Distribution, Nature, and Origin of Neogene–Quaternary Magmatism in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, Canada
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Distribution, nature, and origin of Neogene–Quaternary magmatism in the northern Cordilleran volcanic province, Canada Benjamin R. Edwards* Igneous Petrology Laboratory, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, James K. Russell } University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada ABSTRACT Cordillera, driven by changes in relative these diverse volcanic rocks in space and time. plate motion between the Pacific and North We then use the compiled petrological and geo- The northern Cordilleran volcanic province American plates ca. 15–10 Ma. chemical data to address the origins of this alka- encompasses a broad area of Neogene to Qua- line magmatism and the structure of the litho- ternary volcanism in northwestern British Keywords: alkaline basalt, Canada, Cordil- sphere beneath the northern Cordilleran volcanic Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and adjacent leran, magmatism, Quaternary, volcanism. province. Specifically, we determine the source eastern Alaska. Volcanic rocks of the north- region characteristics of northern Cordilleran ern Cordilleran volcanic province range in INTRODUCTION volcanic province magmas using trace element age from 20 Ma to ca. 200 yr B.P. and are and isotopic data, and we produce a petrological dominantly alkali olivine basalt and hawai- Neogene to Quaternary magmatism in the image of the lithosphere using phase equilibria ite. A variety of more strongly alkaline rock Cordillera of North America is closely related to calculations for lavas and mantle peridotite types not commonly found in the North the current tectonic configuration between the xenoliths. Results of this analysis provide a basis American Cordillera are locally abundant in North American, Pacific, and Juan de Fuca plates on which to amplify the tectonic model we have the northern Cordilleran volcanic province. (Fig. 1). Where plate boundaries are convergent developed for the origins of northern Cordilleran These include nephelinite, basanite, and per- (e.g., Washington State), magmatism is domi- volcanic province magmatism (Edwards and alkaline phonolite, trachyte, and comendite. nated by calc-alkaline stratovolcanoes (e.g., Russell, 1999). The most MgO-rich nephelinites, basanites, CVA, Fig. 1). Where plate boundaries are domi- and alkaline basalts from throughout the nantly extensional and/or transtensional (e.g., GEOLOGIC SETTING northern Cordilleran volcanic province show southeastern California), mafic alkaline magma- trace element abundances and isotopic com- tism dominates (e.g., BR and RG, Fig. 1). The northern Cordilleran volcanic province positions that are consistent with an as- The most recently defined volcanic province comprises more than 100 mapped occurrences of thenospheric source region similar to that for in the North American Cordillera is the north- volcanic rocks within northwestern British Co- average oceanic island basalt and for post-5 ern Cordillera volcanic province (Edwards and lumbia, the Yukon, and easternmost Alaska (Fig. 1; Ma alkaline basalts from the Basin and Russell, 1999). The northern Cordilleran vol- north of lat 55°N and west of long 126°W). The Range. canic province comprises dominantly mafic, northern Cordilleran volcanic province designa- Our petrologic observations help con- Neogene, alkaline volcanic rocks distributed tion encompasses volcanic rocks that were previ- strain the origin of northern Cordilleran across the northern Canadian Cordillera (Fig. 1). ously referred to as the Stikine volcanic belt (e.g., volcanic province magmatism as well as Edwards and Russell (1999) proposed that Souther and Yorath, 1991). All volcanic centers lithosphere changes between the four major magmatism in the northern Cordilleran vol- are west of the Tintina fault system and east of basement terranes that underlie the province. canic province is linked to changes in far-field the Denali-Coast fault system (Fig. 2). Both of Results from phase equilibria calculations forces between the Pacific and North Ameri- these fault systems are major structural features and the spatial distributions of volcanic rock can plates. They showed that the timing and in the northern Cordillera that have accommo- types and magmatic inclusions are more volumetric rates of volcanism in the northern dated several hundred kilometers of mainly dex- consistent with the existence of thicker litho- Cordilleran volcanic province correlate with tral strike-slip motion since the Cretaceous (cf. sphere beneath Stikinia, which underlies the changes in the relative motions between the Gabrielse and Yorath, 1991). The Tintina-North- southern part of the northern Cordilleran Pacific and North American plates, from domi- ern Rocky Mountain Trench fault