Ice-Flow Chronology and Palimpsest, Long-Distance Dispersal of Indicator Clasts, North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, Quebec
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Document generated on 09/26/2021 6:31 p.m. Géographie physique et Quaternaire Ice-Flow Chronology and Palimpsest, Long-Distance Dispersal of Indicator Clasts, North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, Quebec Séquence d’écoulements glaciaires et dispersion lointaine d’erratiques distinctifs au nord de la vallée du Saint-Laurent, Québec Jean J. Veillette Glacial History, Paleogeography and Paleoenvironments in Glaciated Article abstract North America An ice flow model, based on the distribution of distinctive Proterozoic erratics Volume 58, Number 2-3, 2004 from the Lake Mistassini and Monts Otish sedimentary basins, and on the mapping of relict striations in a 230 000 km2 area located predominantly in URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/013138ar Grenville Province, Québec, is presented to reconstruct the evolution of a large DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/013138ar part of the Labrador Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinan. The results, were added to those of similar surveys carried out in the Abitibi region, and further north. Striated surfaces and indicator clasts See table of contents from an early northwestward flow, overprinted by those from a widespread southeastward flow, and lastly by those from deglaciation flows toward the southwest, south, and southeast, revealed a complex sequence of events. The Publisher(s) northwestward flow originated from a NE‑SW, early Wisconsinan, ice divide located in the Québec highlands, south of Lake Mistassini, that migrated to a Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal position north of the lake, at the Last Glacial Maximum, to give rise to the widespread, southeastward ice flow, that left traces over a large part of ISSN Grenville Province. Deglaciation triggered a clockwise shift in ice-flow south of 0705-7199 (print) Lake Mistassini, and a counterclockwise shift, north of it. Inception of the 1492-143X (digital) northwestward flowing glacier probably results from the coalescence of ice caps formed at the highest elevations along a narrow fringe, north of and parallel to the St. Lawrence River Valley, and expansion toward the northwest Explore this journal suggests a similarity with the windward growth model of ice sheet expansion. The ice flow model has implications for mineral exploration methods based on the sampling of glacial sediments. Cite this article Veillette, J. J. (2004). Ice-Flow Chronology and Palimpsest, Long-Distance Dispersal of Indicator Clasts, North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, Quebec. Géographie physique et Quaternaire, 58(2-3), 187–216. https://doi.org/10.7202/013138ar Tous droits réservés © Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2006 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ GPQ_58-2-3.qxd 20/06/06 09:53 Page 187 Géographie physique et Quaternaire, 2004, vol. 58, nos 2-3, p. 187-216, 23 fig., 3 tabl. ICE-FLOW CHRONOLOGY AND PALIMPSEST, LONG-DISTANCE DISPERSAL OF INDICATOR CLASTS, NORTH OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY, QUEBEC Jean J. VEILLETTE*, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E8. ABSTRACT An ice flow model, based on the distribution of distinctive RÉSUMÉ Séquence d’écoulements glaciaires et dispersion lointaine Proterozoic erratics from the Lake Mistassini and Monts Otish sedi- d’erratiques distinctifs au nord de la vallée du Saint-Laurent, Québec. mentary basins, and on the mapping of relict striations in a Une séquence d’écoulements glaciaires est proposée pour expliquer 230 000 km2 area located predominantly in Grenville Province, l’évolution d’une grande partie du secteur du Labrador de la calotte Québec, is presented to reconstruct the evolution of a large part of the laurentidienne au cours du Wisconsinien, à partir de la répartition Labrador Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinan. d’erratiques distinctifs provenant des roches protérozoïques des bas- The results, were added to those of similar surveys carried out in the sins sédimentaires du lac Mistassini et des monts Otish, et de celle de Abitibi region, and further north. Striated surfaces and indicator clasts stries glaciaires anciennes dans une région d’environ 230 000 km2, from an early northwestward flow, overprinted by those from a wide- dont la majeure partie est située dans la province de Grenville, au spread southeastward flow, and lastly by those from deglaciation flows Québec. Ces nouvelles données ont été ajoutées à celles provenant toward the southwest, south, and southeast, revealed a complex de levés semblables menés antérieurement en Abitibi, et plus loin au sequence of events. The northwestward flow originated from a nord. Les surfaces