Sedimentary rocks are an important source of information about previous orogenic conditions and the composition of which may describe the evolution of provenance and tectonic setting. Many factors influence sediment composition, namely, source rock composition, chemical weathering, climate, transport burial, and diagenesis. As the sediment composition changes through time, the geochemical characteristics of the sediment can be used to understand its geologic history. The geochemical characteristics of clastic sedimentary rocks are useful in determining the depositional setting and its associated provenance. Although many different studies have used geochemical discriminants to evaluate provenance and tectonic settings, none have used a defined geochemical method. This study evaluates the present-day geochemical approaches to see which, if any, are the most useful.

The Taimyr Peninsula is a key element in the circum-Arctic region and represents thenorthern margin of the Siberian Craton. The Taimyr Peninsula is a late Paleozoic fold andthrust belt and preserves late Paleozoic through Mesozoic siliciclastic sedimentarysuccessions and providing an ideal location to investigate the Paleozoic to Mesozoictectonic evolution associated with the Uralian orogeny, the Siberian Trap magmatism andopening of Amerasia Basin within a circum-Arctic framework. Multiple methods areadopted, including petrography, heavy mineral analysis and detrital zircon U-Pbgeochronology for provenance investigation, apatite fission track dating for revealingthermal history and balanced cross section for understanding the deformation style ofTaimyr.The results of this thesis indicate that the Late Carboniferous to Permian sediments ofsouthern Taimyr were deposited in a pro-foreland basin of the Uralian orogen during theUralian orogeny. In the Triassic, the siliciclastic deposits still show a strong Uraliansignature but the initiation of Siberian Trap-related input begins to be significant. Erosionof the Uralian orogen has reached a deep metamorphic level. By Late Jurassic andCretaceous time, the deposition setting of southern Taimyr is an intracratonic basin.Erosion and input from Uralian sources waned while greater input from SiberianTrap-related rocks of the Taimyr region dominated. The Taimyr Peninsula underwent atleast three cooling and uplifting episodes: 280 Ma, 250 Ma and 220 Ma, corresponding tothe Uralian orogeny, the Siberian Traps and the late Triassic transpression. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: In press. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

The structure and regional tectonic setting of an exhumed, 9.3-km long, left-lateral strike-slip fault zone eludicates processes of growth, linkage, and termination for strike-slip fault zones in granitic rocks. The Gemini fault zone is composed of three steeply dipping, southwest-striking, noncoplanar segments that nucleated and grew along preexisting joints. The fault zone has a maximum slip of 131 m and is an example of a segmented, hard-linked fault zone in which geometrical complexities of the faults and compositional variations of protolith and host rock resulted in nonuniform slip orientations, complex interactions at fault segments, and an asymmetric slip-distance profile. Regional structural analysis shows that joints and left-lateral fault zones have accommodated slip within a 4.8-km wide, right-lateral monoclinical kink band with vertical fold axes and northwest-striking axial surfaces. Geometric modeling of the kink band indicates that as little as 1.1 km of right-lateral displacement across the kink band may have produced the observed slip on kilometer-scale faults within the kink band.

