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Basement Tectonics 10 pp 221–264Cite as

Geology of the Precambrian Basement Beneath the Paleozoic of Southwestern Ontario

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Part of the book series: Proceedings of the International Conferences on Basement Tectonics ((ICBT,volume 4))

Abstract

Several new lithotectonic domains have been identified in the buried Precambrian basement of southwestern Ontario. They are distinguished by differences in rock type as identified from study of drillcore and cuttings and geophysical (primarily aeromagnetic) trends and intensities on published maps. These domains are of the same scale and shape as domains exposed in the Central Gneiss Belt of the Grenville Province to the northeast. Granite gneiss is the predominant rock type, with subordinate syenitic, monzonitic, and tonalitic gneisses; metagabbroic rocks are uncommon. Lithologically, the most distinctive domain is the Cambridge domain, which contains a belt of marble and associated siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks, and which may be analogous to the Parry Sound Terrane of the Central Gneiss Belt.

The position of the Grenville Front is redefined. It runs roughly north-south along the Detroit River and a few kilometres to the west of the St. Clair River, roughly 30 km to 50 km east of many previous interpretations. Also, the subsurface location of the Central Metasedimentary Belt Boundary Zone has been more precisely delineated.

A zone of basement rock weathering and alteration, associated with the Precambrian-Paleozoic unconformity, has been delineated. The basement rocks are commonly altered to a depth of 2 m to 5 m, typified by alteration of plagioclase to sericite, epidote and carbonate, corroded and chloritized mafic minerals, and authigenic potassium feldspar.

Basement geology has directly influenced the location and orientation of some faults and fractures in the overlying Paleozoic sedimentary sequence. Oil and gas accumulations are commonly associated with these faults, particularly in Middle Ordovician carbonates. Mapping of basement structures can thus be a useful exploration tool.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Precambrian Geoscience Section, Ontario Geological Survey, 933 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 6B5, Canada

    R. M. Easton

  2. Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum Resources Centre, P.O. Box 5463, London, Ontario, N6A 4L6, Canada

    T. R. Carter

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  1. R. M. Easton
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  2. T. R. Carter
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota, USA

    Richard W. Ojakangas  & John C. Green  & 

  2. Department of Geology, University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior, Wisconsin, USA

    Albert B. Dickas

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Easton, R.M., Carter, T.R. (1995). Geology of the Precambrian Basement Beneath the Paleozoic of Southwestern Ontario. In: Ojakangas, R.W., Dickas, A.B., Green, J.C. (eds) Basement Tectonics 10. Proceedings of the International Conferences on Basement Tectonics, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0831-9_26

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