Tectonic subdivision and U-Pb geochronology of the crystalline basement of the Alberta basin, western Canada

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Abstract

The Precambrian basement underlying the Paleozoic rocks of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was studied by combining potential field (gravity and aeromagnetic) analysis with lithological and isotopic studies of crystalline basement samples. The 93 samples, mostly core, retrieved from hydrocarbon exploration wells, are described in this paper. The U-Pb zircon geochronology and systematics of 50 of the samples that were analyzed at the Geological Survey of Canada, are presented and interpreted. Monazite and titanite, with their lower closure temperatures, help delineate post-crystallization, regional thermal events. Sm-Nd data from 35 of the cores are presented and used to test and delineate models for the tectonic evolution of the region. The basement in southern Alberta is Archean, although an early Proterozoic titanite age in the Vulcan Low, when combined with the geophysical signature of the region suggests the presence of a Proterozoic collisional orogeny. Central Alberta is dominated by the formation of 2.3-1.8 Ga domains around the Snowbird Tectonic Zone. Northern Alberta contains a large, complex 2.4-2.0 Ga domain which is flanked by 1.95-1.85 Ga magmatic arc domains. The 1.9 Ga monazite and titanite ages on 2.0-2.4 Ga rocks show the regional effect of the magmatism at the domain margins. Sm-Nd data indicate that most of the Proterozoic domains of the Alberta basement contain a large component of remobilized Archean crustal material.

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