462

ARTICLE
Late Neoproterozoic arc-related magmatism in the Horse Cove
Complex, eastern Avalon Zone, Newfoundland
Diane R. Skipton, Greg R. Dunning, and Greg W. Sparkes
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Abstract: The Horse Cove Complex (HCC) is a recently recognized late Ediacaran swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes that occurs in the
Newfoundland Avalon Zone. It is focused along the extrapolated trace of the Topsail Fault along the east coast of Conception Bay
and is hosted by mafic submarine volcanic rocks, diorite, and, locally, granodiorite. The HCC has been divided into rock units
that represent dykes of mafic-to-felsic composition, hosted by feldspar porphyry, gabbro, and diorite. The age of magmatism in
the complex has been bracketed by U–Pb zircon ages, determined by chemical abrasion – thermal ionization mass spectrometry
(CA–TIMS), of feldspar porphyry (581 ± 2.0 Ma) and an andesitic dyke (578 ± 2.3 Ma). Magmatism occurred over a period of 6.5 Ma
(or less) and overlaps in age with felsic and mafic volcanic centres and related intrusions on the northeastern Avalon Peninsula.
Feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dykes show arc-related chemistry and may be co-magmatic. The mafic-to-intermediate rocks in
the HCC are calc-alkaline to tholeiitic and exhibit a range of compositions, from those that have the characteristics of enriched
mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB-like) to those that show subduction-related light rare-earth element (LREE) enrichment and
negative Nb anomalies. This range of compositions has 3Nd values (at 580 Ma) of +6.4 to +4.1. The HCC likely formed in a back-arc
basin environment, in which rocks with LREE-enriched mantle sources and subduction-contaminated sources were emplaced
side by side and closely in time. The complex may represent the last phase of subduction-related magmatism in the eastern
Avalon Zone in Newfoundland prior to deep marine, deltaic, and alluvial fan sedimentation during the late Neoproterozoic.

Résumé : Le complexe de Horse Cove a été récemment reconnu comme un essaim de dykes, mafiques à felsiques, datant de
For personal use only.

l'Édiacarien, situé dans la zone Avalon de Terre-Neuve. Il est localisé le long de la trace extrapolée de la faille Topsail le long de
la côte est de la baie Conception et il est encaissé dans des roches mères volcaniques sous-marines mafiques, des diorites et, par
endroits, des granodiorites. Le complexe de Horse Cove a été subdivisé en unités rocheuses représentant des dykes de compo-
sition mafique à felsique, encaissés dans des feldspaths porphyriques, des gabbros et des diorites. L'âge du magmatisme dans le
complexe a été délimité par des âges déterminés sur des zircons par U–Pb, CA–TIMS [abrasion chimique – spectrométrie de masse
à thermoionisation] dans des feldspaths porphyriques (581 ± 2,0 Ma) et un dyke d'andésite (578 ± 2,3 Ma). Le magmatisme a eu lieu
sur une période de 6,5 Ma (ou moins) et chevauche, dans le temps, des centres volcaniques felsiques et mafiques ainsi que des
intrusions connexes du nord-est de la péninsule d'Avalon. Les dykes de feldspath porphyrique et de rhyolite présentent une
chimie reliée aux arcs; ils pourraient être comagmatiques. Les roches, mafiques à intermédiaires, dans le complexe de Horse
Cove sont calco-alcalines à tholéiitiques et présentent une gamme de compositions, depuis celles du type E-MORB (basaltes
de rides médio-océaniques enrichis) à celles qui présentent un enrichissement en éléments de terres rares légères reliées à une
subduction ainsi que des anomalies Nb négatives. Cette gamme de compositions a des valeurs 3Nd (à 580 Ma) de +6,4 à +4,1. Le
complexe de Horse Cove s'est probablement formé dans un environnement de bassin d'arrière-arc, dans lequel des roches ayant
des sources mantéliques enrichies en éléments de terres rares légères et de sources contaminées par la subduction ont été mises
en place côte à côte presque en même temps. Le complexe pourrait représenter la dernière phase d'un magmatisme relié à la
subduction dans l'est de la zone d'Avalon à Terre-Neuve avant la sédimentation en mer profonde, deltaïque et de cône alluvial au
cours du Néoprotérozoïque tardif. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

Introduction insula have documented numerous periods of volcanic and plu-

The newly recognized and informally named Horse Cove Com-
plex (HCC; Sparkes 2006) is a map unit in the Avalon Zone of
Newfoundland. It occurs over a distance of approximately 22 km
along the east coast of Conception Bay and is a composite unit that
consists of a mafic-to-felsic dyke swarm hosted by mafic volcanic
rocks and diorite intrusions (Sparkes 2006). Early studies of the
geology of the Avalon Peninsula documented Neoproterozoic vol-
canic and felsic plutonic rocks and an overlying siliciclastic se-
quence that was deposited during the late Neoproterozoic (e.g.,
Rose 1952; McCartney 1967; Hsu 1975; Williams and King 1979;
King 1988, 1990). Recent studies on the northeastern Avalon Pen-
tonic activity and sedimentation during the late Neoproterozoic
(e.g., O'Brien et al. 2001; Sparkes 2005; Sparkes 2006). This paper
reports new detailed mapping, petrography, geochemistry, and
geochronology carried out on the HCC to determine its role in the
tectonic history of the Avalon Zone in Newfoundland and pres-
ents an up-to-date age-stratigraphic correlation chart for rock
units of the Avalon Zone in Newfoundland.
Geology of the Avalon Zone in Newfoundland
Subsequent to the amalgamation (ca. 1200–1000 Ma) and
breakup (ca. 750–600 Ma) of the supercontinent of Rodinia, the

Received 26 April 2012. Accepted 2 November 2012.

Paper handled by Associate Editor Brendan Murphy.
D.R. Skipton* and G.R. Dunning. Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, NL A1B 3X5, Canada.
G.W. Sparkes. Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador, 50 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, NL A1B 4J6, Canada.
Corresponding author: Diane R. Skipton (e-mail: dskip037@uottawa.ca).
*Present address: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.