O Sistema de Nappes Carrancas compõe um sistema de nappes que circunda ao sul o Cráton do São Francisco e é formado pela Unidade Biotita Xisto e pelas formações Campestre e São Tomé das Letras do Grupo Carrancas. A Unidade Biotita Xisto contém veios de quartzo e xistosidade anastomosada e é formada por quartzo, biotita, muscovita, clorita e, localmente plagioclásio, carbonato e granada. A Formação Campestre é formada por quartzitos intercalados a filitos/xistos que variam de cloritóide filitos grafitosos, com muscovita, quartzo e turmalina e, localmente, granada a xistos com granada, estaurolita e cianita. A investigação da Unidade Biotita Xisto como autóctone em relação ao Cráton do São Francisco, seu potencial agrupamento com o Grupo Carrancas em uma megassequência deposicional, bem como sua comparação com a unidadealóctone Xisto Santo Antônio (Nappe Andrelândia) constituem parte dos objetivos deste estudo. Para tal, foram feitas análises químicas e isotópicas (Sr e Nd) em rocha total e geocronologia U-Pb em cristais de zircão detríticos, tanto na Unidade Biotita Xisto como na Formação Campestre, com intuito de elucidar a relação entre as mesmas e compará-las com dados da literatura disponíveis para o Xisto Santo Antônio. A Unidade Biotita Xisto apresenta características químicas compatíveis com sedimentos que sofreram intemperismo químico de intensidade e período de tempo moderados, depositados em ambientes de colisão continental, com área-fontecomposta essencialmente por rochas félsicas. Assinaturas de elementos traço e isotópicas de Sr ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' entre 0,713 e 0,715) e Nd (\'\'épsilon\' IND.Nd\' entre -6 e -5) indicam contribuição de arco magmático e crosta continental e diferem, portanto, daquelas esperadas em ambientes de margempassiva. A mesma contribuição é observada para o Xisto Santo Antônio, cuja área fonte registra importante assinatura de material juvenil. As idades U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS obtidas em cristais de zircão mostram contribuição principal de rochas do final do Criogeniano e contribuição secundária do Riaciano. A classe modal ao redor de 665 Ma é comparável com a idade cristais de zircão detrítico do Xisto Santo Antônio, o que aponta parauma mesma área-fonte principal para ambas unidades. A deposição dos sedimentos precursores da Unidade Biotita Xisto ocorreu entre 630-611 Ma, sendo as fontes principais os granulitos cálcio-alcalinos e rochas vulcânicas co-genéticas, além de granitos sin-colisionais da Nappe Socorro-Guaxupé. A pouca representatividade de idades paleoproterozóicas e a ausência de assinaturas químicas de margem passiva, inviabilizam as rochas do Cráton doSão Francisco como parte da área-fonte. Desta forma, a Unidade Biotita Xisto não é autóctone em relação ao Cráton do São Francisco, sendo, potencialmente, a unidade que compõe a frente da Nappe Andrelândia. Por outro lado, a Formação Campestre possui assinatura geoquímica de sedimentos que sofreram uma intensa reciclagem e alteração da composição do sedimento original. As assinaturas químicas de elementos traço e isotópicas Sr e Nd indicam contribuição de crosta continental superior, com componente de crosta antiga e sem afinidade com sedimentos depositados em margem passiva (\'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' entre 0,74 e 0,76; \'\'épsilon IND.Nd\' entre -18 e -15). Os zircões detríticos analisados forneceram idades U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS variadas, do Toniano ao Mesoarqueano, correlacionáveis com rochas vulcânicas e plutônicas do Cráton do São Francisco, com as faixas marginais do Cráton de Angola e/ou faixas orogênicas do Cráton Amazônico e com rochas dos arcos Mara Rosa e Goiás.A abrangência das idades U-Pb da Formação Campestre e das formações Chapada dos Pilões e Paracatu, permite a correlação, no Orógeno Brasília, entre os Grupos Carrancas e Canastra. A paleogeografia mais provável é a de um ambiente de rifte, antecessor à deriva e aoestabelecimento de uma margem continental passiva. / The Carrancas Nappe System composes a system of nappes that surround the southern margin of the São Francisco Craton and is formed by the Biotite Schist Unit and by the Campestre and São Tomé das Letras formations of the CarrancasGroup. The Biotite Schist Unit encompass quartz veins and anastomosed schistosity and is formed by quartz, biotite, muscovite, chlorite and, locally plagioclase, carbonate and garnet. The Campestre Formation is composed by interleaved quartzites and phyllite/schist that varies from graphite-chloritoid phyllites, with muscovite, quartz, tourmaline and garnet, and locally garnet schists