then cordierite, and reached &amp;gt;600°C below 0.3–0.4 GPa after ca. 120 Ma. This study illustrates the importance of analyzing petrochronometers in their textural context, especially inclusions in porphyroblasts, and the complementary P–T–t information that can be extracted from monazite and xenotime. Our new data are compatible with two separate contractional events involving the Yukon-Tanana terrane during the Permian–Triassic and Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, followed by Cretaceous contact metamorphism.

The Jurassic Laberge Group in the Whitehorse Trough of the Canadian Cordillera: Using Detrital Mineral Geochronology and Thermochronology to Investigate Tectonic Evolution

The Laberge Group is an Early to Middle Jurassic sequence of mostly siliciclastic sedimentary rocks that were deposited in a marginal marine environment in the northern Canadian Cordillera. It forms a long narrow belt with a total thickness of 3–4 km extending for more than 600 km across southern Yukon and northwestern British Columbia. These sedimentary rocks overlap the Yukon-Tanana, Stikinia and Cache Creek terranes that form the main components of the Intermontane superterrane. The Laberge Group contains a record of the erosion of some of these terranes, and also offers some constraints on the timing of their amalgamation and accretion to the Laurentian margin. The Laberge Group was deposited with local unconformity on the Late Triassic Stuhini Group (in British Columbia) and correlative Lewes River Group (in Yukon), both of which are volcanic-rich, and assigned to the Stikinia terrane. The Laberge Group is in turn overlain by Middle Jurassic to Cretaceous clastic rocks, including the Bowser Lake Group in BC and the Tantalus Formation in Yukon. Clast compositions and detrital zircon populations within the Laberge Group and between it and these bounding units indicate major shifts in depositional environment, basin extent and detrital sources from Late Triassic to Late Jurassic. During the Early Jurassic clast compositions in the Laberge Group shifted from sediment- and volcanic-dominated to plutonic-dominated, and detrital zircon populations are dominated by grains that yield ages that approach or overlap their inferred depositional ages. This pattern is consistent with progressive dissection and unroofing of (an) active arc(s) to eventually expose Triassic to Jurassic plutonic suites. Detrital rutile and muscovite data from the Laberge Group indicate rapid cooling and then exhumation of adjoining metamorphic rocks during the Early Jurassic, allowing these to contribute detritus on a more local scale. The most likely source for such metamorphic detritus is within the Yukon-Tanana terrane, and its presence in the Laberge Group may constrain the timing of amalgamation and accretion of the Yukon-Tanana and Stikinia terranes. Thermochronological data also provide new insights into the evolution of the Laberge Group basin. Results from the U–Th/(He) method on detrital apatite suggest that most areas experienced post-depositional heating to 60°C or more, whereas U–Th/(He) results from detrital zircon show that heating to more than 200°C occurred on a more local scale. In detail, Laberge Group cooling and exhumation was at least in part structurally controlled, with more strongly heated areas situated in the footwall of an important regional fault system. The thermochronological data are preliminary, but they suggest potential to eventually constrain the kinematics and timing of inversion across the Laberge Group basin and may also have implications for its energy prospectivity. In summary, the Laberge Group is a complex package of sedimentary rocks developed in an active, evolving tectonic realm, and many questions remain about the details of its sources and evolution. Nevertheless, the available information demonstrates the potential of combined geochronological and thermochronological methods applied to detrital minerals to unravel links between regional tectonics, basin development and clastic sedimentation.

Latest Triassic–Early Jurassic Stikine–Yukon-Tanana terrane collision and the onset of accretion in the Canadian Cordillera: Insights from Hazelton Group detrital zircon provenance and arc–back-arc configuration

