Enigmatic diamonds in Archean calc-alkaline lamprophyres of Wawa, southern Ontario, Canada

A suite of 80 macrodiamonds recovered from volcaniclastic breccia of Wawa (southern Ontario) was characterized on the basis of morphology, nitrogen content and aggregation, cathodoluminescence (CL), and mineral inclusions. The host calc-alkaline lamprophyric breccias were emplaced at 2.68–2.74 Ga, contemporaneously with voluminous bimodal volcanism of the Michipicoten greenstone belt. The studied suite of diamonds differs from the vast majority of diamond suites found worldwide. First, the suite is hosted by calc-alkaline lamprophyric volcanics rather than by kimberlite or lamproite. Second, the host volcanic rock is amongst the oldest known diamondiferous rocks on Earth, and has experienced regional metamorphism and deformation. Finally, most diamonds show yellow-orange-red CL and contain mineral inclusions not in equilibrium with each other or their host diamond. The majority of the diamonds in the Wawa suite are colorless, weakly resorbed, octahedral single crystals and aggregates. The diamonds contain 0–740 ppm N and show two modes of N aggregation at 0–30 and 60–95% B-centers suggesting mantle storage at 1,100–1,170°C. Cathodoluminescence and FTIR spectroscopy shows that emission peaks present in orange CL stones do not likely result from irradiation or single substitutional N, in contrast to other diamonds with red CL. The diamonds contain primary inclusions of olivine (Fo₉₂ and Fo₈₉), omphacite, orthopyroxene (En₉₃), pentlandite, albite, and An-rich plagioclase. These peridotitic and eclogitic minerals are commonly found within single diamonds in a mixed paragenesis which also combines shallow and deep phases. This apparent disequilibrium can be explained by effective small-scale mixing of subducted oceanic crust and mantle rocks in fast “cold” plumes ascending from the top of the slabs in convergent margins. Alternatively, the diamonds could have formed in the pre-2.7–2.9 Ga cratonic mantle and experienced subsequent alteration of syngenetic inclusions related to host magmatism and ensuing metamorphism. Neither orogenic nor cratonic model of the diamond origin fully explains all of the observed characteristics of the diamonds and their host rocks. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Vanished diamondiferous cratonic root beneath the Southern Superior province: evidence from diamond inclusions in the Wawa metaconglomerate

We studied diamonds from a 2.697–2.700 Ga Wawa metaconglomerate (Southern Superior craton) and identified mineral inclusions of high-Cr, low-Ca pyrope garnet, low-Ti Mg-chromite, olivine (Fo₉₃), and orthopyroxene (En₉₄). The diamonds have δ¹³C of ?2.5 to ?4.0 ‰ and derive from the spinel-garnet and garnet facia of harzburgite. Geothermobarometry on non-touching, coexisting garnet-olivine and garnet-orthopyroxene pairs constrains the maximum geothermal gradient of 41 mW/m² for the Neoarchean and a minimum lithosphere thickness of 190 km. The depleted harzburgitic paragenesis equilibrated at a relatively cold geotherm suggests the presence of a pre-2.7 Ga diamondiferous cratonic root beneath the northern Wawa terrane or the Opatica terrane of the Southern Superior craton, i.e., beneath terranes identified as sources for the metaconglomerate diamonds. Geophysical surveys, geothermal data, and petrology of mantle xenoliths emplaced in the Proterozoic-Mesozoic trace evolution of the mantle thermal regime and composition from the Archean to present. The root was thinned down to 150 km by the Jurassic, when the mantle was heated to 41–42 mW/m². The diamondiferous root destruction was accompanied by more significant heating and was complete by 1.1 Ga in areas adjacent to the Midcontinent Rift. The geometry of the current high-velocity root and spatial correlations with boundaries of crustal terranes that docked to the nuclei of the Superior protocraton in the Neoarchean suggest that the root destruction in the Southern Superior may have been associated with tectonic erosion, craton amalgamation, and ensuing ingress of asthenospheric fluids.     

