Depositional Gaps in Abitibi Greenstone Belt Stratigraphy: a Key to Exploration for Syngenetic Mineralization
©2008 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc. Economic Geology, v. 103, pp. 1097–1134 Depositional Gaps in Abitibi Greenstone Belt Stratigraphy: A Key to Exploration for Syngenetic Mineralization P. C. THURSTON,† Mineral Exploration Research Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6 J. A. AYER, Ontario Geological Survey, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 6B5 J. GOUTIER, Géologie Québec, Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada J9X 6R1 AND M. A. HAMILTON Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory, Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Earth Sciences Centre, 22 Russell Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B1 Abstract Models of greenstone belt development are crucial for exploration. Allochthonous models predict belts to be a collage of unrelated fragments, whereas autochthonous models allow for prediction of syngenetic mineral de- posits within specific stratigraphic intervals. Superior province greenstone belts consist of mainly volcanic units unconformably overlain by largely sedimentary “Timiskaming-style” assemblages, and field and geochronolog- ical data indicate that the Abitibi greenstone belt developed autochthonously. We describe major revisions to stratigraphy of the Abitibi greenstone belt and the implications of an autochthonous development of the vol- canic stratigraphy for exploration for syngenetic mineralization. The Abitibi greenstone belt is subdivided into seven discrete volcanic stratigraphic episodes on the basis of groupings of numerous U-Pb zircon ages of pre-
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