system sepa- volcanic province, than beneath the Cache nantly compressional to dominantly transten- rates autochthonous North American crust to the Creek and Yukon-Tanana terranes, which sional. east from allochthonous terranes to the west. The underlie the northern part of the northern Our objectives are twofold. Much of what has Denali fault system extends almost 2000 km Cordilleran volcanic province. Our results been published on volcanism in the northern from central Alaska to northwestern British Co- support a model for initiation of northern Cordilleran volcanic province derives from short lumbia, where it merges with the Coast Range Cordilleran volcanic province magmatism scientific or technical reports found in govern- fault system (cf. Wheeler and McFeeley, 1991). due to incipient rifting of the northern ment publications and unpublished theses. The Denali-Coast fault system is an approximate Therefore, our first aim is to compile these data boundary between more highly disrupted, al- *E-mail: [email protected]. and use the synthesis to map the distributions of lochthonous terranes to the west (e.g., Wrangellia) GSA Bulletin; August 2000; v. 112; no. 8; p. 1280–1295; 11 figures; 2 tables. 1280 NEOGENE-QUATERNARY MAGMATISM IN THE NORTHERN CORDILLERAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE AVA Prindle WVB DC NCVP Fort CP Selkirk AVB North NCVP America CRP CVA SRP Ak. Pacific Plate BR/RG WVB Alligator Lake Atlin Heart Y.T. Peaks N.W.T. T 120 Level B.C. 60 Edgecumbe Mtn. 56 Edziza Legend Hoodoo M 136 Volcanic complexes The S Thumb Volcanic centers Chilcotin basalt Aiyansh rnfr fault transform Queen Charlotte AVB 52 132 North Pacific American Plate Plate WGC Figure 2. Distribution of volcanic centers in the northern Cordilleran volcanic province (NCVP) with respect to major tectonostrati- graphic terrane boundaries and the Denali Explorer Plate and Tintina fault systems (after Wheeler and McFeely, 1991). Line of section shown is that used in Figures 8, 9, and 10. 200 km Juande Fuca Plate U.S.A. GVB and Yorath, 1991). The Cache Creek terrane, also Figure 1. Distribution of Neogene and Quaternary volcanic rocks in the Canadian Cordillera, allochthonous, is thought to have developed including: GVB—Garibaldi volcanic belt, WGC—Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field, AVB— largely in an oceanic basin; it consists of late Anaheim volcanic belt, WVB—Wrangell volcanic belt, and NCVP—the northern Cordilleran vol- Paleozoic to Mesozoic oceanic melange and canic province (modified from Hickson, 1991). M—Locations of Maitland, and T—Tuya volcanic abyssal peridotites intruded by younger granitic fields (Table 1) are also shown. The NCVP spans a region from DC—Dawson Creek, Yukon Ter- plutons (cf. Gabrielse and Yorath, 1991). The ritory, to S—Stewart, British Columbia. Inset shows the relationship of the NCVP to other vol- Yukon-Tanana and Cassiar terranes comprise dis- canic regimes in western North America and includes: AVA—Aleutian volcanic arc, CVA—the placed, autochthonous sedimentary and meta- Cascade volcanic arc, CP—Chilcotin plateau basalts; CRP—the Columbia River plateau basalt morphic rocks derived from North America field, SRP—the Snake River Plain, and BR/RG—the Basin and Range-Rio Grande rift system. (Mortensen, 1992; Gabrielse and Yorath, 1991). The southern margin of the northern Cordilleran volcanic province coincides with southwestern and larger, more coherent allochthonous ter- graphic terranes (Fig. 2), Stikinia, Cache Creek, Stikinia and is defined by isolated volcanic vents ranes to the east (e.g., Stikinia) (cf. Wheeler Yukon-Tanana, and Cassiar. Stikinia is an al- and eroded lava remnants south of the town of and McFeely, 1991). lochthonous suite of late Paleozoic and Mesozoic Stewart (Fig. 1). The southern limit of the northern Northern Cordilleran volcanic province mag- volcanic, plutonic, and sedimentary rocks thought Cordilleran volcanic province coincides with a gap matism is spread across four major tectonostrati- to have formed in an island-arc setting (Gabrielse in Neogene magmatism and the inferred northern Geological Society of America Bulletin, August 2000 1281 EDWARDS AND RUSSELL TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF LOCATIONS, AGES, VOLCANIC LANDFORMS, AND VOLUMES FOR NEOGENE TO QUATERNARY ALKALI BASALTIC CENTERS WITHIN THE NORTHERN CORDILLERAN VOLCANIC PROVINCE Volcanic field or center Location Age† Volcanic Volume§ Rock Source# Lat Long (Ma) landforms (km3) types (N) (W) Eastern Alaska (1) Prindle 63.72° 141.62° 3.57 ± 0.14, 6.26 ± 0.15 Cone, flow ~0.1 19, 54, 59, 78 or younger Western Yukon Territory (4) West Dawson Sixty Mile 64.05° 140.74° 17.2 ± 0.3 (*) Unknown <<0.001 Basanite 53 Clinton Creek 64.40° 140.63° 3.05 ± 0.22 Unknown <<0.001 52, 53 Forty Mile 64.38° 140.50° 19.9 ± 0.5 (*) Unknown <<0.001 53 Moose Creek 64.16° 140.91° Tertiary–Quaternary Unknown <<0.001 53 Central Yukon