Archaean Crustal Evolution

Protocontinents to Microcontinents

~ 4.0 Ga. One of the first islands to form on the Earth. The picture shows a bright
sunny day, but the atmosphere is likely to have been dark and smoggy. All land at this
time was formed by volcanic activity, either from hot spots or subduction zones.
Continents, even small ones, are still a distance in the future.
 Just How Long is Earth History ?
And When Did the Important Things Happen ?
Billions of Years

4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0

Hadean Archaean Proterozoic Phanero

Oldest Grenville
Rocks

Origin of Plate Tectonic Processes

Earth Origin of Continents
4.5-4.0

First Record
Of liquid Water
 Archaean Crustal Evolution
Central Problems

1. What was the composition of the original crust?

2. Have the continents always existed, or have they grown

with time?

3. Has plate tectonics always existed?

In essence, have the earth's processes remained basically the same
(steady state), or have earth processes evolved with time?

4. Why are there ancient rock types, and ancient kinds of

land forms that are not forming today?
A Plate
Tectonic
Primer
 P 197

Major
Divisions
Of the
Earth
 Structure Of the P
Earth 198
Asthenosphere and Lithosphere
 The Varieties of Plate Boundaries and Inter-Plate Relationships Defined P 199
By
Plate Tectonic Theory
PLATE PLATE PLATE PLATE PLATE PLATE PLATE

Cordilleran
Convergent Divergent Orogeny
Plate Boundary Plate Boundary
Transform Back Arc
Boundary Basin Continental Continent/Continent Volcanic
Volcanic Craton Arc
Arc Collision
ROB Ocean Basin
DCM ROB MicroCont
DCM DCM DCM

Su
o ne Ex bd
z t in uc
n Lithosphere ct tio
t io Su
uc Asthenosphere n
d bd zo
b uc ne
Su tio
n
zo
ne
Archaean
Proto and
Micro
Continents
 By igneous fractionation processes we already understand.
Mafic
(Basalt/Gabbro)
Rifting Center

Late Fractional
Melting
Ultramafic
Felsic
Fractionation Residue Rising
(Granites)
(Peridotite/Dunite) Decompressing
afic Mafic Parent
M

Early Fractional
Melting
Intermediate
Ultramafic (Diorite/Andesite)
Crystalline Residue
The result was the formation of . . . P 210
. . . volcanic island arcs
Aleutian Islands
Java Island Arc
Japan Island Arc
Aleutian Island Arc
The result was the formation of . . . P 210
. . . Or hot spot volcanoes
Hawaii
Or, this . . .

http://austral.chez.tiscali.fr/v3/accueil.php?nav=galleries&page=gallery2
That evolved into microcontinents . . . P 210

Growing as more and more

diorite and plagiogranite
batholiths emplaced to form
larger and larger continental
masses . . .

. . . which because they are light weight rocks compared to

the ocean floor basalts and gabbros float higher in the
lithosphere emerging above sea level.
At this early Earth had no continental land areas, perhaps not
even large islands.

http://ace.acadiau.ca/science/geol/rraeside/quizzes/worldmap3p.h
Java
New Zealand
Madagascar
P 211
 P 211
But these processes where going on all over the
planet in dozens of places.
Leading to remnant ocean basins and collisions among the newly
forming islands
Remnant ocean basin
closes; arcs collide
Creating proto-continent

Another proto-
continent slides in
from the left
Subduction creates 2nd subduction
volcanic arc creates 2nd volcanic
arc
 P 211
But these processes where going on all over
the planet in dozens of places.

Creating micro-continent
The process continues in multiple combinations
and permutations all over the globe
 P 211
Leading to the growth of continents
 P 211
Leading to the growth of continents

. . . that grew with time, lots of time. About

2 billion years worth into larger continents.
Today rocks from this period of time are preserved in a
number of places, like Western Greenland.

http://www.geosciences.unl.edu/~faebly/photos/greenland/photo001.html
Today rocks from this period of time are preserved in a
number of places, like Western Greenland.

http://www.geosciences.unl.edu/~faebly/photos/greenland/photo001.html
And, Scourie Scotland

http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/nws/loc-scourie.html
 And the rocks are
folded, stretched,
twisted, mangled, and
metamorphosed, . . .
more than once, and are
in general FUBAR.

