This thesis reports eight measured sections and >400 new detrital zircon U-Pb SHRIMP-II ages from the Mesoproterozoic (~1.4 Ga) upper Purcell Supergroup of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The goal of my study is to constrain the depositional, tectonic and paleogeographic setting of the upper Purcell Supergroup.
Stratigraphic sections across the Purcell Anticlinorium, constructed from measured sections, reveal three syn-depositional growth faults: (1) paleo-Hall Lake, (2) paleo-Larchwood Lake, and (3) paleo-Moyie. Stratigraphic sections were combined into a fence diagram, revealing a large north-northeast trending graben bound to the east by the paleo-Larchwood Lake fault and to the west by the paleo-Hall Lake fault.
Five samples were collected for detrital zircon analysis along the eastern extent of exposed Purcell strata; one sample was collected from the western limit of strata. All samples are characterized by subordinate numbers of detrital zircons that yield Paleoproterozoic and Archean ages. Detrital zircon ages from the Sheppard Formation are dominated by 1500, 1700, 1750, and 1850 Ma grains. The overlying Gateway Formation is dominated by 1400-1450, 1700, 1850, and 1900 Ma zircon grains. The overlying Phillips, Roosville (east), and Mount Nelson formations are dominated by detrital zircon ages between 1375-1450 Ma and 1650-1800 Ma. Detrital zircon ages from the Roosville Formation (west) are dominated by 1500-1625 Ma grains.
Based on the margin perpendicular orientation of the long axis of syn-depositional grabens relative to Laurentia, and on the presence of syn-depositional aged zircons through the entire sedimentary succession, we interpret the upper Purcell Supergroup to have been deposited in a transpressional pull-apart basin setting, adjacent to a convergent/translational plate margin bound to the west by terranes now located in northeastern Australia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/911 |
| Date | 29 April 2008 |
| Creators | Gardner, David William |
| Contributors | Johnston, Stephen T. |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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