Can. J. Earth Sci. 50: 462–482 (2013) dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2012-0090 Published at www.nrcresearchpress.com/cjes on 16 April 2013.
 Skipton et al.
ancient continent of Gondwana was formed by collisional and
subduction-related events during ca. 650–520 Ma (e.g., Hoffman
1991; Dalziel 1997; Pisarevsky et al. 2003, 2008). The formation of
Gondwana is recorded in the rocks of the peri-Gondwanan ter-
ranes, which were located along or offshore of the northern mar-
gin of Gondwana into the early Paleozoic (e.g., Theokritoff 1979;
O'Brien et al. 1983, 1996; Murphy and Nance 1989; Landing 2005).
Numerous peri-Gondwanan terranes were separated from the
Gondwanan margin in the late Cambrian – early Ordovician and
were further displaced during the creation of the Appalachian–
Caledonide–Variscan orogenic belt of present-day western Europe
and eastern North America (e.g., van Staal et al. 1998). One of these
peri-Gondwanan terranes is Avalonia, which occurs in numerous
fault-bounded blocks from the Avalon Peninsula of Newfound-
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land to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and New England (Williams
1979). Avalonian rocks in Newfoundland, referred to as the Avalon
Zone (Fig. 1), are separated from the possible outboard peri-
Gondwanan terrane, Ganderia, by the Dover – Hermitage Bay
Fault (Blackwood and Kennedy 1975).
The Avalon Zone is characterized by late Neoproterozoic (760–
542 Ma) volcanic, plutonic, and clastic sedimentary rocks, uncon-
formably overlain by a terminal Ediacaran to Early Ordovician
sequence of fossiliferous siliciclastic rocks (e.g., Hutchinson 1962;
King 1990; O'Brien et al. 1996). Several tectonomagmatic and dep-
ositional events occurred in the Avalon Zone during the late Neo-
proterozoic, at ca. 760, 730, 685–670, 640–590, and 590–545 Ma
(O'Brien et al. 1996). The ca. 760, 730, and 685–670 Ma events are
attributed to rifting and arc-related magmatism; the ca. 640–590 Ma
events are interpreted to represent the development of volcanic
For personal use only.
arcs and arc-related basins; and magmatism and sedimentation
during ca. 590–545 Ma are attributed to an orogenic and later
extensional event (O'Brien et al. 1996).
Geology of the northeastern Avalon Peninsula
Neoproterozoic rocks on the Avalon Peninsula have undergone
southward-plunging, north–south-trending regional uplift, re-
ferred to as the Holyrood Horst (McCartney 1969; Papezik 1969,
1970; O'Brien et al. 2001). The centre of the Holyrood Horst consists
of subaerial late Neoproterozoic felsic and mafic volcanic rocks
(ca. 730–580 Ma; O'Brien et al. 1997, 2001). Also within the Holy-
rood Horst are ca. 620 Ma felsic intrusive rocks, referred to as the
Holyrood Intrusive Suite (HIS) by King (1988), and the coeval White
Hills Intrusive Suite of Sparkes et al. (2005). Adjacent to the Holy-
rood Horst are younger Neoproterozoic siliciclastic rocks, includ-
ing the turbiditic Conception Group, the basinal–deltaic St. John's
Group and the molasse-like Signal Hill Group (King 1990).
In early geological studies of the Avalon Peninsula, the Neopro-
terozoic volcanic rocks were considered a stratigraphically con-
tinuous volcanic sequence and were grouped under the Harbour
Main Group of Rose (1952). The plutonic rocks in the region of the
Holyrood Horst were interpreted to be coeval with the volcanic
rocks and were grouped together as the HIS (Rose 1952; McCartney
1967; King 1988). Siliciclastic rocks both inside and outside the
Holyrood Horst were included in the Conception Group, forming
the basal strata of the shoaling-upward succession of the Concep-
tion, St. John's, and Signal Hill groups.
Recent work on the Avalon Peninsula
Recent mapping and geochronology led to a major revision of
these previous interpretations (O'Brien et al. 2001; Sparkes et al.
2005; Sparkes 2006). Marine, turbiditic rocks preserved in syncli-
nal keels in the Holyrood Horst are up to 40 Ma older than the
Neoproterozoic volcanic succession and are not correlated with
the Conception Group (Israel 1998; O'Brien et al. 2001). O'Brien
et al. (2001) divided the Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks west of the
Topsail Fault into six lithostratigraphically distinct units with a
range in absolute age of approximately 160 Ma, including Hawke
463
Hills Tuff, Triangle Andesite, Peak Tuff, Blue Hills Basalt, Manuels
Volcanic Suite (MVS), and Wych Hazel Pond Complex (WHPC). At
729 ± 7 Ma (Israel 1998), the Hawke Hills Tuff represents the oldest-
known rock unit on the Avalon Peninsula.
Subaerial rocks in the MVS host high-sulfidation-style, pyrophyllite–
diaspore alteration and low-sulfidation style, Au–Ag mineraliza-
tion (e.g., O'Brien et al. 1998), and these epithermal systems form
the Eastern Avalon High-Alumina Belt (Fig. 1). The older age limit
on the high-sulfidation system in the MVS is provided by 584 ± 1
Ma ash-flow tuffs that host economic pyrophyllite deposits
(Sparkes et al. 2005). The advanced argillic alteration zone is over-
lain by sedimentary rocks belonging to the WHPC, which contain
undeformed pyrophyllite–diaspore-altered clasts (Sparkes et al.
2005). A younger age limit of 582 ± 1.5 Ma for the high-sulfidation
style alteration was determined by Sparkes et al. (2005) from an
unaltered pumiceous tuff that overlies the basal conglomerate of
the WHPC. Thus, the formation, uplift, and erosion of the high-
sulfidation system occurred between ca. 585 and 580.5 Ma
(Sparkes et al. 2005).
O'Brien et al. (2001) separated the HIS of King (1988) into several
distinct plutons according to age and lithology, ranging from old-
est monzonite (640 Ma) to youngest quartz-rich granite intrusions
(ca. 620 Ma). Although the ca. 625–620 Ma magmatism of the HIS
and associated White Hills Intrusive Suite predated the develop-
ment of the epithermal systems, younger magmatism exists in
the region. Feldspar porphyry intrusions are hosted by sedimen-
tary rocks of the WHPC, which stratigraphically overlie the 582 ±
1.5 Ma pumiceous tuff that provided the younger age limit on the
high-sulfidation style epithermal system (Sparkes 2005). One such
intrusion from the eastern margin of the Holyrood Horst was dated
at 585 ± 5 Ma (Sparkes 2005). This age overlaps with the 582 ± 4 Ma
eruption age of the ash-flow tuff that hosts low-sulfidation veining,
which suggests that these feldspar porphyry intrusions may be
linked to the low-sulfidation system (Sparkes et al. 2005).
The north–south-striking Topsail Fault (Fig. 1) has a complex,
polyphase deformation history that spans the late Proterozoic to
Middle Cambrian and is characterized by eastward-directed
thrusting (King 1990; Boyce and Hayes 1991; O'Brien 2002; Sparkes
et al. 2005). Many of the rock units in the central Avalon Peninsula
extend northeastwards across the Topsail Fault to Cape St. Francis,
including the subaerial felsic volcanic rocks of the White Moun-
tain Volcanic Suite, the felsic plutonic rocks of the HIS, and the
sedimentary and submarine mafic volcanic rocks of the WHPC
(Fig. 2; Sparkes 2006). Along the northeast coast of Conception
Bay, the sedimentary rocks and epidote-rich mafic volcanic rocks
of the WHPC host intrusions of the Herring Cove Diorite (HCD)
(Sparkes 2006). The newly recognized HCC extends along the east
coast of Conception Bay, coincident with the extrapolated trace of
the Topsail Fault, and consists of a swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes
hosted by the WHPC and, locally, by the HCD (Sparkes 2006). The
gabbroic intrusions of the Beaver Hat Intrusive Suite (BHIS) also
display a close spatial association with the regional trace of the
Topsail Fault. Because the BHIS locally intrudes the Mannings Hill
Member of the late Neoproterozoic Conception Group, the BHIS is
the youngest intrusive event yet identified on the northeastern
Avalon Peninsula (Sparkes 2006). The occurrence of Au-bearing
chalcedonic silica veins in the White Mountain Volcanic Suite east
of the Topsail Fault illustrates the broad extent of low-sulfidation
veining. Furthermore, Sparkes (2006) acknowledged the ca. 580 Ma
or younger HCD as a possible heat source for the low-sulfidation
style epithermal system east of the Topsail Fault, as other candi-
dates either predate or postdate the development of the epither-
mal system.
The HCC
The mafic-to-felsic dyke swarm of the HCC has an approximate
strike length of 22 km along the east coast of Conception Bay,
Published by NRC Research Press
 464 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

Fig. 1. Regional geology of the Avalon Peninsula, with the locations of high- and low-sulfidation-style epithermal alteration systems (modified
after Sparkes et al. 2005). Inset map: tectonic subdivision of the island of Newfoundland (modified after O'Brien et al. 1996). DF, Dover Fault;
DZ(e), Dunnage Zone (Exploits subzone); DZ(n), Dunnage Zone (Notre Dame subzone); GZ, Gander Zone; HBF, Hermitage Bay Fault; RIL, Red
Indian Line.

PALEOZOIC
CAMBRIAN TO EARLY ORDOVICIAN
Shale-rich platformal cover
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LATE NEOPROTEROZOIC Topsail

Fault
Gabbro and diorite
Figure 2

Y
UNSEPARATED SIGNAL HILL

BA
AND ST. JOHN’S GROUPS

ON
CONCEPTION GROUP

TI
HOLYROOD INTRUSIVE

EP
SUITE and related rocks

NC
CO
"HARBOUR MAIN GROUP"
(includes volcanic rocks of
ages between 730 Ma and St. John's
570 Ma)
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Epithermal system

Eastern Avalon
APPALACHIAN OROGEN High Alumina
ON THE ISLAND OF Belt
NEWFOUNDLAND
T
ON

DZ(n)
FR

0 100 km
AN
HI
AC

ZONE
L
PA

CENTRAL
AP

MOBILE
BELT

DZ(n)
DZ(n)
BER

Avalonian and
HUM

DZ(n) DUNNAGE
related
ZONErocks
Bay ista
v
Bona

DZ(e)
RIL
ZONE
DF

ZONE
DER

GZ
GAN

DZ(n)
Fle
ge xure
mita HB
F
Her
Cinq Cerf Grey River Avalon
ula

Bay
ins

Peninsula
St. John’s

Connaigre
Pen

0 25
Peninsula
rin
Bu

ON
AVAL

100 km
Grenvillian Areas of Late Neoproterozoic
km
basement inliers rocks of peri-Gondwanan affinity

from south of Portugal Cove to north of Bauline (Fig. 2). The dyke
swarm is predominantly hosted by the ca. 580 Ma or younger HCD
and the mafic volcanic rocks of the WHPC, and it diminishes
eastwards from the coast of Conception Bay, defining the grada-
tional contact of the HCC (Sparkes 2006). In the Bauline area, the
HCC dyke swarm is hosted by feldspar porphyry, diorite, and,
locally, by medium-grained granodiorite. Granodiorite forms
blocks up to ca. 20 m wide, surrounded by younger intrusions,
including feldspar porphyry, diorite, and mafic-to-felsic dykes.
Granodiorite locally contains minor primary hornblende. In some
areas, granodiorite exhibits blastomylonitic texture, locally with
quartz ribbons up to 1.5 cm long. The dykes in the HCC are char-
acterized by sharp intrusive contacts with chilled margins and
range in width from <0.2 to 5 m (Sparkes 2006; this study). The
HCC has been affected by greenschist-facies metamorphism, but
igneous minerals and textures are preserved. Detailed mapping of

