In Recent Years There Has Been Much Progress in the Development Of
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- 87 - Update on the Precambrian Geology and Domainal Classification of Northern Saskatchewan by R. Macdonald Macdonald, R. (1987): Update on the Precant>rian geology and domainal classification of northern Saskatchewan; in Sunmary of Investigations 1987, Saskatchewan Geological Survey; Saskatchewan Energy and Mines, Miscellaneous Report 87-4. In recent years there has been much progress in the south of the Athabasca Basin and in the window of development of ideas on the evolution of our the circular Carswell Structure. Limited understanding of the Precambrian geology of information is also available from drill core under northern Saskatchewan. As part of this evolution, the Athabasca Group. The craton may be various authors have introduced a number of new described under the heading of a southern and stratigraphic, rock unit and lithostructural domain northern region. terms into the literature. Responding to the need for coordination and some IA. Southern Region: guidance in this area of terminology, the Saskatchewan Geological Survey has recently The terrain south of the Athabasca Basin is almost started a microcomputer-based Precambrian entirely underlain by rocks of the Western Granulite Lexicon. This lexicon lists the sources of rock unit Domain (Lewry and Sibbald, l 977) which comprise a and domain names, and is expected eventually to variety of felsic (charnockitic to enderbitic) provide recommendations on their usage. The through to mafic (noritic) rocks with granulite or intent of the present report and map figures is to retrogressed granulite fades mineral assemblages provide a topical summary of the Precambrian characterized by blue quartz. Other rock types geology of northern Saskatchewan from the include pelitic gneisses and garnetiferous felsic perspective of this terminology. gneisses derived from grey.wacke assemblages. Preliminary U-Pb dating indicates a minimum age of ca. 2290 Ma (Bickford et al., 1986). General The Western Granulite Domain also includes the The Precambrian rocks of northern Saskatchewan Clearwater Anorthosite. Layered mafic plutons in now have a dated history which commenced ca. the craton may be associated with these 3070-3014 Ma ago and continued through anorthosites (Collerson and Lewry, 1985). tectono-metamorphic episodes until Neo-Helikian Preliminary U/Pb zircon dating of the anorthosite times (ca. 1450- 1350 Ma) at which time the gives an emplacement age of ca. 2000 Ma (Bickford post-metamorphic sedimentary Athabasca Basin etal., 1986). was formed. The southwestern margin of the domain is Following the lead by Lewry and Sibbald (1977), the progressively more sheared towards the bounding pre-Athabasca rocks have been divided into a Virgin River Shear Zone. In places along this number of lithostructural domains (see also margin there are swarms of late mafic dykes and Macdonald and Broughton, 1980). Fig. I sills (Wallis, l 970). The poorly exposed Firebag summarizes the more recent modifications of this Domain (Lewry and Sibbald, 1977) to the west domainal classification. These domains have been features similar lithological assemblages to those of grouped into three broad regions, namely the the Western Granulite Domain. "Western Craton", the Cree Lake Zone and the Reindeer Zone. These in general terms represent The Clearwater Domain, which lies between the distinctive remnant facets of a sector of the Lower Western Granulite and Firebag domains, comprises Proterozoic Trans-Hudson Orogen. granitoid rocks of which the Clearwater Granite is the most prominent. Wilson (1986) has identified a similar, but separate granitoid terrain (the Wylie l. The "Western Craton": Western Foreland to the Lake Granitoid) under the Alberta portion of the Trans-Hudson Oroqen Athabasca Basin. The Western Craton - as originally defined by Lewry and Sibbald ( 1977) - is that part of the Shield l B. Northern Region: lying west of the Virgin River and Black Lake Shear Zones. In regional terms it is part of the Keewatin The Greater Beaverlodge area centred around Zone (Hoffman, 1987) which underlies neighbouring Uranium City has been intensely studied on account parts of the Northwest Territories, and the Virgin of gold and uranium interests since World War II, River and Black Lake Shear Zones are part of the and is probably a key to an understanding of Snowbird Line. The craton is exposed north and neighbouring terrains. A number of domains have - 88 - been recently proposed for the northern region which are generally bounded by mylonltic shear (Gilboy, 1981 a; Macdonald, l 983a), refining the zones. Intervening terrains generally contain earlier subdivisions of Beck {1969) (Fig. 2). reworked Archean and/or Lower Proterozoic rocks. The Archean