Vol. 50 No. 2 (2023)
Series

Heritage Stone 9. Tyndall Stone, Canada’s First Global Heritage Stone Resource: Geology, Paleontology, Ichnology and Architecture

Brian R. Pratt
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2
Graham A. Young
Manitoba Museum, 190 Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 0N2

Publié-e 2023-07-17

Mots-clés

  • Burrowing,
  • Dolomite,
  • Fossils,
  • Limestone,
  • Mottling,
  • Tyndall Stone
  • ...Plus
    Moins

Comment citer

Pratt, B. R., & Young, G. A. (2023). Heritage Stone 9. Tyndall Stone, Canada’s First Global Heritage Stone Resource: Geology, Paleontology, Ichnology and Architecture. Geoscience Canada, 50(2), 17–51. https://doi.org/10.12789/geocanj.2023.50.196

Résumé

Tyndall Stone est un calcaire dolomitique distinctement marbré et remarquablement fossilifère qui a été largement utilisé pendant plus d'un siècle au Canada, en particulier dans les provinces des Prairies. Ce calcaire s'étend sur 6 à 8 m dans la partie inférieure du membre de Selkirk de la formation de Red River, d'une épaisseur de 43 m et d'âge Ordovicien supérieur (Katien). Il est exploité exclusivement à Garson (Manitoba), à 37 km au nord-est de Winnipeg, depuis environ 1895 et, depuis un demi-siècle, l'extraction est assurée exclusivement par Gillis Quarries Ltd. En raison de l'altération par les eaux souterraines, les couches supérieures ont tendance à être brun clair alors que les couches inférieures sont grises. Le calcaire Tyndall Stone, dont la finition est le plus souvent adoucie ou sciée, a été utilisé à des fins très diverses, notamment pour le revêtement extérieur et intérieur avec des pierres de taille à assises irrégulières, ainsi que pour les encadrements de fenêtres et les embrasures de portes. Le fini éclaté et la pierre de taille de dimension aléatoire utilisant des blocs polychromes fendus le long de stylolites sont devenus populaires pour les bâtiments commerciaux et résidentiels, respectivement. Tyndall Stone se prête également à la taille de colonnes et à la réalisation d’armoiries et de sculptures. De nombreux bâtiments importants ont été construits en Tyndall Stone, notamment les édifices législatifs provinciaux de la Saskatchewan et du Manitoba, l'intérieur de l'édifice du Centre de la Chambre des communes à Ottawa, des palais de justice, des bureaux de titres fonciers, des bureaux de poste et d'autres édifices publics, ainsi que des gares, des banques, des églises, des grands magasins, des musées, des immeubles de bureaux et des bâtiments universitaires. Ces bâtiments présentent une grande variété de styles architecturaux, des Beaux-Arts à l'Art déco, en passant par le style Château et le Brutalisme. Le Musée canadien de l'histoire et le Musée canadien pour les droits de la personne sont deux bâtiments expressionnistes remarquables.
   Le membre inférieur de Selkirk est massif et se compose de roche sédimentaire carbonatée wackestone à packstone bioturbée et bioclastique, riche en ossicules de crinoïdes. Il s'est déposé dans un environnement marin à faible énergie dans la zone photique, sur l'actuel versant oriental du bassin de Williston peu profond, qui faisait partie de la vaste mer épicontinentale équatoriale couvrant la majeure partie de la Laurentia à l'époque. De minces lentilles éparses de grès bioclastique témoignent d'événements épisodiques à haute énergie. Tyndall Stone est spectaculairement fossilifère et les dalles contenant des fossiles sont de plus en plus populaires. Les macrofossiles les plus courants sont les réceptaculitides, suivis des coraux, des éponges stromatoporoïdes, des céphalopodes nautiloïdes et des gastéropodes. L'abondance relative des macrofossiles varie en fonction de la stratigraphie, ce qui suggère que des changements environnementaux subtils ont eu lieu au fil du temps.
   Les marbrures distinctives – appelées "tapisserie" dans le commerce – ont été perçues comme des terriers dolomitisés attribués aux Thalassinoides et longtemps considérées comme des réseaux de galeries vraisemblablement creusés par des arthropodes. Dans le détail, cependant, le sédiment vaseux bioclastique a subi une longue histoire de bioturbation, et les grands terriers étaient principalement des éléments horizontaux remblayés qui n'étaient jamais vides. Ils peuvent être attribués à des Planolites. La matrice et les sédiments qui les remplissent sont surchargés par plusieurs générations de terriers tubulaires plus petits, principalement attribuables à des Palaeophycus en raison de leurs revêtements muraux stratifiés distinctifs. La dolomite a remplacé l'intérieur des plus grands terriers ainsi que des plus petits terriers et la matrice environnante pendant l'enfouissement, ce qui explique la forme variable de la marbrure.