F# *&#@ Up Beyond
All Recognition
• Fiskanaesset Complex = Anorthosite
Oceanic lithospheric rocks
• Meta-volcanic Amphibolites = rest of
the layered igneous complex

• "Mostly gneiss" = Granulite-gneiss belts Proto-continent rocks

Stretched, twisted, folded, and refolded like taffy . . .
 "The complexes range up to about 1 km in thickness but
often, due to tectonic disruption and thinning, they are only
tens of metres to 100 m or so thick, and where extensively
migmatized (invasion by late gneisses) they may be
represented by only a few meter-sized pods" (Windley, Brian 1984, The
Evolving Continents, 2nd editions, page 14)
http://mineral-rock.blogspot.com/2005/12/yellowknife.html
http://mineral-rock.blogspot.com/2005/12/yellowknife.html
 Dating from the Hadean at least 4.03-4.055 Ga, is Earth's
oldest known crustal rock outcrop. The complex comprises
mostly Gray gneiss (granodioritic gneiss), White gneiss
(tonalitic to granitic gneiss), foliated granite (3.6 Ga)
http://mineral-rock.blogspot.com/2005/12/yellowknife.html
Archaean Growth of the
North American
Continent
First Phase: Building
the Core
 United Plates of North America P 212
Archaean Micro
Continents

Proterozoic
Later
Additions
 > 2000 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Archean cratons
(positions unconstrained;
Rae and Hearne in
present-day locations)
 1950-1920 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Slave-Rae collision,
Arc accretion: Rimbey,
Taltson, Thelon, etc.
 1880-1860 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Arc accretion:
Great Bear, La Ronge,
Torngat arcs, etc.
 1860-1840 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Arc accretion: Narsajuaq,

Pembine-Wausau, etc.
Wopmay orogen,
Southeast thrusting along
Snowbird tectonic zone
 1840-1820 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Trans Hudson / Penokean orogens:

accretion of Sask Block, Superior
Province, and Marshfield terrane
 1820-1800 Ma
ce
vin
P ro
e
Ra

e
inc
rov
P
e
a rn
He

Assembly of
Laurentian
craton

Trans Hudson / Penokean orogens:

accretion of Medicine Hat Block,
and Wyoming Province;
Makkovik orogen in northeast
 Stage Five
Constructing 1.8 – 1.7 Stage Six
1.8 – 1.6
The Heart
Of the
North P 331
America Stage Four
2. 39 – 2.33
Continent
Stage Three
2.7 – 2.5

Stage Two
2.7 – 2.5

Stage One
4.0 – 3.0
P 331
Proterozoic Growth of
the North American
Continent
Second Phase: Adding
the Central United
States
 1790-1770 Ma

Juvenile
terrane
accretion

Accretion of Archean
TDM = 2.5 - 2.3 Ga
Grouse Creek Block,
Selway Terrane, and
Mojave Province;
Yavapai arcs outboard
 1750-1720 Ma

Juvenile
terrane
accretion

Yavapai Province:
A Banda Sea-style
assembly of arcs
 1750-1700 Ma

Granitoid
intrusion

Yavapai province:
Yavapai granitoids stitch
juvenile terranes with older
provinces;
~1700 Ma quartzite deposition
 1650-1600 Ma

Juvenile
terrane
accretion

Mazatzal Province:
includes Labradorian
Province
 1650-1600 Ma

Granitoid
intrusion

Mazatzal granitoids:
Stitch juvenile terranes
with older provinces;
~1650 Ma quartzite deposition
 1550-1350 Ma

Juvenile
terrane
accretion

Granite-Rhyolite Province:
includes Elzevir Block &
Pinware Terrane;
Note Appalachian outliers
 1550-1350 Ma

Granitoid
intrusion

Granite-Rhyolite granitoids:
A-type plutons stitch much
of southern Laurentia
 1300-1000 Ma

Continent-
continent
collisions

Grenville Province:
includes Llano Province
& Frontenac Block;
transfer of Caborca Block
 1300-950 Ma

Granitoid
intrusion

Grenville granitoids:
intrude older terranes
as far west as Colorado
 1200-1100 Ma

Intracontinental
rifting

Midcontinent Rift system:

Keweenawan,
Fort Wayne, etc.;
Intrusion of MacKenzie
and Animikie dikes
 780-680 Ma

Western
rifting

Rodinia breakup:
Rifting along western
margin of Laurentia;
Intrusion of Gunbarrel
dikes, deposition of
Windermere Supergroup
 650-550 Ma

Eastern
rifting
(stage 1)

Rodinia breakup:
Main rifting along
eastern margin of
Laurentia; opening
of Rome Trough
 ~ 535 Ma

Eastern
rifting
(stage 2)

Rodinia breakup:
Rifting of Argentine
Precordillera from
Texas embayment;
Opening of Oklahoma
Aulacogen, Reelfoot
Rift
But, none of this is
happening in
isolation . . .