rocks are commonly similar to those The region has been subdivided into several cratonic of the Western Granulite Domain, and mineral blocks made up predominantly of Archean rocks assemblages are also generally typomorphic of ATHABASCA GROUP (Neohelikian): GENERAL Carswell and Douglas Formations OUler notable felsic pluton Fair Point, Lazenby Lake, Wolverine ~ Point, Locker Lake, Otherside and •~ Tuma Lake Formations (marine elastics) Meteoritic Impact structure Manitou Falls Formation (terrestrial Domain boundary . elastics) D . Domain boundary, where major ...... .... mylonitlc zone WESTERN CRATON and ENNADAI-KAMINAK DOMAIN ___ Mylonitic shear zone or major fault . Many Islands/Hurwitz Groups (ca. ~ Basic dyke or intrusion (mainly . 1800 Ma?) ---~ post-Helikian) Ill MJrmac Bay Group (bracketted ca. J070- 2}50 Ma) ~,,,,,,,··· Basic dyke swarm (along Virgin River ...... and Black Lake Shear Zones) Cataclasized graben/"successor basin" zones (ca. 1800 Ma basin infill) Clearwater Anorthosite (ca. 21XXl Ma) •D . Greenstones (ca. 2680 Ma) Undivided (largely Archean, except for D Train Lake Domain) CREE LAKE ZONE (Ensiallc) ~ Supracrustal rocks, largely Wollaston t2d Group (probably Aphebian) Felsic gneisses (presumed Archean) Figure l - Outline geological map of the Saskatchewan Precambrian Shield. Domain names are shown in capitals in abbreviated D form. REINDEER ZONE (Ensimatic - Lower Proterozoic/Hudsonian) Numbered features: l, Murmac Bay Group; 2, Many Islands Group; 3, Ennadai Group; 4, Granltoid terrain Hurwitz Group; 5, Junction Granite; 6, D Moore Lakes Complex; 7, Fluorite-bearing Greenstones (Aphebian) late granites; 8, Gow Lake Impact Structure; 9, Deep Bay Impact Structure; I 0, Campbell River Group; 11 , Harriot Lake Metagreywacke-psammopelite Enderbites; 12, Dobbin Lake Dykes; 13, (Kisseynew type); garnetiferous biotite Tremblay Lake Dykes; 14, Hickson Lake gneisses±hornblende Pluton; 15, Sahli Granite; 16, Virgin River Metagreywacke-psammopellte (oUler Schists; 17, George Lake area; 18, Meyers domains); biotite gneisses± hornblende and Duddridge Lake area. (metaconglomerate) Shear zones: BBSZ, Black Bay; GRSZ, Metapsa mmite/meta-arkose Grease River; BLSZ, Black Lake; VRSZ, Virgin River; NFSZ, Needle Falls; PLSZ, Parker Lake; SSZ, Stanley; TSZ, Tabbernor. .. Felsic pluton (Wathaman Bathollth) D . See text for fuller explanation. - 89 - retrogressed granulites facies. As pointed out by the Tantato Domain (Slimmon and Macdonald, this Sibbald (in press), and by Wallis (1970) for the volume), where they are associated with thick bands southern region, these cratonic blocks are generally of hypersthene-bearing mafic granulites, or so coincident on aeromagnetic maps with areas of called 'norites'. The two domains are separated by relatively high magnetic relief. the major Grease River Shear Zone. The Chipman Sill Swarm (Macdonald, l 980b) forms a zone up to 2 Archean Blocks.- Although radiometric dates are or 3 km wide along the Black Lake Shear Zone lacking, the Dodge and Tantato Domains are demarcating the southeastern boundary of these presumed to be Archean and comprise a variety of domains, in similar style to the southeastern margin partially retrograded granulite facies mafic to of the Western Granulite Domain to the south. felsic rocks. Biotitic gneisses of possible sedimentary origin are more prominent in the The major part of the Nevins Lake Block comprises Dodge Domain, but also occur in the garnetiferous retrogressed assemblages: felsic gneisses, felsic gneisses of the Pine Channel Assemblage in garnetiferous gneisses and mafic gneisses with rare BEAVER LODGE 106° 0 50 100 150 km - 90 - IOB" OO t-~~--,,.--..~--,-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--+s c 0 oo ' 0 10 15 km Athabasca Group {ca. Area of partial cataclasis 1350-1450 Ma} Martin Group Cataclastically deformed (l 75!l-1800 Ma?) rocks, .. red gneisses• --- Shear zone Thluicho (Lake) Group ____ Prominent fault LU (1600-1900 Ma?) POSSIBLE ARCHEAN "Fay Mine Complex" ~ Diabase dyke Migmatitic supracrustals (age unknown) Murmac Bay Group Donaldson Lake Gneiss (bracketted ca. ARCHEAN •EJ (ca. 2160 Ma} JD70-2J50 Ma) Foot Bay Gneiss (ca. Area with metagabbro Reed Bay Amphibolite 250CJ Ma) . Nolan Granodiorite (ca. "North Shore Granites" "Tazin" supracrustaJs (age D . 2600 Ma) D (ca. 2350-2000 Ma) unknown) Lodge Bay Granite (ca. • ~ Other felsic plutons Undesignated, largely Li.::.;:J J014-J070 Ma} D felsic gneiss Figure 2 - Outline geology of the Greater Beaverlodge area and environs, northwestern Saskatchewan. Nurrtered features: 1, Frontier Granite; 2, Box (Mine) Granite; 3, Athena Granite; 4, Gunnar Granite; 5, Nicholson Bay; 6, fishhook Bay; 7, Site of Fay-Ace-Verna Mine (Eldorado); SLF, St. Louis Fault; ABC, ABC Fault. See text for references to age dating. - 91 - quartzite (Harper, l982b).