Introduction to Manitoba Geology

Transcription

1 Introduction to Manitoba Geology A journey through geological time Presentation to: Mining Matters 2010 By: Jim Bamburak Industrial Minerals Geologist Prepared by: Ric Syme Director Manitoba Geological Survey

2 Introduction to Manitoba Geology A journey through geological time

3 50 staff; 26 geologists Manitoba Geological Survey Visit us on the Internet (

4 50 staff; 26 geologists Mapping in northern Manitoba Manitoba Geological Survey 1. Regional and detailed geological investigations to support mineral and dhydrocarbon exploration in the province 2. Geoscience information for decision-making (e.g., land use planning, protected areas) 3. Outreach and education Mapping in southern Manitoba Working with First Nations

5 Geology of North America US Geological Survey PRECAMBRIAN

6 The third dimension Phanerozoic Usually, when we go down through the Earth's rock layers we are going back in time. Precambrian

7 Manitoba geology Churchill #S Precambrian Shield Sedimentary basins B #S Lynn Lake #S #S Leaf f Rapids p #S B Thompson Sherridon #S Snow Lake #S #S Wabowden Flin Flon Precambrian Shield Crystalline rocks >1.5 billion years old host of Manitoba s metallic mineral deposits Sedimentary basins Winnipeg #S Bissett #S#S Phanerozoic Sedimentary basins <500 million years old host of Manitoba s petroleum resources, aggregate and industrial minerals

8 Mineral production in Manitoba B #S Precambrian Shield Lynn Lake #S #S Leaf f Rapids p #S B Thompson Sherridon #S Snow Lake #S #S Wabowden Flin Flon Churchill #S Sedimentary basins Mine closed Nickel/Cobalt (Vale, Crowflight) Thompson Mine Birchtree Mine Bucko Mine 24% of fcanadian Ni production 16% of Canadian Co production Copper/Zinc (HudBay Minerals Inc.) Callinan and 777 mines Trout Lake Mine 10% of Canadian Cu production 11% of Canadian Zn production Sedimentary basins Winnipeg #S Bissett #S#S Tantalum/Cesium (Tantalum Mining Corp. of Canada Ltd.) Tanco Mine Gold (San Gold Corporation) Rice Lake Gold Mine

9 Lynn Lake Leaf Rapids Thom pson Manitoba through geological g time Flin Flon Snow L ake Lak e Win nipegos is Lake Winnipe g Formation of the Earth Present day Assiniboine River Lake Manitoba Red Riv er Bissett Winnipeg PRECAMBRIAN Hadean Archean Proterozoic Phanerozoic All of human history 4,600,000,000 years of earth history 4 periods or Eons Manitoba geology records significant portions of this extensive history Each Eon has a distinct mineral endowment Ma = million years (ago) y ( g ) 1000 million years = 1 billion years (e.g., 1500 Ma = 1.5 billion)

10 Zircons are tiny mineral crystals that occur in many rocks. Zircon contains trace amounts of uranium and thorium and can be dated by a variety of analytical techniques. Precambrian Time Hadean Eon: Formation of Earth Ma Assean Lake 3.9 billion year old zircons Greywacke The Earth formed as a solid planet Earth s interior organized into layers Early crust formed but was largely recycled or destroyed by rapid convection and numerous meteorite impacts

11 Archean Eon: Formation of Crust Ma Precambrian Time Earth's permanent e crust was formed First large continents formed Earliest life forms began The oceans and atmosphere resulted from volcanic out-gassing

12 Archean Eon in Manitoba Very early crust formed (3500 Ma). Locally contains indications of very old rocks (3900 Ma) Precambrian Time Seal River Remnants of early crust Granite gneiss 3.5 billion years old

13 Archean pillow lava, Cross Lake Modern pillow lava on the sea floor Archean Eon in Manitoba Formation of pillow lava Widespread volcanism ( Ma) Greenstone belts volcanic rocks Volcanic breccia, Knee Lake Volcanic eruption under the sea NOAA, courtesy of Richard Pyle at Lava Video Productions

14 Bissett Archean Eon in Manitoba Laurentian orogeny (mountain building) ( Ma) Granite plutonism and assembly of a large Archean Au continent (Superior craton ) Gold and quartz vein in metamorphic rock Many large gold deposits San Antonio Mine, Bissett On loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, M38683 formed (e.g., Rice Lake AMNH / Craig Chesek mine in Bissett)

15 Ediacaran Fauna ( Ma) Proterozoic Eon: Modern Earth Processes Begin Ma National Museum of Natural History NOAA Mid-ocean rifting Subduction and island arc volcanoes Modern plate tectonics started Large mountain chains formed as the Archean continents collided Photosynthesis lead to iology/continental%20drift/tectonics.html oxygenated atmosphere around 2200 Ma Soft-bodied life forms proliferated (no skeletons)

16 Rifting Thompson Proterozoic Eon in Manitoba Ma opening of a large ocean basin subsequent (1885 Ma) with basin-margin shoreline sediments laid down emplacement on Archean of basement nickel deposits rocks Ni Ni Proterozoic >500 million-year time gap quartzite Rifting Archean gneiss /Continental%20Drift/Tectonics.html

17 Flin Flon Proterozoic Eon in Manitoba hers/rhamley/biology/continental %20Drift/Tectonics.html Lynn Lake Cu-Zn Thompson Nickel Belt Cu-Zn Trans-Hudson Orogen Leaf Rapids dary Z Hudson Bay Basin Ma active volcanism and deposition of copper-zinc deposits (e.g., Flin Flon, Lynn Lake) Snow Lake Flin Flon Ass siniboine Lak e Winnipegos is Superior Boundary Zone Lake Winnip pe g Western Canada Sedimentary Basin River Lake Manitoba Superior Province Red Riv er subduction The greenstone belts in the Trans-Hudson animation copyrighted by McGraw Orogen Hill as of Manitoba and Saskatchewan have part of PLUMMER MCGEARY produced AND more than $60 billion in metals (at CARLSON 11th edition 2010 prices) -making them some of the most productive greenstone belts in Canada.

