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SHORT RESEARCH Laurentian Origin for the North SHORT RESEARCH Laurentian origin for the North Slope of Alaska: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the Arctic Justin V. Strauss1, Francis A. Macdonald1, John F. Taylor2, John E. Repetski3, and William C. McClelland4 1DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 20 OXFORD STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02138, USA 2GEOSCIENCE DEPARTMENT, INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, INDIANA, PENNSYLVANIA 15705, USA 3U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 926A NATIONAL CENTER, RESTON, VIRGINIA 20192, USA 4DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, IOWA CITY, IOWA 52242, USA ABSTRACT The composite Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane plays a central role in tectonic reconstructions of the Arctic. An exotic, non-Laurentian origin of Arctic Alaska–Chukotka has been proposed based on paleobiogeographic faunal affi nities and various geochronological constraints from the southwestern portions of the terrane. Here, we report early Paleozoic trilobite and conodont taxa that support a Laurentian origin for the North Slope subterrane of Arctic Alaska, as well as new Neoproterozoic–Cambrian detrital zircon geochronological data, which are both consistent with a Laurentian origin and profoundly different from those derived from similar-aged strata in the southwestern subterranes of Arctic Alaska–Chukotka. The North Slope subterrane is accordingly interpreted as allochthonous with respect to northwestern Laurentia, but it most likely originated farther east along the Canadian Arctic or Atlantic margins. These data demonstrate that construction of the com- posite Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane resulted from juxtaposition of the exotic southwestern fragments of the terrane against the northern margin of Laurentia during protracted Devonian(?)–Carboniferous tectonism. LITHOSPHERE; v. 5; no. 5; p. 477–482; GSA Data Repository Item 2013251 | Published online 18 June 2013 doi: 10.1130/L284.1 INTRODUCTION of the Amerasian Basin remains a critical ques- these schemes is beyond the scope of this paper tion for understanding the tectonic evolution of (see Dumoulin et al., 2002; Amato et al., 2009; The Amerasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean the Arctic (e.g., Miller et al., 2010). Furthermore, Miller et al., 2010). The geology of the Arctic (Fig. 1) remains the only major ocean basin for the pre-Mesozoic origin and displacement his- Alaskan portion of the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka which the origin and tectonic history are still tory of this composite terrane and its relationship terrane has been divided into six subterranes largely unknown (e.g., Miller et al., 2010). New to the northwestern margin of Laurentia remain (Fig. 2A; e.g., Moore et al., 1994), which are and accurate geological data from the modern controversial (e.g., Miller et al., 2010; Colpron partly employed here for consistent descrip- circum-Arctic margins are critical, not only for and Nelson, 2011). Several studies have sug- tive purposes in line with previous publica- understanding the origin of “suspect” terranes gested a Laurentian origin for parts of the Arctic tions (e.g., Moore et al., 1994; Dumoulin et al., embedded in the North American Cordillera and Alaska–Chukotka terrane (e.g., Dutro et al., 1972; 2002). We focus on the North Slope subterrane bordering the Arctic Ocean (e.g., Colpron and Grantz et al., 1991; Moore et al., 1994, 2011; (referred to here as North Slope), grouping the Nelson, 2011), but also for evaluating kinematic Lane, 2007); however, contrasts in paleobiogeo- remaining southwestern subterranes of the Arc- models for the Jurassic–Cretaceous opening graphic affi nities of mega- and micro fossils and tic Alaska–Chukotka terrane as distinct from the of the Amerasian Basin (e.g., Grantz and May, various geochronological constraints suggest an North Slope. We acknowledge that the eastern 1983) and the development of its hydrocarbon- exotic origin for the southwestern subterranes of and western segments of the North Slope may rich continental shelves. Currently, the use the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane (Dumoulin be geologically distinct from each other (e.g., of potential Proterozoic and Paleozoic pierc- et al., 2002; Blodgett et al., 2002; Miller et al., Miller et al., 2011), but no unambiguous suture ing points for constraining Mesozoic tectonic 2006, 2010, 2011; Amato et al., 2009; Colpron has been documented at this time. reconstructions is limited by a lack of geological and Nelson, 2011). Here, we place new early Pre-Mississippian strata of the North Slope constraints and uncertainty surrounding mid- Paleozoic fossil collections and detrital zircon comprise three distinct stratigraphic successions Paleozoic terrane displacements. geochronology in a tectonostratigraphic frame- (Fig. 2B; Moore et al., 1994): a widely distrib- The composite Arctic Alaska–Chukotka ter- work that enables us to reevaluate the origin of uted but poorly understood Neoproterozoic(?)