and schists with garnet, staurolite and kyanite. The investigation of the Biotite Schist Unit as authochtonous in relation to the São Francisco Craton, it´s potencial grouping with the Carrancas Group in a deposicional megassequence, as well as it´s comparison with the allochthonous Santo Antônio Schist (Andrelândia Nappe) is part of the goals of this study. For this purpose, chemical and isotopic (Sr and Nd) whole rock analysis were obtained, along with U-Pb detrital zircon data, in the Biotite Schist Unit and also in the Campestre Formation, in order to elucidate the relationship between these units and compare them with literature data available for theSanto Antônio Schist. The Biotite Schist Unit show chemical characteristics compatible with sediments that underwent chemical weathering of moderate intensityand time, deposited in continental collision setting, with source region composed essentially by felsic rocks. Trace elements and Sr isotopic signatures ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' between 0,713 and 0,715) and Nd (\'\'épsilon IND.Nd\' between -6 and -5) points to contribution from magmatic arc and continental crust, and are different from the expected for passive margin settings. The same contribution is observed in the Santo Antônio Schist, which source area registers an important juvenile material signature. The U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS zircon data show major contribution from rocks of the later Cryogenian and minor contribution from the Ryacian. The modal class around 655 Ma is comparable with the U-Pb detrital zircon data from the Santo Antônio Schist, pointing to the same source area for both units. The deposition of the precursors sediment of the Biotite Schist Unit occurred between 630 - 611 Ma, and the main sources were the calk-alcaline granulites and co-genetic volcanic rocks, besides the Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe sin-collisional granites. The low representation of Paleoproterozoic ages and the absence of passive margin chemical signatures preclude the rocks of the São Francisco Craton as part of the source area. Thus, Biotite Schist Unit is not an autochthonous unit in relation to the São Francisco Craton, and is, potentially, the unit that composes the Andrelândia Nappe front. On the other hand, the Campestre Formation has geochemical signatures of sediments that underwent intense recycling and alteration of the original sediment. The trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic signatures indicates upper continental crust contribution, with older crust component and no affinity with passive margin sediments ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' between 0,74 and 0,76; \'épsilon\' IND.Nd\' between -18 and -15). The U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS detrital zircon data provide varied ages, from the Tonian to the Mesoarchean, correlated withvolcanic and plutonic rocks of the São Francisco Craton, with the marginal belts of the Angola Craton, and/or orogenic belts of the Amazonian Craton and with the Mara Rosa and Goiás magmatic arcs. The range of the U-Pb ages of the Campestre Formation and the Chapada dosPilões and Paracatu formations, allows the correlation, in the Brasília Orogen, of the Campestre and Canastra groups. The most likely paleogeography is that of a rift setting, before the continental drift and the establishment of a passive continental margin.

O Sistema de Nappes Carrancas compõe um sistema de nappes que circunda ao sul o Cráton do São Francisco e é formado pela Unidade Biotita Xisto e pelas formações Campestre e São Tomé das Letras do Grupo Carrancas. A Unidade Biotita Xisto contém veios de quartzo e xistosidade anastomosada e é formada por quartzo, biotita, muscovita, clorita e, localmente plagioclásio, carbonato e granada. A Formação Campestre é formada por quartzitos intercalados a filitos/xistos que variam de cloritóide filitos grafitosos, com muscovita, quartzo e turmalina e, localmente, granada a xistos com granada, estaurolita e cianita. A investigação da Unidade Biotita Xisto como autóctone em relação ao Cráton do São Francisco, seu potencial agrupamento com o Grupo Carrancas em uma megassequência deposicional, bem como sua comparação com a unidadealóctone Xisto Santo Antônio (Nappe Andrelândia) constituem parte dos objetivos deste estudo. Para tal, foram feitas análises químicas e isotópicas (Sr e Nd) em rocha total e geocronologia U-Pb em cristais de zircão detríticos, tanto na Unidade Biotita Xisto como na Formação Campestre, com intuito de elucidar a relação entre as mesmas e compará-las com dados da literatura disponíveis para o