18 Proterozoic Eon: copper-zinc-gold deposits hers/rhamley/biology/continental %20Drift/Tectonics.html Polished slab of basalt flow top breccia, Flin Flon Submarine eruption NOAA Underwater eruptions produce distinctive volcanic deposits that can be recognized in ancient greenstone belts

19 Proterozoic Eon: copper-zinc-gold deposits hers/rhamley/biology/continental %20Drift/Tectonics.html Dr. Robert Ballard Massive sulphide mound

20 Proterozoic Eon: copper-zinc-gold deposits Zinc ore, Snow Lake Copper ore, Flin Flon Massive sulphide mound

21 Proterozoic Eon in Manitoba Ma closing of ocean basin and formation of the Trans-Hudson Orogen (mountain belt)

22 Comparison of the Trans-Hudson Orogen with a modern orogen (mountain belt) Manitoba Trans-Hudson Orogen ( Ma) Superior Craton Alpine-Himalayan Orogen (< 50 Ma)

23 Phanerozoic Eon Lynn Lake Leaf Rapids Thom pson akepaleozoic Era Snow L Flin Flon Lake Winnipe g Mesozoic Era Era Cenozoic Phanerozoic Eon: Modern Earth and Life Forms Evolve Assiniboine Lak e Win nipegos is 542 Bissett Million of years ago Lake Manitoba River Red Riv er Winnipeg Precambrian Time Life forms with skeletons proliferate 8 major life extinction events Continents separated and then collided d again to form more mountain chains North America and Manitoba as we know it were formed.

24 The Phanerozoic Mesozoic Paleozoic Precambrian Phanerozoic Eon Paleozoic Paleozoic Era Mesozoic Era Cenoz zoic Era Million of years ago

25 Crushed rock Tyndall Stone Paleozoic Era in Manitoba Ma Gillis quarry, Garson Preceded by a long period during which the Precambrian was eroded flat Manitoba was located near to the equator Shallow inland seas flooded North America V l bl d it f hi h l i Valuable deposits of high-calcium limestone, potash, building stone and oil

26 Trilobite diorama Maclurites (gastropod) Early Paleozoic diorama Paleozoic Era in Manitoba Receptaculites Bob Elias Solitary corals (Interlake) Graham Young World s largest trilobite from Churchill Gastropods and cephalopods Virgiana (brachipod)

27 Upper Devonian reef diorama images/upper-devonian-diorama.jpg Paleozoic Era in Manitoba Paleozoic Precambrian

28 Ma Mesozoic Era in Manitoba Mesozoic Phanerozoic Eon Paleozoic Era Ce enozoic Era Preceded Mesozoic by Era period of erosion Million of years ago

29 Mesozoic Era in Manitoba Periodically flooded by shallow inland seas Ended by a meteoric impact and major extinction event Cretaceous in Manitoba diorama Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Morden

30 Cenozoic Era 66 0Ma Phanerozoic Eon Paleozoic Era Glacial retreat In N America Mesozoic Era Cenozoic Era Quaternary Million of years ago Glacial retreat In Manitoba

31 Dr. Ron Blakey, NAU Geology - Cenozoic Era 66 0Ma Glacial retreat In N America Glacial retreat In Manitoba Present Ma Ma Cold Warm, Cool, Cooler, dry humid drier

32 Ice age diorama Cenozoic Era The Ice Age(s) Glacial retreat In N America Glacial retreat In Manitoba

33 Cenozoic Era The modern landscape p Esker, NE Manitoba Esker Rogan moraine Bedrock highs Rogan moraine, NE Manitoba Digital Elevation Model (NASA) The last glacial period resulted in the deposition or modification of the landscape features we see today.

34 Cenozoic Era The modern landscape p Digital topographic and surficial geology information is used by many government and non-government organizations Saskatchewan R. delta Bedrock Lake Agassiz Manitoba Conservation Digital Elevation Model (NASA)

35 Aerial photograph Iceberg scours, Lorette Cenozoic Era The modern landscape In the Red River Valley, it is still possible to see the scars left in the former lake bottom of Glacial Lake Agassiz Digital Elevation Model (NASA) Iceberg scours, in Red River valley (LIDAR imagery)

36 Conclusion Digital elevation model, oblique view looking north Vertical exaggeration: 30X Satellite image of the 1997 flood draped over DEM Gaywood Matile & Greg Keller, MGS Geological processes have shaped (and reshaped) Manitoba over nearly 4 billion years of Earth history Our geological heritage impacts our daily life o Resources we use (e.g., metals, oil, aggregate, groundwater) o Landscape we live in

37 Contact us The Manitoba Geological Survey is a public resource, available for anyone to use We can answer questions about rocks, minerals, how landscapes developed, and what exploration activity is going on in the province Call us at: Or minesinfo@gov.mb.ca i