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The Archean Horne 5 deposit, located in the Rouyn-Noranda district in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada, contains a total resource of 172.4 t Au (5.6 Moz) from 112.7 Mt of ore grading at 1.53 g/t Au. The deposit is part of the Au-rich Horne volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) complex that also includes the past-producing Horne mine (i.e., the Upper and Lower H zones plus small subsidiary lenses) that yielded 325.4 t Au (10.5 Moz Au) from 53.7 Mt of ore grading at 6.06 g/t Au. Combined, the Horne mine and Horne 5 deposit contain ~500 t Au (16 Moz), making them the world’s single largest accumulation of VMS-related Au. The Horne 5 deposit consists of stacked lenses of massive to semimassive sulfides alternating with extensive zones of disseminated and stringer sulfides. The mineralization is hosted within thick accumulations of steeply dipping dacitic to rhyodacitic volcaniclastic units of transitional to calc-alkaline magmatic affinity. Dacitic-rhyodacitic synvolcanic units (lobes, sills, and/or domes) intrude the host succession, which is also crosscut by a series of post-ore mafic and younger intermediate to felsic feldspar ± quartz porphyry dikes. A broad and diffuse halo of distal sericite-chlorite-epidote alteration extends outboard of intensely sericite-altered zones proximal to the sulfide lenses. Gold is interpreted to be synvolcanic on the basis of Au-rich massive sulfide clasts in the volcaniclastic units, the presence of preserved Au-rich primary pyrite, Au zones limited to the sulfide envelope, crosscutting deformed but unaltered and barren dikes, and the absence of typical syndeformation, orogenic-style alteration and mineralization despite overprinting high-strain corridors and faults. Gold is spatially associated with pyrite, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite, and its distribution is largely controlled by the higher porosity and permeability of the volcaniclastic host rocks, which are interpreted to have facilitated hydrothermal fluid circulation in the subseafloor environment. Synvolcanic intrusions and fine-grained tuffs overlying auriferous zones also influenced the distribution of the mineralization by acting as cap rocks to ascending fluids. Evidence suggests that Au enrichment at the Horne 5 deposit is due to efficient transport and precipitation of Au in the subseafloor environment, a favorable geodynamic setting (transitional to calc-alkaline magmatism over thick crust), and possible input of magmatic fluids as suggested by high Te and Cu in the mineralization. Minor and very local remobilization of metals occurred in response to regional deformation and associated greenschist facies metamorphism. The detailed study of the Horne 5 deposit geology and a review of the available information on the Horne mine and recent 3-D modeling indicate that the Horne 5 deposit may have formed higher in the stratigraphy than the Upper and Lower H orebodies of the former Horne mine, which originally formed a single lens. Therefore, the Horne Au-rich VMS complex originally formed as a stacked system in which the Horne 5 deposit was deposited above the Upper and Lower H zones and not in a distal or lateral position as previously proposed, indicating that a robust hydrothermal system was responsible for the formation of the world’s largest Au-rich VMS complex.

Lamprophyres are minor intrusions with atypical sources and crystallisation sequences. Among lamprophyres, the calc-alkaline (CAL) type on which this study focuses has the least distinctive chemistry and petrology. CAL correspond to small-volume mafic intrusions characterised by the early fractionation of amphibole and (or) biotite. In the Archean Superior Province (Canada), CAL are temporally and spatially related to several gold deposits and may thus be relevant to mineral exploration. This study focuses on several altered and metamorphosed intrusions of the Abitibi and La Grande subprovinces, which were designated lamprophyres based on field observations. Several criteria established from thin sections, whole-rock chemical analyses, and SEM data are applied to the studied rocks to distinguish CAL from other types of magma. As a result, only one of the studied dykes has the morphology, chemistry, and petrology typical of CAL, while the other intrusions are either too altered to be classified or may correspond to metamorphosed and metasomatized gabbro and diorite. This study shows that thin sections and whole-rock chemical analyses are not always sufficient to unequivocally classify an altered and metamorphosed intrusion as a CAL. Also, intrusions as challenging to recognise as CAL should not be used by exploration geologists to prospect for orogenic gold deposits. Much remains to be done to document the distribution and volume represented by lamprophyres in Archean greenstone belts and to confirm their spatial dependence with gold deposits.

