Bird River greenstone belt in Manitoba – Neoarcheanarc magmatism in the western Superior Province
Paul GilbertManitoba Geological Survey
Geological Domains in southwest Superior Province
0 40
kilometres
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
Canada United States
Berens River
UchiEnglish River
Bird River
Winnipeg River
Wabigoon
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
WINNIPEG
BRB
Lake
Win
nipe
g
Lakeof the
Woods
97 06’0
51 17’0
49 00’0
95 11’0
Bird River Belt
English River Domain
Winnipeg River Domain
Winnipeg
Bird River Belt extent
BIRDRIVER
SEPARATION LAKE
MANITOBA
ONTARIO… Neoarchean Bird Rive Belt (150 km Manitoba-Ontario)
contains
TANCO Mine ~75% world Cs; also Ta
Bird River Sill ~PGE, Cr (Ni, Cu, Zn)
Outline of presentation
1. Geological overview Bird River Belt
2. Geochemical – geochronological update
3. Regional domain relationships
4. Summary
1. Paul Gilbert (Manitoba Geological Survey)1: 20 000 scale mapping
2. Manuel Duguet (Post doctoral student, Univ. of Waterloo)Regional mapping (1: 50 000 scale) with focus on structural geology
3. Paul Kremer (MSc graduate student, Univ. of Waterloo)Setting of TANCO pegmatite
4. Caroline Mealin (MSc graduate student, Univ. of Waterloo)Mapping of mafic-ultramafic Bird River Sill (PGE potential)
Bird River Belt projects initiated in 2005
Bird River Belt Stratigraphy
1. MORB-type volcanic rocks
2. Arc-type assemblage
3. Younger sedimentary rocks
Bird River Belt stratigraphy –east part
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
558
2500
mN
.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS
Booster Lake Fo.
Lamprey Falls Fm (MORB)
Lamprey Falls Fm (MORB)
Flanders Lake Fo.
South panel arc
North panel arc
Bird River Belt stratigraphy –east part
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
558
2500
mN
.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLSBooster Lake Fo.
Lamprey Falls Fm (MORB)
Lamprey Falls Fm (MORB)
FlandersLake Fo.
South panel arc
North panel arc
BirdRiverSill
Bird River Sill
• Mafic-ultramafic sill (Neoarchean 2745 ± 5 Ma)
• First explored 1898• Chromite deposits identified 1940’s; current
exploration for PGE (± Ni, Cu, Zn)
Mafic-ultramafic intrusions (PGE, Cr, Ni, Cu)
English River
Bird River
Uchi
Winnipeg River
Mayville
Domains
Bird River Sill
Maskwa granitoid bathlolith
Winnipeg River LFF
MORB-type Lamprey Falls Formation (LFF)
North flank LFF
South flank LFF
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
5582
500m
N.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS
Arc-type rocks
Cordierite schist
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
5582
500m
N.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS
Volcanogenic cglm
Debris flow
Chert
Turbidite
Younger sedimentary rocksMaskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
5582
500m
N.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS
Flanders Lake Formation
Flanders Lake Formation
Turbidite AreniteConglomerate
Booster Lake
Formation
Bird River Belt Geochemistry
• MORB-type basaltic rocks
• Arc-type assemblage ~
North panel… calc-alkaline
South panel… tholeiitic
Bird River Belt - Geochemistry
BRBSouth Panel ~north
central
.1
1
10
100
Th Nb La Ce NdSm Zr Hf Eu Ti Gd Dy Y Er Yb Lu
Rock/NMORB Stern et al., 1995 (FFB Ocean Floor paper)
Birse Lake section northBirse Lake section central
BRB North panel
.1
1
10
100
Th Nb La Ce Nd Sm Zr Hf Eu Ti Gd Dy Y Er Yb Lu
Rock/NMORB Stern et al., 1995 (FFB Ocean Floor paper)
BRB north panel arc-type rocksMaskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000m
N.
740000mE.