Xisto Santo Antônio. A Unidade Biotita Xisto apresenta características químicas compatíveis com sedimentos que sofreram intemperismo químico de intensidade e período de tempo moderados, depositados em ambientes de colisão continental, com área-fontecomposta essencialmente por rochas félsicas. Assinaturas de elementos traço e isotópicas de Sr ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' entre 0,713 e 0,715) e Nd (\'\'épsilon\' IND.Nd\' entre -6 e -5) indicam contribuição de arco magmático e crosta continental e diferem, portanto, daquelas esperadas em ambientes de margempassiva. A mesma contribuição é observada para o Xisto Santo Antônio, cuja área fonte registra importante assinatura de material juvenil. As idades U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS obtidas em cristais de zircão mostram contribuição principal de rochas do final do Criogeniano e contribuição secundária do Riaciano. A classe modal ao redor de 665 Ma é comparável com a idade cristais de zircão detrítico do Xisto Santo Antônio, o que aponta parauma mesma área-fonte principal para ambas unidades. A deposição dos sedimentos precursores da Unidade Biotita Xisto ocorreu entre 630-611 Ma, sendo as fontes principais os granulitos cálcio-alcalinos e rochas vulcânicas co-genéticas, além de granitos sin-colisionais da Nappe Socorro-Guaxupé. A pouca representatividade de idades paleoproterozóicas e a ausência de assinaturas químicas de margem passiva, inviabilizam as rochas do Cráton doSão Francisco como parte da área-fonte. Desta forma, a Unidade Biotita Xisto não é autóctone em relação ao Cráton do São Francisco, sendo, potencialmente, a unidade que compõe a frente da Nappe Andrelândia. Por outro lado, a Formação Campestre possui assinatura geoquímica de sedimentos que sofreram uma intensa reciclagem e alteração da composição do sedimento original. As assinaturas químicas de elementos traço e isotópicas Sr e Nd indicam contribuição de crosta continental superior, com componente de crosta antiga e sem afinidade com sedimentos depositados em margem passiva (\'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' entre 0,74 e 0,76; \'\'épsilon IND.Nd\' entre -18 e -15). Os zircões detríticos analisados forneceram idades U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS variadas, do Toniano ao Mesoarqueano, correlacionáveis com rochas vulcânicas e plutônicas do Cráton do São Francisco, com as faixas marginais do Cráton de Angola e/ou faixas orogênicas do Cráton Amazônico e com rochas dos arcos Mara Rosa e Goiás.A abrangência das idades U-Pb da Formação Campestre e das formações Chapada dos Pilões e Paracatu, permite a correlação, no Orógeno Brasília, entre os Grupos Carrancas e Canastra. A paleogeografia mais provável é a de um ambiente de rifte, antecessor à deriva e aoestabelecimento de uma margem continental passiva. / The Carrancas Nappe System composes a system of nappes that surround the southern margin of the São Francisco Craton and is formed by the Biotite Schist Unit and by the Campestre and São Tomé das Letras formations of the CarrancasGroup. The Biotite Schist Unit encompass quartz veins and anastomosed schistosity and is formed by quartz, biotite, muscovite, chlorite and, locally plagioclase, carbonate and garnet. The Campestre Formation is composed by interleaved quartzites and phyllite/schist that varies from graphite-chloritoid phyllites, with muscovite, quartz, tourmaline and garnet, and locally garnet schists and schists with garnet, staurolite and kyanite. The investigation of the Biotite Schist Unit as authochtonous in relation to the São Francisco Craton, it´s potencial grouping with the Carrancas Group in a deposicional megassequence, as well as it´s comparison with the allochthonous Santo Antônio Schist (Andrelândia Nappe) is part of the goals of this study. For this purpose, chemical and isotopic (Sr and Nd) whole rock analysis were obtained, along with U-Pb detrital zircon data, in the Biotite Schist Unit and also in the Campestre Formation, in order to elucidate the relationship between these units and compare them with literature data available for theSanto Antônio Schist. The Biotite Schist Unit show chemical characteristics compatible with sediments that underwent chemical weathering of moderate intensityand time, deposited in continental collision setting, with source region composed essentially by felsic rocks. Trace elements and Sr isotopic signatures ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' between 0,713 and 0,715) and Nd (\'\'épsilon IND.Nd\' between -6 and -5) points to contribution from magmatic arc and continental crust, and are different from the expected for passive margin