Lithogeochemistry of Geological Units in the Rachel-Laporte Lithotectonic Domain

The tables below summarize the lithogeochemical characteristics of geological units of the Rachel-Laporte lithotectonic domain. These units are described in the Geological Bulletin covering this area and in the Quebec Stratigraphic Lexicon. The 287 analyses used here are from samples collected during the Ministère’s 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016 mapping campaigns, in addition to data from previous and assessment works. They were selected based on certain criteria, including a sum of major oxides between 97.5% and 101.2% and a loss on ignition (LOI) of <3% (except for ultramafic rock samples). Samples collected between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed by Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario, and samples collected in 2009 and 2011 were analyzed by AcmeLabs, British Columbia.

The majority of samples in the database were analyzed for major oxides, trace elements and metals. Analyses were performed using different techniques depending on elements, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and neutron activation (INAA). For more information on the analysis and dissolution techniques used, refer to the information available for each sample in SIGÉOM à la carte.

Spider and rare earth element diagrams of several units and subunits are grouped together to form envelopes including analyses between the 25th and 75th percentiles of the population. This procedure was chosen to simplify the visualization of a large number of profiles or when profiles of the same unit are similar. The envelopes thus presented are therefore given as an indication.

Supracrustal Rocks

Stratigraphic Unit

Classification

Affinity

Tectonic Setting

Mg#

Rare Earths

Spider Diagram

Comments

Volcanic Rocks

Klein Suite (pPkle1)

70 samples

Basalt

(diagram)

Tholeiitic to transitional

(diagrams)

Plate limit basalt, N-MORB and E-MORB

(diagrams)

29.46-72.94

Flat profile

0.37 < (La/Yb)N < 8.89

0.38 < (La/Sm)N < 3.27

0.89 < (Gd/Yb)N < 2.66

0.64 < Eu/Eu* < 1.28

(diagram)

Flat profile

Slight negative anomalies in: Th and P

Slight positive anomalies in: Nd and Ti

(diagram)

Typical composition of unaltered basalt

(diagram)

Stratigraphic Unit

Classification

Protolith and Alteration

Mg#

Rare Earths

Spider Diagram

Comments

Sedimentary Rocks

Secondon Suite (pPsec)

6 samples

Arkose and litharenite

(diagram)

Sedimentary rocks derived from the upper crust (granitic), weakly altered and slightly recycled

(diagram)

(diagram)

32.62- 50.68

Profile with negative slope

22.63 < (La/Yb)N < 64.76

4.58 < (La/Sm)N < 10.17

2 < (Gd/Yb)N < 3.37

0.84 < Eu/Eu* < 1.46

(diagram)

Profile with negative slope

Negative anomalies in: Ta, Nb, P and Ti

Slight positive anomaly in: Zr 

(diagram)

 

Freneuse Suite (pPfru1)

90 samples

Wacke, litharenite and arkose

(diagram)

Sedimentary rocks derived from the upper crust (tonalitic to granodioritic), weakly altered and slightly recycled

(diagram)

(diagram)

21.53-52.31

Profile with slight negative slope

1 < (La/Yb)N < 20.2

1.68 < (La/Sm)N < 5.93

0.46 < (Gd/Yb)N < 2.85

0.29 < Eu/Eu* < 1.39

(diagram)

Profile with slight negative slope

Negative anomalies in: Ta, Nb, P and Ti

(diagram)

 

Freneuse Suite (pPfru2)

5 samples

Wacke

(diagram)

Sedimentary rocks derived from the upper crust (tonalitic), weakly altered and slightly recycled

(diagram)

(diagram)

39.16-45.41

Profile with slight negative slope

3.42 < (La/Yb)N < 6.99

2.41 < (La/Sm)N < 4.1

0.65 < (Gd/Yb)N < 1.58

0.69 < Eu/Eu* < 0.99

(diagram)

Profile with negative slope

Negative anomalies in: Ta, Nb and P

Slight positive anomalies in: Nd, Zr, Hf et Tb 

(diagram)

 

Intrusive Rocks

Stratigraphic Unit

Classification

Affinity

Tectonic Setting

Mg#

Rare Earths

Spider Diagram

Comments

Felsic and Intermediate Intrusive Rocks

Mercier Suite (pPmrc1)

31 samples

Tonalite, granite and granodiorite

(diagram)

Magnesian to ferriferous granitoid, calcic to alkaline, type I or S and hyperaluminous to metaluminous to peralkaline

(diagrams)

Volcanic arc, syncollision and post-collision granite

(diagram)

(diagrams)

8.4-45.5

Flat profile

0.7 < (La/Yb)N < 12.33

1.71 < (La/Sm)N < 4.79

0.21 < (Gd/Yb)N < 1.72

0.06 < Eu/Eu* < 2.55

(diagram)

Profile with slight negative slope

Negative anomalies in: Zr and Ti

Slight positive anomalies in: Ta, Hf, Sm, Tb, Yb and Lu

(diagram)

The variable composition and affinity suggest the presence of several different intrusions grouped within this unit. Granitoids are commonly enriched in muscovite.

