Dykes Encountered in Mount Royal Tunnel •*-»•>••»»••
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DYKES ENCOUNTERED IN MOUNT ROYAL TUNNEL •*-»•>••»»•• DEPOSITED IB Y THE COMMITTEE OX (Srafcuate StuMes. M^QILL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DYKES ENCOUNTERED; IN MOUNT ROYAI TUNNEL BETWEEN STATIONS 183+35 and 195+61, by Clara Muriel Aylard. Submitted in part requirement for degree of Master of Science. McGill University, April 30, 1924. Dykes Encountered in Mount Royal Tunnel between Stations 183+35 and 195+61. This paper contains a description of the dykes encountered in a section of the Canadian National Railway tunnel through Mount Royal. The section is 1226 feet in length from station 188+35 in Trenton limestone, 3492 feet west of the eastern portal of the tunnel, to station 195+61 within the essexite, 91 feet beyond its contact with the limestone. The material studied consisted of specimens collected by Dr. J.A. Bancroft. In the table below is a comparison of the types of dykes found in this section with those previously des cribed by A.W. Carlyle in the limestone beyond the western contact of the essexite and limestone* Type of dyke Determined by Determined by A.W.Carlyle C.M.Aylard Gabbro-diorite 0 4 Diorite porphyry 7 0 Augitite 0 ...... 2 Tinguaite 4 0 Tinguaite porphyry ....... 3 2 Porphyritic plagioclase tinguaite 0 1 Monchi quite • 0 1 Fourchite 1 2 Maenaite 13 3 Nepheline syenite porphyry ... 5 2 Camptonite 38 27 Unclassified 1 1 1. Carlyle, A.W., "A Study of the Dyke Rocks of Mount Royal Tunnel from stations 260+00 to 283+00." 2. As will be noted, of the 45 dykes examined, 27 are oamptonites, and a similar preponderance of these dykes over all others was observed by Carlyle-. Other students of dykes encountered in the vicinity of Mount Royal show that, throughout the whole area, oamptonites are by far the commonest dykes met with. The writer is deeply indebted to Dr. J. Austen Bancroft, Professor R.P.D. Graham and Dr. J.J. O'Neill for help during the preparation and writing of this paper. 1. Carlyle, A.W., WA Study of the Dyke Rocks of Mount Royal Tunnel from stations 260+00 to 283+00." 3. Age Correlation. By plotting all the dykes and sheets and carefully noting the different intersections, it has been possible, to some extent, to work out their relative ages. As might be expected, however, there are many gaps. In this section of the tunnel there are, according to dyke intersection, at least seven different ages. The following dykes and sheets have been found to intersect in such a manner that seven different ages are represented; they are in order of decreasing age, 186+04 (tinguaite porphyry), 187+21 (camptonite), 187+07 (fourchite), 186+45 (maenaite), 186+34 (camptonite), 186+41 (camptonite), and 186+82 (camptonite). 187+07 (fourchite) is also cut by 186+98 (camptonite) which is cut by 188+00 (devitrified pitchstone), 188+00 is out by 189+59 (camptonite). Another series, in order of decreasing age, is 183+70 (porphyritic plagioolase tinguaite), 183+35 (camptonite), 183+78 (camptonite), 185+07 (camptonite) and 184+82(camptonite). The fourth series is, as far as can be ascertained in this section, unrelated to any of the above. It is given below in order of decreasing age, 193+73 (gabbro*diorite), 193+77 (gabbro~diorite), 193+97 (camptonite) and 193+20 (nepheline syenite porphyry). In the following table, columns I and II give the sequence of the main intrusions, and of the dyke injection 4. following each, as they have been determined by other observers from a study of Mount Royal, both An the surface and in sections of the Canadian National Railway tunnel. In column III an attempt is made to correlate in the same way the dykes and sheets occurring in the portions of the tunnel to which this paper is confined. The correlation is based partly on dyke intersections and partly on the petrographical similarity of the several rocks. Some of the oamptonites are definitely known to be younger than the maenaites, but on account of inadequate information it is impossible to state whether they are younger or older than the camptonite breccia. The same is true in the ease of the nepheline syenite dykes which may have attended either the first or second major injection of nepheline syenite. 5. I. II. III. 1.1. Intrusion Intrusion of of 1. Intrusion of Essexite Essexite Essexite Bostonites(a) Tinguaite (a) Tinguaite porphyry Mica-tinguaites(b) Fourchite and (b) Camptonite allied dykes monchiquite Tinguaite-porphyry (o) Camptonite (c) Fourchite and Monchiquite Oamptonites(d) Further camp (d) Basic camptonite tonite Motiehiquites 2.2. Intrusion Intrusion of of 2. Intrusion of Nepheline-Syenite Nepheline-Sye nit e Nepheline-Syenite Nepheline syenite Nepheline syenite Nepheline Syenite ? porphyry porphyry Oamptonites Maenaite Maenaite Maenaites and Perhaps some other types. In oamptonites. cluded in this group are dykes of several dif ferent ages. 3. Intrusion of 3. Intrusion of 3. Intrusion of Camptonite Camptonite Breccia Camptonite that forms matrix Followed by dykes, that forms matrix of igneous breccia. some unrelated of igneous basic camptonites breccia. may belong to this Camptonites? period. 