Conventional provenance studies of high grade (e.g., amphibolite facies) metamorphic sandstone are limited due to intense recrystallization, destruction of original minerals, and growth of new minerals. Magnetite is a heavy mineral common in a wide range of sedimentary rocks. It can originate from a wide range of rock sources from high-temperature to low-temperature magmatic, metamorphic, or hydrothermal environments. Laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS and electron microprobe analytical techniques allowed determination of a wide range of trace elements at sub ppm levels in magnetite to identify the provenance of two Archean sedimentary formations in Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, Quebec, Canada. Results were plotted on multi-element diagrams. The most compatible elements in magnetite were identified as the most discriminant elements to differentiate four potential different rock sources for the Magin Formation. Overlap between the spectra of the Magin and Keyano formations substantiate the existence of a common source. Interbedded conglomerate magnetite-bearing clasts were examined to determine potential source-rocks. Mafic clasts apparently do not contain magnetite. Detrital magnetites analyzed have low Ti values that would support either felsic (to intermediate) plutonic or a hydrothermal source. The trace-element spectra of detrital magnetite from the sandstone beds were compared to magnetite spectra from conglomerate clasts of banded iron formation and felsic to intermediate plutonic rocks. Only magnetites from felsic plutonic rocks have a signature similar to those from the sandstone. To further substantiate a felsic plutonic source, a detailed study of magnetite chemistry from ten felsic and intermediate regional plutons from a regional databank allowed us to recognize that each of these plutons has a particular signature on the basis of wide variations in Ni and Cr. From this data base, four individual plutons were identified as potential sources for the Magin Formation. Recently published magnetite discrimination diagrams proposed for mineral deposits can be applied to sedimentary magnetite provenance. However, our database shows the importance of identifying low-Ti magnetite from felsic rocks since these could be misidentified as low-Ti magnetite from hydrothermal mineral deposits. Thus, we propose improvement to these diagrams by differentiating magnetite from felsic magmatic (low Ni/Cr) and hydrothermal (high Ni/Cr) sources before applying the mineral-deposit discrimination diagrams.

The Misery syenitic intrusion in northern Quebec is host to a potentially important, recently discovered rare earth element (REE)-Zr-Nb prospect, containing significant concentrations of both light and heavy REEs, and is conspicuous on aeromagnetic maps as a well-defined, ring-shaped anomaly. Felsic syenite composed of idiomorphic perthite with interstitial mafic minerals, comprising fayalite, hedenbergite, ferropargasite and annite dominates the exposed outer part of the intrusion (the core is covered by Misery Lake). This unit is accompanied by ferrosyenite containing up to 50 vol % mafic minerals, including cumulate fayalite. The ferrosyenite, which occurs as amoeboid-like inclusions in the felsic syenite, is interpreted to have formed by fractional crystallization of ferromagnesian minerals, leaving behind a residual magma which produced the felsic syenites. This latter magma was progressively enriched in alkalis and silica, and only became saturated in ferromagnesian minerals at a very late stage of crystallization. The bulk of the REE mineralization was initially concentrated in pods and layers of fluorapatite that accumulated as a result of gravitational settling. The fluorapatite crystals were partly or completely replaced by britholite-(Ce), which further enriched the rocks in LREEs. Locally, thin quartz-fayalite dikes cut the felsic syenite. These dikes contain up to 10 vol % fergusonite-(Y) and 8 vol % zircon, and are interpreted to be products of an immiscible FeO-SiO 2 -rich magma into which Zr, Nb, and HREEs were preferentially fractionated from the conjugate felsic syenite magma.

