| Title | An overview of the geology and tectonic evolution of the Labrador-Baffin Seaway and onshore regions |
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| Author | Bingham-Koslowski, N ; Dafoe, L T; St-Onge, M R; Turner, E C; Haggart, J W;
Gregersen, U; Keen, C E; Bent, A L; Harrison, J C |
| Source | 2022 p. 1 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2022 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20210642 |
| Meeting | International Conference on Arctic Margins 9 (ICAM-9); Ottawa; CA; June 13-15, 2022 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper |
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Area | Labrador-Baffin Seaway |
| Subjects | Science and Technology; general geology |
| Program | GEM2: Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals GEM Synthesis |
| Released | 2022 06 13 |
| Abstract | (unpublished)
The Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay offshore regions, collectively referred to as the Labrador-Baffin Seaway, and adjacent onshore areas including Baffin Island, Bylot
Island, and West Greenland, comprise the northeastern Canadian and Western Greenland Arctic margins. The rocks of this area preserve a long and complex geological history that records numerous successive tectonic events. This history is synthesized
in a Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin that is the result of significant collaboration between several governments and academic institutions. The geological evolution of this region begins with the assembly of a number of distinct Archean cratons
in the early Paleoproterozoic, which resulted in the formation of the eastern Laurentian portion of the supercontinent Nuna (Columbia). Subsequent localized extension during supercontinent breakup in the Mesoproterozoic formed the Bylot basins
exposed on northern Baffin Island and beneath northern Baffin Bay, as well as in surrounding onshore areas. During the early Paleozoic, sedimentary platform successions accumulated following the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia. Deposition of
these strata ceased with the closing of Paleozoic seaways and the formation of the supercontinent Pangea. Pangea underwent extension in the Labrador-Baffin Seaway region starting in the Early Cretaceous, resulting in the eventual separation of
Greenland from the paleo-North American plate. Cretaceous rift phases were followed by oceanic crust formation and related tectonism starting in the Maastrichtian in the Labrador Sea, and developing regionally, northward, in the Paleocene before
seafloor spreading ended in the late Paleogene. This tectonism led to the formation of several Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary basins in the Labrador-Baffin Seaway and locally along onshore parts of the margin. The unique geology of the region has
resulted in a seismically active area that contains significant mineral (iron, diamonds, zinc, lead, nickel, copper, platinum-group elements, uranium, thorium, gemstones, carving stone, and coal) and hydrocarbon (onshore and offshore) potential.
Whereas the work highlighted here provides a general synopsis, detailed papers in the Bulletin will serve as important source material for future work -in this part of the Arctic. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This abstract, and the associated presentation, will provide an overview of the Geological Synthesis of Baffin Island (Nunavut) and the Labrador-Baffin
Seaway, a Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin. The Bulletin covers the geological history and tectonic evolution of the Labrador-Baffin Seaway and it's adjacent onshore margins including Baffin Island, Bylot Island, and the West Greenland margin.
The abstract and presentation summarize the Precambrian and Paleozoic geology of Baffin Island and localized areas underlying the adjacent Labrador-Baffin Seaway, as well as the Mesozoic-Cenozoic stratigraphy and rift history that records the opening
and evolution of the Labrador-Baffin Seaway. The unique geology of the region has resulted in a seismically active area with both mineral and hydrocarbon potential. The abstract, and the Bulletin it represents, reflects a significant collaborative
effort between various governments (including Natural Resources Canada and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland) and academic institutions. The research highlighted within provides an important resource document for future work in this
region of the Arctic. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 329593 |
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