Composition and thermal evolution of cratonic mantle beneath the central Archean Slave Province, NWT, Canada

The composition and thermal evolution of the upper mantle lithosphere beneath the central Archean Slave Province has been studied using mineral chemical and petrographic data from mantle xenoliths entrained in the Torrie kimberlite pipe. Coarse-, granuloblastic-, and porphyroclastic- textured harzburgite, lherzolite, and pyroxenite xenoliths yield equilibration temperatures ranging between 850 and 1350 °C. Thermobarometry of these samples requires a minimum lithospheric thickness of approximately 180 km at the time of kimberlite magmatism. The distribution of pressures and temperatures of equilibration for the xenoliths lie on a calculated 42 mWm⁻² paleogeotherm, ∼10 mWm⁻² lower than the present heat flow measured at Yellowknife, near the SW margin of the Slave Province. The Mg# [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] of olivine in peridotites varies between 0.906 and 0.938 with an average of 0.920. The Torrie xenolith suite shows variable degrees of serpentinization and/or carbonation with the rim compositions of many clinopyroxene grains showing Ca enrichment, but in general, the xenoliths are homogeneous at all scales. The Torrie xenoliths are rich in orthopyroxene similar to low temperature (<1100 °C) peridotites from southern Africa, and Siberia. Estimates of bulk rock composition based on mineral chemical and modal data reveal a negative correlation between Si and Fe, similar to peridotite xenoliths from Udachnaya. The similarity of olivine Mg#s with other cratons combined with the negative correlation of Fe and Si suggest that the lithosphere beneath the Slave craton has experienced a evolution similar to other cratons globally. Received: 22 January 1998 / Accepted: 27 August 1998     

Magnesian andesites, Nb-enriched basalt-andesites, and adakites from late-Archean 2.7 Ga Wawa greenstone belts, Superior Province, Canada: implications for late Archean subduction zone petrogenetic processes

Magnesian andesites (MA) occur with 'normal' tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalt-andesite suites in four greenstone belts of the 2.7 Ga Wawa subprovince, Canada. Collectively, the magnesian andesites span ranges of SiO₂=56-64 wt%, Mg-number=0.64-0.50, with Cr and Ni contents of 531-106 and 230-21 ppm, respectively. Relative to 'normal' andesites, the magnesian andesites form distinct trends on variation diagrams, with relatively high Th and LREE contents, uniform Yb over a range of MgO, more fractionated HREE, and lower Nb/Th_pm and Nb/La_pm ratios. Niobium-enriched basalts and andesites (NEBA; Nb=7-16 ppm), and an Al-enriched rhyolite (adakite) suite are associated in space and time with the magnesian andesites. Nb-enriched basalts and andesites are characterized by high TiO₂, P₂O₅, Th, and Zr contents, variably high Zr/Hf (36-44) ratios, and more fractionated HREE (Gd/Yb_cn=1.3-4.1) compared to the 'normal' tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalt-andesite suites. The adakite suite has the high Al (Al₂O₃=16-18 wt%), high La/Yb_cn (21-43), and low Yb (0.4-1.2 ppm) of Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites and Cenozoic adakites, indicative of liquids derived mainly from slab melting. The basalt-andesite suites are not characterized by normal tholeiitic or calc-alkaline fractionation trends of major or trace elements. Rather, compositional trends can be accounted for by some combination of fractional crystallization and variable degrees of metasomatism of the source of basalt and/or andesites by adakitic liquids. The occurrence of magnesian andesites, Nb-enriched basalts/andesites, and adakites has been described from certain Phanerozoic arcs featuring shallow subduction of young and/or hot oceanic lithosphere. Adakites likely represent slab melts, magnesian andesites the product of hybridization of adakite liquids with mantle peridotite, and Nb-enriched basalts/andesites melts of the residue from hybridization. Geological similarities between the late-Archean Wawa greenstone belts and certain Cenozoic transpressional orogens with the MA-NEBA-adakite association suggest that subduction of young, hot oceanic lithosphere may have played an important role in the production of this arc-related association in the late Archean.     