This is the second of a two-part special issue of Economic Geology devoted to Archean ore deposits. The first part of the special issue (Vol. 107, No. 5) contains six papers that discuss craton to deposit-scale controls on komatiite-associated Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits (Barnes and Fiorentini, 2012; Collins et al., 2012; Fiorentini et al., 2012; Heggie et al., 2012a, b; Taranovic et al., 2012) and six papers that discuss the diversity and key aspects of greenstone-hosted Au deposits (Cote-Mantha et al., 2012; Garde et al., 2012; Leclerc et al., 2012; Mercier-Langevin et al., 2012b; Schneider et al., 2012; Sherlock et al., 2012). A general introduction to the special issue and an overview of some implications for exploration for greenstone-hosted Au and komatiite-associated Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits in ancient belts is given in Mercier-Langevin et al. (2012a). The ten papers in this second part of the special issue discuss specific aspects of Archean volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. The Archean, which represents more than one-third of Earth’s history, was a prolific period for the formation of VMS deposits (Franklin et al., 2005). Most of these deposits formed within a comparatively narrow time interval between 2740 and 2690 Ma in the Neoarchean. Approximately 8% of the global VMS tonnage (production, reserves, and geologic resources) is contained within deposits of Archean age (Fig. 1A). Given the low degree of preservation of Archean crust compared to Phanerozoic crust (e.g., Veizer, 1988), the abundance of Archean VMS deposits is remarkable. Proterozoic VMS deposits account for approximately 20% of the global VMS tonnage, whereas the Phanerozoic deposits contain 72% of the global tonnage. The latter is due, in large part, to giant VMS deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Spain and Portugal, the Urals in Russia, the Rudny …

The 2704 to 2695 Ma Blake River Group in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt comprises a well preserved submarine volcanic sequence that hosts a large number of VMS and important Au-rich VMS deposits, including the world-class Horne and LaRonde-Penna deposits. Establishing precise chronostratigraphic control on the VMS deposits within the Blake River Group is critical because numerous distinct events took place within a period of 9 m.y. Nineteen new high-precision U-Pb ages temporally constrain the host rocks of many polymetallic VMS deposits and associated synvolcanic intrusions, demonstrating that these VMS deposits formed throughout the protracted volcanic evolution of the entire group. Ages on host rocks of the Horne (2702.2 ± 0.9 Ma), Quemont (2702.0 ± 0.8 Ma), and Fabie (2701.9 ± 0.9 Ma) deposits reveal that they are among the oldest VMS deposits in the Blake River Group. The giant Horne Au-rich VMS deposit had already formed when the Cu-Zn deposits of the Noranda mine sequence, including Millenbach and Amulet, were generated at ~2698 Ma and is thus unrelated, consistent with its different volcanological setting and metal content. Large Au-rich VMS deposits of the Bousquet Formation, including LaRonde Penna and Bousquet 2-Dumagami, were formed at 2698 to 2697 Ma and are distinctly younger than the Horne and Quemont deposits. There were, therefore, two major time-stratigraphic intervals within the Blake River Group that were favorable for the formation of Au-rich VMS deposits. Rhyolite hosting the large Bouchard-Hebert VMS deposits yielded an age of 2695.8 ± 0.8 Ma. Important mineralizing events in the Blake River Group occur at ca. 2-m.y. intervals apart and are associated with major magmatic episodes. Recognition of specific time-stratigraphic intervals for different styles of mineralization and geologic settings is essential to improve exploration models within the Blake River Group and for similar volcanic assemblages elsewhere in the Archean.

An innovative approach to enhance volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) exploration in regions outside of mining camps is to first use physical volcanology with litho- and chemostratigraphy to establish the location of effusive centers in the volcanic units and use pyrite geochemistry in sulfide-bearing stratified intervals with whole-rock geochemistry in the underlying volcanic units to identify hydrothermal upflow zones. This methodology is illustrated by this study in the Archean Blake River Group within the Abitibi greenstone belt of Quebec and Ontario. The Blake River Group contains numerous VMS deposits, yet large segments remain underexplored, including the Hebecourt Formation which contains four tholeiitic units that range from basalt to rhyolite in composition. Effusive centers are located for three felsic units and subunits: (1) low Ti (porphyritic) subunit of the main rhyolite, (2) high Ti (aphyric) subunit of the main rhyolite, and (3) the upper rhyolite, and for a basaltic andesite unit. Stringer and disseminated Zn-Cu mineralization occurs within the flank breccia of the low Ti rhyolite dome. An inferred vent area for an overlying basaltic andesitic unit has also been identified in this area, illustrating the coincidence of hydrothermal upflow zones with volcanic vents. LA-ICP-MS analysis of pyrite grains from several sulfide-bearing stratified intervals indicates two broad areas of higher Cu, Zn, Au, and Ag contents. The eastern region corresponds to known volcanic vents and mineralization. The western region also indicates upflow of Cu-bearing hydrothermal fluids and corresponds to a possible effusive center for the high Ti subunit. The western region does not contain known mineralization at lower stratigraphic positions, but it has not been thoroughly explored.

