The structural geology, kinematics and timing of deformation at the Superior craton margin, Gull Rapids, Manitoba

The Gull Rapids area, Manitoba, lies on the Superior craton margin and forms part of the Superior Boundary Zone (SBZ), a major collisional zone between the Archean Superior craton and the adjacent Paleoproterozoic Trans-Hudson Orogen. There are two main rock assemblages at Gull Rapids: orthogneisses (of possible Split Lake Block origin) and supracrustal rocks (metavolcanic and metasedimentary). Late, crosscutting felsic and mafic intrusive bodies (mostly dykes and sills) are used to constrain the relative and absolute timing of deformation and metamorphism.; Deformation and metamorphism at Gull Rapids post-dates emplacement and deposition of gneissic and supracrustal rocks, respectively. This deformation and metamorphism, except for G5 and M3, is Neoarchean (ca. 2.68--2.61 Ga), and represents a significant movement of crustal blocks: km-scale shearing of the supracrustal assemblage and consequent uplift of the Split Lake Block. Late deformation and metamorphism (G5, and M3) may be related to the Paleoproterozoic Trans-Hudson orogeny. The Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic zircon populations in the geochronological data suggest that the Gull Rapids area largely experienced Neoarchean deformation and metamorphism with a weak Paleoproterozoic overprint. All of the evidence presented above suggests that the Gull Rapids area lies in a part of the Superior Boundary Zone, yet does not lie at the exact margin of the Superior craton, and therefore does not mark the Archean-Proterozoic boundary proper in northeastern Manitoba. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...