striées et les indicateurs lithologiques de trans- NE-SW, early Wisconsinan, ice divide located in the Québec high- port glaciaire, associés au premier écoulement vers le nord-ouest, lands, south of Lake Mistassini, that migrated to a position north of the recoupés par ceux d’un écoulement majeur vers le sud-est, et ensuite lake, at the Last Glacial Maximum, to give rise to the widespread, par ceux d’écoulements vers le sud-ouest, le sud et le sud-est, lors de southeastward ice flow, that left traces over a large part of Grenville la déglaciation du territoire, témoignent d’une suite complexe d’évè- Province. Deglaciation triggered a clockwise shift in ice-flow south of nements glaciaires. Le mouvement initial, vers le nord-ouest, résulte Lake Mistassini, and a counterclockwise shift, north of it. Inception of d’une zone de partage des glaces d’orientation NE-SO, située dans the northwestward flowing glacier probably results from the coales- les hautes terres du Québec, au sud du lac Mistassini, laquelle se cence of ice caps formed at the highest elevations along a narrow déplaça au nord du lac Mistassini au Pléniglaciaire, pour former fringe, north of and parallel to the St. Lawrence River Valley, and l’écoulement vers le sud-est, dont les traces couvrent une grande expansion toward the northwest suggests a similarity with the wind- partie de la province de Grenville. Lors de la dernière déglaciation ward growth model of ice sheet expansion. The ice flow model has des ajustements dans le sens d’écoulement des glaces ont engendré implications for mineral exploration methods based on the sampling of des rotations dans le sens horaire au sud du lac Mistassini, et glacial sediments. contraire au sens horaire au nord de celui-ci. La coalescence de centres d’englacement au Wisconsinien inférieur, à partir de glaciers isolés sur les plus hauts sommets, le long d’une zone située au nord et parallèle au Saint-Laurent, aurait formé le lieu initial de partage des glaces d’orientation NE-SO; l’expansion de ce glacier vers le nord-ouest est attribué à l’accumulation préférentielle de glace sur ce coté du glacier, exposé aux vents dominants (windward growth). Ce modèle d’écoulements glaciaires est d’intérêt pour l’exploration miné- rale fondée sur l’analyse des dépôts glaciaires. Manuscrit reçu le 11 juillet 2005 ; manuscrit révisé accepté le 8 février 2006 (publié le 2e trimestre 2006) * E-mail address: [email protected] GPQ_58-2-3.qxd 20/06/06 09:53 Page 188 188 J. J. VEILLETTE INTRODUCTION This study (Fig. 1) presents new ice-flow and glacial transport data for a large area of Grenville Province where this type of The reconstruction of the sequence of events that occurred information had never been systematically recorded. It is the throughout the Wisconsinan on the Canadian Shield must rely continuation of earlier work (Veillette et al., 1999), carried out almost exclusively on surface ice-flow and glacial transport in a large part of the eastern Hudson Bay basin, where ice- data. Natural sections exposing non-glacial sediments, over- flow indicators of a widespread, former, northwestward ice flow, lain by till and/or glaciofluvial deposits, are extremely rare. were mapped as far south as the Chibougamau area. The Broad, regional ice flow studies, over large areas of the objectives were (1) to map the maximum distances of transport Canadian Shield, have largely been limited to the mapping of of surface, indicator clasts from the Proterozoic rocks of the apparent glacial lineaments from satellite imagery or conven- Mistassini basin carried by the last ice flow (flows), and by for- tional airphotos, with little control from striations and glacial mer ice flows revealed by relict striations indicative of ice move- transport data (Boulton and Clark, 1990; Clark et al., 2000; ment in directions different from that of the last flow (flows), Jansson et al., 2002). For the eastern part of the Laurentide Ice (2) to correlate the results with the striation record obtained Sheet (LIS) complex sequences of shifting ice flows were pro- during this study and from earlier studies to the north, (3) to ver- posed, particularly in Témiscamingue, Abitibi, southwest of ify the sequence of shifting ice flows proposed for the Grenville Hudson Bay, in Labrador, to the east and to the northwest of Province by Veillette et al., (1999), on the basis of rare ice flow Hudson Bay, using the dispersal of distinctive clasts or geo- data for this part of the LIS, (4) to assist mineral exploration chemical indicators, the striation record and the orientation of based on methods applicable in glaciated terrain. landforms (Veillette, 1986; Veillette and McClenaghan, 1996; Thorleifson et al., 1992; Klassen and Thompson, 1993; Parent Because of their distinctive visual characteristics, erratics et al., 1996; Veillette et al., 1999; McMartin and Henderson, from the Proterozoic sedimentary rocks of the Chibougamau- this volume).