The hydrothermal system architecture related to the formation of the contemporaneous Au-bearing Horne and Quemont volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits was visualized by employing kriging methods to map whole-rock oxygen isotope compositions, zones of silica addition and loss, and water contents in two- and three-dimension. Zones of alteration were mapped in three-dimensions in the vicinity of the steeply dipping Horne deposit, to depths of as much as 2 km. In all, nearly 300 samples were analyzed for oxygen isotopes and supplemented by previously published whole-rock analyses. Contents of SiO2, H2O, MgO, Al2O3, and S from chemical analyses of nearly 5,000 samples within the two- and three-dimensional study regions were used separately, and in combination with the oxygen isotope data, for modeling and hydrothermal mapping purposes. The Horne and Quemont deposits formed within a similar time frame, but in different magmatic-hydrothermal systems, distinguished by their mapped hydrothermal architecture. The Quemont deposit appears to be centered on the Powell pluton, which intruded late into an apparent volcanic-filled, rift-graben structure. Although structural complexities are apparent, we infer mineralizing high-temperature upflow in the footwall of the Quemont deposit to have emanated from a reaction zone above the Powell pluton (and its precursors), beneath a zone of extensive silicification. Faulting on the Andesite fault and Horne Creek faults, plus erosion, has removed evidence of the upflow zone in the hydrothermal system of the Horne deposit. Areas of silicification correspond, in general, with isotopic evidence of lower temperature alteration. Such alteration east of the Quemont deposit signaled the waning of hydrothermal activity. The suggested cooling, for the most part, promoted the precipitation of silica. In the case of the Horne deposit, mixing of metalliferous hydrothermal fluid with cold seawater in the permeable footwall rocks, in an apparently relatively stratigraphically stable and long-lived hydrothermal system, evidently led to marked footwall silicification. The silicified footwall may have contributed to an increased efficiency of sulfide precipitation in the Horne deposit. Continued intrusion and some post-VMS hydrothermal activity is recorded in the hanging-wall section to the Horne deposit. Our data suggest that deposition of the 10 million ounces (Moz) of Au within the Horne deposit was syngenetic, and not the product of subsequent hydrothermal activity.

Two seismic reflection profiles acquired by Xstrata Canada in the Noranda mining camp were reprocessed and interpreted with the objective of providing key information on the geologic contacts and structures associated with volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits at depth. The Amulet and Ribago seismic profiles run approximately from east to west and cross the volcanic rocks of the Noranda formation, which host most of the ore deposits in this camp. The seismic data interpretation relies strongly on a detailed three-dimensional geologic model built from an extensive number of exploration boreholes available in this area and is further supported by physical rock property measurements from in situ borehole logging data. Some reflections observed on the Amulet and Ribago seismic profiles correlate with rhyolite/andesite or silicified-andesite/andesite contacts that host the prospective exhalites of the Noranda formation. In particular, the silicified-andesite/andesite contact hosting the C-contact exhalite is imaged clearly down to a vertical depth of 1,100 m along the Ribago profile. The processing sequence included dip moveout (DMO) corrections and poststack migration. The seismic data reprocessing allowed the identification of two diffractions that correlate with known sulfide bodies intersected in boreholes located close to the Ribago profile. One of these diffractions, at approximately 1,200-m depth, coincides with the main massive sulfide intersection of the subeconomical Ribago orebody. Diorites cause several reflections observed within the Flavrian pluton. Some diorite units also have sufficient acoustic impedance contrast to produce strong reflections when juxtaposed against volcanic rocks. However, such reflections do not predominate in the Amulet and Ribago profiles, possibly because reflective diorite units are not so significant or have limited lateral continuity in this part of the Noranda formation. The reconciliation of the detailed three-dimensional geologic model and two-dimensional seismic data was not necessarily a straightforward task. A significant complication results from the inherent limitations of two-dimensional seismic imaging techniques in a complex three-dimensional geologic environment. Nevertheless, results presented in this paper indicate that seismic methods can image prospective contacts and deep-seated massive sulfide mineralization and can be a valuable exploration tool in the Noranda mining camp.

