The North Caribou Greenstone Belt (NCGB) lies at the core the granitoid-dominant North Caribou Terrane (NCT). Two sedimentary assemblages; the Eyapamikama (ELS) and Zeemal-Heaton Lake (ZHA) form the core of the NCGB. Geochemistry of garnets from the orogenic Au deposit at Musselwhite suggest that the auriferous fluids have a contribution of metamorphic fluids and mineralization consisted of prolonged, multi-stage periods. Chemical zoning suggests changes in the influx of chalcophile and lithophile elements and that Au/sulphide ratios during nucleation were lower relative to later growth events. Zircons from the ELS and ZHA suggest a c. 100 My hiatus in the onset of sedimentation, with the ZHA showing younger, “Timiskaming-type” ages. Age distributions from each assemblage reflect proximal, igneous sources. Nd isotopic compositions of the ZHA suggest a mixture of ancient and contemporaneous sources which are similar to external TTG rocks. Deplete mantle model ages of the ZHA rocks indicate a Mesoarchean inheritance.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Commercial hydrocarbon production relies on porosity and permeability that defines the storage capacity and flow capacity of the resevoir. To assess these parameters, petrographic and petrophysical log analyses has been found as one of the most powerful approach. The approach has become ideal in determining reservoir quality of uncored reservoirs following regression technique. It is upon this background that a need arises to integrate petrographic and petrophysical well data from the study area. Thus, this project gives first hand information about the reservoir quality for hydrocarbon producibility. Five wells (A-J1, A-D1, A-H1, A-K1 and K-A2) were studied within the Orange Basin, Offshore South Africa and thirty five (35) reservoirs were defined on gamma ray log where sandstone thickness is greater than 10m. Eighty three (83) sandstone samples were gathered from these reservoirs for petrographic analyses within Hauterevian to Cenomanian sequences. Thin section analyses of these sediments revealed pore restriction by quartz and feldspar overgrowths and pore filling by siderite, pyrite, kaolinite, illite, chlorite and calcite. These diagenetic minerals occurrence has distructed intergranular pore space to almost no point count porosity in well K-A2 whilst in A-J1, A-D1, A-H1 and A-K1 wells porosity increases at some zones due to secondary porosity. Volume of clay, porosity, permeability, water saturation, storage capacity, flow capacity and hydrocarbon volume were calculated within the pay sand interval. The average volume of clay ranged from 6% to 70.5%. The estimated average effective porosity ranged from 10% to 20%. The average water saturation ranged from 21.7% to 53.4%. Permeability ranged from a negligible value to 411.05mD. Storage capacity ranged from 6.56 scf to 2228.17 scf. Flow capacity ranged from 1.70 mD-ft to 31615.82 mD-ft. Hydrocarbon volume varied from 2397.7 cubic feet to 6215.4 cubic feet. Good to very good reservoir qualities were observed in some zones of well A-J1, A-K1 and A-H1 whereas well A-D1 and K-A2 presented poor qualities.

The Western European Variscan orogenic belt is thought to represent the final in a series of Paleozoic continental collisions that culminated with the amalgamation of the supercontinent Pangea. The Iberian segment of the Variscan belt is characterized by Cantabrian orocline, which is 180º and convex toward the west. Several lines of evidence are at odds with classical interpretation of the Cantabrian orocline as the core of the much larger ‘Ibero-Armorican’ arc, suggesting instead that it is structurally continuous with a second more southerly and complimentary orocline. Paleocurrent data collected from the Lower Ordovician Armorican Quartzite of the deformed Iberian Paleozoic passive margin sequence confirm the existence of the so-called Central Iberian orocline. Structural continuity between the Cantabrian and Central Iberian oroclines suggests that they formed contemporaneously and in the same fashion. Mesoscale vertical-axis folds deforming slaty cleavage and shear fabric within the Ediacaran Narcea Slates have a dominant vergence toward the hinge of the Cantabrian orocline, suggesting that its formation was in part accommodated by a mechanism of flexural shear during buckling of a linear belt in response to an orogen parallel principle compressive stress. The Cantabrian-Central Iberian coupled oroclines therefore palinspastically restore to an originally linear belt 2300 km in length. Provenance analysis of detrital zircons sampled from the Armorican Quartzite along a 1500-km-long segment of the palinplastically restored Iberian passive margin indicate that it originated in a paleogeographic position stretching east-west along the northern limits of north African Gondwana, from the Arabian-Nubian Shield to the Saharan hinterland. Paleomagnetic data and the distribution of Variscan ophiolites support a model of mid-Paleozoic separation of the Variscan autochthon (Armorican continental ribbon) from north Gondwana preceding or in conjunction with a 90º rotation required to reorient the ribbon to a Late Carboniferous north-south trend. Formation of the Iberian coupled oroclines accommodated 1100 km of orogen parallel shortening. The Western European Variscan belt, North American Cordillera, and Eastern European Alpine system are orogens similarly characterized by both coupled oroclines and paleomagnetic inclinations that are significantly shallower than cratonic reference values. Palinspastic restoration of the Alaskan and Carpathian–Balkan coupled oroclines fully resolves inclination anomalies within the Cordillera and Eastern Alpine system, respectively. Inclination anomalies within the Iberian Variscan belt are only partially resolved through palinspastic restoration of the Iberian coupled oroclines, but the sinuous geometry of the belt is not yet fully deciphered. Oroclines within the Western European Variscan belt, not the orogen itself, provide the true record of Pangean amalgamation. / Graduate