Références

  1. Birse, D.J., 1928, Dolomitization processes in the Palaeozoic horizons of Manitoba: Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, Sec. IV, v. 22, p. 215–221.221.
  2. Brisbin, W.C., Young, G., and Young, J., 2005, Geology of the Parliament Buildings 5: Geology of the Manitoba Legislative Building: Geoscience Canada, v. 32, p. 177–193.
  3. Burwash, R.A., Cruden, D.M., and Mussieux, R., 2002, The Geology of Parliament Buildings 2. The geology of the Alberta Legislative Building: Geoscience Canada, v. 29, p. 139–146.
  4. Byerly, D.W., and Knowles, S.W., 2017, Tennessee "Marble": a potential "Global Heritage Stone Resource": Episodes, v. 40, p. 325–331, https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2017/v40i4/017033.
  5. Cherns, L., Wheeley, J.R., and Karis, L., 2006, Tunneling trilobites: Habitual infaunalism in an Ordovician carbonate seafloor: Geology, v. 34, p. 657–660, https://doi.org/10.1130/G22560.1.
  6. Cocks, L.R.M., and Torsvik, T.H., 2021, Ordovician palaeogeography and climate change: Gondwana Research, v. 100, p. 53–72, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2020.09.008.
  7. Cowan, J., 1971, Ordovician and Silurian stratigraphy of the Interlake area, Manitoba, in Turnock, A.C., ed., Geoscience Studies in Manitoba: Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 9, p. 235–241.
  8. Dowling, D.B., 1900, Report on the geology of the west shore and islands of Lake Winnipeg: Geological Survey of Canada, Annual Report, v. 11, (1898), Part F, 103 p., https://doi.org/10.4095/296998.
  9. El Taki, H., and Pratt, B.R., 2012, Syndepositional tectonic activity in an epicontinental basin revealed by deformation of subaqueous carbonate laminites and evaporites: Seismites in Red River strata (Upper Ordovician) of southern Saskatchewan, Canada: Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 60, p. 37–58, https://doi.org/10.2113/gscpgbull.60.1.37.
  10. Elias, R.J., 1980, Borings in solitary rugose corals of the Selkirk Member, Red River Formation (late Middle or Upper Ordovician), southern Manitoba: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 17, p. 272–277, https://doi.org/10.1139/e80-023.
  11. Elias, R.J., 1981, Solitary rugose corals of the Selkirk member, Red River formation (late Middle or Upper Ordovician), southern Manitoba: Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 344, 61 p., https://doi.org/10.4095/109537.
  12. Elias, R.J., 1991, Environmental cycles and bioevents in the Upper Ordovician Red River-Stony Mountain solitary rugose coral province of North America, in Barnes, C.R., and Williams, S.H., eds., Advances in Ordovician Geology: Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 90-9, p. 205–211, https://doi.org/10.4095/132189.
  13. Elias, R.J., Young, G.A., Stewart, L.A., Demski, M.W., Porter, M.J., Luckie, T.D., Nowlan, G.S., and Dobrzanski, E.P., 2013, Ordovician–Silurian boundary interval in the Williston Basin outcrop belt of Manitoba: a record of global and regional environmental and biotic change: Geological Association of Canada-Mineralogical Association of Canada Joint Annual Meeting, Field Trip Guidebook FT-C, Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open-File Report OF2013-1, 49 p.
  14. Eltom, H.A., and Goldstein, R.H., 2023, Scale dependence of petrophysical measurements in reservoirs with Thalassinoides: Insights from CT scans: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 148, article 106036, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2022.106036.
  15. Garg, S., Kaur, P., Pandit, M., Fareeduddin, Kaur, G., Kamboj, A., and Thakur, S.N., 2019, Makrana Marble: a popular heritage stone resource from NW India: Geoheritage, v. 11, p. 909–925, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-018-00343-0.
