Regional variation in paleomagnetic polarity of the Matachewan dyke swarm related to the Kapuskasing Structural Zone, Ontario

Abstract

The 2.45 Ga Matachewan dykes from the Abitibi Subprovince of the Canadian Shield yield a mean paleomagnetic pole of 42°N, 58°E (α 95 = 3°; N (sites) = 36), which is a composite of new and previously published data. Domains of paleomagnetic polarity are defined: an area of dykes predominantly of reversed magnetization in the Abitibi Subprovince contrasts with an area of exclusively normal dykes to the north. The polarity domains are separated by faults related to the 1.95 Ga uplift and exposure of the lower crust in the Kapuskasing Structural Zone and therefore reflect Hudsonian age tectonics in the Archean Superior Province.