AbstractThe Hazelton Group is a Rhaetian–Bajocian (uppermost Triassic–Middle Jurassic) volcano-sedimentary sequence that represents both the last pre-accretionary arc volcanic cycle of Stikinia and its early synaccretionary aftermath. Hazelton magmatism of central Stikinia succeeded the Late Triassic (mainly Carnian–Norian) Stuhini arc, which ceased activity as a result of end-on collision with the pericratonic Yukon-Tanana terrane. The Hazelton volcanic belt lies to the south along strike with the coeval Whitehorse trough, the synorogenic clastic basin that developed on top of the Stikinia–Yukon-Tanana collision zone. Whereas the sources of voluminous clastic sediments in the Whitehorse trough were its rapidly exhuming shoulders, the thin clastic intervals in the Hazelton Group in northwestern British Columbia were derived from local to subregional block uplifts that supplied mainly ca. 230–215 Ma zircons eroded from the plutonic roots of the Stuhini arc. Lesser components include late Paleozoic (ca. 350–330 Ma) zircons from Stikinia's basement and penecontemporaneous (ca. 205–172 Ma) zircons from Hazelton volcanic/subvolcanic sources. Reexamination of the four main volcanic fields that make up the lower Hazelton Group suggests that the main Hazelton volcanic belt formed a southward-convex magmatic arc from eastern Stikinia across the Skeena arch, including the Toodoggone and Telkwa belts, with the Spatsizi and Stewart-Iskut regions of northwestern British Columbia in its back-arc. The Whitehorse trough and Hazelton belt represent a collision zone to active arc pair. Southward advance of the arc and counterclockwise rotation of the Stikinia microplate contributed to closure against the Quesnellia arc and assembly of the inner Canadian Cordilleran terrane collage.

U-Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotope Geochemistry of the Turtleback Complex and East Sound Group, San Juan Islands, Northwestern North American Cordillera

Abstract This study focuses on Paleozoic rocks of the Turtleback Complex (TBC) and East Sound Group (ESG) of northwestern Washington. These assemblages record a long and complex history of magmatism, sedimentation, and volcanism as part of the Chilliwack composite terrane. This study investigates the tectonic setting and magmatic evolution of the Chilliwack terrane by analyzing U-Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic data from zircons extracted from igneous and sedimentary rocks of the TBC and ESG. Igneous rocks of the TBC yield U-Pb ages of ~420-~370 Ma for zircon rims, which are interpreted to record pluton crystallization, and ages of ~500-370 Ma for inherited cores and antecrysts. Zircons older than 410-400 Ma yield typical igneous values of U/Th and U concentration and somewhat more evolved εHft values (+5 to +10), whereas younger grains yield values of U/Th and U concentrations that record ongoing metamorphism and have more juvenile εHft values of +10 to +15. This evolution is interpreted to have occurred in a long-lived island arc that experienced a transition at ~410-400 Ma from crustal thickening to regional crustal extension. Detrital zircon grains from the ESG yield dominant ages of ~421-~366 Ma and εHft values of +8 to +15, both of which overlap with values from igneous rocks of the underlying TBC. Strata of the ESG also contain abundant older zircon grains, with a dominant age peak of ~1860 Ma and subordinate peaks at 2673, 2570, 1485, 1113, 736, and 553 Ma. When compared with similar results from other assemblages and terranes in the northern Cordillera, our results suggest possible connections with the Yellow Aster Complex of the nearby North Cascade Range. Our results also suggest general similarities with the Alexander terrane, Wrangellia terrane, and southeast Alaska portion of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. These similarities are consistent with previous interpretations that the Chilliwack composite terrane formed in association with the Alexander, Wrangellia, and southeast Alaska portion of the Yukon-Tanana terrane along the paleo-Arctic margin of Laurentia during early Paleozoic time. Our work also illustrates the importance of recycling of older magmatic rocks over millions of years within a juvenile island arc system.

Late Devonian magmatism and clastic deposition in the upper Earn Group (central Yukon, Canada) mark the transition from passive to active margin along western Laurentia

The Earn Group of central Yukon records the transition from a passive to an active margin along western Laurentia in the Late Devonian. Fine-grained clastic rocks and chert of the lower Earn Group contain late Early to Middle Devonian fossils and were deposited in an offshelf environment. The upper Earn Group comprises a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate, fine-grained siliciclastic rocks, and widespread crystal lithic tuff. Zircons from this succession are precisely dated using chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA–ID–TIMS) methods on igneous (ca. 363 Ma) and detrital (ca. 378–363 Ma) grains and the ages were confirmed by Frasnian to Famennian fossils. Abrupt, along-strike facies changes within the upper Earn Group of the Glenlyon–Tay River area occur across mapped faults that are inferred to have originated as syndepositional extension faults in the Late Devonian. Occurrences of ca. 363 Ma tuff horizons within all facies of the upper Earn Group provide a temporal correlation across the area. Diorite plutons intrude lower Paleozoic rocks in the area and have U–Pb zircon crystallization dates of ca. 364 Ma. The diorite has calc-alkaline composition consistent with arc magmatism or crustal contamination. The Late Devonian magmatism in the Earn Group is coincident with onset of arc magmatism in the allochthonous Yukon–Tanana terrane, and extension related to rifting and opening of the Slide Mountain ocean in a back-arc setting. Magmatic rocks in the Earn Group of central Yukon thus represent part of a remnant continental arc and back-arc stranded behind the Slide Mountain ocean in the Mississippian.