  16. Gibert, J.M.de, and Ekdale, A.A., 2010, Paleobiology of the crustacean trace fossil Spongeliomorpha iberica in the Miocene of southeastern Spain: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, v. 55, p. 733–740, https://doi.org/10.4202/app.2010.0010.
  17. Gillis Quarries Ltd., no date, Tyndall Stone, a naturally quarried limestone: 20 p. [technical and commercial brochure].
  18. Gillis Quarries Ltd., 2012, Tyndall Stone, 450 million years of history: 36 p. [residential brochure].
  19. Gingras, M.K., Pemberton, S.G., Muelenbachs, K., and Machel, H., 2004, Conceptual models for burrow-related, selective dolomitization with textural and isotopic evidence from the Tyndall Stone, Canada: Geobiology, v. 2, p. 21–30, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4677.2004.00022.x.
  20. Goudge, M.F., 1933, Canadian limestone for building purposes: Canada Department of Mines, Mines Branch, Publication no. 733, 196 p.
  21. Goudge, M.F., 1944, Limestones of Canada, Part V: Western Canada: Canada Department of Mines and Resources, Mines and Geology Branch, Report no. 811, 233 p.
  22. Hannibal, J.T., Kramar, S., and Cooper, B.J., 2020, Worldwide examples of global heritage stones: an introduction, in Hannibal, J.T., Kramar, S., and Cooper, B.J., eds., Global Heritage Stone: Worldwide Examples of Heritage Stones: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, v. 486, p. 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP486-2020-84.
  23. Heldal, T., Meyer, G.B., and Dahl, R., 2014, Global stone heritage: Larvikite, Norway, in Pereira, D., Marker, B.R., Kramar, S., Cooper, B.J., and Schouenborg, B.E., eds., Global Heritage Stone: Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, v. 407, p. 21–34, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.14.
  24. Holland, S.M., and Patzkowsky, M.E., 2009, The stratigraphic distribution of fossils in a tropical carbonate succession: Ordovician Bighorn Dolomite, Wyoming, USA: Palaios, v. 24, p. 303–317, https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2008.p08-095r.
  25. ILI, 2007, Indiana Limestone Handbook (22nd ed.). Indiana Limestone Institute of America, Inc., Bedford, 157 p.
  26. Jin, J., and Zhan, R-b., 2001, Late Ordovician articulate brachiopods from the Red River and Stony Mountain formations, Southern Manitoba: National Research Council Press, Ottawa, 117 p., https://doi.org/10.1139/9780660182834.
  27. Jin, J., Caldwell, W.G.E., and Norford, B.S.,1997, Late Ordovician brachiopods and biostratigraphy of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, northern Manitoba and Ontario: Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 513, 122 p., https://doi.org/10.4095/208903.
  28. Jin, J., Harper, D.A.T., Rasmussen, J.A., and Sheehan, P.M., 2012, Late Ordovician massive-bedded Thalassinoides ichnofacies along the palaeoequator of Laurentia: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 367–368, p. 73–88, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.05.023.
  29. Jin, J., Harper, D.A.T., Cocks, L.R.M., McCausland, P.J.A., Rasmussen, C.M.Ø., and Sheehan, P.M., 2013, Precisely locating the Ordovician equator in Laurentia: Geology, v. 41, p. 107–110, https://doi.org/10.1130/G33688.1.
  30. Kaur, G., 2022, Heritage Stone Subcommission: An IUGS Subcommission of the International Commission on Geoheritage: Journal of the Geological Society of India, v. 98, p. 587–590, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2030-1.
  31. Keighley, D.G., and Pickerill, R.K., 1995, The ichnotaxa Palaeophycus and Planolites: Historical perspectives and recommendations: Ichnos, v. 3, p. 301–309, https://doi.org/10.1080/10420949509386400.