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al.
Fig. 2. Geology of the Cape St. Francis area on the northeastern Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland (modified after Sparkes 2006).
Can. J. Earth Sci. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by MIT LIBRARIES on 04/19/13
For personal use only.
the HCC at Bauline focused on three separate areas of fresh, well-
exposed coastal outcrops and three cross sections along a road cut
and quarry (Fig. 3). A complete cross section of the complex was
constructed from Map 1 plus cross sections A–A' and B–B' (Skipton
2011); however, only selected detailed maps are shown in this
report, which illustrate the complexity of intrusions and the loca-
tions of U–Pb geochronology samples (Figs. 4 and 5).
Description of rock units and their field
relationships
Feldspar porphyry
Feldspar porphyry has a very fine-grained, dark grey ground-
mass that hosts feldspar phenocrysts in about 10% abundance.
Field relationships indicate that feldspar porphyry is younger
than granodiorite but older than diorite and the swarm of mafic-
to-felsic dykes. In Sections A–A' and B–B' (Fig. 3), feldspar porphyry
forms subvertical, 0.5–20 m wide septa that are flanked by diorite
and mafic-to-intermediate dykes, with chilled margins preserved
only locally owing to shearing along contacts.
In Fig. 4, feldspar porphyry forms numerous petrographically
indistinguishable bodies, up to ⬃20 m × 40 m, separated by diorite
intrusions that enclose abundant smaller feldspar porphyry
465
blocks. Hence, these bodies represent the remnants of a feldspar
porphyry intrusion that has been intruded by diorite and, subse-
quently, by a swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes. Large feldspar por-
phyry bodies in Fig. 4 host several lithologies of dykes, including
andesitic, basaltic, basaltic–andesitic and oxide-rich andesitic
dykes, which locally display chilled margins and often contain
blocks of feldspar porphyry (Fig. 6a). Feldspar porphyry is crosscut
by a rhyolitic dyke with flow-banding parallel to its contacts
(Fig. 6b).
Feldspar porphyry contains plagioclase and alkali feldspar phe-
nocrysts that form 0.5–4 mm long, subhedral to euhedral laths
with simple and lamellar twinning (Fig. 7a). Clusters of inter-
grown phenocrysts are surrounded by a fine-grained (⬃150 ␮m)
groundmass of subhedral feldspar laths enclosed by patches of
anhedral quartz and feldspar, commonly displaying granophyric
texture. Minor amounts of opaque minerals occur as anhedral
blebs disseminated throughout the groundmass, as well as larger
(up to ⬃250 ␮m) subhedral crystals. Secondary chlorite and epi-
dote form anhedral blebs and aggregates throughout the ground-
mass and in feldspar phenocrysts, along with tiny opaque
inclusions and sericite. Feldspar porphyry also contains veins of
quartz + epidote ± opaque minerals ± chlorite.
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 466
Fig. 3. A map of the study area surrounding Bauline (Sparkes 2006), showing the approximate locations of Maps 1, 2, and 3 and Sections A–A',
B–B', and C–C' (Skipton 2011). Maps 1 and 2 are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. White dashed line represents an inferred fault. Inset
stereonets: (a) cleavage from throughout the study area, contoured as poles to planes (n = 26); (b) rose diagram of dyke azimuths (n = 16) in
Map 1 and Section A–A' (mean dip is 83E); (c) rose diagram of dyke azimuths (n = 14) in Maps 2 and 3 and Section C–C' (mean dip is 88E). The
dips of dykes are not plotted because of the rarity of measurable dips. Mean orientations are indicated on stereonets.
(a)
214/57
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100 m
NAD 27, Zone 22 Map 2
Bauline (Fig. 5)
(c) 344
C
For personal use only.
Horse Cove
Complex
Map 3
C′
5287000
Gabbro
Gabbro is fine to medium grained with abundant discontinuous
epidote veins and 2–4 mm long, subhedral plagioclase phe-
nocrysts (⬃3%). Gabbro occurs only in the area shown in Fig. 5 and
is interpreted to be the oldest mafic unit because it hosts several
mafic-to-intermediate dykes with chilled margins (Fig. 6c). Al-
though gabbro is known to be younger than granodiorite because
it encloses several granodiorite fragments surrounded by chilled
margins, the contact between gabbro and diorite is poorly ex-
posed and their age relationship remains ambiguous.
Gabbro is characterized by subophitic texture (Fig. 7b). Clinopyrox-
ene and hornblende have been partially replaced by actinolite ± chlo-
rite, and ilmeno-magnetite has been altered to ilmenite and
leucoxene. Chlorite, actinolite, and epidote occur as <50 ␮m crys-
tals within and between all igneous minerals, and plagioclase has
been strongly sericitized. Epidote veins are ubiquitous in thin
section and locally contain carbonate or Fe–Ti oxides, and minor
quartz veins also occur.
Diorite
Diorite is medium grained, with 1–4 mm long, subhedral pla-
gioclase phenocrysts (⬃5%) and discontinuous epidote veins. Dio-
rite is the most widespread of the mafic-to-intermediate units in
the study area and hosts many mafic-to-felsic dykes (Fig. 4), with
well-preserved chilled margins (Fig. 6d). In Fig. 4, diorite is chilled
against granodiorite and contains blocks of granodiorite and feld-
spar porphyry. The shapes of some blocks are matched by irregu-
lar edges on neighbouring felsic bodies, evidence for the plucking
of blocks from older granodiorite and feldspar porphyry by in-
truding diorite melt.
Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013
(b) 030
Map 1 (Fig. 4)
B
Herring Cove
Diorite
B′
A
362500
A′
In thin section, diorite is seen to contain subhedral hornblende
that has undergone variable replacement by actinolite ± chlorite
(Fig. 7c). Groundmass plagioclase forms 1 mm subhedral laths and
space-filling anhedral grains. Plagioclase contains sericite, actin-
olite needles, anhedral blebs of epidote and chlorite and nearly
submicroscopic Fe–Ti oxide inclusions. Ilmeno-magnetite has
been altered to ilmenite + leucoxene. Epidote forms rectangular
aggregates up to 2.5 mm long that pseudomorph plagioclase phe-
nocrysts.
Dyke swarm
Granodiorite, feldspar porphyry, diorite, and gabbro are in-
truded by a swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes, ranging in width from
0.2 to 5 m. The dykes are divided into eight different types (A–H),
based on petrography and field appearance (Table 1). Based on
crosscutting relationships, the dykes are listed from oldest to
youngest interpreted ages in Table 1. However, the episodic em-
placement of certain types of dykes (e.g., B, C, D, and G) was
broadly coeval. All dykes are fine-grained and, except for basaltic–
andesitic dykes (Type E) and some hornblende basaltic dykes
(Type B), they contain 0.5–5 mm subhedral-to-euhedral plagio-
clase phenocrysts (<5%–15%).
In mafic-to-intermediate dykes, groundmass plagioclase forms
subhedral blocky or elongate laths. Fe–Ti oxides occur as euhedral
to subhedral grains, commonly altered to ilmenite + leucoxene. In
hornblende-porphyritic andesitic dykes (Type A), hornblende
forms 1 mm subhedral phenocrysts that exhibit twinning and
growth zoning (Fig. 7d). In hornblende basaltic and basaltic dykes
(Types B and C), hornblende occurs in the groundmass as subhe-
dral tabular crystals (Fig. 7e). In basaltic dykes (Type C), anhedral
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 Skipton et al.
Fig. 4. Selected area from Map 1 (Skipton 2011), with locations of U–Pb zircon geochronology samples 211 in granodiorite, 212 in a rhyolitic dyke, and 213 in feldspar porphyry. Note that
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granodiorite and feldspar porphyry occur as blocks surrounded by diorite and dykes and that feldspar porphyry and diorite are crosscut by the rhyolitic dyke.
For personal use only.
Published by NRC Research Press

467
 468 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

clinopyroxene displays subophitic texture. The oxide-rich an-

desitic and basaltic dykes (Types F and G) contain abundant dis-
Fig. 5. Map 2, showing the location of U–Pb sample 209 in an andesitic dyke. Note that the andesitic dyke crosscuts gabbro, feldspar-porphyritic hornblende basaltic dykes, oxide-rich
seminated blebs of Fe–Ti oxides that commonly form chains
of <25 ␮m euhedral crystals. Greenschist-facies metamorphic
minerals, including chlorite, epidote, and actinolite, form <50 ␮m
crystals within igneous minerals and along grain boundaries.
Hornblende and clinopyroxene have undergone minor to signifi-
cant replacement by greenschist-facies minerals, and, in certain
dykes, some hornblende grains are fully replaced. Epidote veins
are common but are typically <1 mm wide and constitute no more
andesitic dykes, and a basaltic dyke. The andesitic dyke is crosscut by a basaltic–andesitic dyke and oxide-rich andesitic dykes. Map legend is provided in Fig. 4.

than 3% of each thin section analyzed.

Rhyolitic dykes (Type H) have a very fine-grained quartz and
feldspar groundmass that surrounds 5 mm plagioclase and alkali
feldspar phenocrysts with simple and lamellar twinning. Minor
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5 mm hornblende phenocrysts occur in some dykes. In the

groundmass, <50 ␮m elongate plagioclase laths are enclosed by
oval-shaped patches of quartz and feldspar, the products of the
devitrification of glass. Opaque minerals and secondary epidote
and chlorite form anhedral grains throughout the groundmass.
Flow banding is defined by quartz and feldspar-rich bands alter-
nating with bands rich in Fe–Ti oxide and chlorite (Fig. 7f).

Deformation and dyke orientation

Northeast–southwest-striking, west-dipping deformation cleav-
age occurs throughout mafic-to-intermediate rocks in Fig. 4 and
the southwest portion of the map area (Map 3 in Fig. 3) and is
generally more strongly developed proximal to the coast of Con-
ception Bay. This cleavage is attributed to the polyphase deforma-
tional history of the Topsail Fault (King 1988, 1990; Sparkes 2006).
For personal use only.

In Fig. 4, cleavage is most intense in localized, northeast–

southwest-striking shear zones that are approximately 2–5 m
wide and contain attenuated granodiorite blocks within strongly
sheared mafic-to-intermediate rocks. In the southwest side of
Bauline (Map 3 in Fig. 3), several small-scale faults, striking parallel
to cleavage, have produced dextral offsets (⬃1 m) towards the
southwest. The absence of cleavage in feldspar porphyry and
rhyolitic dykes may be due to their rheological strength. Although
quartz ribbons in host granodiorite also strike northeast–
southwest, they may have formed during a separate phase of de-
formation, given the ductile deformation style and the older age
of this unit.
The spatial correlation of the HCC dyke swarm with the extrap-
olated trace of the Topsail Fault suggests a relationship between
these two events. The ancestral Topsail Fault may have provided a
zone of weakness for the emplacement of the dyke swarm, and
northeast–southwest-oriented cleavage may have developed in
the dykes during the prolonged deformational history of the Top-
sail Fault. Whereas the dykes in the study area are all steeply
dipping, dykes on the east side of the study area (Fig. 4; Section
A–A' in Fig. 3) strike northeast–southwest, and dykes on the west
side of the study area (Fig. 5; Map 3 and Section C–C' in Fig. 3)
strike northwest–southeast. Therefore, the original dyke orienta-
tions may have been altered by a possible splay off the ancestral
Topsail Fault that separates the east and west sides of the study
area (Fig. 3).

