The northwestern Avalon Terrane, Newfoundland, is underlain by Neoproterozoic rocks traditionally divided into older Love Cove Group, medial Connecting Point Group, and the unconformably overlying Musgravetown Group. New lithogeochemical, isotopic, and updated U–Pb (zircon) age data demand changes to stratigraphic nomenclature and maps and help constrain the tectonomagmatic evolution. U–Pb age constraints include 620 ± 2 Ma for the calc-alkaline Broad Island Group (former Love Cove Group); 605 ± 1.2 Ma for rhyolite from near Bull Arm (type area, Bull Arm Formation, lower Musgravetown Group); 589 ± 2.0 Ma for a schist from the Love Cove type locality; 568.7 ± 1.4 Ma for rhyolite of the Rocky Harbour Formation, upper Musgravetown Group; and 572 ± 2 Ma for Louil Hills granite. In light of these results, remnants of the main Avalonian arc are re-designated “Broad Island Group”, for the site of the dated 620 Ma tuff. The ca. 589 Ma schist from Love Cove is included in the Musgravetown Group and may be a tectonized equivalent of Bull Arm Formation. Our data outline a tectonomagmatic change from arc-dominated magmatism at ca. 620 Ma, to an extensional regime ca. 605–589 Ma, culminating in alkaline magmatism by ca. 572 Ma. εNdt values (t = 620–569 Ma) for felsic rocks range from 3.7 to 5.6 and yield TDM ages consistent with derivation from a juvenile Neoproterozoic (878–730 Ma) basement. Mafic rocks exhibit a time-progressive increase in εNdt, indicating more juvenile mantle sources through time. Further delimitation of map units of the area await integrated lithostratigraphy, precise modern U–Pb geochronology, and lithogeochemistry.
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Research Article|
December 23, 2020
Lithogeochemical, isotopic, and U–Pb (zircon) age constraints on arc to rift magmatism, northwestern and central Avalon Terrane, Newfoundland, Canada: implications for local lithostratigraphy
Andrea J. Mills;
a
Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, P.O. Box 8700, 50 Elizabeth Ave., St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada.Corresponding author: Andrea Mills (email: andreamills@gov.nl.ca).
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Greg R. Dunning;
Greg R. Dunning
b
Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5, Canada.
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Hamish A. Sandeman
Hamish A. Sandeman
a
Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, P.O. Box 8700, 50 Elizabeth Ave., St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada.
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a
Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, P.O. Box 8700, 50 Elizabeth Ave., St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada.
Greg R. Dunning
b
Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5, Canada.
Hamish A. Sandeman
a
Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, P.O. Box 8700, 50 Elizabeth Ave., St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada.Corresponding author: Andrea Mills (email: andreamills@gov.nl.ca).
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Received:
21 Oct 2019
Accepted:
25 Sep 2020
First Online:
21 Apr 2021
Online ISSN: 1480-3313
Print ISSN: 0008-4077
Published by NRC Research Press
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (2021) 58 (4): 332–354.
Article history
Received:
21 Oct 2019
Accepted:
25 Sep 2020
First Online:
21 Apr 2021
Citation
Andrea J. Mills, Greg R. Dunning, Hamish A. Sandeman; Lithogeochemical, isotopic, and U–Pb (zircon) age constraints on arc to rift magmatism, northwestern and central Avalon Terrane, Newfoundland, Canada: implications for local lithostratigraphy. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 2020;; 58 (4): 332–354. doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2019-0196
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- absolute age
- Avalon Peninsula
- Avalon Zone
- basalts
- Canada
- chemical composition
- Eastern Canada
- granites
- igneous rocks
- isotope ratios
- isotopes
- lithostratigraphy
- magmatism
- metals
- metamorphic rocks
- Nd-144/Nd-143
- neodymium
- Neoproterozoic
- nesosilicates
- Newfoundland
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- orthosilicates
- plutonic rocks
- Precambrian
- Proterozoic
- pyroclastics
- radioactive isotopes
- rare earths
- rhyolites
- samarium
- schists
- silicates
- Sm-147/Nd-144
- stable isotopes
- tuff
- U/Pb
- upper Precambrian
- volcanic rocks
- zircon
- zircon group
- Musgravetown Group
- Broad Island Group
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