  32. Kendall, A.C., 1976, The Ordovician carbonate succession (Bighorn Group) of southeastern Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Department of Mineral Resources, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Report 180, 185 p.
  33. Kendall, A.C., 1977, Origin of dolomite mottling in Ordovician limestones from Saskatchewan and Manitoba: Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 25, p. 480–504.
  34. Knaust, D., 2020, Sulcolithos variabilis igen. et isp. nov.: grooves on firm and hard bedding surfaces: Paläontologische Zeitschrift, v. 94, p. 195–206, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-019-00464-z.
  35. Knaust, D., 2021, Balanoglossites-burrowed firmgrounds – The most common ichnofabric on earth?: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 220, article 103747, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103747.
  36. Lavoie, D., Pinet, N., Zhang, S., Reyes, J., and 20 others, 2022, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Moose River, and Foxe basins: synthesis of Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals program. Activities from 2008 to 2018, in Lavoie, D., and Dewing, K., eds., Sedimentary Basins of Northern Canada: Contributions to a 1000 Ma Geological Journey and Insight on Resource Potential: Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 609, p. 37–76, https://doi.org/10.4095/326074.
  37. Lawrence, D.E., 2001, Building stones of Canada's federal parliament buildings: Geoscience Canada, v. 28, p. 13–30.
  38. Ledoux, R., and Jaco, H.-L., 2003, Geology of the parliament buildings 4. Géologie des édifices du Parlement du Québec: Geoscience Canada, v. 30, p. 145–160.
  39. Myrow, P.M., 1995, Thalassinoides and the enigma of early Paleozoic open-framework burrow systems: Palaios, v. 10, p. 58–74, https://doi.org/10.2307/3515007.
  40. Nestor, H., Soesoo, A., Linna, A., Hints, O., and Nõlvak, J., 2007, The Ordovician in Estonia and southern Finland: MTÜ GEOGuide Baltoscandia, Tallinn, 37 p.
  41. Nicolas, M.P.B., Matile, G.L.D., Keller, G.R., and Bamburak, J.D., 2010, Phanerozoic geology of southern Manitoba: Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Stratigraphic Map SM2010-1, 2 sheets, scale 1:600 000.
  42. Nitecki, M.H., Mutvei, H., and Nitecki, D.V., 1999, Receptaculitids: A Phylogenetic Debate on a Problematic Fossil Taxon: Kluwer/Plenum, New York, 241 p., https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4691-7.
  43. Novack-Gottshall, P.M., and Burton, K., 2014, Morphometrics indicates giant Ordovician macluritid gastropods switched life habit during ontogeny: Journal of Paleontology, v. 88, p. 1050–1055, https://doi.org/10.1666/13-129.
  44. Pak, R., and Pemberton, S.G., 2003, Ichnology of the Yeoman Formation: Saskatchewan Industry Resources, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Summary of Investigations 2003, Volume 1, Miscellaneous Report 2003-4.1, Paper A-3, 16 p.
  45. Parks, W.A., 1916, Report on the Building and Ornamental Stones of Canada: Volume IV, Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta: Canada Department of Mines, Mines Branch, Report 388, 333 p., https://doi.org/10.4095/247657.
  46. Pemberton, S.G., and Frey, R.W., 1982, Trace fossil nomenclature and the Planolites-Palaeophycus dilemma: Journal of Paleontology, v. 56, p. 843–881, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1304706.
  47. Pereira, D., and Page, K., 2017, A new IUGS Commission for Geoheritage: The 'ICG': Episodes, v. 40, p. 77–78, https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2017/v40i1/011.