U–Pb geochronology
Methods
Four rock units, including the oldest and youngest intrusions,
were dated using the chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass
spectrometry (CA–TIMS) method (Mattinson 2005). The clearest
euhedral zircon crystals were heated for 36 hours at 900 °C, to
anneal radiation damage in the zircon lattice, and were then
loaded in Teflon bombs with concentrated HF and etched for
6–8 hours at 200 °C. The etched zircon fractions were washed with
distilled HNO3 and doubly distilled H2O, rinsed with acetone, then
loaded into Krogh-type Teflon dissolution bombs with a mixed

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al. 469

Fig. 6. (a) Blocks of feldspar porphyry surrounded by diorite and an oxide-rich andesitic dyke; (b) sharp contact between feldspar porphyry
and a rhyolitic dyke, with flow banding parallel to contact; (c) sliver of gabbro between basaltic and oxide-rich andesitic dykes with well-
preserved chilled margins; (d) block of diorite enclosed in an oxide-rich andesitic dyke; (e) basaltic dykes crosscut by andesitic and oxide-rich
andesitic dykes; (f) chilled margin in a basaltic–andesitic dyke against feldspar porphyry.

Feldspar Oxide-rich
porphyry andesitic dyke
Feldspar
porphyry
Diorite
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Rhyolitic
dyke

Oxide-rich
andesitic dyke
a
For personal use only.

Oxide-rich Diorite
andesitic dyke

Basaltic
dyke

Gabbro c d

Basaltic- Feldspar
Basaltic andesitic porphyry
dyke dyke

Oxide-rich Basaltic
andesitic dyke
dyke Andesitic
dyke

e f

Published by NRC Research Press

 470 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

Fig. 7. Photomicrographs under crossed polars, unless otherwise indicated: (a) Plagioclase (Pl) and alkali feldspar phenocrysts in feldspar
porphyry; (b) subophitic texture in gabbro. (Cpx, clinopyroxene); (c) partial replacement of hornblende (Hbl) by actinolite and chlorite in
diorite; (d) Pl and Hbl phenocrysts in a hornblende-porphyritic andesitic dyke (plane polarized light); (e) fine-grained Cpx, Hbl, and Pl in a
basaltic dyke with interstitial chlorite (Chl); (f) flow banding in a rhyolitic dyke. Opq, opaque minerals.

Cpx

Pl
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Cpx

1 mm 1 mm
a b

Pl
Hbl

Hbl
For personal use only.

1 mm 1 mm
c d

Hbl
Chl Chl + Opq-rich band
Cpx
Feldspar-rich band

1 mm 1 mm
e f

205Pb/235U tracer, along with 15 drops of distilled HF and one drop ties of 2␴ on isotopic ratios were calculated using an unpublished
of HNO3 for dissolution. Ion exchange chemistry was completed program, and Isoplot was used to calculate the weighted average
following the methods of Krogh (1973), except with miniaturized 206Pb/238U ages and uncertainties at the 95% confidence interval.

ion exchange columns and one-tenth of the reagent volumes.

The Pb and U isotopic compositions of each sample were mea-
sured using a Finnigan MAT 262V thermal ionization mass spec-
trometer at Memorial University of Newfoundland. For these
small samples, all Pb and U compositions were measured by peak
jumping on the ion counting secondary electron multiplier. Data-
sets were measured between 1400 °C to 1550 °C for Pb and 1550 °C
to 1640 °C for U.
The measured ratios were corrected for Pb fractionation
(0.1% amu), U fractionation (0.03% amu), and laboratory procedure
blanks (Pb = 2 pg, U = 0.3 pg). The two-stage model of Stacey and
Kramers (1975) was used to calculate the composition of common
Pb above the laboratory blank, and the decay constants of Jaffey
et al. (1971) were used in the calculation of U–Pb ages. Uncertain-
Sample selection
To constrain the age of magmatism in the HCC, a sample of the
host granodiorite, as well as feldspar porphyry, an andesitic dyke,
and a rhyolitic dyke, were dated. Granodiorite predates all other
magmatism, and its age provides an older limit for the HCC (211;
Fig. 4). Samples were collected from a rhyolitic dyke (212; Fig. 4)
and an andesitic dyke (209; Fig. 5) to define a younger age limit for
the HCC. The fourth sample was collected from feldspar porphyry
(213; Fig. 4), which is crosscut by the rhyolitic dyke from which
sample 212 was taken. Because field evidence indicates that feld-
spar porphyry is younger than granodiorite but older than diorite
and the swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes, the U–Pb age of feldspar
porphyry further constrains the timing of magmatism in the HCC.

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al.
Table 1. Lithology and field relationships of eight types of dykes (A–H) in the HCC dyke swarm.
Type Dyke lithology Defining features Crosscuts Crosscut by
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A Hbl–porphyritic
andesitic
B Hbl–basaltic
C Basaltic
D Andesitic
E Basaltic–andesitic
F Oxide-rich basaltic
G Oxide-rich andesitic
H Rhyolitic
Note: “Type B (?)” denotes an unsampled mafic dyke with Type B field appearance. Dykes are listed from oldest to youngest interpreted ages. Cpx, clinopyroxene; Hbl, hornblende; Opq, opaque; Pl, plagioclase.
For personal use only.
10% 0.5–3 mm Pl phenocrysts; 10% ⬃1 mm Hbl phenocrysts Diorite; feldspar porphyry; granodiorite Type B, D, E
Non-porphyritic; some in Map 2 with 15% 1–5 mm Pl phenocrysts; Hbl in groundmass Diorite; gabbro; feldspar porphyry; Type C, D, G
granodiorite; Type A, G
<5% 2–5 mm Pl phenocrysts; Cpx in groundmass with subophitic texture Gabbro; diorite; granodiorite; Type B, G Type D, G
Light grey or green weathering colour; <5% 1 mm Pl phenocrysts; 60%–75% Granodiorite; gabbro; feldspar Type G, E, H
Pl; <1% Hbl in groundmass porphyry; diorite; Type C, G, B
Non-porphyritic; no Hbl or Cpx (or pseudomorphs); richer in Opq and greenschist- Diorite; feldspar porphyry; Type B (?), G
facies minerals than Type D granodiorite; Type A, D
Dark grey or black weathering colour; strongly magnetic; <5% 5 mm Pl phenocrysts Granodiorite; gabbro; diorite; feldspar Type B (?)
porphyry; Type B
Dark purple weathering colour; strongly magnetic; <5% 5 mm Pl phenocrysts; Granodiorite; gabbro; diorite; feldspar Type D, B, C
compositionally banded porphyry; Type C, D, B
Light green or dark grey flow banding; <5% 5 mm Pl phenocrysts Feldspar porphyry; diorite; Type D Type B (?)

ments that did not match either of these groups. The largest zir-
larger zircons with one or more crystal faces; and crystal frag-
that represent three populations: small, sub-rounded zircons;

580.6 ± 2.0 Ma (MSWD = 0.076) for feldspar porphyry.

concordant analyses yield a weighted average 206Pb/238U age of
ral 2:1 prisms with well-developed igneous growth zoning. Three

206Pb/238U age of 581.7 ± 1.9 Ma (MSWD = 0.17).

longitudinal zoning. The four analyses yield a weighted average

the weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.86; Fig. 9).

age of the four concordant analyses is 625 ± 1.4 Ma (mean square of
ratio in the granodiorite melt. The weighted average 206Pb/238U
206Pb ratio of the four rocks analyzed, signifying a lower Th/U
had the highest U concentrations (Table 2) and the lowest 208Pb/
with igneous growth zoning (Fig. 8). The zircons in granodiorite

Results

dyke (209). All scale bars are 50 ␮m.

(211), a rhyolitic dyke (212), feldspar porphyry (213), and an andesitic
samples chosen for U–Pb geochronology, including granodiorite
Fig. 8. Cathodeluminescence images of zircon from the four
The andesitic dyke (209) contained clear zircon of various sizes