Mantle derivation of Archean amphibole-bearing granitoid and associated mafic rocks: evidence from the southern Superior Province,Canada

Amphibole-bearing, Late Archean (2.73–2.68 Ga) granitoids of the southern Superior Province are examined to constrain processes of crustal development. The investigated plutons, which range from tonalite and diorite to monzodiorite, monzonite, and syenite, share textural, mineralogical and geochemical attributes suggesting a common origin as juvenile magmas. Despite variation in modal mineralogy, the plutons are geochemically characterized by normative quartz, high Al₂O₃ (> 15 wt%), Na-rich fractionation trends (mol Na₂O/K₂O >2), low to moderate Rb (generally<100 ppm), moderate to high Sr (200–1500 ppm), enriched light rare earth elements (LREE) (Ce_N generally 10–150), fractionated REE (Ce_N/Yb_N 8–30), Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu^*) 1, and decreasing REE with increasing SiO₂. The plutons all contain amphibole-rich, mafic-ultramafic rocks which occur as enclaves and igneous layers and as intrusive units which exhibit textures indicative of contemporaneous mafic and felsic magmatism. Mafic mineral assemblages include: hornblende + biotite in tonalites; augite + biotite ± orthopyroxene ± pargasitic hornblende or hornblende+biotite in dioritic to monzodioritic rocks; and aegirine-augite ± silicic edenite ± biotite in syenite to alkali granite. Discrete plagioclase and microcline grains are present in most of the suites, however, some of the syenitic rocks are hypersolvus granitoids and contain only perthite. Mafic-ultramafic rocks have REE and Y contents indicative of their formation as amphibole-rich cumulates from the associated granitoids. Some cumulate rocks have skeletal amphibole with X_Mg(Mg/(Mg+ Fe²⁺)) indicative of crystallization from more primitive liquids than the host granitoids. Geochemical variation in the granitoid suites is compatible with fractionation of amphibole together with subordinate plagioclase and, in some cases, mixing of fractionated and primitive magmas. Mafic to ultramafic units with magnesium-rich cumulus phases and primitive granitoids (mol MgO/ (MgO+0.9 FeO^TOTAL) from 0.60 to 0.70 and C_T >150 ppm) are comagmatic with the evolved granitoids and indicate that the suites are mantle-derived. Isotopic studies of Archean monzodioritic rocks have shown LREE enrichment and initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios indicating derivation from mantle sources enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) shortly before melting. Mineral assemblages record lower P_H2O with increased alkali contents of the suites. This evidence, in conjunction with experimental studies, suggests that increased alkali contents may reflect decreased P_H2O during mantle melting. These features indicate that 2.73 Ga tonalitic rocks are derived from more hydrous mantle sources than 2.68 Ga syenitic rocks, and that the spectrum of late Archean juvenile granitoid rocks is broader than previously recognized. Comparison with Phanerozoic and recent plutonic suites suggests that these Archean suites are subduction related.     

Archean adakites from the Ashuanipi complex,eastern Superior Province,Canada: geochemistry,geochronology and tectonic significance

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology - Adakitic geochemical features characterize the Desliens suite of pre-tectonic diorite to tonalite sills intruded into volcanogenic greywackes of the...     

Zircon Lu-Hf systematics and the evolution of the Archean crust in the southern Superior Province,Canada

A combined Lu-Hf and U-Th-Pb isotopic study was made of 25 zircons and 2 whole rocks from the late Archean crust (2,888-2,668 Ma) in the southern Superior Province, Canada. The relative abundances of U, Th, Lu and Hf in zircons from the low grade Michipicoten and Gamitagama greenstone belts show variable patterns which in part reflect the bulk compositional differences of their parent rocks. Zircons from the high grade lower crustal regions adjacent to these belts (Kapuskasing Structural Zone) are distinguished from the low grade zircons by their strong depletions of Lu and Hf. The low Hf contents imply that the growth of metamorphic zircon involves a significant fractionation of the Zr/Hf ratio.Initial Hf isotope ratios for Hf in zircons from the low grade rocks are correlated with silica enrichment of their host rocks. e _Hf varies from +9.2 to –1.3 and data from similar rock types exhibit correlations of e _Hf with time. Whole rock basalt analyses yield e _Hf values of +8.7 and +11.3 suggesting their derivation from a depleted mantle. The basalt data fall on an evolution trend which implies that differentiation from a chondritic mantle occurred at 3,100-2,900 Ma. Low e _Hf values (–1.3 to +1.4) for rhyolites and granites are consistent with a derivation involving remelting of old crust similar to a 2,888 Ma granite with e _HF of +0.5. Significantly higher values (+1.4 to +3.9) are found in zircons from 2,748-2,682 Ma dacites and tonalites suggesting that their parent rocks had higher Lu/Hf ratios. This may indicate that their parent rocks were mafic. However, there is some evidence that the possible lower crustal source reservoirs of these rocks may have undergone processes early in their histories which increased their Lu/ Hf ratios. This would give rise to the higher e _Hf values observed in their derivatives.     