  48. Pratt, B.R., and Bordonaro, O.L., 2007, Tsunamis in a stormy sea: Middle Cambrian inner-shelf limestones of western Argentina: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 77, p. 256–262, https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2007.032.
  49. Pratt, B.R., and Haidl, F.M., 2008, Microbial patch reefs in Upper Ordovician Red River strata, Williston Basin, Saskatchewan: signal of heating in a deteriorating epeiric sea, in Pratt, B.R., and Holmden, C., eds., The Dynamics of Epeiric Seas: Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 48, p. 303–340.
  50. Primavori, P., 2015, Carrara Marble: a nomination for 'Global Heritage Stone Resource' from Italy, in Pereira, D., Marker, B.R., Kramar, S., Cooper, B.J., and Schouenborg, B.E., eds., Global Heritage Stone: Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, v. 407, p. 137–154, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.21.
  51. Salad Hersi, O., Lavoie, D., and Nowlan, G.S., 2002, Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Upper Cambrian Strites Pond Formation, Philipsburg Group, southern Quebec, and implications for the Cambrian platform in eastern Canada: Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 50, p. 542–565.
  52. Sheehan, P.M., and Schiefelbein, D.R.J., 1984, The trace fossil Thalassinoides from the Upper Ordovician of the eastern Great Basin: Deep burrowing in the early Paleozoic: Journal of Paleontology, v. 58, p. 440–447.
  53. Stewart, L.A., Elias, R.J., and Young, G.A., 2010, Stromatoporoids and colonial corals hosting borers and linguloid brachiopods, Ordovician of Manitoba, Canada: Palaeoworld, v. 19, p. 249–255, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2010.09.013.
  54. Sweet, W.C., and Bergström, S.M., 1984, Conodont provinces and biofacies of the Late Ordovician, in Clark, D.L., ed., Conodont Biofacies and Provincialism: Geological Society of America, Special Papers, v. 196, p. 69–87, https://doi.org/10.1130/SPE196-p69.
  55. Wallace, R.C., 1913, Pseudobrecciation in Ordovician limestones in Manitoba: Journal of Geology, v. 21, p. 402–421, https://doi.org/10.1086/622083.
  56. Westrop, S.R., and Ludvigsen, R., 1983, Systematics and paleoecology of Upper Ordovician trilobites from the Selkirk Member of the Red River Formation, Southern Manitoba: Manitoba Department of Energy and Mines, Mineral Resources Division, Geological Report GR 82-2, 51 p.
  57. Wong, S., 2002, Paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstruction of the Tyndall Stone, Selkirk Member, Red River Formation (Late Ordovician), southern Manitoba: Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, University of Manitoba, 343 p.
  58. Young, G.A., Elias, R.J., Wong, S., and Dobrzanski, E.P., 2008, Upper Ordovician rocks and fossils in southern Manitoba: Canadian Paleontology Conference, Field Trip Guidebook No. 13, Geological Association of Canada, St. John's, Newfoundland, 97 p.
  59. Zenger, D.H., 1996a, Dolomitization patterns in widespread "Bighorn Facies" (Upper Ordovician), western craton, USA: Carbonates and Evaporites, v. 11, p. 219–225, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175640.
  60. Zenger, D.H., 1996b, Dolomitization of the "C" zone, Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician) in a deep core, Williston basin, Richland County, eastern Montana: Contributions to Geology, University of Wyoming, v. 31, p. 57–75.
  61. Zheng, C.Y.C., Mángano, M.G., and Buatois, L.A., 2018, Ichnology and depositional environments of the Upper Ordovician Stony Mountain Formation in the Williston Basin, Canada: Refining ichnofacies and ichnofabric models for epeiric sea carbonates: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 501, p. 13–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.04.001.