Late Cretaceous to Paleocene Tectonometamorphic Evolution of the Blanchard River Assemblage, Southwest Yukon: New Insight into the Terminal Accretion of Insular Terranes in the Northern Cordillera

Abstract The Intermontane-Insular terrane boundary stretches over 2000 kilometers from British Columbia to Alaska in the western Cordillera. Juxtaposed between these terranes is a series of Jura-Cretaceous basinal and arc assemblages that record a complicated and contested tectonic evolution related to the Mesozoic-Paleocene accretionary history of northwestern North America. In southwest Yukon, west-verging thrust faults facilitated structural stacking of the Yukon-Tanana terrane over these basinal assemblages, including the Early Cretaceous Blanchard River assemblage. These previously undated compressional structures are thought to be related to the final collapse of the Jura-Cretaceous basins and the tectonic burial of the Blanchard River assemblage resulting in amphibolite facies metamorphism. New in situ U-Th-Pb monazite ages record at least three tectonic events: (1) the tectonic burial of the Blanchard River assemblage to amphibolite facies conditions between 83 and 76 Ma; (2) peak burial was followed by regional exhumation at ca. 70-68 Ma; and (3) intense heating and ca. 63-61 Ma low-pressure contact metamorphism attributed to the intrusion of the voluminous Ruby Range suite, which is part of the northern Coast Mountains batholith. The tectonometamorphic evolution recorded in the Blanchard River assemblage can be correlated to tectonism within southwest Yukon and along the length of the Insular-Intermontane boundary from western British Columbia through southwestern Yukon and Alaska. In southwest Yukon, these results suggest an asymmetric final collapse of Jura-Cretaceous basins during the Late Cretaceous, which relates to the terminal accretion of the Insular terranes as they moved northward.

Syn-accretionary multistage assembly of an Early Jurassic Alaskan-type intrusion in the Canadian Cordillera: U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Turnagain ultramafic–mafic intrusive complex, Yukon–Tanana terrane

The magmatic evolution of the Early Jurassic Turnagain Alaskan-type intrusion is inextricably linked to terrane accretionary events at the North American continental margin. We have calibrated the multistage assembly of the Turnagain ultramafic–mafic complex using high-precision air and chemical abrasion ID-TIMS U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. Our results are the first published geochronological calibration of zoning in an Alaskan-type intrusion. Three of four intrusive phases (Stages 1–4, oldest to youngest) were successfully dated. Cooling ages obtained on Stage 2 dunite–wehrlite include statistically identical 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates of 187.4 ± 1.5 (2σ) Ma on hornblende and 188.6 ± 1.2 Ma on phlogopite, and a concordant 206Pb/238U date of 190.3 ± 4.6 Ma on titanite. Stage 3 diorite has a 206Pb/238U zircon crystallization age of 188.11 ± 0.13 Ma. Stage 4 wehrlite and leucodiorite yield 206Pb/238U zircon crystallization ages of 185.68 ± 0.19 and 185.30 ± 0.12 Ma, respectively. The ca. 189 Ma phlogopite date represents a minimum crystallization age for Stage 2, indicating that assembly of the Turnagain intrusion spanned at least ∼4 million years from ca. 189 Ma to 185 Ma. Regional progressive contractional deformation in the Early Jurassic is constrained by the geochronological results (&gt;189 to &lt;185 Ma) and initially generated northeast-vergent folds in the country rocks (&gt;189 Ma), deformed Stage 1 wehrlite–clinopyroxenite prior to emplacement of Stages 2–4, and subsequently thrust the intrusion and its host rocks onto the ancient North American continental margin (&lt;185 Ma). Contrary to previous interpretations, new geophysical data support an allochthonous origin for the host rocks of the Turnagain intrusion. The Turnagain host succession is correlated with late Paleozoic arc-related and basinal lithostratigraphic units developed at the inboard margin of the accreted Yukon–Tanana terrane and peripheral to the Slide Mountain marginal ocean basin. The geochronological results rigorously constrain the timing and style of Early Jurassic deformation attending the initial accretion of allochthonous arc terranes in the northern Cordillera.