And Till Geochemistry Fenton Murdoch Isenor
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
APPLIED QUATERNARY GEOLOGY AND TILL GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE LOCH LOMOND REGION, CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA FENTON MURDOCH ISENOR Thesis submitted in partial fulfillrnent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Geology) Acadia University Fail Convocation 2000 O by FENTON MURDOCH ISENOR, 2000 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 ofCanada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................... iv... LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ VUI LIST OF PLATES .................... .... ................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES........................ .....- ......................................................................... xi ACKNO WLEDGMENTS.......... .. ... ... ..-. ...................................................................... xii SC................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER INTRODUCTION........................ .-. ..............*....................*......................... 1-1 Purpose .............................................................................................. 1.2 Location and access ............................................................................ 1.3 Geological setthg and previous work .................................................. oduction.......................................................................... Late Precambrian volcanic and sedimentary rocks ................... Plutonic rocks.,. .................................................................... Carnbnan-Ordovician sedimentary rocks .................................. Carboniferous geology........................................................ Quatemary geology .................................................................... Early work ...................................................................... Recent work... ............ ,... .............................................. Economic geology .................................................................. Celestite.......................................................................... Barite............................................................. ... ............. Galena-.......................................................................... .. Other minerals ................................................................. .... Geochernical surveys ........................... .... METHODOLOGY..................................................................................... Introduction ...................................................................................... Site selection..................................................................................... Field samplkg.................................................................................. Till geochemical sarnples.................................................... Field duplicates ..................................................................... Till pebble IithoIogy samples................................................. Geochemical analysis........................................................................ Geochemical sarnple preparation .................................. ...... Geochemical andytical methods.............................................. Inductively coupled plasma-emission spectrometry,.,,. Instrumental neutron activation analysis ..................... 2.5 Pebble lithology identification and counting........................................ 2.6 Till fabric analysis.............................................................................. 2.7 Grain size anaiysis.............................................................................. ....................................................... 2.8 Heavy mineral. sample. processing 2.9 Glacial flow rndicators.............................................. .- ........... Striae. .................................................................................... 2.10 Data evaluation. .................................................................................. 2.1 1 Age determinations ............................................................................ QUATERNARY GEOLOGY ..... .............................................................. 3-1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 3.2 Stratigraphie uni&.... .... ........~..~..........~...~.....~~~~......................~..~~~.~...... Basal grey diamicton.............................................................. Red diamcton......................................................................... Stony-sandy diamcton............................................................ Mixed diamrcton..................................................................... Stratified sandy dimcton............... .. ................................... Glaciolacustrine deposits ......................................................... Fluvial deposits ...................................................................... Coastal beaches ...................................................................... Colluvial deposits .. ................................................................. Organic deposits ..................................................................... Contact.. relationships between stratigraphie units.. ..................... 3-3 Ice-flow rndrcators............................................................................. Surface landfonns.................................................................. Giant diarnicton ridges ................................................ Dnunlins.................. .. ................................................ Ice erosional features .............................................................. Striae.............. ...... .................................................... Roche moutonnées ...................................................... Flutings ....................................................................... Till pebble fabric .................................................................... Till pebble lithology ............................................................... MafÏc volcanic rocks .................................................. Felsic volcanic rocks ................................................... M&c porphyry rocks ................................................... Salmon River Rhyolite Porphyry.................................. 100 Granite........................................................................ 100 Grand River Granite .................................................... 101 Dionte and gabbro ..................................................... 101 L'Ardoise quartz arenite ..... .. ................................. 102 Vein quartz ............. .... ........................................ 103 Red. green and brown sedimentary rocks ............... ,..,. Grey and black sedimentary rocks .............................. Limestone............................................ Other rocks ............................................................... 3.4 Late Wisconsinan gIacial history....................................................... Summary of ice-flow mndlcators ............................................ Striae record............................................................. Till pebble fabric record ........................................... Landforms ..........~~~~~.~.~~~~~~~~.~~.~~..............~....~~........... Pebble record ............................................................ Discussion of till types......................................................... Basal grey till ........................................................... Regional red till ........................................................ Hybrid tills... .............................. .. ............................ Local stony till .......................................................... Outwash ................................................................ ... Summary of till types........................................................... 3.5 Conclusions of Quaternary geology................................................. APPLIXD GEOCHEMISTRY....................................... .,, ....................... 4.1 Introduction