USGS Professional Paper 1697 - Alaska Resources Library
USGS Professional Paper 1697 - Alaska Resources Library
USGS Professional Paper 1697 - Alaska Resources Library
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218 Metallogenesis and Tectonics of the Russian Far East, <strong>Alaska</strong>, and the Canadian Cordillera<br />
tion of part of the Pacific oceanic plate (PAC) to form the West<br />
Kamchatka (WK) and Ekonay (EK) terranes. Local plutons in<br />
the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic-plutonic belt intruded under<br />
extension, probably as the result of rollback of the subduction<br />
slab during the Late Cretaceous (Amato and Wright, 1997). Also<br />
in the same region, the Okhotsk-Chukotka and East Sikhote-Alin<br />
continental-margin arcs were offset in a sinistral sense along the<br />
Mongol-Okhotsk fault system (MO). Continuing in the Okhotsk-<br />
Chukotka arc was the Eastern Asia metallogenic belt of graniticmagmatism-related<br />
deposits, which contained a complex array<br />
of zones. Continuing or new zones were the Anuyi-Beringovsky<br />
(AB), Chaun (CN), Chukotka (CH), Korkodon-Nayakhan (KN),<br />
Okhotsk (OH), Omsukchan (OM), Verkhoyansk-Indigirka (VY),<br />
Verkhne–Kolyma (VK), Verkhne-Yudomsky (VY) zones. Also<br />
continuing to form in the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic-plutonic<br />
belt and peripherally related to the Eastern Asia metallogenic<br />
belt in the Russian Far East were the Adycha-Taryn (AT), and<br />
Vostochno-Verkhoyansk (VV) metallogenic belts. Forming in<br />
the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic-plutonic belt in western <strong>Alaska</strong>,<br />
and peripherally related to the Eastern Asia metallogenic belt,<br />
were the Northwestern Koyukuk Basin metallogenic belt (NWK),<br />
which contains felsic plutonic U deposits, the Seward Peninsula<br />
metallogenic belt (SP) that contains Sn skarn and related deposits,<br />
and the West-Central <strong>Alaska</strong> metallogenic belt (WCA), which<br />
contains porphyry Cu deposits.<br />
NSC<br />
COLL<br />
EAST SIKHOTE-<br />
ALIN ARC LA<br />
es<br />
SY<br />
WSA<br />
SG, TK,<br />
KM, LZ<br />
o<br />
At 50-60 latitude<br />
NE, SH,<br />
TR<br />
KRO<br />
IR<br />
MO<br />
CS<br />
HI, ANV,<br />
NAB<br />
VT<br />
OLYUTORKA<br />
ARC<br />
(ASC, IOC)<br />
OH<br />
OKA, IR<br />
KH,<br />
VT<br />
NSC<br />
VV<br />
VI<br />
VY<br />
oc<br />
60 o<br />
?<br />
?<br />
?<br />
80 o am<br />
?<br />
?<br />
KO<br />
KA<br />
NF<br />
(4) Between the areas of the Russian Far East and <strong>Alaska</strong>,<br />
continental-margin arcs and companion subduction zones in<br />
each region were connected by a major transform fault. In the<br />
area of western <strong>Alaska</strong>, tectonic escape (crustal extrusion)<br />
of terranes occurred along major dextral-slip faults, including<br />
the Denali (DE), Iditarod-Nixon Fork (NF), Kaltag (KA),<br />
and companion faults (Scholl and others, 1992, 1994). In<br />
association with movement on these major dextral-slip faults,<br />
dextral-wrench sedimentary basins formed, including the<br />
Kuskokwim Basin (kw; Plafker and Berg, 1994; Bundtzen and<br />
Miller, 1997). The crustal extension and wrench faulting were<br />