Hf-Nd isotope evidence for contemporaneous subduction processes in the source of late Archean arc lavas from the Superior Province, Canada

Volcanic suites from Wawa greenstone belts in the southern Superior Province comprise an association of typical late Archean arc volcanic rocks including adakites, magnesian andesites (MA), niobium-enriched basalts (NEB), and ‘normal’ tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalts to rhyolites. The adakites represent melts from subducted oceanic crust and all other suites were derived from the mantle wedge above the subducting oceanic lithosphere. The magnesian andesites are interpreted to be the product of hybridization of adakite melts with arc mantle wedge peridotite. The initial ?_Hf values of the ∼2.7 Ga Wawa adakites (+3.5 to +5.2), magnesian andesites (+2.6 to +5.1), niobium-enriched basalts (+4.4 to +6.6), and ‘normal’ tholeiitic to calc-alkaline arc basalts (+5.3 to +6.4) are consistent with long-term depleted mantle sources. The niobium-enriched basalts and ‘normal’ arc basalts have more depleted ?_Hf values than the adakites and magnesian andesites. The initial ?_Nd values in the magnesian andesites (+0.4 to +2.0), niobium-enriched basalts (+1.4 to +2.4), and ‘normal’ arc tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalts (+1.6 to +2.9) overlap with, but extend to lower values than, the slab-derived adakites (+2.3 to +2.8). The lower initial ?_Nd values in the mantle-wedge-derived suites, particularly in the magnesian andesites, are attributed to recycling of an Nd-enriched component with lower ?_Nd to the mantle wedge. As a group, the slab-derived adakites plot closest to the 2.7 Ga depleted mantle value in ?_Nd versus ?_Hf space, additionally suggesting that the Nd-enriched component in the mantle wedge did not originate from the 2.7 Ga slab-derived melts. Accordingly, we suggest that the enriched component had been added to the mantle wedge at variable proportions by recycling of older continental material. This recycling process may have occurred as early as 50-70 Ma before the initiation of the 2.7 Ga subduction zone. The selective enrichment of Nd in the sources of the Superior Province magmas can be explained by experimental studies and geochemical observations in modern subduction systems, indicating that light rare earth elements (e.g., La, Ce, Sm, Nd) are more soluble than high field strength elements (e.g., Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta) in aqueous fluids that are derived from subducted slabs. As a corollary, we suggest that the recycled Nd-enriched component was added to the mantle source of the Wawa arc magmas by dehydration of subducted sediments.     

Metamorphic History of the Archean Pikwitonei Granulite Domain and the Cross Lake Subprovince, Superior Province, Manitoba, Canada

The Pikwitonei granulite domain and parts of the Cross Lakesubprovince, located along the northwestern margin of the ArcheanSuperior Province, expose an oblique cross-section through 20km of Archean continental crust. The area has been investigatedusing phase equilibrium and geochronological techniques to derivequantitative pressure-temperature-time paths as a function ofdepth in the crust. Ages from metamorphic minerals indicatethat metamorphism lasted at least from 2744 Ma to 259O Ma, butgrowth of garnet and zircon occurred only during short intervalsat 2744–2738, 2700–2687, 2660–2637, and 2629–2591Ma. Constraints from experimentally calibrated geobarometersand geothermometers and phase petrology indicate that ‘peak’conditions for the last metamorphism, at 2640 Ma, were 575?C/3kbat Utik Lake, 750?C/7kb at Cauchon Lake, 830?C/7?5–8 kbat Natawahunan Lake, and 9 kb close to the Thompson mobile belt. High-grade metamorphism was associated with intrusion and possiblyunderplating of magmas that had temperatures in excess of 1100?Cand contributed significant amounts of heat that promoted high-grademetamorphism. Mineral textures indicate that during progrademetamorphism, the terrane passed from the andalusite into thesillimanite stability field. After ‘peak’ metamorphismat 2640 Ma the terrane cooled nearly isobarically at a rateof 1–2?C/Ma. The observed characteristics of the amphiboliteto granulite terrane are consistent with a model where metamorphismoccurred in a continental magmatic arc setting with a magmaticarc superimposed on older continental crust. Following high-grademetamorphism, the time-integrated uplift rate was <70m/Ma.The crustal cross-section was exposed by late tectonic processesthat were unrelated to the high-grade metamorphism.     

