Sampling Laurentia: Detrital zircon geochronology offers evidence for an extensive Neoproterozoic river system originating from the Grenville orogen

Abstract

Research Article| April 01, 1992 Sampling Laurentia: Detrital zircon geochronology offers evidence for an extensive Neoproterozoic river system originating from the Grenville orogen Robert H. Rainbird; Robert H. Rainbird 1Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Larry M. Hearnan; Larry M. Hearnan 2Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario and Department of Geology, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Grant Young Grant Young 1Department of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1992) 20 (4): 351–354. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<0351:SLDZGO>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Robert H. Rainbird, Larry M. Hearnan, Grant Young; Sampling Laurentia: Detrital zircon geochronology offers evidence for an extensive Neoproterozoic river system originating from the Grenville orogen. Geology 1992;; 20 (4): 351–354. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<0351:SLDZGO>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Neoproterozoic fluvial quartzarenites from the Shaler Group on Victoria Island in the western Canadian Arctic yield a diverse suite of detrital zircons. U-Pb ages from single zircons fall into three modes: Archean (3.01-2.62 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (1.97-1.84 Ga), and Meso proterozoic (1.64-1.03 Ga). Particularly intriguing is the unusually high proportion (50%) of the Mesoproterozoic mode, as the nearest exposed source is the Grenville structural province, ∼3000 km southeast of Victoria Island. Unimodal northwest paleocurrents, obtained from cross-bedding, are compatible with a southeasterly provenance. These data, supported by sedimentological evidence from the Shaler Group and from correlative strata in the northwestern Canadian Cordillera, imply the existence of a large, perennial river system flowing north-westward from the Grenville orogen. An analogy with the Llanos drainage basin in Venezuela and Colombia is proposed on the basis of similar geography, climate, and sedimentation. These data also provide a maximum age for the Shaler Group (basal Reynolds Point Formation) of about 1.11 Ga. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.