Application of grouped detrital zircon analyses to determine provenance and closely approximate true depositional age: Early Cretaceous McMurray-Clearwater succession, Canada

Rinke-Hardekopf, Lucian; Dashtgard, Shahin E.; Huang, Chynna; Gibson, H. Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.gsf.2020.11.016

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…The age derived from the B1 DU and from a second ash bed found in a coal seam at the top of the Lower McMurray (121.39 ± 0.20 Ma; Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2019) are the only absolute ages available for the McMurray Formation. These volcanic ash ages are consistent with both detrital zircon maximum depositional ages determined in the McMurray Formation (Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2021) and biostratigraphic ages (Hein & Dolby, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Two of the grains, however, returned overlapping ages of 115.05 ± 0.20 Ma and 115.11 ± 0.26 Ma (Figure 15B). Although the sample size is small, two of six grains represent approximately 33% of the sample, and this is significantly higher than the regional occurrence of young zircon in detrital zircon samples of the McMurray Formation (<0.4%; total detrital zircon = 3811; Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2021). A weighted mean average of the two youngest grains yields an age of 115.07 ± 0.16 Ma (mean standard weighted deviation: 0.045, probability of fit: 0.83).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The blue overlay shows the location of the Bouger gravity map (B) of British Columbia (BC), Alberta (AB) and Saskatchewan (SK). (B) Bouger gravity map depicting the locations of the Athabasca (red overlay) and Cold Lake (blue overlay) oil sands regions in the Alberta Foreland Basin (adapted from Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2021). The dashed lines demarcate the boundaries of the Alberta Foreland Basin with the Canadian Cordillera and Canadian Shield.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolving stratigraphic architecture and constraining ages of paralic strata in a low‐accommodation setting, Firebag Tributary, McMurray Formation, Canada

Rinke-Hardekopf

Dashtgard

MacEachern

et al. 2022

The Depositional Record

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The McMurray Formation in McMurray Depocentre, Canada, is typically subdivided into stratigraphic units based on regionally mappable marine mudstones, the bases of which define flooding surfaces (bottom to top: Lower McMurray, C2, C1, B2, B1, A2, A1 depositional unit). However, the McMurray Formation comprises a variety of palaeoenvironments, with the north-eastern Firebag Tributary hosting significant delta-plain deposits in the Lower McMurray and B1 depositional units. Facies analysis of 60 cores and 4763 wireline logs was used to resolve the palaeoshoreline trajectory and stratigraphic architecture in Firebag Tributary. Of 14 identified facies, three delta-plain facies reveal: (1) eluviated palaeosols, interpreted as shrublands and woodlands formed during base-level fall; (2) gleyed palaeosols, interpreted as tidal marshes; and (3) coals formed in coastal mires, the two latter facies are interpreted to accumulate during base-level rise. Eluviated palaeosols occur below the Lower McMurray coal seam, implying valley incision and a maximum regressive surface. Gleyed palaeosols underlying the coal seam atop the B1 depositional unit do not record base-level fall. Wettingupward coals overlying either palaeosol facies indicate base-level rise (i.e. major flooding surface). B1 depositional unit coals and gleyed palaeosols are overlain by shallow-marine facies or are eroded by wave ravinement during transgression. Consequently, the tops of coals or gleyed palaeosols correlate to the bases of regional marine mudstones elsewhere in McMurray Depocentre. Stratigraphic cross sections showcase palaeoshoreline regression and transgression. During the Lower McMurray and B1 depositional units, widespread coals and palaeosols indicate the palaeoshoreline resided near the western edge of Firebag Tributary.Regression during C2 through B2 depositional units and A2 and A1 depositional units resulted in palaeoshorelines near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.To complement a previously dated Lower McMurray ash (121.39 ± 0.2 Ma), a new high-confidence maximum depositional age from ash in the B1 coal seam

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolving stratigraphic architecture and constraining ages of paralic strata in a low‐accommodation setting, Firebag Tributary, McMurray Formation, Canada

Rinke-Hardekopf

Dashtgard

MacEachern

et al. 2022

The Depositional Record

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“…The uppermost interval of the lower McMurray Formation accumulated extensive paralic peat mires, now represented by a nearly continuous interval of 3–5 m thick lignite. The coals thicken to as much as 20–25 m within salt dissolution‐collapse sinkholes and along sinkhole valleys distributed across the northern area of the Athabasca Oil Sands deposit (Broughton, 2013, 2015, 2021; Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2019, 2021).…”