– rane covers an estimated 3,000,000 km2 of the the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane and propose Early Devonian basinal siliciclastic and vol- Arctic, encompassing the Brooks Range and a revised model for its role in the Paleozoic tec- canic sequence in the northeast Brooks Range North Slope of Alaska, the Chukotka Peninsula tonic evolution of the Arctic region. and adjacent Yukon Territory (Fig. 2B; Moore and Wrangel Island of Arctic Russia, and the et al., 1994; Lane, 2007), a Neoproterozoic– adjacent continental shelves of the Beaufort and GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND Late Ordovician platformal carbonate sequence Chukchi Seas (Fig. 1; Miller et al., 2006; Amato exposed in the Shublik and Sadlerochit Moun- et al., 2009). The identifi cation of the modern A variety of nomenclature systems have tains (Fig. 2B; Macdonald et al., 2009), and a continental margin to which the Arctic Alaska– been employed to describe the geology of the structurally complex sequence of Cambrian– Chukotka terrane restores to prior to the opening Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane, and a review of Silurian arc-related volcanic and siliciclastic LITHOSPHEREFor permission to| Volumecopy, contact 5 | Number [email protected] 5 | www.gsapubs.org | © 2013 Geological Society of America 477 STRAUSS ET AL. 180° basin succession (Nilsen, 1981). In the north- 2009, and references therein). In the Shublik eastern Brooks Range and in the subsurface Mountains, these deposits are tilted and uncon- Pacific Ocean of the North Slope, undeformed Early–Middle formably overlain by the Early Devonian Mount SPSP Fig. 2A Devonian mixed carbonate and siliciclastic Copleston Limestone, which is also tilted and NNACAC rocks rest unconformably on older deformed unconformably overlain by the Endicott Group AAAA CCHH strata and are themselves tilted and unconform- (Fig. 2B; Blodgett et al., 1988). BIBI Arctic ably overlain by the Endicott Group (Fig. 2B; Recent biogeographic summaries (e.g., MIMI Ocean SIBERIASIBERIA LAURENTIALAURENTIA PT Ulungarat Formation of Anderson, 1991; Moore Blodgett et al., 2002) link the North Slope 90°W 90°E et al., 1994 and references therein). with the southwestern subterranes of the Arctic The southwestern subterranes of the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka terrane and Siberia on the basis 70°N Alaska–Chukotka terrane (Fig. 2) include vari- of Ordovician brachiopod and gastropod genera ns ably metamorphosed Neoproterozoic(?)–Silu- in the Nanook Limestone that, although common 50°N BALTICABALTICA Ca rian carbonate and siliciclastic strata that over- in Siberia, also occur in Laurentia (Blodgett et al., Atlantic Sea Ocean lie Neoproterozoic–Cambrian metasedimentary 1988). Our expanded collections confi rm the and crystalline basement (Fig. 2B; Miller et al., presence of uniquely Laurentian species within ack Sea 2010, and references therein). They are both the Lower Ordovician portion of the Nanook Cryogenian–Paleozoic 0° Mesozoic–Cenozoic Orogens Orogens locally intruded by Devonian (ca. 402–366 Ma) Limestone, including the conodont Clavohamu- granitoids (Amato et al., 2009, and references lus densus and the trilobite Plethopeltis armatus Arctic Alaska – Chukotka Terrane (AACT) therein) and unconformably overlain by the (Figs. 3A–3D and 3G); neither species has been Approximate location of Amerasian Basin Endicott Group. These subterranes have been reported from unequivocally non-Laurentian Cryogenian–Paleozoic Orogens variably interpreted as remnants of a large strata. Plethopeltis armatus (Figs. 3A–3D), late Paleozoic–Triassic (Uralian) early Paleozoic carbonate platform that existed originally reported from the Nanook on only early to mid-Paleozoic (Caledonides) between Laurentia and Siberia based on faunal two exfoliated cranidia (Blodgett et al., 1986), Devonian–Mississippian (Ellesmerian) assemblages (Dumoulin et al., 2002) and as semi- is now represented by more than 25 specimens Cryogenian–early Paleozoic (Timanian) coherent fragments of the continental margin that conform in all respects to a signifi cantly nar- Laurentian Domains DZ Locations of Baltica based on detrital zircon provenance rowed morphologic concept provided for that 1.4–1.0 Ga – Grenville This study studies (Miller et al., 2011). species by Ludvigsen et al. (1989). With that Amato et al. (2009) 1.52–1.46 Ga – Pinwarian The Late Devonian–Mississippian Elles- narrowed defi nition, the established distribution Hadlari et al. (2012) 2.0–1.8 Ga – Trans-Hudson merian orogeny (sensu stricto) involved depo- of P. armatus (aside from the Nanook) is limited Anfinson et al. (2012) 2.4–2.0 Ga – Hottah, BH sition of a southwestward-prograding (present to the outer-shelf and toe-of-slope
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