Geochemical comparison of mafic, felsic, and ultramafic rocks in the Hurricane Mountain mélange to the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex, west-central Maine

Authors

  • Harriet E. van Vleck Department of Geology, 6800 College Station, Bowdoin College, Brunswick ME 04011-8468 USA.
  • Rachel J. Beane Department of Geology, 6800 College Station, Bowdoin College, Brunswick ME 04011-8468 USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4138/1969

Abstract

The Hurricane Mountain mélange, Maine, marks the suture zone between the suspected Boundary Mountain and Gander terranes. To the west the Hurricane Mountain mélange is bounded by the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex, and on the southeast it is overlain by the Dead River flysch. This ophiolite- mélange -flysch sequence may mark a terrane suture that trends northeast from the northern New Hampshire border across west-central Maine and into New Brunswick. The matrix of the Hurricane Mountain mélange includes mafic volcanic, felsic volcanic, metasedimentary and serpentinitc blocks Major and trace element analysis of the igneous blocks in mélange shows strong geochemical similarities to mafic volcanic, felsic volcanic and ultramafic units of the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex. Analysis of relict clinopyroxene grains further supports a correlation between the mafic mélange blocks and the upper mafic unit of the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex. Overall, the field, petrographic, and geochemical data suggest that the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex is the probable source for the exotic blocks in the Hurricane Mountain mélange. RÉSUMÉ Le mélange du mont Hurricane, au Maine, marque la zone de suture entre les terranes présumés du mont Boundary et de Gander. À l'ouest. Ic mélange du mont Hurricane est limité par le cortège ophiolitique du mont Boil, et à partir du sud-ouest, il est rccouvert par le flysch de la rivière Dead Ce cortège ophiolite-mélange-flysch pourrait marquer un terrane de suture orienté vers le nord-csi à partir de la frontière septentrionale du New Hampshire et traversant le centre-ouest du Maine jusqu'a 1'interieurdu Nouveau-Brunswick Les blocs a l'interieur de la matricc du mélange du mont Hurricane comprennent des roches volcanomafiques, des roches volcanofelsiques. des blocs métasedimentaires et des serpentinites. Les analyses des elements majeure et des éléments traces des blocs du mélange révèlent des similarités géochimiques marquees avec les unites volcanomafiques, volcanofelsiques et ultramafiques du cortege ophiolithique du mont Boil. Une analyse de grains de clinopyroxene résiduels appuie elle aussi une corrélation entre les blocs du mélange mafique et l'unité mafique supérieure du cortége ophiolitique du mont Boil. En somme les données de terrain et les données pétrographiques et géochimiques laissent supposer que le cortège ophiolitique du mont Boil constitue la source probable des blocs du mélange exotique du mont Hurricane Traduit par la rédaction

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Published

2001-03-01

How to Cite

van Vleck, H. E., & Beane, R. J. (2001). Geochemical comparison of mafic, felsic, and ultramafic rocks in the Hurricane Mountain mélange to the Boil Mountain ophiolite complex, west-central Maine. Atlantic Geoscience, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.4138/1969

Issue

Vol. 37 No. 1 (2001)

Section

Articles

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