Paleomagnetism in northern Alaska (and the career of David Symons), from displaced terranes on the west coast of North America to the age dating of base metal ores
Abstract
Paleomagnetism of barren and mineralized Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Red Dog Zn-Pb deposit in the Brooks Range Mountains of northern Alaska isolated several components. Mineralized and barren rocks with quartz alteration have a steep west-southwesterly magnetization retained by magnetite (N=16, D=247, I=73, k=73). Fluid inclusions indicate that the quartz formed during deep burial and Ar/Ar dating yielded an age of 126 Ma. Heavily mineralized rocks plus mineralized shales lacking quartz replacement have a shallower southwesterly magnetization carried by pyrrhotite (N=11, D=220, I=51, k=28). Geological features and Re/Os dating indicate that the ore formed in the late Paleozoic. A Mississippian igneous sill (344 Ma, Ar/Ar) in the mine has a southwest and shallow magnetization carried by magnetite (1 site). Ultramafic igneous intrusive rocks from Asik Mountain ~100 kms south of Red Dog, have been indirectly dated at about 150 Ma (K/Ar) and have a west-southwesterly magnetization carried by magnetite (N=11, D=255, I=82, k=19). Tectonic models for the Mesozoic origin of northern Alaska can be grouped into three categories: 1) contiguous to ancestral of North America; 2) peri-autochthonous with angular displacements; and, 3) allochthonous terranes accreted to ancestral North America. The combination of geologic, radiometric and paleomagnetic data from Red Dog allows for both testing of the models and paleomagnetic dating of the Red Dog ores. The data can only be collectively explained by Mississippian syngenetic mineralization and pyrrhotite magnetization, Mesozoic northward translation and counterclockwise rotation of a displaced terrane (aka "The Alaskan Terrane Wreck") and, finally, deep burial resulting in remagnetization of some of the ores associated with quartz replacement.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004AGUSMGP34A..05L
- Keywords:
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- 1525 Paleomagnetism applied to tectonics (regional;
- global);
- 1527 Paleomagnetism applied to geologic processes;
- 1533 Remagnetization;
- 8105 Continental margins and sedimentary basins;
- 9315 Arctic region