Section: Stratigraphic and Structural Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The depositional environment of the McMurray Formation changed with the onset of tidal influenced deposits of the middle interval and, resulted in a disconformable contact with fluvial and lacustrine deposits of the lower interval (Durkin et al, 2017; Hein et al, 2000, 2001, 2013). Middle and upper interval deposits accumulated proximal to the now eroded shoreline of the southward advance of the Boreal Sea along the northern reaches of a continental‐scale river system that extended across the interior of the North American craton (Benyon et al, 2014, 2016; Fustic et al, 2021; Rinke‐Hardekopf et al, 2019, 2021). The middle interval strata include an extensive distribution of multi‐kilometre long and 10–40 m thick point bars (Broughton, 2015, 2016; Hein et al, 2013).…”

Section: Stratigraphic and Structural Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salt dissolution tectonism and origin of lacustrine carbonate beds: Mn‐Fe‐calcite and Mn‐siderite micro‐spherulite fabrics of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Athabasca Oil Sands deposit, western Canada

Broughton

2022

The Depositional Record

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Several lacustrine carbonate beds, each a metre-thick interval of densely packed Mn-rich sideritic micro-spherulites or Mn-rich ferroan calcite micro-spherulites, are recorded for the first time within strata of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation of the northern Athabasca Oil Sands deposit, western Canada. A lower McMurray lacustrine carbonate deposit is characterised by a metre-thick bed fabric of Mn-rich siderite micro-spherulites. The middle and upper interval McMurray beds developed fabrics of Mn 2+ -rich ferroan calcite micro-spherulites. These carbonate beds represent saline lacustrine depositional environments that resulted from the lake bottom sediments ingressed from below by Mn 2+ -Fe 2+ -rich carbonate-saturated brines. These up-section migrations of Devonian formation water were sourced from dissolution trends developed in limestone and haliteanhydrite beds of the underlying Devonian Prairie Evaporite during Cordilleran deformation of the Alberta Basin foreland. These brines ascended to the overlying McMurray Formation sediments along dissolution-collapse structures such as breccia pipes, sinkholes and margins of differentially subsided Upper Devonian fault blocks. The up-section migration of a sulphate-saturated Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ -rich brine resulted in the ingress of a lower McMurray lacustrine bottom sediment at a site associated with the development of a peat mire terrain. Microbial redox of the lake bottom sediment resulted in a carbonate bed of micro-spherulitic fabrics of Mn-rich siderite interwoven with pyrite laminae. Subsequent salt dissolution events and up-section migrations of Devonian brine during deposition of the middle and upper McMurray intervals resulted in similar carbonate-saturated but sulphate-poor chemistry. These saline flows also ingressed lacustrine bottom sediments below, and resulted in limestone beds of densely packed spherulitic fabrics of Mn-ferroan calcite, not siderite. These deposits provide insight into largely unknown dispositions of voluminous brine resulting from salt dissolution trends | 657 BROUGHTON How to cite this article: Broughton, P.L. (2022) Salt dissolution tectonism and origin of lacustrine carbonate beds: Mn-Fe-calcite and Mn-siderite micro-spherulite fabrics of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation,

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Causes of Cretaceous subduction termination below South China and Borneo: Was the Proto-South China Sea underlain by an oceanic plateau?

van de Lagemaat,

Cao,

Asis

et al. 2024

Geoscience Frontiers

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Application of grouped detrital zircon analyses to determine provenance and closely approximate true depositional age: Early Cretaceous McMurray-Clearwater succession, Canada

Cited by 9 publications

References 71 publications

Resolving stratigraphic architecture and constraining ages of paralic strata in a low‐accommodation setting, Firebag Tributary, McMurray Formation, Canada

Resolving stratigraphic architecture and constraining ages of paralic strata in a low‐accommodation setting, Firebag Tributary, McMurray Formation, Canada

Salt dissolution tectonism and origin of lacustrine carbonate beds: Mn‐Fe‐calcite and Mn‐siderite micro‐spherulite fabrics of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Athabasca Oil Sands deposit, western Canada

Causes of Cretaceous subduction termination below South China and Borneo: Was the Proto-South China Sea underlain by an oceanic plateau?

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