Kankan diamonds (Guinea) III: δ13C and nitrogen characteristics of deep diamonds

Diamonds from the Kankan area in Guinea formed over a large depth profile beginning within the cratonic mantle lithosphere and extending through the asthenosphere and transition zone into the lower mantle. The carbon isotopic composition, the concentration of nitrogen impurities and the nitrogen aggregation level of diamonds representing this entire depth range have been determined. Peridotitic and eclogitic diamonds of lithospheric origin from Kankan have carbon isotopic compositions ('¹³C: peridotitic -5.4 to -2.2‰; eclogitic -19.7 to -0.7‰) and nitrogen characteristics (N: peridotitic 17-648 atomic ppm; eclogitic 0-1,313 atomic ppm; aggregation from IaA to IaB) which are generally typical for diamonds of these two suites worldwide. Geothermobarometry of peridotitic and eclogitic inclusion parageneses (worldwide sources) indicates that both suites formed under very similar conditions within the cratonic lithosphere, which is not consistent with a derivation of diamonds with light carbon isotopic composition from subducted organic matter within subducting oceanic slabs. Diamonds containing majorite garnet inclusions fall to the isotopically heavy side ('¹³C: -3.1‰ to +0.9‰) of the worldwide diamond population. Nitrogen contents are low (0-126 atomic ppm) and one of the two nitrogen-bearing diamonds shows such a low level of nitrogen aggregation (30% B-centre) that it cannot have been exposed to ambient temperatures of the transition zone (̿,400 °C) for more than 0.2 Ma. This suggests rapid upward transport and formation of some Kankan diamonds pene-contemporaneous to Cretaceous kimberlite activity. Similar to these diamonds from the asthenosphere and the transition zone, lower mantle diamonds show a small shift towards isotopic heavy compositions (-6.6 to -0.5‰, mode at -3.5‰). As already observed for other mines, the nitrogen contents of lower mantle diamonds were below detection (using FTIRS). The mutual shift of sublithospheric diamonds towards isotopic heavier compositions suggests a common carbon source, which may have inherited an isotopic heavy composition from a component consisting of subducted carbonates.     

A Mainly Crustal Origin for Tonalitic Granitoid Rocks, Superior Province, Canada: Implications for Late Archean Tectonomagmatic Processes

The central Wabigoon subprovince of the Superior Province, likemost plutonic domains within Archean cratons, is dominated bygranitoid rocks of the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite(TTG) series. Heterogeneous <2·83–2·74Ga tonalite gneisses and foliated tonalite to granodiorite units,emplaced at 2·722–2·709 Ga, exhibit initial     

Age and Petrogenesis of Two Late Archean Magmatic Suites, Northwestern Superior Province, Canada: Zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf Isotopic Relations

The paper presents U–Pb ages for zircon, titanite, andmonazite, and Hf isotopic data for zircon, from the rocks oftwo magmatic suites occurring mostly in the Archean Uchi Subprovinceand partly in the neighbouring Berens River and English Riversubprovinces of the northwestern Superior Province, Ontario.These data, together with observations on the morphologies and,where evident, the inheritance of the zircon crystals, constrainthe nature of the sources of the magmas and provide a recordof various crustal processes in their evolution. The older of the two magmatic suites formed at 2744–2740Ma along segments of a common arc system. The suite consistsof (1) several trondhjemitic to granodioritic plutons, with_Hf values of 6•1, intruded into older crust and possiblyformed from magma produced by partial melting of subducted,juvenile oceanic crust; (2) an assemblage of dacitic pyroclasticvolcanic rocks, with _Hf values of 3•2–4•0, associatedwith tholeiitic basalts and probably derived from magma meltedfrom arc mantle; and (3) a bimodal assemblage of tholeiiticbasalts, rhyolites, and porphyries, also with _Hf values of 6•1,associated with a volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit andapparently formed by differentiation of mantle-derived basalticmelts at shallow levels in an extensional back-arc setting. The second magmatic suite, formed between 2702 and 2693 Ma,comprises late orogenic plutons and batholiths of dioritic todominantly granodioritic composition. The characteristics ofthese intrusions are consistent with a process combining meltingof a metasomatized mantle source and subsequent fractional crystallizationof the derived magmas at shallow depths. However, most of thestudied occurrences show evidence of crustal contamination throughvarious combinations of assimilation of lower-crustal material,assimilation of underthrust sedimentary rocks, and contaminationby wall rock materials during the latest stages in the emplacementof the plutons. The involvement of crustal material is indicatedby the presence of zircon xenocrysts and by _Hf values rangingfrom 1•4 to 4•4. Only one intrusion, with an _Hf valueof 5•0 and no xenocrystic zircon, appears to have escapedwidespread contamination, perhaps because the ascent of itsmagma was facilitated by a crustal-scale fracture system.     