settings. The same contribution is observed in the Santo Antônio Schist, which source area registers an important juvenile material signature. The U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS zircon data show major contribution from rocks of the later Cryogenian and minor contribution from the Ryacian. The modal class around 655 Ma is comparable with the U-Pb detrital zircon data from the Santo Antônio Schist, pointing to the same source area for both units. The deposition of the precursors sediment of the Biotite Schist Unit occurred between 630 - 611 Ma, and the main sources were the calk-alcaline granulites and co-genetic volcanic rocks, besides the Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe sin-collisional granites. The low representation of Paleoproterozoic ages and the absence of passive margin chemical signatures preclude the rocks of the São Francisco Craton as part of the source area. Thus, Biotite Schist Unit is not an autochthonous unit in relation to the São Francisco Craton, and is, potentially, the unit that composes the Andrelândia Nappe front. On the other hand, the Campestre Formation has geochemical signatures of sediments that underwent intense recycling and alteration of the original sediment. The trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic signatures indicates upper continental crust contribution, with older crust component and no affinity with passive margin sediments ( \'ANTPOT.87 Sr\'/\'ANTPOT. 86 Sr\' between 0,74 and 0,76; \'épsilon\' IND.Nd\' between -18 and -15). The U-Pb LA-MC-ICP MS detrital zircon data provide varied ages, from the Tonian to the Mesoarchean, correlated withvolcanic and plutonic rocks of the São Francisco Craton, with the marginal belts of the Angola Craton, and/or orogenic belts of the Amazonian Craton and with the Mara Rosa and Goiás magmatic arcs. The range of the U-Pb ages of the Campestre Formation and the Chapada dosPilões and Paracatu formations, allows the correlation, in the Brasília Orogen, of the Campestre and Canastra groups. The most likely paleogeography is that of a rift setting, before the continental drift and the establishment of a passive continental margin.

During the Geological Survey of Canada’s Cumberland Peninsula Integrated Geoscience project a ~150km long NE-SW trending volcanic belt, now termed the North Touak-Cape Dyer volcanic belt, was mapped. The volcanic rocks that comprise the belt are dominantly green weathering komatiitic rocks with some black weathering tholeiitic occurrences. Given the similar stratigraphic position, textures, mineralogy, and geochemical characteristics of the volcanic rocks throughout the belt they have been termed the Totnes Road formation, after the locality from which they were first described. The komatiitic rocks possess numerous unusual characteristics for ultramafic volcanic rocks including: fragmental textures, lack of spinifex texture, young eruption age (Paleoproterozoic), eruption through ancient continental crust, and enrichment in the HFSEs including the REEs. This places them in the uncommon and poorly understood sub-type of komatiites termed Karasjok-type komatiites. Given the ultramafic nature of the rocks and their within-plate geochemical signatures, a mantle plume is the most likely source of these rocks, with the komatiites being sourced from the hot plume axis and the tholeiites from the cooler plume head. Incorporation and melting of mantle enriched by the addition of subduction zone recycled, garnet-bearing eclogitic material, beneath thick lithosphere could cause the rocks geochemical enrichment. Stratigraphically overlying the Totnes Road formation is a variety of chemical sedimentary rocks including chert, sulphide and silicate facies iron formation, and sulphide-rich boulders. Given their consistent stratigraphic position and parallel REE patterns, these rocks have been interpreted as a co-genetic suite and are grouped under the Clephane Bay formation, after a locality that exposes a spectacular section of the chemical rocks. The variety of lithologies is believed to be due to mixing of hydrothermal and detrital inputs during deposition within an anoxic basin. Regional correlations in the area are tentative due to the lack of available geochronological and geochemical data. Mafic-ultramafic volcanic occurrences to both the north and the south of the Cumberland Peninsula show remarkably similar geochemical characteristics to the Totnes Road formation. Thus it is possible that one plume was the source for numerous volcanic occurrences within in the region but more detailed study is required to prove or disprove this possibility.

No description available.