The North Caribou Greenstone Belt (NCGB) lies at the core the granitoid-dominant North Caribou Terrane (NCT). Two sedimentary assemblages; the Eyapamikama (ELS) and Zeemal-Heaton Lake (ZHA) form the core of the NCGB. Geochemistry of garnets from the orogenic Au deposit at Musselwhite suggest that the auriferous fluids have a contribution of metamorphic fluids and mineralization consisted of prolonged, multi-stage periods. Chemical zoning suggests changes in the influx of chalcophile and lithophile elements and that Au/sulphide ratios during nucleation were lower relative to later growth events. Zircons from the ELS and ZHA suggest a c. 100 My hiatus in the onset of sedimentation, with the ZHA showing younger, “Timiskaming-type” ages. Age distributions from each assemblage reflect proximal, igneous sources. Nd isotopic compositions of the ZHA suggest a mixture of ancient and contemporaneous sources which are similar to external TTG rocks. Deplete mantle model ages of the ZHA rocks indicate a Mesoarchean inheritance.

Les plus anciens gisements d’uranium connus sur Terre sont les gisements de type paléo-placer hôtes de conglomérats à cailloux de quartz d’âge compris entre 3,09 et 2,2 Ga. Ces gisements représentent les reliques de l’ancienne croûte continentale archéenne maintenant érodée. L’origine de leurs concentrations primaires, correspondant à des accumulations de grains détritiques d’uraninite, est toujours sujette à controverse et la nature et les processus de formation des roches sources archéennes demeurent incertains.Ce travail présente l’analyse minéralogique et géochimique détaillée des minéralisations de différents paléo-placers (Witwatersrand en Afrique du Sud, Elliot Lake au Canada et séries Jatuliennes en Russie) ainsi que de granitoïdes archéens et paléoprotérozoïques enrichis en uranium (séries granitiques calco-alcalines à potassiques du craton de Kénéma Man en Guinée, granites tardi-orogéniques du craton de Pilbara en Australie Occidentale, pegmatite peralumineuse de Tanco du Bouclier Canadien et pegmatites à uraninite du Bouclier Baltique en Finlande et Russie). L’étude comparative de ces roches uranifères échantillonnées tout autour du globe prouve à la fois i) l’existence précoce (>3,1 Ga) de granitoïdes différenciés produits par la fusion partielle d’une croûte pré-enrichie tels que des granites peralumineux ou de type S, ii) nécessairement la présence d’un mécanisme permettant de produire ce type de granites comme les zones de subduction ou de collision générées par le mouvement des plaques tectoniques, iii) l’origine magmatique des uraninites thorifères des paléo-placers, iv) la présence d’une atmosphère réductrice avant 2,2 Ga permettant la préservation des uraninites durant leur transport, v) et finalement l’augmentation de l’oxygène libre dans l’atmosphère paléo-protérozoïque à partir de 2,2 Ga provoquant la disparition des paléo-placers uranifères en faveur de l’altération et de l’oxydation des concentrations préexistantes, de la remobilisation de l’uranium et de la formation de dépôts secondaires / The oldest known uranium deposits on the Earth are the paleoplacer-type deposits hosted in quartz-pebble conglomerates from 3.09 to 2.2 Ga in age. These deposits are representative of the ancient Archean continental crust now eroded. The origin of the primary ores corresponding to accumulation of detrital uraninite is still controversy and the nature and forming processes of the Archean source rocks remain uncertain.This work provides the detail mineralogical and geochemical analysis of mineralization from different paleoplacer-type deposits (Witwatersrand in South Africa, Elliot Lake in Canada and the Jatulian series in Russia) and from Archean and Paleoproterozoic U-enriched granitoids (calco-alkaline to potassic granite series from the Kenema Man Craton in Guinea, late-orogenic granites from the Pilbara Craton in West Australia, the Tanco pegmatite from the Canadian Shield and uraninite bearing pegmatites from the Baltic Shield in Finland and Russia). The comparative study of these worldwide uraniferous rocks prove either i) the existence of highly differentiated granitoids produced by the partial melting of a pre-enriched crust as peraluminous and S-type granites in early time (>3.1 Ga), ii) obviously the presence of an effective mechanism to produce such granites as tectonic plate systems with subduction or collisional zones, iii) the magmatic origin of the thorian uraninites in paleoplacers, iv) the efficiency of a reductive atmosphere prior to 2.2 Ga permitting the preservation of uraninite during transportation, v) and finally the rise of the oxygen-free level in the paleoproterozoic atmosphere providing the disappearance of uraniferous paleoplacers in favour of weathering, oxidation of pre-existing concentrations, remobilization of uranium and formation of secondary deposits

