STRUCTURAL and KINEMATIC EVOLUTION of the MIDDLE CRUST DURING LATE CRETACEOUS EXTENSION in WESTERN NEW ZEALAND a Thesis Presente

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STRUCTURAL and KINEMATIC EVOLUTION of the MIDDLE CRUST DURING LATE CRETACEOUS EXTENSION in WESTERN NEW ZEALAND a Thesis Presente STRUCTURAL AND KINEMATIC EVOLUTION OF THE MIDDLE CRUST DURING LATE CRETACEOUS EXTENSION IN WESTERN NEW ZEALAND A Thesis Presented by Williams C. Simonson to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Specializing in Geology October, 2003 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, specializing in Geology. Thesis Examination Committee: Advisor Keith A. Klepeis, Ph.D. Barry Doolan, Ph.D Tracy Rushmer, Ph.D. Chairperson Donna Rizzo, Ph.D. Special Assistant, David S. Dummit, Ph.D. to the Provost for Graduate Eductation Date: August 28, 2003 CITATION Material in this thesis will be submitted for publication in the geologic and geophysical journal, Tectonics, pending the arrival of geochronologic data, in the following form: Simonson, W.C., and Klepeis, K.A., (in prep.), Structural evolution of the middle crust during exhumation by continental extension: The Paparoa Metamorphic Core Complex, South Island, New Zealand. Tectonics. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not exist without the help of many. In no particular order I am grateful to: My parents, Pat and Ric Simonson, who have been educating me for my entire life. Thank you so much for everything that you have given me (TPS, AC). I promise to repay you with love and understanding. My teachers, far too numerous to list, who have challenged and pushed me. Thank you for your time and energy. Keith Klepeis, my mentor, who has taken me so many places I never expected to see. Keith, under your guidance I achieved things I was sure were never possible…drawing the WHC x- section, giving a talk at GSA, writing a paper…Thank you is clearly not enough. I'll get you back somehow. The geology faculty at the University of Vermont, for supporting me and advising me on how to improve my story. The geology faculty at Amherst College, who put me in the position to do what I have done for the last two years. The National Science Foundation, for funding my travel to New Zealand Mrs. Catherine Suiter, for funding the Suiter Award, which covered the cost of my travel to GSA in Denver, CO. Dave, Gabi, Denise, and Ian, for allowing me to share your toys and your work space. Steve Marcotte, for taking so many measurements in the field and taking part in many, many discussions about all things structural. Kenny Oldrid, for being Kenny Oldrid during the summer of 2003 Dave West at Middlebury College, for allowing me to use his brand new Spectroscope. UVM Geology students, thanks for the fun times and moral support. J. Renee, for your love. The Institute for Geological and Nuclear Sciences, in Dunedin, NZ, for kind hospitality and permission to use the rock saw. The University of Vermont, for funding my GTF stipend and paying for my summer research in 2002 Pat Frank, for helping with all those little details iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CITATION……………………………………………………………………………….ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………viii CHAPTER 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………….…1 1.1 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE………………………….…1 1.2 APPROACH………………………………………………………………………...2 1.2.1 Study area selection ……………………………………………………………...2 1.2.2 Field Techniques……………………………………………………………...…..3 1.2.3 Laboratory Techniques …………………………………………………………..3 1.3 THESIS OUTLINE…………………………………………………………………..4 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………………6 2.1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………..6 2.2 CONTINENTAL EXTENSION………………………………………………….…6 2.3 METAMORPHIC CORE COMPLEXES…………………………………………10 2.4 EVOLUTION OF DETACHMENT ZONES AND LOWER PLATE ROCKS…..12 2.5 WESTERN NEW ZEALAND AS AN EXTENSIONAL SETTTING…………...15 2.6 CASE STUDIES OF SYN, POST-OROGENIC EXTENSION…………...……...25 CHAPTER 3: Manuscript prepared for submission to Tectonics: "Structural evolution of the middle crust by exhumation during continental extension: The Paparoa Metamorphic Core Complex, South Island, New Zealand"………………………………………………………………………………….26 3.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….…27 3.2 PREVIOUS WORK………………………………………………………………..28 3.2.1 Regional geologic and structural relationships………………………………...28 3.2.2 Paparoa metamorphic core complex…………………………………………...32 3.2.3 Lower plate cooling history…………………………………………………….42 3.3 DUCTILE DEFORMATION IN THE LOWER PLATE………………………….35 3.3.1 Zone of mylonitic fabrics……………………………………………………….35 3.3.2 Central core zone……………………………………………………………….39 3.3.3 Ductile deformation on the northern border of the core……………………….41 3.4 BRITTLE AND SEMI-BRITTLE DEFORMATION……………………………..44 3.4.1 Brittle faults…………………………………………………………….