Feldspar porphyry (213) contained high-quality zircon as euhed-

The rhyolitic dyke (212) contained clear euhedral zircon with

Zircon in granodiorite (211) forms clear, euhedral 2:1 prisms

DS-09-209

DS-09-213

DS-09-212

DS-09-211
Published by NRC Research Press

471
 472 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

Table 2. U–Pb isotopic data for four rock samples from the HCC and host granodiorite in the Bauline area, eastern Avalon Zone, Newfoundland.
Samples 211–213 are from Map 1 (Fig. 4), and sample 209 is from Map 2 (Fig. 5).
Fraction Concentration measured Corrected atomic ratios Age (Ma)
Total
Weight U Pb rad common 206 Pb/ 208 Pb/ 206 Pb/ 207 Pb/ 207 Pb/ 206 Pb/ 207 Pb/ 207 Pb/
(mg) (ppm) (ppm) Pb (pg) 204 Pb 206 Pb 238 U ± 235 U ± 206 Pb ± 238 U 235 U 206 Pb
Andesitic dyke: DS-09-209 (362404, 5287013)
Z1 6 clr prm & frag 0.006 82 8.9 8.5 359 0.2719 0.09387 50 0.7712 70 0.05959 46 578 580 589
Z2 3 clr prm & frag 0.003 109 11.9 6.7 307 0.2831 0.09386 64 0.7712 148 0.05959 100 578 580 589
Z3 6 clr prm 0.006 68 10.1 6.2 588 0.1726 0.13868 142 1.4283 124 0.07470 52 837 901 1060
Granodiorite: DS-09-211 (362450, 5287134)
Z1 4 euh prm 0.006 217 24.5 1.8 4574 0.2225 0.10181 58 0.8489 48 0.06047 22 625 624 621
Z2 7 clr euh prm 0.010 370 40.9 2 12589 0.2032 0.10181 38 0.8502 28 0.06056 14 625 625 624
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Z3 4 clr euh prm 0.006 251 27.6 7.7 1259 0.2016 0.10147 56 0.8487 68 0.06066 38 623 624 627
Z4 4 clr euh prm 0.006 430 48.0 2.1 7900 0.2096 0.10203 42 0.8508 34 0.06048 12 626 625 621
Rhyolitic dyke: DS-09-212 (362480, 5287142)
Z1 4 clr prm 0.006 134 14.4 1.3 3631 0.2573 0.09428 72 0.7720 68 0.05939 50 581 581 581
Z2 6 clr euh prm 0.009 114 12.0 1.1 5663 0.2316 0.09449 56 0.7722 44 0.05927 30 582 581 577
Z3 3 clr prm 0.004 197 21.0 1.1 4626 0.2516 0.09452 56 0.7732 46 0.05933 24 582 582 579
Z4 4 clr prm 0.006 89 9.4 1.7 1903 0.2465 0.09416 128 0.7706 96 0.05936 56 580 580 580
Feldspar porphyry: DS-09-213 (362477, 5287127)
Z1 6 clr euh prm 0.006 142 15.3 5.4 961 0.2613 0.09429 50 0.7721 90 0.05939 58 581 581 582
Z2 4 clr euh prm 0.004 132 14.0 15 224 0.2502 0.09411 80 0.7759 64 0.05980 40 580 583 596
Z3 4 clr euh prm 0.004 120 13.0 5.8 505 0.2755 0.09427 62 0.7732 86 0.05948 58 581 582 585
Note: All zircons were chemically abraded (Mattinson 2005) prior to dissolution. Z, zircon; 3, 6, etc., number of grains in analysis; clr, clear; euh, euhedral; prm,
prisms; frag, fragments; Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates (easting, northing) after sample number (NAD 27, Zone 22). Errors reported after ratios are 2␴
uncertainties.

Fig. 9. Concordia diagrams for the four samples selected for U–Pb geochronology from the Horse Cove Complex. U–Pb zircon ages are
For personal use only.

indicated in inset boxes.

Granodiorite Rhyolitic dyke 610

DS-09-211 645 DS-09-212
600
206 Pb 635 206
Pb 590
238
U 238 U 580
625 Z4
0.1012 Z4 0.094
Z3 Z3
570
Z1 Z2 Z2
0.0995 615 625 ± 1.4 Ma 0.0917 Z1 581.7 ± 1.9 Ma
MSWD = 0.86 MSWD = 0.17

207 Pb 207 Pb
0.821 0.836 235 U 0.739 0.759 235 U
Feldspar porphyry Andesitic dyke
DS-09-213 600 DS-09-209 1300

206 Pb 206 Pb 1100

580 1387 ± 36 Ma
238
U 238 U
Z3
0.0929 Z2 0.1575 900
Z1 578.4 ± 2.3 Ma
560 580.6 ± 2.0 Ma MSWD = 0.00061
0.0903 Z3
MSWD = 0.076 0.1227 590
580
Z2 207 Pb
207 Pb
Z1
0.725 0.748 235 U 1.093 1.55 235 U Z1 Z2

cons with the best-developed crystal faces were selected for
analysis. These crystals have igneous growth zoning. Two frac-
tions gave a weighted average 206Pb/238U age of 578.4 ± 2.3 Ma
(MSWD = 0.00061). These two fractions have the highest 208Pb/
206Pb ratios of all samples, consistent with a more mafic host
magma composition. Fraction Z3 yielded an older U–Pb age,
which can be attributed to one or more inherited zircon crystals
or inherited cores among the six crystals analyzed. The inherited
component of fraction Z3 yielded an upper intercept age of 1387 ±
36 Ma. Fraction Z3 also has a lower 208Pb/206Pb ratio than the other

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al. 473

Fig. 10. (a) Diagram of alkali parameters, after Hughes (1973). Classification diagrams of (b) Pearce (1996) and (c) Winchester and Floyd (1977). Com,
comendite; Pan, pantellerite; Sub-AB, sub-alkaline basalt; Alk-Bas, alkaline basalt; Bas, basanite; Trach, trachybasanite; Neph, Nephelinite.

(a) (b)
Igneous Spectrum 1 Alkali Rhyolite
12 Spillite
(Na-metasomatism) (weakly altered)
Phonolite

Rhyolite/Dacite Trachyte
K2O + Na2O (wt. %)

8 0.1 Tephri-phonolite
Trachy-

Zr/TiO2
Andesite

Andesite/Basalt
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4 Keratophyre
(K-metasomatism) 0.01 Foidite

Alkali Basalt
Basalt

0
0 20 40 60 80 0.01 0.1 1 10
[K2O/(K2O + Na2O)] x 100 Nb/Y
80
Symbol Legend
(c) Rhyolite
Com/Pan Dyke Swarm Host Rocks
70 Rhyolitic dykes Diorite
Rhyodacite/Dacite
Oxide-rich basaltic dykes Gabbro
SiO2

Trachyte
Oxide-rich andesitic dykes Feldspar porphyry
For personal use only.

60 Andesite Basaltic – andesitic dykes

Andesitic dykes
Phonolite
Basaltic dykes
50
Sub-AB Hornblende basaltic dykes
Alk-Bas Bas/Trach/Neph Hornblende-porphyritic
40 andesitic dykes
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Zr/TiO2

two fractions in this sample, indicating that the inherited compo-
nent in this fraction crystallized in a melt with a lower Th/U ratio
than that for fractions Z1 and Z2.
Geochemistry of the HCC
Based on well-constrained field relationships and petrography,
samples of each rock unit were analyzed for major and trace
elements1 using the lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion in-
ductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method
(Actlabs). The rocks contain greenschist-facies metamorphic min-
erals, and the alteration plot of Hughes (1973; Fig. 10a) shows the
effects of Na-metasomatism. Therefore, many elements are poten-
tially mobile (e.g., Na2O, K2O, Rb, Ba, Sr, CaO) and are not used in
this study. Only trace elements that are known to resist mobility
during hydrothermal alteration are used to characterize the rocks
and identify geochemical trends. Certain major element analyses
(e.g., SiO2, MgO, FeO) are used to characterize the rocks because
they are clustered by lithology or display trends consistent with
igneous fractionation and do not appear to have been signifi-
cantly affected by alteration.
Feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dykes
Most feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dyke analyses plot in the
rhyolite/dacite field on the classification diagram of Pearce (1996;
Fig. 10b) and in the rhyolite field on the Zr/TiO2 versus SiO2 dia-
gram (Winchester and Floyd 1977; Fig. 10c), except for one feldspar
porphyry sample (177), which plots in the rhyodacite/dacite field.
Most feldspar porphyry data form a tight cluster on Harker dia-
grams (not shown). With only 63.66 wt.% SiO2, one feldspar por-
phyry sample (177) is intermediate in composition. The major
element composition of one rhyolitic dyke (141) generally overlaps
with the clustered feldspar porphyry data, whereas the second
rhyolitic dyke (204) is lower in SiO2 and enriched in MgO and
other major elements, possibly because it is from a less evolved
melt. Igneous fractionation is also suggested by the linear trend
exhibited by the feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic data on certain
incompatible–immobile element variation diagrams (e.g., Zr/Nb,
Zr/La; Fig. 11).
Both feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dykes exhibit geochemical
features typical of volcanic arc magmatism, including Nb/Y ratios
like those of volcanic arc granites (Pearce et al. 1984; Fig. 11c),
enrichment in the light rare-earth elements (LREEs) relative to the

1Major and trace element data are shown in a supplementary file (Table S1). Supplementary data are available with the article through the journal Web site at http://nrcresearchpress.com/doi/
suppl/10.1139/cjes-2012-0090.

Published by NRC Research Press

 474 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

Fig. 11. (a, b) Selected trace-element data from feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dykes; (c) tectonic discrimination diagram of Pearce et al.
(1984); the dashed line is the field boundary for ORG from anomalous ridges; (d) multi-element diagram with data normalized to the primitive
mantle values of Sun and McDonough (1989). Symbol legend is provided in Fig. 10. ORG, ocean-ridge granites; WPG, within-plate granites;
VAG, volcanic-arc granites; syn-COLG, syn-collisional granites.

