Ordovician volcanic and hypabyssal rocks in the central and southern Miramichi Highlands: their tectonic setting and relationship to contemporary volcanic rocks in northern New Brunswick

Authors

  • J. A. Winchester Winchester University ofKeele, Keele, Staffordshire, England ST5 5BG
  • C. R. van Staal Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E8, Canada
  • L. R. Fyffe Department of Natural Resources and Energy, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5H1, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4138/1859

Abstract

New analyses of mafic igneous rocks from the central Miramichi Highlands have led us to modify the interpretation of its tectonic setting. New samples have been obtained from the Bam ford Brook and Trousers Lake areas of New Brunswick, and the Danforth area in Maine. All subalkalic mafic rocks, including the Trousers Lake striped amphibolites, are associated with a thick sequence of metasedimentary rocks and all are continental tholeiites, analogous to tholeiitic suites in the Tetagouche Group of the northern Miramichi Highlands. The presence of alkalic basalt and comendite in this area supports this correlation. In the southern Miramichi Highlands of Maine, silicic and intermediate volcanic rocks form part of the Woodstock-Meductic arc-related volcanic suite. RÉSUMÉ De nouvelles analyses de roches ignées mafiques provenant du centre des hautes-terres de la Miramichi nous ont conduit à modifier l’interprétation de leur environnement tectonique. De nouveaux échantillons ont été recueillis dans les régions du ruisseau Bamford et du lac Trousers au Nouveau-Brunswick, et dans la région de Danforth au Maine. Toutes les roches mafiques subalcalines, incluant les amphibolites rubannées du lac Trousers, sont associées avec une séquence épaisse de roches métasédimentaires et sont toutes des tholéiites continentales, similaires aux suites tholéiitiques appartenant au Groupe de Tétagouche du nord des hautes-terres de la Miramichi. La présence de basaltes alcalins et de comendites dans cette région appuie cette corrélation. Dans le sud des hautes-terres de la Miramichi au Maine, les volcanites siliceuses et inlermddiaires constituent une partie de la suite volcanique d'arc de Woodstock-Meductic. [Traduit par le journal]

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Published

1992-07-01

How to Cite

Winchester, J. A., van Staal, C. R., & Fyffe, L. R. (1992). Ordovician volcanic and hypabyssal rocks in the central and southern Miramichi Highlands: their tectonic setting and relationship to contemporary volcanic rocks in northern New Brunswick. Atlantic Geoscience, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.4138/1859

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (1992)

Section

Articles

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