Comparison of Archean structural styles in two belts of the Canadian Superior Province

In the Wabigoon granite-greenstone belt, volcanic strata are folded isoclinally about vertical axes, and the strata and folds wrap around mushrooming intrusions of tonalitic gneiss. The vertical fold plunges of the volcanic strata may result from diapirism deflecting the pre-existing ESE verging and facing recumbent folds, Steep, post-tectonic metamorphic gradients cross-cut the axial surfaces. There is no consistent tectonic trend on the regional scale.In the adjacent Quetico slate and gneiss belt tectonic trends are consistently east-west. Metagreywackes are isoclinally folded with vertical, east-west axial planes. The folds have strongly curving periclinal axes so that the ‘structural facing’ of the strata varies from up-through sideways- to down-facing. Isograds are parallel to the east-west axial traces.These structural contrasts may be valid for much of the length of the Quetico and Wabigoon belts along their interface.     

Inclusions in diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlites (Slave Craton,Canada): Geochemical features of crystallization

The results of integrated studies of inclusion-containing diamonds from kimberlites of the Snap Lake dike complex (Canada) are presented. Features of the morphology, defect–impurity composition, and internal structure of the diamonds were determined by optic and scanning microscopy. The chemical composition of crystalline inclusions (olivine, garnet, and pyroxene) in diamonds was studied using a microanalyzer with an electronic probe. The inclusions of ultramafic paragenesis in the diamond (87%) are predominant. Carbonates, sulfide and hydrated silicate phases were found only in multiphase microinclusions. The large phlogopite inclusion studied was similar in composition to earlier studied nanosize inclusions of high-silica mica in diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlites. Revealed features of studied diamonds and presence of high-silica mica suggest that diamonds from Snap Lake have formed as the result of interaction between enriched in volatile and titanium high-potassium carbonate–silicate melts and peridotitic substrate at the base of thick lithospheric mantle.     

Mantle heterogeneity and crustal recycling in Archean granite-greenstone belts: Evidence from Nd isotopes and trace elements in the Rainy Lake area, Superior Province, Ontario, Canada

The 2685–2752 Ma old granite-greenstone crust in the Rainy Lake area, Ontario, consists of metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks that range in composition from tholeiite to monzogranite and include anorthosite, trachyandesite, monzodiorite and high-silica rhyodacite. Major element, rare earth and other trace element data are the basis for modelling the formation of the crust by melting of large-ionlithophile element enriched and unenriched mantle, by melting of basalt at mantle to crustal levels and by melting of monzodiorite and tonalite at crustal levels.

All metaigneous rocks lie on a ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd vs. ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd isochron with an age of 2737 ±42 Ma and an initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.509178 ±33 (ε_Nd = +1.9). This age is consistent with U-Pb zircon ages, which suggests the Nd isotopic system has been unaffected since the crust-forming events. The positive initial ε_Nd's are further evidence for time-averaged depletion in Sm/Nd relative to CHUR for the Archean mantle. The similarity of the initial Nd isotopic composition for both mantle-derived and crustally-derived rocks suggests rapid recycling of crustal components, which were previously derived from depleted mantle sources.

Initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios on individual rocks range from ε_Nd = +3.3 to ε_Nd = −0.4. Younger granitoids have lower ε_Nd values (+1.5 to −0.1) relative to tholeiites and monzodiorites crystallized from mantle-derived melts (+3.3 to +1.0). Thus, incorporation of slightly older crust (ca. 100–200 Ma) in some of the granitoid source areas is possible. Mantle-derived rocks form an isochron of 2764 ±58 Ma that represents a minimum age for enrichment processes in the mantle sources for the Rainy Lake area. Consideration of data from the Abitibi belt suggests such enrichment processes in the mantle may have preceded crust-forming events in a wide area of the Superior Province, perhaps by as much as 50–70 Ma.     

