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Proactive disclosure Print version   | |  Co-operative Geological Mapping Strategies Across Canada : COGMAPS Eastern Grenville Quebec-Labrador
One of the main objectives of the Eastern Grenville Transect Project is to bridge the geology of southern Labrador and eastern Quebec, across the orogen from the Grenville Front to the gulf of St. Lawrence. Partners in the project are the Ministère des Resources naturelles, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec (MRNFP), the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador (GSNL), and the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). A number of exploration targets have been dicovered including anomalous Ni-Cu-PGE in gabbroic intrusions. (TGI project)
Tectonic framework and evolution of the eastern Grenville Province: a Labrador-Québec transect
Synopsis This project is part of the Targeted Geoscience Initiative - program 1. In partnership with the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador (GSNL) and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles, Faune et Parcs du Québec (MRNFP), this project has contributed to accelerate the completion of the geological mapping (1:100 000 scale) of southern Labrador and led to a thorough re-evaluation of the geological framework of the Wakeham Group in eastern Québec. The transect region hosts a variety of geological contexts and types of mineral occurrences and has significant economic potential for iron & titanium, precious and base metals, and Rare Earth Elements. However, apart from the world class iron & titanium mine at Lac Allard, no other economical mineral deposit has been discovered so far in spite of the continuous, although modest, exploration efforts by major and junior exploration companies over the last few decades. In addition, the southern fringe of the transect comprises the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve. The project has contributed to sustaining the interest of the regional mining fund, triggered exploration ventures by junior mining companies, and has provided geological knowledge key for eco-tourism development. Overall, the project outputs are contributing to the support for regional economic development initiatives. Key words geological mapping (regional and detailed), U-Pb geochronology, igneous petrogenesis, structure, tectonics, GIS based analysis of integrated geoscience data sets (field and map data, aeromagnetism, gravity, Landsat TM / Radarsat spectral analysis, ...) Geology The transect region (longitudes 63° 30' to 60° 30') preserves nearly 700 million years of Proterozoic crustal growth along the southeast margin of the Laurentian paleo-continent. It straddles the Labradorian age (1.7-1.6 Ga) Mealy Mountains terrane, the Wakeham Group (1.5 Ga 1.8 Ga) and adjacent gneiss complexes of the Natashquan domain, and the intervening La Romaine and Mecatina terrains of unknown ages and parentage. The supracrustral rocks belonging or akin to the Wakeham Group constitute the most distinctive lithological element and a structural marker in these terrains. They were last tectonically reworked during the Grenville (1.25-0.9 Ga) Himalayan-type continental collision.
Rationale Knowledge on the nature, extent and structural relationships of the crustal domains that comprise the eastern Grenville Province are essential to:
Approach All available geoscience data sets, techniques and expertise have been utilized in an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach in order to optimize the project's outputs and outcomes. The field component involved regional mapping (1:100 000 scale) of southern Labrador, and targeted detailed mapping (1:50 000 scale) of the Musquaro / La Romaine and Havre-Saint-Pierre / Natashquan regions of eastern Quebec. New mapping has served to anchor the compilation (1:250 000 scale) and reinterpretation of all available geoscience data for the transect region. Thematic studies, namely geochronology and geochemistry, contributed considerably to strengthen the geoscience database and interpretations.
Outcomes The project has:
Participants This project involves two divisions of the GSC (Quebec and CGD), the Ministère des Ressources naturelles, Faune et Parcs du Québec (MRNFP), the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey (GSNL), and the Institut national de recherche scientifique (INRS). The project has directly supported one Ph.D. and three M.Sc studies. Twelve students were involved during field work and more than ten researchers from the GSC, provincial government agencies and academia have contributed and benefited from the project over its life time. More information The project initial main results are captured in a number of GSC and GSNL Current Research papers. Scientific results are core to a number of papers to be publishes in a the Geological Society of America Memoir 197 'Proterozoic tectonic evolution of the Grenville orogen in North America' (in press), and in a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (submitted). Complete list of publications is available through the CGC-Quebec, in the publication section under L. Corriveau and L. Nadeau. For more information about this project, contact Léopold Nadeau.
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