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Three-dimensional visualization of top-down superimposed thrust sheets in the SW Grenville Province, Ontario

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2019

Jacob W.D. Strong Open the ORCID record for Jacob W.D. Strong [Opens in a new window]  and
Alan P. Dickin
Jacob W.D. Strong*
Affiliation:
School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
Alan P. Dickin
Affiliation:
School of Geography & Earth Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M2, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: Jacob W.D. Strong, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

To properly understand the tectonic history of the Grenville Province it is necessary to have a reliable, scientifically based understanding of the present-day three-dimensional (3D) structure of the orogen. Based on detailed Nd isotope mapping of surface boundaries and Lithoprobe seismic sections, this study provides the first detailed visualization of the 3D structure of the Grenville gneiss belt in Ontario using the SketchUp software package. The 3D visualization supports a model in which thrust geometry was imposed from the top downwards, controlled by the NW boundary of the Central Metasedimentary Belt that originated as a failed back-arc rift zone. The Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary controlled the trajectory of the Allochthon Boundary Thrust, its underlying tectonic duplex and, ultimately, the Grenville Front. This process of superimposed thrusting explains the large-scale change in the trajectory of the Grenville Front north of Georgian Bay that has been called the ‘Big Bend’. To assist in visualizing the 3D model, a fly-through animation is provided in the supplementary material.

Keywords

Top-down superimpositionGrenville FrontAllochthon Boundary ThrustCentral Metasedimentary Belt boundary
Type
Original Article
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 157 , Issue 2 , February 2020 , pp. 149 - 159
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019 

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