15 50
(a) (b)

40
10
La
Nb 30
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5
20

0 10
100 200 300 100 200 300
Zr Zr
100
(c) (d)
WPG
100

VAG +
For personal use only.

syn-COLG
10
Nb 10

1
ORG

1 0.1
1 10 100 Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
Y

heavy rare-earth elements (HREE) and negative Nb and Ti anoma-
lies. Most feldspar porphyry samples (112, 117, 139, 182, 193) have
tightly overlapping multi-element patterns with negative Eu
anomalies (Fig. 11d). The multi-element patterns of the rhyolitic
dykes mimic those of the clustered feldspar porphyry samples,
although they are slightly HREE depleted in comparison.
Mafic-to-intermediate rocks
Data from gabbro, diorite, and mafic-to-intermediate dykes in
the HCC plot in the basalt field on the classification diagram of
Pearce (1996; Fig. 10b) and form a linear trend across the subalkali
basalt and andesite fields of Winchester and Floyd (1977; Fig. 10c).
On the cation plot of Jensen (1976; Fig. 12a), gabbro plots in the
high-Mg tholeiitic basalt field, whereas some diorite samples plot
in the high-Fe tholeiitic basalt field (102, 105, 131, 133), and other
diorite samples plot in the calc-alkaline basalt field (77, 146, 184).
Many mafic-to-intermediate dykes are calc-alkaline, including the
andesitic dykes, some hornblende-porphyritic andesitic dykes,
and most hornblende basaltic dykes. Basaltic dykes and oxide-rich
basaltic dykes plot in the tholeiitic field, along with some horn-
blende basaltic dykes and hornblende-porphyritic andesitic
dykes. The basaltic–andesitic dykes generally plot along the
tholeiitic–calc-alkaline boundary.
Samples collected from gabbro are geochemically very similar
and may be co-magmatic. This is also the case for most of the
andesitic dyke samples (89, 96, 152, 167, 175, 203). However, many
of the mafic-to-intermediate rock units defined by mapping and
petrography exhibit geochemical variations between samples, es-
pecially with respect to rare-earth element (REE) patterns and
negative Nb anomalies, and similarities exist between the trace
element compositions of samples from different rock units. For
example, the samples collected from diorite form two geochemi-
cally distinct groups that may represent two unrelated intrusions
on the east and west sides of Fig. 4, and samples collected from
basaltic dykes, hornblende basaltic dykes, basaltic–andesitic
dykes, and oxide-rich andesitic dykes exhibit variable geochemis-
try. Therefore, the mafic-to-intermediate rocks are separated into
six groups according to the slope of their REE patterns, measured
by La/Yb ratio, and the presence or absence of a negative Nb anom-
aly, following the criteria used by Jenner et al. (1991) and Swinden
et al. (1997) (Figs. 12b and 13).
Group 1: Enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt-like (E-MORB-like)
REE-patterns
This group includes diorite (105), two hornblende basaltic dykes
(78, 132), and two basaltic dykes (53, 84). The rocks in this group

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al. 475

Fig. 12. (a) Mafic-to-intermediate rocks plotted on the classification diagram of Jensen (1976). A, andesite; B, basalt; D, dacite; HFTB, high-Fe
tholeiite basalt; HMTB, high-Mg tholeiite basalt; R, rhyolite; (b) Nb/Th–La/Yb plot, with compositional fields defined according to the criteria
used by Jenner et al. (1991) and Swinden et al. (1997): Arc, well-developed negative Nb anomalies; Trans. (transitional) Arc, weak negative Nb
anomalies, within analytical uncertainty; Non-arc, no negative Nb anomalies. Symbol legend is provided in Fig. 10.

Nb/Th (b)
15 3
(a) 1 Non-arc

2
iO
+T
HFTB
3
O
2

e
Fe

eiit
10
l Trans.
O+

o 4
Th A Arc
Fe

2
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D
5 6
R
Arc

HMTB
B 5
A e
La/Yb
D lkalin 0
2 4 6 8 10
A
R lc-
Ca
Al2O3 MgO

have Mg#s that are >33, indicating a low degree of fractionation Mg#s of most of the other mafic rocks, and sample 146 has a Mg#
with respect to most samples. They plot in the non-arc field in of 39, comparable to other diorite samples. The REE patterns of
For personal use only.

Fig. 12b and display relatively flat REE patterns with La/Yb ratios
that are <2.9. The REE patterns in this group exhibit enrichment
in the LREE compared with normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)
and closely resemble the REE patterns displayed by E-MORB (e.g., Sun
and McDonough 1989).
Group 2: E-MORB-like REE patterns with transitional arc
signatures
The rocks in this group include gabbro, oxide-rich basaltic
dykes (64, 129), one hornblende basaltic dyke (99), two basaltic–
andesitic dykes (91, 155), and several diorite samples (102, 131, 133).
The rocks in this group have relatively flat, slightly LREE-enriched
multi-element patterns that are similar to those of E-MORB, ex-
cept for weak negative Nb anomalies, which are within analytical
uncertainty. Some rocks do not exhibit negative Nb anomalies,
but the lack of a negative Nb anomaly is within analytical uncer-
tainty. Therefore, the rocks in this group plot in the transitional
arc field in Fig. 12b. This group has similar La/Yb ratios (2.1–3.8) and
Mg#s (27–46) to those in Group 1.
Group 3: Ocean-island basalt-like (OIB-like) REE patterns
The rocks in this group are characterized by LREE-enriched REE
patterns without negative Nb anomalies, similar to those of OIBs
(e.g., Sun and McDonough 1989). They include two hornblende-
basaltic dykes (75, 88) and several basaltic dykes (71, 74, 123). These
rocks plot in the non-arc field in Fig. 12b, and the La/Yb ratios in
this group range from 3.1 to 5.3. With Mg#s ranging from 37 to 46,
the samples in this group have undergone a degree of fraction-
ation that is comparable to those in Group 1.
Group 4: Island-arc tholeiite- like (IAT-like) REE patterns with
transitional arc signatures
This group consists of hornblende basaltic dyke (69) and a dio-
rite sample (146) that are characterized by weak negative Nb
anomalies and LREE-enriched REE patterns with slopes that are
intermediate between the relatively flat REE patterns of Groups 1
and 2 and the steeply sloping REE patterns of Group 6. As shown
by Fig. 12b, both rocks have mid-range La/Yb ratios and plot in the
transitional arc field. Sample 69 has a Mg# of 31, lower than the
these samples resemble those of IATs (e.g., Shinjo et al. 1999),
although they do not exhibit the depletion in the most incompat-
ible elements (La, Ce, Pr) that is characteristic of some IATs (e.g.,
Swinden et al. 1997), and their negative Nb anomalies are not well
developed.
Group 5: IAT-like REE patterns
These rocks include a hornblende basaltic dyke (60), three basalti-
c–andesitic dykes (143, 181, 194), two diorite samples (77, 184), two
andesitic dykes (55, 59), and three oxide-rich andesitic dykes (56, 79,
145). These rocks have well-developed negative Nb anomalies and,
like Group 4, have LREE-enriched multi-element patterns with slopes
intermediate between the REE patterns of Groups 1 and 2 and those
of Group 6. They have La/Yb ratios that range from 4.2 to 6.6, plot in
the arc field in Fig. 12b, and have a wide range of Mg#s (24–45). They
exhibit REE patterns comparable to those of IATs.
Group 6: Calc-alkaline basalt-like (CAB-like) REE patterns
These rocks are distinguished by LREE-enriched multi-element
patterns and well-developed negative Nb anomalies, and most
samples also display negative Ti anomalies. This group includes
eight andesitic dykes (89, 96, 103, 104, 152, 167, 175, 203), two
hornblende-porphyritic andesitic dykes (100, 138), and an oxide-
rich andesitic dyke (57). The rocks in this group plot in the arc field
in Fig. 12b and have high La/Yb ratios (7.1–9.3) and relatively low
Mg#s (<33), except for samples 96, 103, and 138, which have
higher Mg#s and represent less fractionated melts. There is a close
match between the REE patterns of these rocks and those of calc-
alkalic basalts and andesites (e.g., Stolz et al. 1990).
Nd isotopic data
Methods
To further investigate the source characteristics of the HCC, seven
rocks with various degrees of LREE enrichment and different Nb/Th
ratios, covering the compositional range of the HCC, were analyzed
for their Nd isotopic compositions. Isotopic data were obtained at
Memorial University of Newfoundland using the thermal ionization
mass spectrometry (TIMS) method. A mixed 150Nd/149Sm spike was