The tectonic evolution of northern Ellesmere Island is dominated by the accretion of the Pearya Terrane and the progressive reworking of materials from the Pearya Terrane and the northern Caledonides. Geochronology from a suite of seven Succession I orthogneiss samples defines a range of earliest Neoproterozoic ages from 962 ± 6 Ma to 974 ± 8 Ma. Geochemistry of both zircon and whole rock samples reveal a complex magmatic history tapping multiple sources. The rocks include both I and S type granitoids, with silica contents ranging from 62% to 73%. Trace element geochemistry reveals LILE enrichment decoupled from low to depleted HFSE values, suggestive of an origin above a subduction zone. Isotope geochemistry supports input from juvenile and evolved materials, with εNd(i) values between -1 and -4.6, and a similar range for εHf from zircon. The northern elements of the Caledonian Orogen preserve a record of magmatism in the c. 985 Ma to 920 Ma range. These ages are also observed in orthogneiss units of the south central Brooks Range and Farewell terrane, Alaska. The Pearya Terrane orthogneiss units and those currently dispersed in Alaska are interpreted to have originated near or on the eastern margin of Greenland and record post-Rodinia assembly subduction outboard of the supercontinent. Succession II (Trettin, 1987) of the Pearya Terrane represents variably metamorphosed metasedimentary rocks of Proterozoic to early Paleozoic age. These units are structurally juxtaposed with Succession I orthogneiss and Paleozoic sedimentary units of the Pearya Terrane. Detrital zircon age spectra from seven samples of Neoproterozoic meta-sedimentary rocks reveal three groups defined by observed dominant age peaks and youngest observed age populations. Group I includes three quartzite samples and contains numerous c. 1100 Ma to 1800 Ma peaks, with the youngest population at c. 1050 Ma. Two samples of immature meta-sandstone form Group II, defined by a dominant c. 970 Ma age peak. Two samples from the diamictite unit below the Deutchers Glacier thrusts form Group III, with a similar pattern of c. 1000 Ma to 1800 Ma age peaks to Group I; however, this group includes a small population of c. 600 Ma to 700 Ma grains as well. The ubiquitous Mesoproterozoic ages reflect a Grenvillian-Sveconorwegian provenance. These data are consistent with detrital zircon datasets from other North Atlantic-Arctic Caledonide terranes, reinforcing stratigraphic links between the Pearya Terrane and the northern Caledonides. The utility of the Pearya Terrane dataset is multiplied by probable links to Circum-Arctic and Cordilleran terranes, many of which contain similar populations of Mesoproterozic-aged detrital zircon. U/Pb ages and Hf isotopic data from detrital zircon suites sampled from Ordovician to Carboniferous sedimentary rock of the Pearya Terrane and northern Ellesmere Island record define the background for terranes translating along the northeastern Laurentian margin in the Paleozoic. Ordovician to Silurian clastic sediments deposited on the Pearya Terrane record pre terrane accretion provenance dominated by recycling of the metaigneous and metasedimentary Proterozoic basement as well as an Ordovician arc source. The provenance of Late Devonian sediments deposited during the Ellesmerian Orogen is dominated by similar recycled materials, with new sources derived from Paleoproterozoic domains of the Canadian-Greenland shield and documented late Devonian granitoids emplaced the Canadian Arctic Islands and Arctic Alaska. The basal Sverdrup Basin records increasing proportions of Paleoprtoerozoic and Archean aged grains relative to Mesoproterozoic ages, suggestive of increased contributions from the Laurentian craton and no little detritus exotic to Laurentia. Detrital zircon age spectra from Devonian to Carboniferous sediments in the northern Cordilleran clastic wedge and western Canadian Arctic Islands contain abundant exotic zircon likely derived from the Caledonian and Timanian Orogens. This variance of sediment provenance indicates that the eastern Canadian Arctic Island were isolated from non-Laurentian or Caledonian detritus, and that sources of the exotic Timanian zircon reconstruct farther west along the margin.