5582
500m
N.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winn ipeg River
BRLS
.1
1
10
100
Th Nb La Ce Nd Sm Zr Hf Eu Ti Gd Dy Y Er Yb Lu
Roc
k/N-
MO
RB
Birse Lake section south - MORB type basaltLamprey Falls Formation (BRB north flank and Winnipeg River suites)Lamprey Falls Fo.
N-MORB normalized-extended element plots
Al O2 3 MgO
FeO+Fe O +TiO2 3 2
Komatiitic
Tholeiitic
Calc-Alkalic
BRB north panel arc-type rocksBRB south panel arc-type rocks
Alk MgO
FeO*
Calc-Alkaline
Tholeiitic
BRB north panel arc-type rocksBRB south panel arc-type rocks
AFMJensen cation diagram
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000m
N.
740000mE.
558
2500
mN
.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS
BRB South panel -tholeiitic
BRB North panel –calc-alkaline
BRB North panel–calc-alkaline
BRB South panel –tholeiitic
Arc volcanic rocks
Summary of Geochemistry
Th Nb/16
Zr/117
A
B
C
D
A = N-MORB
B = E-MORB
C = OIB (Rift)
D = Arc-basalts
BRB south panel arc (TH)
Lamprey Falls Formation (MORB-type)North flankSouth flank
BRB north panel arc (CA)
Ternary diagram of Wood, D.A. (1980)
Bird River Belt Geochronology (2.745 - 2.697 Ga)
Maskwa Lake Batholith BLS
HJS
Lac du Bonnet Batholith
Birse Lake pluton
Marijane Lake
pluton
Man
itoba
Ont
ario
775000mE. 5600000mN
.
740000mE.
558
2500
mN
.
PMAP 2006-8
0 10
kilometres
BernicLake
ShatfordLake
BirseLake
GreerLake
OsisLake
RushLake
Bird
Lake
BoosterLake
Tulabi Lake
Obrien Lake
FlandersLake
RyersonLake
EaglenestLake
Winnipeg River
BRLS Booster Lake Fo.2.712 ± 17 Ma
North panel arc2.740 ± 4 Ma
South panel arc(6 m yrs younger than north panel)
Flanders Lake Fo.2.697 ± 18 Ma
Bird River Sill2.745 ± 4 Ma
2.660 Ma
2.782 Ma, 2.844 Ma
Geological Domains in SW Superior Province
English River (2.70)
Bird River (volc 2.74)
Uchi (2.90 – 2.70)
Winnipeg River(3.4 – 2.8)
English River paragneiss (2.70)
Flanders Lake Fo. sediment (2.70)
Domains in SW Superior Province
Lake WinnipegNorth Caribousuperterrane
Uchi
English River
Winnipeg River
Lake Superior
Transect Line
Ont
WinnipegRiver
terrane
Man
Ont
North Caribousuperterrane
South-north Transect
Detrital zircon data: provenance of younger sedimentary rocks
Booster LakeFormation
(2.712 ± 17 Ma)
Flanders LakeFormation
(2.697 ± 18 Ma)
2.720 Ma
3.025 Ma
3.430 Ma
3.500 Ma2.600 Ma 3.050 Ma
North CaribouSuperterrane
(3.0 – 2.8)
English River(2.70)
WinnipegRiver
(3.4 – 2.8)
Scale
T = 35
T = 49
Summary
Bird River Belt is the subject of ongoing mapping by MGS in support of current exploration for PGE, base-metals and rare-element bearing pegmatites. New data will focus on the west part of the belt.
Post arc volcanism.. collisional tectonics and synorogenic sedimentation ~ turbidite-type marine and fluvial-alluvial continental sediments(postdate volcanics by 10 – 20 m. yrs).
These ‘younger’ sedimentary rocks are apparently derived both from volcanic rocks and granitoid plutons in flanking continental terranes. They are structurally emplaced and may be allochthonous fault slices derived from the adjacent English River Domain north of Bird River Belt.
Neoarchean Bird River Belt consists mainly of arc-type rocks that were deposited on the margins of a flanking continental terrane.Arc-type components include~ tholeiitic, calc-alkaline and MORB-type basalts (arc-rift origin?).