The Archean La Grande and Eastmain domains of the La Grande subprovince in the James Bay region of northwestern Quebec are the focus of renewed and extensive exploration as a result of recent major discoveries made in this region (e.g., ~8 Moz Au Roberto deposit). A number of significant Neoarchean Au ± base metal occurrences are present in the La Grande domain, including the La-Grande-Sud Au-Cu prospect (Zone 32, inferred resource of 4.2 million metric tons (Mt) at 2.1 g/t Au and 0.2 wt % Cu). The La-Grande-Sud Au-Cu prospect is hosted in the 2734 ± 2 Ma synvolcanic La-Grande-Sud Tonalite in the 2751 to 2732 Ma Yasinski Group volcanic rocks. The La-Grande-Sud Tonalite is a synvolcanic calc-alkaline intrusion emplaced in an arc-like tectonomagmatic setting. Timing relationships in mineralized zones as well as associated hydrothermal alteration zones support a pre- to early-D 1 origin for at least a part of the mineralization in the La-Grande-Sud Tonalite. Deformation events were responsible for the overprinting of the early mineralization by auriferous shear zone-related systems associated with D 2 . Evidence for a pre-D 2 and pre- to early-D 1 alteration and mineralization system includes: (1) a broadly concentric pattern defined by the hydrothermal alteration assemblages within the La-Grande-Sud Tonalite, which suggests that the hydrothermal alteration was, at least in part, controlled by the geometry of the intrusion rather than by the D 2 deformation; (2) the development of a weak biotite-bearing potassic assemblage (biotite-epidote-plagioclase-muscovite-calcite ± pyrite) that is gradually replaced outward from the center of the intrusion by a chlorite-bearing propylitic assemblage (chlorite-epidote-muscovite-plagioclase-calcite-pyrite), and locally overprinted by a sericitic alteration assemblage (muscovite-quartz-albite-chlorite-pyrite-carbonate), which represents the most intense alteration in the La-Grande-Sud Tonalite; (3) the presence of mineralized hydrothermal breccias along the margins of the intrusion; (4) deformed disseminated and stockwork-style Au-Cu sulfide mineralization consisting of pyrite, chalcopyrite, tennantite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, Bi sulfosalts, and native Au ± Bi in the sericite, chlorite, and biotite facies alteration zones; (5) S 1 -parallel elongated tonalite clasts and sulfide veinlets in D 2 -folded and transposed hydrothermal biotite breccias; and (6) pyrite porphyroblasts that are elongated parallel to the S 1 fabric (syn-D 1 metamorphic recrystallization) and that were folded during D 2 . D 2 was associated with the development of conjugate auriferous extensional quartz-tourmaline veins (orogenic-style veins) that were superimposed on the pre- to early-D 1 intrusion-hosted mineralized system. Gold in these syn- to late-D 2 veins could have been remobilized from preexisting mineralization (disseminated sulfides) or was related to a late (syn-D 2 ) auriferous hydrothermal event. The intrusion-hosted Au mineralization of the La-Grande-Sud Au-Cu prospect illustrates that Archean synvolcanic intrusions, regardless of their size, can host a range of styles of alteration and mineralization, including both “early” and “late” mineralizing systems.

The Archean, which represents more than a third of Earth’s history, contains some of the largest and richest ore deposits of the world. Numerous cratons of variable size and age have been mapped (Fig. 1) and others are still being discovered or delineated largely due to the widespread use of high-precision U-Pb geochronology. One of the specific characteristics of Archean cratons is the coexistence and juxtaposition of different and major styles of base and precious metals deposits formed at different times and crustal levels (Poulsen et al., 2000; Groves et al., 2005a; Robert et al., 2005). Fig. 1 Global geographic distribution of Archean cratons. Map modified from Chorlton (2007) and Kjarsgaard (2007). Possible Archean crust in Central Anatolia, Turkey, from Paquette and Le Pennec (2012). It has long been recognized that Archean cratons are extremely well endowed in metals (e.g., Meyer, 1981; de Wit and Thiart, 2005), especially in komatiite-associated Ni-Cu-(PGE), greenstone-hosted Au and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits. Most of these deposits were formed in periods of supercontinent(s) or supercraton(s) formation (e.g., ~2800–2500 Ma Kenorland: Williams et al., 1991; Aspler and Chiarenzelli, 1998; ~2600–2200 Ma Sclavia: Bleeker, 2003). Although some of these deposit types (greenstone-hosted Au and VMS) were formed episodically at various epochs in Earth’s history (cf. Goldfarb et al., 2010), Archean examples appear to be more common, and in many cases larger and/or richer. Although common in the Archean, the deposits are not uniformly distributed among the cratons, highlighting the fact that the metal endowment of specific assemblages reflects both secular variations and craton- to district-scale controls. For example, the Yilgarn craton is very well endowed in komatiite-associated Ni deposits, in contrast to the Superior craton, which contains more significant VMS deposits. However, the study of Archean deposits …

