Age and Geochemistry of High Arctic Large Igneous Province Tholeiitic Magmatism in NW Axel Heiberg Island, CanadaShow others and affiliations
Number of Authors: 52023 (English)In: Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, E-ISSN 1525-2027, Vol. 24, no 11, article id e2023GC011083Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The Cretaceous High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP) in Canada involved extrusion of continental flood basalts (CFBs) at 130-120 Ma and 100-95 Ma and emplacement of an extensive sill and dike network that intersected the Carboniferous to Paleogene Sverdrup Basin. In this paper, we present new Ar-40/Ar-39 ages, major and trace elements, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios for HALIP lava, dikes, and sills from Bukken Fiord, NW Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian Arctic Islands. Our best constrained Ar-40/(39) ages yield a weighted average of 124.1 +/- 1 (2 sigma) Ma, coincident with the first pulse of tholeiitic CFB magmatism in the Arctic-wide HALIP as exemplified by Isachsen Formation flood basalts on Axel Heiberg Island. The Bukken Fiord samples are plagioclase and clinopyroxene-phyric tholeiitic basalts, are relatively evolved (3.2-6.5 wt% MgO), and share similar major and trace element compositions to typical HALIP tholeiites. Initial Nd-143/Nd-144 ranges from 0.51260 to 0.51291 and initial Sr-87/Sr-86 ranges from 0.70362 to 0.70776, while measured Pb-206/Pb-204, Pb-207/Pb-204, and Pb-208/Pb-204 range from 18.614 to 19.199, 15.534 to 15.630, and 38.404 to 39.054, respectively. The most primitive sample in this study has Sr-Nd-Pb isotope signatures that suggest an enriched plume-derived mantle source for HALIP tholeiites. Most samples, however, possess relatively radiogenic isotope signatures that can be explained by moderate degrees of assimilation of Sverdrup Basin sedimentary rocks. Magma-crust interaction in the HALIP plumbing system was likely widespread and may have increased the environmental impact of the HALIP, particularly if crustal carbon was volatilized.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. Vol. 24, no 11, article id e2023GC011083
Keywords [en]
HALIP, large igneous province, geochemistry, isotopes, mantle, crustal assimilation
National Category
Geology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-224243DOI: 10.1029/2023GC011083ISI: 001098346300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85175982456OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-224243DiVA, id: diva2:1817489
2023-12-062023-12-062023-12-06Bibliographically approved