associated with a major period of extension in Interior <strong>Alaska</strong><br />
according to the interpretation of Miller and Hudson (1991).<br />
The middle and Late Cretaceous extension is interpreted as<br />
forming warm, thin continental crust that was favorable for<br />
crustal extrusion and dextral-wrench faulting (Scholl and others,<br />
1992, 1994).<br />
(5) By the early Tertiary, in the region of the Amerasia<br />
(ab), Canada (cb) and Eurasia (eb) Basins, sea-floor spreading<br />
and associated rifting was completed (Grantz and others, 1990,<br />
1991, 1998), and sedimentation continued in the large Amerasia<br />
(ab), Canada (cb) and Eurasia (eb) Basins. The formation<br />
of the Alpha and Mendeleev Ridges (am), which are interpreted<br />
as large piles of hot-spot basalt and associated deposits,<br />
was completed (Grantz and others, 1990, 1991, 1998).<br />
(TA, KT) eb<br />
NAC<br />
COLLAGE OF<br />
ab<br />
RIFTED<br />
cb TERRANES:<br />
NSV<br />
NR, CK, CS,<br />
AT<br />
AP<br />
COLL<br />
cb<br />
NAM<br />
VK<br />
CN,<br />
OKHOTSK- CH (CH)<br />
CHUKOTKA<br />
ARC<br />
COLL<br />
NAM<br />
SP<br />
oc<br />
(AA) ECA<br />
NAC<br />
KLUANE<br />
km ARC<br />
oc pn<br />
SL BK,<br />
NAC<br />
COLL<br />
oc<br />
SK COAST<br />
cn<br />
ARC<br />
KN,<br />
at<br />
WK EK<br />
ka<br />
OM AB<br />
kw<br />
COLL<br />
km<br />
KLUANE<br />
cn<br />
at<br />
ARC<br />
CG<br />
WRA sab COLL<br />
PAC<br />
CG KMT<br />
sab<br />
KULA<br />
WRA<br />
PR<br />
FAR cn<br />
0 800 km<br />
84 to 52 Ma<br />
0 800 km<br />
WCA,<br />
METALLOGENIC BELTS LA - Lower Amur<br />
LZ - Luzhkinsky<br />
AB - Anuyi-Beringovsky MC - Maclaren<br />
AT - Adycha-Taryn<br />
NW - KNorthwest Koyukuk<br />
BK - Bulkley<br />
Basin<br />
BN - Baranov<br />
NS - Nelson<br />
CF - Catface<br />
OH - Okhotsk<br />
CM - Chugach Mounains OM - Omsukchan<br />
CN - Chaun<br />
PW - Prince William Sound<br />
CH - Chukotka<br />
SA - Southern <strong>Alaska</strong><br />
CS - Central Sakhalin SG - Sergeevka<br />
CSE - Central-Southeastern SK - Skeena<br />
<strong>Alaska</strong><br />
SL - Surprise Lake<br />
ECA - Eastern-Southern SP - Seward Peninsula<br />
<strong>Alaska</strong><br />
TK - Taukha<br />
FLB - Fish Lake-Bralorne TM - Talkeetna Mountains<br />
GA - Gambier<br />
TY - Tyaughton-Yalakom<br />
IR - Iruneiskiy<br />
VI - Verkhoyansk-Indigirka<br />
JU - Juneau<br />
VK - Verkhne-Kolyma<br />
KH - Khingan<br />
VV - Vostochno-Verkhoyansk<br />
KM - Kema<br />
VY - Verkhne-Yudomsky<br />
KMT - Kuskokwim Mountains WCA - West-Central <strong>Alaska</strong><br />
KN - Korkodon-Nayakhan YK - Yakobi<br />
NWK<br />
FLB,<br />
TY<br />
NS<br />
TM<br />
MC,<br />
JU<br />
CM SA BN,<br />
YK<br />
CSE<br />
PW<br />
GA,<br />
CF<br />
DE TI<br />
? ?<br />
Figure 104. Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary (Campanian through early Eocene—84 to 52 Ma) stage of metallogenic-tectonic<br />
model for the Russian Far East, <strong>Alaska</strong>, and the Canadian Cordillera and adjacent offshore areas. Refer to text for explanation of<br />
metallogenic-tectonic events, to tables 3 and 4 for descriptions metallogenic belts and significant deposits, and to figure 18 for explanation<br />
of abbreviations, symbols, and patterns. Adapted from Nokleberg and others (1997b, 1998, 2000).<br />
60 o<br />
HA<br />
RL