Exploration for deep-seated mineral deposits in mature mining camps requires integration of large and heterogeneous spatial data-sets. Traditionally, geological, geochemical, and geophysical observations are acquired, processed and analysed independently within separate spatial contexts or more commonly, for geochemical data, in non-spatial feature space. Although methodological developments are still in progress, 3D GIS (geographic information system) technologies already provide powerful tools that can be used to integrate such heterogeneous data-sets to visualize, compare, and characterize geological relationships in a more supportive interpretive environment. Importantly, this technology provides better opportunities to embed all these properties in a more robust geometric framework in which structural history and palaeogeographic setting can be taken into account. We present 3D GIS applications that aid in interpreting relationship patterns amongst faults, folds and geochemical trends. Examples from the Noranda mining region, a classic VMS mining camp, demonstrate the applicability of 3D GIS to support the discovery of new mineral resources at depth.

In the Archean Blake River Group, mafic to intermediate fragmental units have controversially been proposed to have formed during the collapse of a giant submarine caldera. This paper describes and interprets these rocks, summarizing their physical characteristics, inferred origins, age relationships, and geochemical signatures. The widespread Stadacona member, south of Rouyn-Noranda, consists of several hundred metres of bedded volcaniclastic rocks interpreted to have been mostly deposited from aqueous density currents fed directly by explosive eruptions. The magmas involved in these eruptions were plagioclase-phyric, tholeiitic to transitional basalts. The similarly widespread D’Alembert tuff, in the northern part of the Blake River Group, shares many physical characteristics with the Stadacona member and is thought to have a similar origin. However, the D’Alembert tuff is approximately six million years younger than the Stadacona member. It is composed mostly of transitional to calc-alkaline andesites and basaltic andesites with very distinct trace element profiles. Volcaniclastic rocks from other areas, such as Tannahill Township in Ontario and the Monsabrais area in Quebec, are interpreted to represent mostly in situ to remobilized hyaloclastite, with no explosive eruptions involved in their genesis. Our observations and interpretations are not compatible with models in which the volcaniclastic units are emplaced during a catastrophic event in relation with the collapse of a giant caldera. Instead, the fragmental rocks were produced by various mechanisms at many distinct times during the evolution of the Blake River Group.

The Archean Blake River Group (BRG) of Ontario and Quebec is dominated by submarine mafic to intermediate lavas, with more restricted felsic volcanic rocks. Given the good quality of outcrop, and high level of preservation of some BRG rocks, the mafic to intermediate lavas were used in the 1970s and 1980s to better understand the evolution of massive and pillowed submarine flows, and their associated fragmental facies (pillow breccias, hyaloclastite). Potentially, the BRG could also represent a useful volcanic succession for the study of explosive submarine eruption products in the ancient record. Before this is possible, however, a regional inventory of the mafic to intermediate volcaniclastic units is needed in order to clarify their characteristics and origins. In this paper, we compare and contrast volcaniclastic rocks from three areas within the same formation of the northern BRG in Quebec: the Monsabrais area, the lac Duparquet area, and the D’Alembert tuff area. Close examination reveals pronounced differences in terms of lateral continuity, thickness, grading, bedding, clast shapes, textures, etc. in the volcaniclastic rocks. These differences are interpreted to reflect vastly different emplacement processes ranging from hyaloclastite generation as a result of self-fragmentation and lava contact with water (dominant in the Monsabrais and lac Duparquet areas) to aqueous density currents likely fed directly by explosive submarine eruptions (dominant in the D’Alembert tuff).