4. Dykes of more 4. Intrusion of later recent nepheline Nepheline Syenife syenite grading to segmatitic and Followed by aplitic phases (a) possibly some maenaites. Dykelets of two types of pj%matitic oamptonites. (b) Camptonites with resorbed hornblende. nepheline syenite. Camptonite with resorbed hornblende I. Essexites of Mount Royal, Montreal, P.Q., by J.Austen Bancroft and W.V. Howard. II. A Study of the Dyke Rocks of Mount Royal Tunnel between Stations 260+00 and 283+00 by A.W. Carlyle. 6. The principal constituents of these dykes are:- the feldspars, hornblende, augite and biotite. The Feldspars. On account of the basic character of the majority of these dykes orthoclase is present less frequently than plagioolase. It occurs both in idiomorphic crystals and in grains. Twinning, according to the Carlsbad law, is fre quently exhibited. The plagioolase ranges in composition from oligo- clase to labradorite, the most common variety being andesine. The laths exhibit albite or Carlsbad twinning and many of the grains, although their index of refraction is higher than Canada balsam, are untwinned. Calcite and sericite or saussurite are the most common alteration products of the feldspars. The most abundant ferromagnesian mineral is a brown pleochroic (x>y>z) hornblende with a maximum extinction angle of 20°. It is present as a rule in two generations, forming idiomorphic phenocrysts and ragged flakes in the groundmass. Two varieties of pyroxene occur:- augite. either colourless or violet (titaniferous) and aegirine-augite. The maximum extinction angle of the colourless and titaniferous augite ranges up to 47°. The titaniferous augite displays 7. pleoohroism (greenish pink to pale purple). Many of the grains and prisms are bordered with pleochroic (yellowish green to blue green) aegirine-augite with a maximum extinction angle of 28°. The least abundant ferromagnesian mineral is biotite. The colour and character of the pleoohroism vary in the different types of dykes as follows: camptonites, pale yellow to dark brown; nepheline syenites, pale greenish yellow to olive green; and augitites, pale yellow to brownish red. The characteristic alteration products of the ferro magnesian minerals are:- of hornblende, chlorite, iron ore, carbonate and epidote; of augite, chlorite and calcite; and of biotite, chlorite. The order in which these dykes are described is, as nearly as possible, the order of relative age, commencing with the essexite and ending with the resorbed camptonite. This specimen of coarse-grained essexite was collected at station 194+70. the eastern contact of the main essexite plug with the Trenton limestone. The rock has granitoid structure and consists essentially of plagioolase and augite. Disseminated through the rock in minute irregular grains is a pale brownish-yellow mineral which is doubtless the wdhlerite referred to in detail below, in the description of the thin section. After powdering the rock 8. and boiling it with hydrochloric acid, it gelatinized. When examined under the microscope the thin section exhibits the same characteristics as the hand specimen. The augite, which comprises at least sixty to sixty-five per cent of the rock, is for the most part in ragged grains bordered with pleochroic (yellowish green to blue green) aegirine- augite. In addition to this the rock contains grains of feldspar, for the most part grains of untwinned basic plagio olase (considerably higher than Canada balsam) and lesser amounts of orthoclase and nepheline. There is a small percentage of a colourless mineral, in various sizes of irregular grains, occurring interstitially with properties very like those of wflhlerite. It has an extinction angle of 39°, distinct cleavage, the index of refraction is lower than aegirine-augite, and the birefringence comparatively high, and it is biaxial and optically negative. This mineral has been previously described in a sample of essexite taken at station 194+90. There is an exceptionally high per centage of accessories in this rock in the form of compara tively large idiomorphic and allotriomorphie crystals of apatite and sphene. The pyroxene is, for the most lpart, fresh but the feldspar is partially altered to saussurite. 1# "Essexite of Mount Royal, Montreal, P.Q.", by J.Austen Bancroft and W.V. Howard. 9. The six rocks described below, in order of increas ing basicity, are all phases of the essexite and occur in dykes and sheets near the contact. Gabbro-diorites. This sample obtained at station 195+61 is a dark, fine-grained porphyritic rock. Hornblende 4 mm in length and 0.5 mm in width, augite ranging up to 2.5 mm x 1.5 mm and feldspar in grains 1 mm in diameter are the phenoerysts.