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The major petrological and geochemical characters of the 3,600 m.y. Uivak gneisses from Labrador

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Abstract

The 3,622±72 m.y. Uivak gneisses of northern Labrador consist of two major rock suites: regionally developed layered granodioritic gneisses (Uivak I suite) interpreted as derived from earlier tonalitic igneous parents by the massive introduction of potassium and rubidium, and a less extensive group of iron-rich porphyritic granodiorites and ferro-diorites (Uivak II suite) emplaced after at least one major period of deformation and migmatisation had affected the Uivak I gneisses. Samples from both suites fall on the 3,622 m.y. Rb/Sr whole-rock isochron.

The age is provisionally interpreted as that of Rb metasomatism and homogenisation affecting both suites. It is suggested that the low initial ratio of 0.7014±0.0008 obtained from both suites need not be diagnostic of a short crustal residence if the evidence for massive addition of Rb to this level of the crust at 3,622 m.y. is accepted.

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Bridgwater, D., Collerson, K.D. The major petrological and geochemical characters of the 3,600 m.y. Uivak gneisses from Labrador. Contr. Mineral. and Petrol. 54, 43–59 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00370871

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