Mercier Suite (mrc2)

3 samples

Granite and granodiorite

(diagram)

Ferriferous granitoid, calc-alkaline, type I and hyperaluminous 

(diagrams)

Volcanic arc and syncollision granite

(diagram)

(diagrams)

2.85-16.38

Profile with negative slope

14.56 < (La/Yb)N < 115.24

4.62 < (La/Sm)N < 11.95

1.91 < (Gd/Yb)N < 3.59

0.77 < Eu/Eu* < 2.56

(diagram)

Profile with negative slope

Negative anomalies in: Ta, Nb, P and Ti

Slight positive anomalies in: Yb and Lu

(diagram)

 

 

Stratigraphic Unit

Classification

Affinity

Mg#

Rare Earths

Spider Diagram

Comments

Mafic and Ultramafic Intrusive Rocks

Klein Suite (pPkle2)

(33 samples)

Gabbronorite, ultramafic rocks and gabbro-diorite

(diagram)

Tholeiitic

(diagram)

(diagram)

71.66-85.45

Flat profile

0.47 < (La/Yb)N < 2.75

0.62 < (La/Sm)N < 1.96

0.72 < (Gd/Yb)N < 1.59

0.6 < Eu/Eu* < 1.23

(diagram)

Flat profile

Negative anomalies in: Nb, P and Eu

Slight positive anomalies in: Ta, Hf, Sm and Ti

(diagram)

Despite a geochemical composition indicating dominant mafic rocks, the study of thin sections reveals that they are mainly peridotite and pyroxenite. 

Klein Suite (pPkle3)

(49 samples)

 

Gabbro, gabbronorite, gabbro-diorite and ultramafic rocks

(diagram)

Mostly tholeiitic

(diagram)

(diagram)

33.06-73.66

Flat profile

0.68 < (La/Yb)N < 9.08

0.71 < (La/Sm)N < 2.73

0.88 < (Gd/Yb)N < 2.26

0.83 < Eu/Eu* < 1.87

(diagram)

Flat profile

Negative anomalies in: Nb, P and Y

Slight positive anomalies in: Ta, Hf, Sm, Ti and Tb

(diagram)

Despite a geochemical composition suggesting the presence of ultramafic rocks and gabbronorite, the study of thin sections indicates that it is essentially gabbro. No orthopyroxene was observed.
 
The diagram of Kempton and Harmon (1992), which uses ratios of elements with very low mobility during metamorphism (Guilmette et al., 2009), is used to determine the evolutionary trends of protoliths of metamorphosed mafic rocks. The majority of Klein Suite mafic rock samples (kle3) fall within the primitive basalt field with a tholeiitic evolutionary trend, suggesting that these rocks represent differentiated liquids. Ultramafic samples of the Klein Suite (kle2) fall outside the primitive basalt field. They display a parallel increase in magnesian number and SiO2/Al2O3 ratio indicative of pyroxene accumulation and suggesting that they consist of cumulates.
 

References

Publications of the Government of Québec

GODET, A., VANIER, M.-A., GUILMETTE, C., LABROUSSE, L., CHARETTE, B., LAFRANCE, I. 2018. Chemins PT et style d’exhumation du Complexe de Mistinibi, Province du Churchill Sud-Est, Canada. MERN, UNIVERSITE LAVAL, SORBONNE UNIVERSITE. MB 2018-31, 32 pages.

TRÉPANIER, S. 2011. Guide pratique d’utilisation de différentes méthodes de traitement de l’altération et du métasomatisme. CONSOREM. MB 2011-13, 216 pages.

