Circum-Arctic Structural Events: Tectonic Evolution of the Arctic Margins and Trans-Arctic Links with Adjacent Orogens

The circum-Arctic region has received considerable attention over the past several decades with vigorous debate focused on topics such as mechanisms for opening the Eurasian and Amerasian basins, the importance of plume-related magmatism in the development of the Arctic Ocean, and mechanisms for ancient terrane translation along the Arctic margins. In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Circum-Arctic Structural Events (CASE) program, an international polar research effort organized and led by the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) of Germany, this volume presents results from 18 major field expeditions involving over 100 international geoscientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines. The resulting publication focuses on the Proterozoic to Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the circum-Arctic region with correlations to adjacent orogens.
Age, geochemistry, and significance of Devonian felsic magmatism in the North Slope subterrane, Yukon, Canadian Arctic
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Published:June 14, 2019
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CiteCitation
William P. Ward, Justin V. Strauss, Benjamin G. Johnson, William C. McClelland*, Maurice Colpron, Werner von Gosen, Karsten Piepjohn, Matthew A. Coble, Peter W. Crockford, Joshua Landis, 2019. "Age, geochemistry, and significance of Devonian felsic magmatism in the North Slope subterrane, Yukon, Canadian Arctic", Circum-Arctic Structural Events: Tectonic Evolution of the Arctic Margins and Trans-Arctic Links with Adjacent Orogens, Karsten Piepjohn, Justin V. Strauss, Lutz Reinhardt, William C. McClelland
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ABSTRACT
New zircon U-Pb dates from the Mount Fitton, Mount Sedgwick, Mount Schaeffer, Old Crow, and Dave Lord plutons indicate that granitoids of the Old Crow plutonic suite in northern Yukon were emplaced in the North Slope subterrane of the Arctic Alaska composite terrane between 375 ± 2 Ma and 368 ± 3 Ma. Whole-rock major and trace element and Nd-Sr isotope geochemistry, combined with zircon trace element and Hf isotope geochemistry, indicate magma genesis involved significant contribution from older continental crust. Samples from the five plutons yield whole-rock εNd(t) values from -3.9 to -11.6 and 87Sr/86Sr(i) ratios of 0.7085–0.7444 and 0.8055. Zircon εHf(t) values range from -6.2 to -13.3. These North Slope subterrane granitoids are generally younger and isotopically more evolved than felsic rocks in the Coldfoot and Hammond subterranes of the southern Brooks Range (Arctic Alaska terrane), but in part are coeval with felsic rocks on the Seward and Chukotka peninsulas. The North Slope granitoids are also coeval and geochemically similar to arc magmatism in the Yukon-Tanana terrane in Yukon and on Axel Heiberg and northern Ellesmere islands, Nunavut. The Old Crow plutonic suite is interpreted as part of a Late Devonian arc system developed along the Arctic and Cordilleran margins. Late Devonian plutons were most likely emplaced after initial translation of the North Slope subterrane along the northern Laurentian margin. The plutons lie within or north of the Porcupine shear zone and thus do not limit post-Late Devonian displacement on the boundary between the North Slope subterrane and northwestern Laurentia.
- absolute age
- alkaline earth metals
- Canada
- chemical composition
- correlation
- Devonian
- emplacement
- felsic composition
- granites
- igneous rocks
- isotope ratios
- isotopes
- Laurentia
- Lu/Hf
- magmas
- magmatism
- metals
- North Slope
- Old Crow Basin
- paleogeography
- Paleozoic
- plutonic rocks
- Sr-87/Sr-86
- stable isotopes
- strontium
- U/Pb
- Western Canada
- whole rock
- Yukon Territory
- Hammond Subterrane
- Porcupine shear zone
- Old Crow Pluton
- Mount Sedgwick Pluton
- Coldfoot Subterrane
- Mount Fitton Pluton
- Mount Schaeffer Pluton
- Dave Lord Pluton