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375 386 Calon
375 386 Calon
KEYWORDS: Regional geology, Shulapscomplex, ultra- collage of suspect terrane:: that form this part of the Cordillera
mafic, peridotite, ophiolite, serpentinite mtlange, Bridge (Price ef al., 1985; Potter, 1986; Rusmore, 1987).
River Terrane, Cddwallader Group, East Lira igneous suite, The Shulapscomplex was first mapped in detailby Leech
Yalakom fault. (1953). whoconcluded that the peridotites were part ola non-
stratiform plutonic complexthat was later intrudedby maller
lenses of gabbroandpyroxenite.Morerecently, Nagel
INTRODUCTION (1979) and Wright et al. (1982) have suggested an oph olitic
The Shulaps ultramafichafic complex is exposed in the origin forthe peridotite complex, interpreting it as a residual
mountains of the Shulaps Range,within theQaughton Creek mantle tectonite section. These workers established that the
map area (Schiarizza et al., 1989) approximately SO kilo- western basalcontact of thecomplex is a serpentinite
metres northwestofLillooet in the Cordilleraof southwestern mtlange containing exotic blocks of sedimentary and vol-
British Columbia (Figure 3-4-1). It forms one of the largest canic rocks.Theserocksare tentativelycorrelated with
bodies of ultramafic rocks in the orogenic belt, underlyingan supracrustalrocks in the oceanic Bridge River anane,
'Ew
area of approximately 180 square kilometres. The complex is which structurally underlies the mtlange. The mtlangc: alsc
situated along the boundary of the Intermontane and Insular contains blocksof ultram;ific and mafic plutonicrocks which
superterranes (Mongeret al., 19821, which is marked in the may represent fragment!; of Layer 3 of the Bridge Rive1
area by the Yalakom fault system. Its origin and structural Oceanic crust. Leech (1953). Nagel (1979) and Wright ef al.
evolution have important bearing on unravelling the tectonic (1982) have suggested that stratigraphic relationships exisl
Figure 3-4-2. Schematic geological map of the study area, with legend.
between gabbroic and volcanic rocks within blocks in the Further, the stratigraphic and structural relationships of the
melange, implying that the basal melange of the Shulaps BridgeRiverTerrane,theadjacentfault-boundedCad-
complex may represent the highly dismembered remnantsof wallader Terrane and the Shulaps complex remain obscure.
a more or less complete ophiolitic suite. A segment of a This study was undertaken primarilyto establishthe tectonic
Triassic sedimentary apron (Hurley Formation) of the Cad- andplutonicevolutionandpetrogenesis of the Shulaps
wallader volcanic arc assemblage (Rusmore, 1987)lies with ophiolite complexandits Mesozoic accretionaryhistory.
fault contact directly to the west of the Shulaps complex. Detailed geological mapping on scales ranging from 1:6000
According to Rusmore(1987) and Potter(1986). the more or to 1:14 000 was carried out in a two-week period in summer
lesscontemporaneousCadwallader arcand Bridge River 1988 anda four-week period in thesummer of 1989, covering
ocean basin becamejuxtaposedduring movement on the anarea of approximately 20 squarekilometres centred
Shulaps sole thrust. Since thisthrust has an overall westerly around the upper courses of Jim Creek and East Liza Creek,
vergence (Potter, 1986). the arc restores palinspastically to along the southwestern edge of the Shulaps complex (Figure
the west of the basin. The Bridge River ophiolitic assemblage 3-4-2).Thisareacomprisesthecriticaltransitionfrom
may thus have developed in relation to hack-arc spreading coherent thrusts sheets of residual mantle peridotite of the
(Potter, 1986). Shulaps complex to underlying ophiolitic mClange. It con-
To date, no modem accountexists of the petrogenesis and tains the hulk of the exotic blocksof gabbro and pyroxenite in
structural evolution of the mantle peridotite section of the the melange, together with less abundant smaller blocks of
Shulaps complexandtheunderlyingophiolitic melange. volcanic and sedimentary rocks. In addition, on the western
376 British Columbia Geological Survey Branch
CADWALLADER GROUP (4) The Cadwallader Group, which comprises sedimentary
rn Hurley Formation.Sondstones--eholsr: c o l ~ a r e o mshale with
limestone lenma: minor chert. conglamerats ond limeatone brecsio
EAST LIZA IGNEOUS SUITE
rocks of the Hurley Formation and is exposed on the west
flank of the Shulaps complex and East Liza suite (Unit
10).
~DIP\YE andpillared mofic metovolcanic rocks
Together, these four units comprise a complicated.. poly-
phase, southwesterly verging, linked thrust system, whsch at
SHULAPS OPHlOLITlC MELANGE. BLOCKS a later stage became overprinted on its western flank by a
transtensional high-angle fault system.
The Shulapsperidotite wite occupiesthe upper p"rt cNf the
thrust system. It extends far to thenorth andeast of the study
area (Figure 3-4-1) and underlies the highest peaks within the
Shulaps Range. Work by Leech (1953:' and Wright e t al.
(1982) suggests that it consists entirely of variably ssrpen-
SHULAPS OPHlOLITlC MELANGE, MAlRIX tinized, layered harzburgi1.e tectonites with locally abundant
ssrpentinite derivsd from dunite-uahrlite cumulates: with dunite bodies. Preliminary field observations suggestthat the
La more coherent ultramafic cumulateblocks upper thrust unit of mantle peridotite coinsists of a shingled
a serpentinite derived from Shulopr
peridotitesuite:with
mole coherent peridotite tectanite blocks
:entral Window
jouthwest Domain
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