Published by NRC Research Press

 476
Fig. 13. Extended REE diagrams for the mafic-to-intermediate rocks, divided into six groups according to La/Yb ratio and the presence or
absence of a negative Nb anomaly. The data are normalized to the primitive mantle values of Sun and McDonough (1989). Symbol legend is
provided in Fig. 10.
Group 1: E-MORB-like REE patterns
100 Diorite: 105
Hbl basaltic dykes: 78, 132
Basaltic dykes: 53, 84
10
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1 1
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
Group 3: OIB-like REE patterns
100
Hbl basaltic dykes: 75, 88
Basaltic dykes: 71, 74, 123
10
For personal use only.
1 1
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
Group 5: IAT-like REE patterns
100
Diorite: 77, 184
Hbl basaltic dyke: 60
Andesitic dykes: 55, 59
10
Basaltic--andesitic dykes: 143, 181, 194
Oxide-rich andesitic dykes: 56, 79, 145
1 1
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
added to whole rock powders, and they were dissolved in Teflon
beakers using a solution of HF–HNO3. After five days of digestion, the
solutions were dried down on a hot plate and received 6 N HCl. After
the solutions were evaporated to dryness, 1 mL of 2.5N HCl was added
to each sample, and they were loaded on cationic exchange columns.
The collected REE fractions were purified and loaded on secondary
columns to isolate Sm and Nd. A multicollector Finnigan MAT 262
was used in static mode to measure Sm and Nd concentrations and in
dynamic mode to obtain Nd isotopic compositions. Nd isotopic ratios
were normalized to 146Nd/144Nd = 0.7219 (O'Nions et al. 1977) and
corrected for the deviation from JNdi-1 standard 143Nd/144Nd =
0.512115 (Tanaka et al. 2000). Replicates of the standard gave a mean
value of 143Nd/144Nd = 0.512096 ± 0.000007 (2␴, n = 11) for samples 74,
82, 89, and 141 and 143Nd/144Nd = 0.512091 ± 0.000014 (2␴, n = 37) for
samples 105, 181, and 184. Errors on the 147Sm/144Nd ratio are esti-
mated to be <0.1%, and Nd isotopic compositions have <0.002% er-
rors. The 3Nd values were calculated using an age of 580 Ma and a
Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013
Group 2: E-MORB-like REE patterns
with transitional arc signatures
100
Gabbro: 72, 76, 82, 87
Diorite: 102, 131, 133
Hbl basaltic dyke: 99
10
Basaltic-- andesitic dykes: 91, 155
Oxide-rich basaltic dykes: 64, 129
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
Group 4: IAT-like REE patterns
with transitional arc signatures
100
Hbl basaltic dyke: 69
Diorite: 146
10
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
Group 6: CAB-like REE patterns
100 Hbl andesitic dykes: 100, 138
Andesitic dykes: 89, 96,
103, 104, 152, 167, 175, 203
Oxide-rich andesitic dykes: 57
10
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
present-day chondritic uniform reservoir (CHUR) composition of
143Nd/144Nd = 0.512638 (Goldstein et al. 1984) and 147Sm/144Nd = 0.1967
(Jacobsen and Wasserburg 1980).
Results
The 3Nd values (t = 580 Ma) range from +4.1 to +6.4 (Table 3). These
values are all lower than the 3Nd value of the depleted mantle at 580
Ma (+6.8), calculated using the mantle evolution curve of DePaolo
(1981). With 3Nd = +6.4, one of the diorite samples (105; Group 1) has
the highest 3Nd value of all the samples analyzed. However, diorite
sample 184 (Group 5), which has a negative Nb anomaly and is LREE
enriched relative to diorite sample 105, has an 3Nd value of +4.8. The
3Nd of an andesitic dyke (89; Group 6) is +4.1, the lowest 3Nd value of
all the rocks analyzed. All samples with 3Nd values between +4.1 and
+4.8 have significant LREE enrichment and negative Nb anomalies
(Fig. 14).
Published by NRC Research Press
 Skipton et al. 477

Table 3. Sm and Nd isotopic data for selected samples in the HCC at Bauline.
3Nd 3Nd TDM TDM2
Sample Unit Nd (ppm) Sm (ppm) 147 Sm/144Nd 143 Nd/144Nd 2␴ × 10−5 (t = 0) (t = 580 Ma) (Ma) (Ma)
DS-09-74 BD 19.52 5.194 0.1609 0.512825 6 3.6 6.3 653 938
DS-09-82 G 13.42 3.781 0.1704 0.512827 7 3.7 5.6 781 1136
DS-09-89 AD 16.03 3.679 0.1387 0.512629 7 −0.2 4.1 851 1059
DS-09-105 D 18.24 4.96 0.1644 0.512841 7 4.0 6.4 653 955
DS-09-141 RD 25.17 5.081 0.1220 0.512595 7 −0.8 4.7 757 923
DS-09-181 BAD 17.09 4.308 0.1524 0.512699 8 1.2 4.5 865 1121
DS-09-184 D 15.99 3.713 0.1404 0.512670 7 0.6 4.8 787 998
Note: BD, basaltic dyke; G, gabbro; AD, andesitic dyke; D, diorite; RD, rhyolitic dyke; BAD, basaltic–andesitic dyke. The 3Nd values were calculated using the
present-day CHUR 143Nd/144Nd value of Goldstein et al. (1984) and 147Sm/144Nd value of Jacobsen and Wasserburg (1980). TDM, model age calculated using the method
of DePaolo (1981); TDM2, model age calculated using a linear evolution from the CHUR at 4.55 Ga; with 3Nd = +10 at t = 0, using the depleted mantle 143Nd/144Nd and
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147Sm/144Nd values of Peucat et al. 1988.

Fig. 14. (a) Plot of 3Nd versus time, showing the seven HCC samples. The shaded area shows the range of depleted mantle values defined by
the model of DePaolo (1981) (the lowermost curve) and the linear evolution curve described in Table 4. (b, c) Extended REE data for samples
with Nd isotopic data, normalized to the primitive mantle values of Sun and McDonough (1989).

10 100
(a) (b)
105 74
8
Depleted mantle
10
105
6 74
82
Nd 184 82
141
For personal use only.

181
4 1
Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu
89 100

2 141 (c)
181
CHUR
0 10

-2 89
184
400 600 800
1
Time (Ma) Th Nb La Ce Pr Nd Zr Sm Eu Gd Ti Dy Ho Y Er Yb Lu

Discussion
Age of the HCC
The U–Pb results reveal a ca. 40 Ma gap between the crystalliza-
tion of host granodiorite, at 625 ± 1.4 Ma, and the emplacement of
all other mapped units in the study area. Granodiorite is either
the in situ host rock for subsequent magmatism or was tectoni-
cally or magmatically transported as blocks from an older intru-
sion. The U–Pb zircon age of granodiorite overlaps with those of
volcanic arc-related felsic plutonic rocks in the Holyrood and
White Hills intrusive suites in the central Avalon Peninsula
(Krogh et al. 1988; O'Brien et al. 2001; Sparkes et al. 2002, 2005
Sparkes 2005; Fig. 15). The granodiorite host to the HCC also has a
volcanic arc signature but does not lie on a fractionation line with
data from the HIS and White Hills Intrusive Suite (Skipton 2011).
This new U–Pb zircon age of 625 ± 1.4 Ma for the granodiorite is the
first evidence for this age of magmatism east of the Topsail Fault
and confirms the lithological correlation of Sparkes (2006).
The rhyolitic dyke, feldspar porphyry, and the andesitic dyke, with
U–Pb ages of 581 ± 1.9, 580.6 ± 2.0, and 578.4 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively,
overlap within their combined uncertainties, raising the possibility
that they were emplaced simultaneously. However, this is not the
case, because the 581.7 ± 1.9 Ma rhyolitic dyke clearly crosscuts the
580.6 ± 2.0 Ma feldspar porphyry. The age relationship between these
two units and the 578.4 ± 2.3 Ma andesitic dyke is ambiguous, owing
to the lack of crosscutting relationships. However, feldspar porphyry
is crosscut by numerous other andesitic dykes, which suggests that
this 578.4 ± 2.3 Ma andesitic dyke is younger than feldspar porphyry
and that the andesitic dykes may collectively represent the youngest
intrusive event.
Regardless of the relative age relationships between these three
dated rocks, it is clear that they bracket a narrow window of magma-
tism spanning at most 6.5 Ma. Because nearly all the magmatism in
the HCC is interpreted to postdate the intrusion of feldspar porphyry
and predate the emplacement of the andesitic dykes, the best esti-
mate for the duration of the majority of magmatism in the HCC is
provided by the U–Pb zircon ages of these two units. However, be-
cause of the multitude of intrusions in the study area and the epi-
sodic emplacement of the dyke swarm, it is impossible to know
whether every magmatic unit is constrained by these ages. Neverthe-
less, most magmatism in the Bauline area is interpreted to have
occurred during a relatively short period of time, between about
582.6 and 576.1 Ma. At the other limit of interpretation, all dykes

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 478 Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013

Fig. 15. A summary of U–Pb zircon geochronological data for the by igneous fractionation. This interpretation is reinforced by
northeastern Avalon Peninsula after 630 Ma, modified after Sparkes U–Pb geochronology, which demonstrates that these two rock
(2005). WHIS, White Hills Intrusive Suite; WMVS, White Mountain units overlap in age, within uncertainties. With Nb/Y ratios that
Volcanic Suite. All U–Pb ages were determined by Sparkes (2005), are similar to those of volcanic arc granites (Pearce et al. 1984;
except for the HCC ages from this study and those of the HIS Fig. 11c), enrichment in the LREE relative to the HREE and negative
Butler's Pond Porphyry (Sparkes et al. 2002), the HIS granite (Krogh Nb and Ti anomalies, feldspar porphyry, and the rhyolitic dykes
et al. 1988), and the Cripple Cove dacitic dyke (Cooper 2011). probably formed in an arc environment.
In contrast, the variable chemistry of the mafic-to-intermediate
Age (Ma) rocks in the HCC indicates different petrogenetic histories. The
630 620 610 600 590 580 570 E-MORB-like geochemistry of the rocks in Group 1 suggest that,
like E-MORB, they represent magmatism from segments of
Pink, white and green granite spreading ridges in ocean basins or back arc basins that were
affected by mantle upwelling. Furthermore, the 3Nd value of dio-
Butler’s Pond Porphyry rite from Group 1 (sample 105; +6.4) is close to that of the depleted
HIS
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mantle at 580 Ma (+6.8), according to the mantle evolution curve

Granite of DePaolo (1981). Together, the high positive 3Nd value, relatively
flat REE pattern, and lack of a negative Nb anomaly make crustal
Quartz-feldspar porphyry
contamination unlikely and imply that sample 105 represents
Monzonite magmatism from a depleted mantle source.
WHIS

Like Group 1, the rocks in Group 2 have slightly LREE-enriched REE

Pyritic granite patterns, similar to E-MORB, except they plot in the transitional arc
field on Fig. 12b. The 3Nd value of gabbro from Group 2 (82; +5.6) is
Silica-sericite-chlorite altered granite lower than those of diorite from Group 1 (105; +6.4) and the DePaolo
(1981) depleted mantle at 580 Ma (+6.8). Therefore, rocks in Group 2
WM
VS

Welded ash-flow tuff are interpreted to represent N-MORB- or E-MORB-type sources that
have undergone minor contamination from a subducting slab in an
Farmer’s Field Rhyolite
arc environment and (or) crust during ascent.
MVS

Crystal-rich ash-flow tuff Although not all rocks in Groups 1 and 2 are co-magmatic, they
have depleted mantle sources that have undergone minor LREE-
For personal use only.