Other Publications

DEBON, F., LEFORT, P., 1983. A chemical-mineralogical classification of common plutonic rocks and associations. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Earth Sciences; volume 73, pages 135-149. doi.org/10.1017/S0263593300010117

DE LA ROCHE, H., LETERRIER, J., GRANDCLAUDE, P., MARCHAL, M., 1980. A classification of volcanic and plutonic rocks using R1-R2 diagrams and major element analyses – its relationships with current nomenclature. Chemical Geology; volume 29, pages 183-210. doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(80)90020-0

FROST, B.R., BARNES, C.G., COLLINS, W.J., ARCULUS, R.J., ELLIS, D.J., FROST, C.D., 2001. A geochemical classification for granitic rocks. Journal of Petrology; volume 12, pages 2033-2048. doi.org/10.1093/petrology/42.11.2033

GUILMETTE, C., HÉBERT, R., WANG, C., VILLENEUVE, M., 2009. Geochemistry and geochronology of the metamorphic sole underlying the Xigaze ophiolite, Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone, south Tibet. Lithos; volume 112, pages 149-163. doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2009.05.027

HARRIS, N.B.W., PEARCE, J.A., TINDLE, A.G., 1986. Geochemical characteristics of collision-zone magmatism. In Collision tectonics (Coward, M.P. and Reis, A.C., editors.). Geological Society, London; Special Publications, volume 19, pages 67-81. doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1986.019.01.04

IRVINE, T.N., BARAGAR, W.R.A., 1971. A guide to the chemical classification of common volcanic rocks. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences; volume 8, pages 523-546. doi.org/10.1139/e71-055

LARGE, R.R., GEMMELL, J.B., PAULICK, H., HUSTON D.L., 2001. The alteration box plot: a simple approach to understanding the relationship between alteration mineralogy and lithogeochemistry associated with volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits. Economic Geology; volume 96, pages 957-971. doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.96.5.957

KEMPTON, P., HARMON, R., 1992. Oxygen isotope evidence for large-scale hybridization of the lower crust during magmatic underplating. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; volume 56, pages 971-986. doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(92)90041-G

MANIAR, P.D., PICCOLI, P.M., 1989. Tectonic discrimination of granitoids. Geological Society of America Bulletin; volume 101, pages 635-643. doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1989)101<0635:TDOG>2.3.CO;2

MCDONOUGH, W.F., SUN, S.S., 1995. The composition of the earth. Chemical Geology; volume 120, pages 223-253. doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(94)00140-4

McLENNAN, S.M., HEMMING, S.R., McDANIEL, D.K., HANSON G.N., 1993. Geochemical approaches to sedimentation, provenance, and tectonics. Geological Society of America; Special Paper, volume 284, pages 21-40. doi.org/10.1130/SPE284-p21

NESBITT, H.W., 2003. Petrogenesis of siliciclastic sediments and sedimentary rocks. In Geochemistry of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks: Evolutionary Consideration to Mineral Deposit-Forming Environments (Lentz, D.R., editor). Geological Association of Canada; volume 4, pages 39-51.

PALME, H., O’NEILL, H.S.C., 2004. Cosmochemical estimates of mantle composition. In Treatise on Geochemistry. (Holland, H.D. and Turrekian, K.K. editors). Elsevier; volume 2, pages 1-38. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-095975-7.00201-1

PEARCE, J.A., 1996. A User’s guide to basalt discrimination diagrams. In Trace element geochemistry of volcanic rocks: applications for massive sulphide exploration (Wyman, D.A., editor). Geological Association of Canada; Short Course Notes, volume 12, pages 79-113.

PEARCE, J.A., GALE, G.H., 1977. Identification of ore-deposition environment from trace element geochemistry of associated igneous host rocks. Geological Society, London; Special Publications, volume 7, pages 14-24. doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1977.007.01.03

PEARCE, J.A., HARRIS, B.W., TINDLE, A.G., 1984. Trace element discrimination diagram for tectonic interpretation of granitic rocks. Journal of Petrology; volume 25, pages 956-983. doi.org/10.1093/petrology/25.4.956

PETTIJOHN, F.J., POTTER, P.E., SIEVER, R., 1972. Sand and Sandstones. Springer-Verlag; 618 pages.

ROSS, P.S., BÉDARD, J.H., 2009. Magmatic affinity of modern and ancient subalkaline volcanic rocks determined from trace-element discriminant diagrams. Canadian Journal of Earth Science; volume 46, pages 823-839. doi.org/10.1139/E09-054

WINCHESTER, J.A., FLOYD, P.A., 1977. Geochemical discrimination of different magma series and their differentiation products using immobile elements. Chemical Geology; volume 20, pages 325-343. doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(77)90057-2

WOOD, D.A., 1980. The application of a Th–Hf–Ta diagram to problems of tectonomagmatic classification and to establishing the nature of crustal contamination of basaltic lavas of the British Tertiary volcanic province. Earth and Planetary Science Letters; volume 50, pages 11-30. doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(80)90116-8

25 mai 2022