Geochemistry and source-tracing of the Sparrow Dyke Swarm, the Tsu Lake dykes, the Martin Group Igneous Rocks and the Christopher Island Formation

• Author / Creator

  D'Souza, Rameses J.

• The present study has determined that tholeiitic basalt dykes, trending 130, found near Tsu Lake, NT, are geochemically similar to the Sparrow Dyke Swarm (McGlynn et al., 1974). Geochemically, the correlation of the calc-alkaline basalts of the Martin Group Igneous Rock (MGIR) with the Sparrow (Morelli et al., 2009), is invalid as the former display higher incompatible element concentrations. Rather, the MGIR are geochemically similar to the ultrapotassic Christopher Island Formation (CIF).
  Of these three suites, the Sparrow shows the least negative ϵNd, the CIF is the most negative and the MGIR is intermediate. Initial 87Sr/86Sr of these suites is similar within error. This is interpreted as evidence that the intensity of the metasomatism responsible for enriching the lithospheric mantle source of the CIF (Cousens et al., 2001) began to wane towards the SW, where the MGIR were sourced, and was minimal where the Sparrow swarm was sourced.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Churchill
  • 1.83Ga
  • Dykes
  • Sparrow
  • Paleoproterozoic
  • CIF

• Graduation date

  Spring 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3P71V

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.