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Formation of the Abitibi greenstone belt by arc-trench migration

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Volcanic and plutonic rocks of Archean greenstone belts in the Abitibi subprovince become younger southward. The greenstone belt upper crust is greenschist facies with upright structures and low reflectivity, and the middle crust is amphibolite facies with moderate to shallowly dipping structures and strong reflectivity. The age progression and crustal layering resulted from accretion of oceanic assemblages followed by extensive mid-crustal magmatism linked to southward migration of an arc-trench system. Thermal softening of the middle crust during magmatism caused ductile flow now represented by strong, mid-crustal reflectivity. Upward heat flow following magmatism caused late-tectonic (2.67-2.65 Ga) low-pressure metamorphism observed in the upper crust. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)471-474
Number of pages4
JournalGeology
Volume23
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1995
Externally publishedYes

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