Large Igneous Provinces and their Plumbing Systems

Identification of large-volume, short-duration mafic magmatic events of intraplate affinity in both continental and oceanic settings on the Earth and other planets provides invaluable clues for understanding several vital geological issues of current concern. Of particular importance is understanding the assembly and dispersal of supercontinents through Earth's history, dramatic climate change events including mass extinctions, and processes that have produced a wide range of large igneous province (LIP)-related resources, such as Ni–Cu–PGE, Au, U, base metals and petroleum. This volume comprises 21 contributions on the latest developments and new information on LIPs and their plumbing systems and presents methodical studies on different components of LIP plumbing systems. These articles are especially helpful in understanding continental break-up events, regional domal uplift and a variety of metallogenic systems, as well as the temporal and spatial distribution of LIPs, their origin and their likely links to mantle plumes/superplumes.
The geochemical evolution of the Logan Igneous Suite, Ontario, Canada: new insights from the Logan Basin and implications for the genesis of the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift System
Correspondence: robert.cundari@ontario.ca
-
Published:March 09, 2022
-
CiteCitation
Robert Cundari, Pete Hollings, Mark Smyk, Christian Carl, 2022. "The geochemical evolution of the Logan Igneous Suite, Ontario, Canada: new insights from the Logan Basin and implications for the genesis of the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift System", Large Igneous Provinces and their Plumbing Systems, Rajesh K. Srivastava, Richard E. Ernst, Kenneth L. Buchan, Michiel de Kock
Download citation file:
- Share
Abstract
The 1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) of North America comprises a series of Mesoproterozoic flood basalts and intrusive rocks emplaced in the Lake Superior region. The mafic rocks preserved on the NW flank of Lake Superior offer insights into the early development of the rift. New geochemical data collected from intrusive rocks in the Logan Basin, coupled with improved constraints on timing relationships between units, allow for a better understanding of the geochemical evolution of intrusive rocks therein. The extensive dataset suggests many previously unrecognized relationships between MRS intrusive rocks, indicating multiple, distinct mantle-source characteristics with highly variable crustal contamination histories, implying a complicated magma plumbing system. The data presented here suggest that five geochemically distinct mantle source regions were involved in the emplacement of the Logan Igneous Suite, each with its own distinct contamination history and perhaps different degrees of partial melting. The geochemical variations could suggest either a progressive, relative depletion in the mantle source over time or heterogeneity of the source region. However, based on the model for MRS magmatism presented here, we suggest that units related to the Logan Igneous Suite were tapping a heterogeneous mantle source that varied over time.