Models of greenstone belt development are crucial for exploration. Allochthonous models predict belts to be a collage of unrelated fragments, whereas autochthonous models allow for prediction of syngenetic mineral deposits within specific stratigraphic intervals. Superior province greenstone belts consist of mainly volcanic units unconformably overlain by largely sedimentary “Timiskaming-style” assemblages, and field and geochronological data indicate that the Abitibi greenstone belt developed autochthonously. We describe major revisions to stratigraphy of the Abitibi greenstone belt and the implications of an autochthonous development of the volcanic stratigraphy for exploration for syngenetic mineralization. The Abitibi greenstone belt is subdivided into seven discrete volcanic stratigraphic episodes on the basis of groupings of numerous U-Pb zircon ages of pre-2750, 2750 to 2735, 2734 to 2724, 2723 to 2720, 2719 to 2711, 2710 to 2704, and 2704 to 2695 Ma. We present revised lithotectonic and/or stratigraphic nomenclature using these time intervals, including (1) isotopic inheritance in younger episodes which indicates that the older episodes (2750–2735 and 2734–2724 Ma) had greater extent than is presently seen, (2) dikes feeding younger volcanic episodes (2706 Ma) cutting older volcanic units (2734–2724 Ma), and (3) 2710 to 2704 Ma mafic to ultramafic sills intruding the 2719 to 2711 Ma episode. Changes to the nomenclature include the identification of pre-2750 Ma volcanic episode (supracrustal fragments) in the northern and southern Abitibi greenstone belt and subdivision of the 2719 to 2711 Ma, 2710 to 2704 Ma, and 2704 to 2695 Ma episodes into lower and upper parts. We present the results of this lithostratigraphic subdivision as the first geochronologically constrained stratigraphic and/or lithotectonic map of the Abitibi greenstone belt. Many of the volcanic episodes are intercalated with and capped by a relatively thin “sedimentary interface zone” dominated by chemical sedimentary rocks. Stratigraphic and geochronological analysis of these zones indicates discontinuous deposition with localized gaps of 2 to 27 m.y. between volcanic episodes. The zones consist of up to 200 m of iron formation, chert breccia, heterolithic debris flows of volcanic provenance, sandstone and/or argillite and conglomerate. Modeling of the time required for deposition of the volcanic units based on rates of magma production in modern arc and plume environments is on the order of 103 to 104 years, whereas the time interval between basalt-rhyolite cycles is 106 years. The sedimentary interface zones are therefore interpreted as condensed sections, zones with very low rates of sedimentation in a basinal setting, or zones with negligible rates of sedimentation marked by silicification of existing rock types. The sedimentary interface zones are therefore considered submarine correlative conformities, disconformities, or unconformities separating the equivalent of group level stratigraphic and lithotectonic units. The unconformity-bounded stratigraphic model provides a new regional to deposit-scale interpretive model for use in exploration for syngenetic mineralization.

An extensive set of north- to northwest-trending diabase dykes, termed the Lac Esprit swarm, is identified in the Superior Province east of James Bay based on geological mapping and a distinctive paleomagnetic pole (61.7°N, 169.1°E, dm = 7.7°, dp = 5.5°). The Lac Esprit swarm yields a U–Pb baddeleyite age of 2069 ± 1 Ma similar to that of the 2076+5–4 Ma Fort Frances swarm of the western Superior Province. Their paleomagnetic declinations differ by 23° ± 12° after correction to a common reference locality. The difference is likely due mainly to counterclockwise rotation about a vertical axis of the Fort Frances area relative to the Lac Esprit area. Differential rotation of 10°–20° has been proposed more locally across the Kapuskasing Structural Zone separating the eastern and western Superior Province in earlier paleomagnetic studies of ca. 2450 Ma Matachewan and 2170 Ma Biscotasing dyke swarms. Thus, relative rotation may have involved the entire eastern and western Superior Province, perhaps in response to collisional events associated with the Trans-Hudson Orogen to the north or the Penokean orogen to the south, or in response to rifting beneath Hudson Bay. Other dykes in the study area are interpreted from a combination of paleomagnetism, trend, and geochemistry to belong to the Senneterre, Matachewan, and Mistassini swarms. The 2216 Ma Senneterre dykes form part of a giant swarm that fans across the eastern Superior Province. Paleomagnetic directions and geometry of this swarm rule out substantial block rotations within the eastern Superior Province since dyke emplacement.