Sulphur isotopes in carbonatites and associated silicate rocks from the Superior Province, Canada

Thirty-five S isotope analyses obtained from six carbonatite complexes from the Superior Province, Canadian Shield, ranging in age from 1,897 Ma to 1,093 Ma, have δ³⁴S_CDT values of between ?4.5‰ and +3.4‰. Pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and pyrite mineral separates were used. Each complex possesses its own distinct range and mean S isotope composition. The range for Schryburt Lake is: ?4.5‰ to ?3.4‰ ( mean?=??3.9‰), for Big Beaver House: ?3.6‰ to ?1.5‰ (mean?=??2.2‰), for Cargill: ?1.5‰–+0.5‰ (mean?=??0.7‰), for Spanish River: ?0.1‰–+0.1‰ (mean?=?0.0‰), and for Firesand River: +1.3‰–+3.4‰ (mean?=?+1.7‰). A single sample from Carb Lake yielded a δ³⁴S_CDT value of +2.8‰. Differences in isotope compositions can be related to isotope effects brought about during melt generation and emplacment, such as variations in fo₂ and temperature. The different S and C isotope data for most complexes, however, suggest that the parental melts could have been generated from a heterogeneous mantle source, although process-driven changes cannot be completely ruled out.     

Late-orogenic basins in the Archaean Superior Province, Canada: characteristics and inferences

The late-orogenic Archaean Duparquet, Kirkland and Stormy basins of the Canadian Superior Province are characterized by bounding crustal-scale faults and abundant porphyry stock emplacement. Lava flows and pyroclastic deposits are restricted to the Kirkland and Stormy basins, and coarse clastic detritus characterizes the Duparquet basin. Seven distinct lithofacies are identified: (1) mafic volcanic, (2) felsic volcanic, (3) pyroclastic, (4) volcaniclastic, (5) conglomerate-sandstone, (6) sandstone-argillite  conglomerate), and (7) argillite-sandstone  tuffaceous sandstone). The mafic and felsic volcanic lithofacies represent effusive lava flows, the pyroclastic lithofacies is formed of subaerial surge and airfall deposits and the volcaniclastic lithofacies is composed of reworked volcanic debris. The conglomerate-sandstone lithofacies is interpreted as alluvial fan, fan delta or proximal braided stream deposits, whereas the sandstone-argillite lithofacies is consistent with sandy-dominated flood- or braidplain deposits. A dominantly shallow-water lacustrine setting is inferred for the argillite-sandstone lithofacies. These different lithofacies record the basin history and can be used to identify basin-forming processes. Lithofacies stacking and rapid lateral changes of lithological units in conjunction with interformational unconformities and basin margin faults suggest tectonically induced sedimentation. Volcanism can also influence basin evolution and the delicate balance between erosion, sedimentation, and prevalent transport processes is affected by volcanic input. Catastrophic influx of pyroclastic material facilitated mass-wasting processes and formation of non-confined hyperconcentrated flood flow deposits account for local congestion of alluvial or fluvial dispersal patterns. Confined stream flow processes govern sedimentation during intravolcanic phases or prominent tectonic uplift. In addition, climate which controls the weathering processes, and vegetation which stabilizes unconsolidated material, affects the transport and depositional process. A CO₂-rich aggressive weathering, humid Archaean atmosphere favours traction current deposits and an absence of vegetation promotes rapid denudation. Although tectonism is the prevalent long-term controlling factor in restricted basins, the effects of volcanism, climate and lack of vegetation can also be detected.     