<p>This study presents new detrital zircon geochronologic data from Jurassic to Cretaceous sedimentary basins and modern rivers in south-central Alaska in order to examine the sedimentary record of magmatism and tectonics associated with the Mesozoic to Cenozoic growth of the southern Alaska convergent margin. Jurassic to Cretaceous strata of the Wrangell Mountains, Nutzotin, and Wellesly basins formed coeval with the Mesozoic accretion of the Wrangellia composite terrane (WCT) to the continental margin. New detrital zircon data from the Wrangell Mountains and Nutzotin basins demonstrate that these basins were derived primarily from sources associated with the WCT, with little to no derivation from continental margin sources. Detrital zircon ages from the Wrangell Mountains and Nutzotin basins are very similar, suggesting that these basins may have initially formed in a connected retroarc basin system. New detrital zircon data from the Wellesly basin show that the basin was source chiefly from continental margin sources. These ages show that the Wellesly basin is not related to the Nutzotin basin as previously suggested, and may be genetically related to the Kahiltna basin; this suggests that ~330-390 km of post-collisional strike-slip offset occurred along the Denali Fault. Comparing our new data with a regional detrital zircon database from similar-aged depocenters shows that there is a strong provenance and temporal link between outboard and inboard depocenters, with these depocenters being sourced from the same magmatic arcs from the late Jurassic to the late Cretaceous. Our findings from these comparisons are most consistent with a scenario where the WCT was accreted to the margin along an eastward-dipping subduction zone, in contrast to recent suggestions that the accretion was the result of westward-dipping subduction. New and previously published detrital zircon ages from the Tanana, Matanuska-Susitna, and Copper River watersheds in south-central Alaska document the major magmatic episodes that occurred along the southern Alaska convergent margin. These magmatic episodes display a periodicity that is similar to documented cyclic magmatic patterns in other regions along the Cordilleran margin, suggesting similar processes may be occurring margin-wide. The magmatic record of south-central Alaska can also be compared with the magmatic record of other regions in the northern Cordillera such as the Coast Plutonic Complex in British Columbia and the western Alaska Peninsula, which shows a spatial and temporal relationship of magmatism along the entire northern Cordilleran margin.</p>

abstract: Geochronology and thermochronology are valuable tools for investigating the synergy between the deformational and erosional processes that shape mountainous terrains. Though numerous techniques have been developed to probe the rate and timing of events within these settings, the research presented here explores how scientists can use fewer samples to produce richer data products with broader contextual importance. The beginning of this compilation focuses on establishing laboratory techniques to facilitate this goal. I developed a novel laser ablation ‘double dating’ (LADD) technique that rapidly yields paired U/Pb and (U-Th)/He dates for the accessory minerals zircon, titanite, and apatite. The technique obviates the need for geometric corrections typically applied during (U-Th)/He data reduction, enables the analysis of a broader spectrum of detrital crystals, and provides the opportunity for additional mapping and isotopic analyses that are traditionally challenging to procure and/or fraught with assumptions. Despite the technique’s promise, I also found it essential to weigh several considerations of relevance when attempting to date young (≤ Miocene) accessory minerals with low concentrations of U + Th. Consequently, I discuss the impact that such variables have on the magnitude of analytical imprecision and the data’s flexibility for geologic interpretation. Beyond the lab, I collected a suite of bedrock and detrital samples from small catchments draining the southeastern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Using the techniques described above as well as conventional methods for (U-Th)/He zircon dating, I compared the utility of both bedrock and detrital approaches for extrapolating local exhumation histories. I additionally tested the ability to employ detrital datasets to extrapolate cooling histories that span from mineral crystallization to rock exhumation through the upper crust. Employing principal mode dates from a combination of zircon and apatite LADD dates and detrital hornblende 40Ar/39Ar dates, I was able to derive thermal models that demonstrate the existence of significant variability in the cooling histories of various intrusive units along the eastern Sierra Nevada. While these results only scratch the surface of what’s possible within the realm of detrital-based research, this contribution demonstrates the utility of expanding the temporal and spatial scope of traditional detrital methodologies. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geological Sciences 2019

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