………45 3.4.2 Semi-brittle faults……………………………………………………………….50 3.5 KINEMATIC ANALYSIS………………………………………………………...50 3.5.1 Kinematic analysis of mylonitic rocks………………………………………….50 3.5.2 Kinematic analysis of ductile fabrics outside the mylonitic zone………………57 3.5.3 Kinematic analysis of fault-slip data…………………………………………...58 3.6 CORRELATION OF STRUCTURES AND DEFORMATION SEQUENCE…...60 3.7 GEOCHRONOLOGY……………………………………………………………..61 3.7.1 Sample locations………………………………………………………………..61 3.7.2 U-Pb Ages………………………………………………………………………62 3.8 DISCUSSION……………………………………………………………………..62 3.8.1 Three-dimensional strain and kinematic evolution of the middle crust………...62 3.8.2 Extensional mechanisms………………………………………………………..65 3.9 CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………………………..67 CHAPTER 4: Strain and Kinematic Analysis………………………………………….69 4.1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………69 4.2 STRAIN……………………………………………………………………………69 4.2.1 Background……………………………………………………………………..69 4.2.2 Methods…………………………………………………………………………72 4.2.3 Results…………………………………………………………………………..74 4.3 KINEMATIC ANALYSES………………………………………………………..83 4.3.1 Background and methods……………………………………………………….83 4.3.2 Kinematic vorticity analysis…………………………………………………….86 4.3.3 Shear-sense determinations …………………………………………………....89 4.3.4 Results of kinematic vorticity analysis………………………………………….92 4.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………...93 CHAPTER 5: THESIS SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………95 5.1 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………….95 5.2 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE WORK……………………………………………97 COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………...99 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………115 APPENDIX A: KINEMATIC INDICATORS………………………………………..116 APPENDIX B: IGNS PETLAB DATABASE SPREASHEET………………………128 APPENDIX C: STRUCTURAL DATA……………………………………………..137 LIST OF FIGURES Page # Figure 2.1. End member models showing predicted styles of deformation produced by continental extension………………………………………………………..8 Figure 2.2. Metamorphic core complex model after Lister & Davis (1989) and Reynolds et al., (1990)…………………………………………………………………...14 Figure 2.3. Paparoa Metamorphic Core Complex after Tulloch & Kimbrough (1989). Map includes data compiled from Bowen (1964), Hume (1977), Nathan (1978) and White (1987) Abbreviations in caps refer to structural transects and sample suites; CF - Cape Foulwind, CH - Charleston, WHC - White Horse Creek, PS - Pike Stream, BR - Buller River, BG - Buckland Granite…………………………………………………………………………………....17 Figure 2.4. Thermal history for the syntectonic Buckland Granite (lower plate intrusion) in the northern Paparoa Range. U/Pb data from Muir et al. (1994), Musc Rb/Sr ages from Graham & White (1990), Apatite FT data from Seward (1989), Ar/Ar ages from Spell et al. (2000)……………………………………………………………..21 Figure 3.1. Paparoa Metamorphic Core Complex after Tulloch & Kimbrough (1989). Map includes data compiled from Bowen (1964), Hume (1977), Nathan (1978) and White (1987) Abbreviations in caps refer to structural transects and sample suites; CF - Cape Foulwind, CH - Charleston, WHC - White Horse Creek, PS - Pike Stream, BR - Buller River, BG - Buckland Granite…………………………………………………………………………………....29 Figure 3.2. White Horse Creek structural transect. a.) Map of structural data; b.) Cross- section showing the folded mylonitic front and WHC strain gradient ; c.)-e.) Outcrop scale field sketches of F2,F3 folds; f.)-i.) Lower hemisphere, equal-area projections of structural data; j.) Block diagram illustrating the geometry of F2-F4 in the highest strain zone………………………………………………………………………………………36 Figure 3.3. Charleston structural transect. a.-c.) Lower hemisphere projection of fabric data; a.) site CH1, b.) CH2, c.) CH3-7. Circles - poles to foliation; triangles - lineations………………………………………………………………………..………..40 Figure 3.4. Buller River structural transect. Contact relationships after Tulloch & Kimbrough (1989)……………………………………………………………………….42 Figure 3.5. Cape Foulwind structural transect. a.) - d.) Lower hemisphere projections of fabric data, circles - poles to foliation; triangles - mineral lineations. viii a.) CF1,4 b.) CF3 c.) CF2, d.) CF5-6. Horizontal scale for cross-sections is b.) equal to the vertical scale….…………………………………………………………43 Figure 3.6. Brittle fault geometries for the northern domain. a.) View looking SSW at NE and SW dipping faults, site CH1 b.) Looking down on what may have been the Slip surface of a low-angle normal fault, now dissected by steep, smaller faults. c.)-f.) Fault planes and straie for data sets CF 1 regional and CF 1 block, respectively. d. -h.) X and Z axis contours (see text)…………………………………………………………46 Figure 3.7. Fault-fan style of normal faulting observed in the central core zone at site CH7 a.) Faults and straie b.) Z axis contour c.) X axis contour d.) Sketch of framed area in photograph………………………………………………………………………47 Figure 3.8. Vertical profile of site WHC1 showing
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