Petrology of the Great Abitibi Dyke, Superior Province, Canada

The Great Abitibi Dyke (GAD) which can be traced northeast,for >> 700 km, across the Abitibi Belt in the southeasternSuperior Province of the Canadian Shield, is composed of olivinegabbro to monzodiorite, weakly saturated to undersaturated insilica. All rocks of the GAD can be derived by mainly plagioclase andolivine fractionation from a parental magma corresponding incomposition to chilled margin samples. Two units can be distinguished,a marginal unit (Unit 1) representing 0–50% crystallizationand a central unit (Unit 2), found over about half of the dykelength, representing 50–70% crystallization. Modelling,using Pearce elemental ratio analysis, quantifies the fractionationhistory and allows mass–balance calculations over thepresent exposure level of the dyke. The approximate balancebetween the amounts of cumulate and fractionated rocks suggeststhat Unit 1 differentiated essentially in situ as a closed system.In contrast, Unit 2 rocks were formed by loss of substantialplagioclase and olivine from the parental magma. This fractionatemust have either been lost to depth or left behind in an externalchamber. Unit 2 rocks show depletion in plagioclase and enrichmentin mafic minerals along strike towards the southwest (deeperexposure level?), a trend explained by density stratification.Regional variation in Unit 1 chemistry is interpreted in termsof lateral magma injection towards the northeast from the locusof Keweenawan rift volcanism. Feldspar, olivine, and augitecompositions are linearly correlated with equilibrium temperatureand extent of magma evolution. The parent magma had a trace element chemistry correspondingto a ‘within–plate’ setting and was probablyderived from an incompatible–element enriched mantle similarto the source for ocean island basalts (OIBs).     

Re-Os isotopic composition of peridotitic sulphide inclusions in diamonds from Ellendale, Australia: Age constraints on Kimberley cratonic lithosphere

Sulphide-bearing diamonds recovered from the ∼20 Ma Ellendale 4 and 9 lamproite pipes in north-western Australia were investigated to determine the nitrogen aggregation state of the diamonds and Re-Os isotope geochemistry of the sulphide inclusions. The majority of diamond studies have been based on diamonds formed in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) below stable cratons, whereas the Ellendale lamproites intrude the King Leopold Orogen, south of the Kimberley craton. The sulphide inclusions consist of pyrrhotite-pentlandite-chalcopyrite assemblages, and can be divided into peridotitic and eclogitic parageneses on the basis of their Ni and Os contents. A lherzolitic paragenesis for the high-Ni sulphide inclusions is suggested from their Re and Os concentrations. Regression analysis of the Re-Os isotope data for the lherzolitic sulphides yields an age of 1426 ± 130 Ma, with an initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of 0.1042 ± 0.0034. The upper limit of the uncertainty on the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os initial ratio gives a Re depletion age of 2.96 Ga, indicating the presence of SCLM beneath Ellendale since at least the Mesoarchaean, with the lherzolitic diamond-forming event much younger and unrelated to the craton keel stabilisation. The nitrogen aggregation state of the diamonds and calculated mantle residence temperatures suggest an origin and storage of the Ellendale diamonds in a stable cratonic SCLM, consistent with the King Leopold Orogen being cratonised by about 1.8 Ga. The diamonds do not show evidence for pervasive deformation or platelet degradation, which suggests that the diamonds had a relatively undisturbed 1.4 billion year mantle storage history.     

Geochemistry of the Archean Kam Group, Yellowknife Greenstone Belt, Slave Province, Canada

The geochemistry and isotope systematics of Archean greenstone belts provide important constraints on the origin of the volcanic rocks and tectonic models for the evolution of Archean cratons. The Kam Group is a approximately 10-km-thick pile of submarine, tholeiitic mafic, and subordinate felsic volcanic rocks erupted between 2712 and 2701 Ma that forms the bulk of the Yellowknife greenstone belt in the dominantly granite-metasedimentary Slave Province. Mafic rocks range from Normal-mid-ocean range basalt-like basalts to slightly light-rare-earth-element-enriched (LREE-enriched) but Nb-depleted basaltic andesites and andesites, whereas dacitic to rhyodacitic felsic rocks are strongly LREE-enriched and highly depleted in Nb. The varepsilonTNd range from +5 to -3 in the mafic to intermediate rocks and from 0 to -5.5 in the felsic rocks. The varepsilonTNd decreases with increasing La/Sm, SiO2 and decreasing Nb/La, suggesting that as the mafic magmas evolved they were contaminated by older basement rocks. Gneissic granitoids >2.9 Ga in age, found at the base of the Kam Group, have varepsilonTNd between -6 and -9 and are excellent candidates for the contaminant. The geochemical and isotopic data, combined with the submarine eruptive setting and field evidence for existing continental basement, support a continental margin rift model for the Kam Group. Similar geochemical-isotopic studies are required on other Slave greenstone belts in order to test evolutionary models for the Slave Province.