Fowler’s Road Porphyry enrichment, and they represent a suite of rocks in the HCC with
E-MORB-like geochemistry. Several rocks from Groups 1 and 2 also
WHPC

Pumiceous ash-flow tuff have similar major and trace-element geochemistry. For example,
some diorite samples (102, 105, 131, 133) and hornblende basaltic
Cripple Cove dacitic dyke dykes (78, 99, 132) plot close together on major and trace-element
Granodiorite variation diagrams (plots not shown). This suggests that the dykes
may be feeders or offshoots from the diorite intrusion. Gabbro has
Rhyolitic dyke the highest Mg# and is elevated in Al2O3 and depleted in FeO* (total
HCC

Feldspar porphyry
Andesitic dyke
could have been emplaced very rapidly, within, for instance, 100 000
years.
Magmatism in the HCC is contemporaneous, within uncertainties,
with several felsic magmatic events on the northeastern Avalon Pen-
insula (Fig. 15), including a 581.7 ± 1.8 Ma dacitic dyke in the WHPC at
Cripple Cove (Fig. 2), north of the study area (Cooper 2011). Coeval
felsic magmatic events in the central Avalon Peninsula include a 582
± 1.5 Ma pumiceous ash-flow tuff in the WHPC (Sparkes 2005); a 584
± 4 Ma (Sparkes 2005) ash-flow tuff in the MVS that hosts low-
sulfidation alteration; the 585 ± 5 Ma (Sparkes 2005) Fowler's Road
Porphyry in the upper WHPC; and the 584 ± 1 Ma Farmer's Field
Rhyolite (Sparkes 2005) in the MVS, which hosts the high-sulfidation
alteration system. The overlapping U–Pb ages of magmatism in the
HCC at Bauline with numerous felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks on
the eastern margin of the Holyrood Horst and at Cripple Cove indi-
cates that felsic magmatism occurred approximately simultaneously
along a belt with a distance of approximately 35 km. Furthermore,
intrusion of the HCC dyke swarm coincided with high-sulfidation
style alteration during ca. 585–580.5 Ma and low-sulfidation style
alteration, which began at ca. 584 ± 4 Ma, in the Eastern Avalon
High-Alumina Belt (Sparkes 2005).
Implications of petrochemical data
Close geochemical similarities between feldspar porphyry and
the rhyolitic dykes suggest that they are co-magmatic and related
iron as FeO), TiO2, and several incompatible elements (Y, Zr, La, Nb,
Th) relative to other rocks in Groups 1 and 2 and may therefore
represent a more primitive melt that is related by fractionation.
Some basaltic dykes (53, 84) and oxide-rich basaltic dykes (64, 129)
have lower Mg#s and are elevated in Y, Nb, Zr, Th, and V compared
with other samples with E-MORB-like REE patterns. Therefore, they
may represent more evolved melts that are related by fractionation.
Groups 3, 4, and 5, which have REE slopes that are intermediate
between those of calc-alkaline andesites and the relatively flat,
E-MORB-like patterns of Groups 1 and 2, are interpreted to repre-
sent melts from depleted mantle sources that have undergone
LREE enrichment via mantle upwelling, or various degrees of mix-
ing or assimilation of crust or subduction-contaminated mantle.
Rocks in Group 3, which display OIB-like REE patterns, generally
plot with rocks in Groups 1 and 2 on major and selected trace
element variation diagrams (plots not shown), but are compara-
tively LREE enriched. This suggests that they represent melts of
depleted mantle sources that received LREE enrichment. This in-
terpretation is supported by Nd isotopic data for a basaltic dyke in
Group 3 (74), which has an 3Nd value of +6.3, very close to the 3Nd
of contemporaneous depleted mantle (+6.8).
Rocks in Groups 4 and 5 are LREE enriched and exhibit weak to
strong negative Nb anomalies, but their IAT-like REE patterns are not
as steep as those of Group 6. These rocks represent melts of depleted
mantle that have mixed with or assimilated crust or partial melts of
a subduction-contaminated mantle wedge but to a lesser extent than
the calc-alkaline andesites in Group 6. The similar 3Nd values of a
basaltic–andesitic dyke (181; +4.5) and diorite (184; +4.8) from Group 5
suggest that these rocks share similar mixed sources. These rocks
also have similar 3Nd values to a rhyolitic dyke (141; +4.7), which
implies that partial melts of depleted mantle and (or) subduction-

Published by NRC Research Press

 Skipton et al. 479

Fig. 16. A schematic summary of the Neoproterozoic geology of the Avalon Zone in Newfoundland, showing lithological units and their age
ranges. U–Pb ages of the rock units and original references are presented in a supplementary file (Table S2).2 Age ranges of the epithermal
systems are from Ketchum, unpublished data (1998), O'Brien et al. (1999), Sparkes (2005), and Hinchey (2002).

Age Connaigre Bonavista Bay - Avalon Peninsula

(Ma)
Burin Peninsula
Peninsula Bonavista Peninsula
545 Signal Hill Signal Hill Group
Group
St. John’s
Long St. John’s Group
Musgravetown Musgravetown Group
Long Harbour Group Harbour Group
565 Group
?
h
Group Conception Group
HCC
?
S
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Hardy’s Harbour Grole Marystown Wych Hazel Pond Complex O

585 Cove Breton Intrusive Group Granite, Louil Hills Manuels Volcanic Suite
Granite Granite Suite Intrusive Suite
gabbro,
diorite S&O
h
L
605 Connecting L Peak Tuff
Point Group Connecting Point Group
Connaigre White Mtn Volcanic Suite
Powder Horn Love Cove Group
Bay Group Turbidites
625 Intrusive Suite
Simmons Brook
Intrusive Suite
645 Holyrood and White Hills
Furby’s Cove Intrusive Suites
Intrusive Suite
665
For personal use only.

Tickle Point Formation

685

Burin Group (ca. 760 Ma) Hawke Hills Tuff (ca. 730 Ma)

Legend:
Intrusive rocks
Siliciclastic succession

Volcano-sedimentary succession Epithermal alteration system. Symbols are placed in host rocks.

Volcanic rocks Age range of low-sulfidation-style or high-sulfidation-style

alteration system. h=Hickey’s Pond and Stewart prospects;
L=Lodestar prospect; O=Oval Pit Mine; S=Steep Nap Prospect.

contaminated mantle wedge pooled and fractionated to produce Paleotectonic setting

rocks of different compositions.
Group 6 includes dykes of andesitic composition that exhibit the
pronounced LREE enrichment and negative Nb anomalies that are
typical of subduction zone – related calc-alkaline andesites. The
hornblende-porphyritic andesitic dykes and many of the andesitic
dykes (89, 96, 152, 167, 175, 203) in Group 6 exhibit parallel REE
patterns and have very similar major and trace element composi-
tions, suggesting that they are co-magmatic and may be related by
fractionation. The anomalously high Mg# of one hornblende-
porphyritic andesitic dyke (138) implies that it has undergone less
fractionation. Relative to these rocks, other andesitic dykes (55, 59,
103, 104) and oxide-rich andesitic dykes (57, 145) are slightly enriched
or depleted in the HREE or LREE, indicating different petrogenetic
histories. Nevertheless, as a group, the andesitic rocks in Group 6 all
exhibit similar LREE-enriched REE patterns with well-developed neg-
ative Nb anomalies. Therefore, these rocks represent a suite of calc-
alkaline andesites that share similar subduction- or crust-
contaminated mantle sources. This is supported by the relatively low
3Nd value of an andesitic dyke (89; +4.1).
Magmatism in the HCC is bracketed between the U–Pb ages of
feldspar porphyry at 580.6 ± 2.0 Ma and an andesitic dyke at
578.4 ± 2.3 Ma. Crosscutting relationships show that these rocks fol-
low an overall age progression from rocks with E-MORB-like signa-
tures, including gabbro and some of the diorite samples, to rocks
with volcanic arc geochemical signatures, such as the andesitic
dykes. However, there are some notable exceptions to this general
trend. For example, feldspar porphyry exhibits volcanic arc geo-
chemical signatures and is intruded by diorite and several dykes that
have E-MORB- or OIB-like REE patterns. Furthermore, an E-MORB-
like hornblende basaltic dyke in Map 2 (78) crosscuts LREE-enriched
diorite (77) and an oxide-rich andesitic dyke (79) that exhibit negative
Nb anomalies. As well, basaltic–andesitic dykes with E-MORB-like
REE patterns (91, 155) crosscut andesitic dykes that have arc signa-
tures (89, 138).
Field relationships, U–Pb ages, whole-rock geochemistry and Nd
isotopic data suggest that the HCC formed from melts derived
from the depleted mantle together with melts that were contam-
inated by subduction in an arc environment or during ascent

Published by NRC Research Press

 480
through crust, and that these melts were emplaced closely in time
and space. Therefore, the paleotectonic environment of the HCC
may be a back-arc basin or a rifted arc sequence, where melts from
the depleted mantle were accessed through rifting of older, arc-
related crust. These melts may have received LREE enrichment
from upwelling of the back-arc asthenospheric mantle, resulting
in juvenile compositions and E-MORB-like REE patterns. LREE-
enriched melts with negative Nb anomalies may have been pro-
duced from partial melts of the subduction-contaminated mantle
wedge and (or) from ancient arc-contaminated mantle at depth. It
is possible that these melts received additional contamination
from crust during ascent.
There are limited Nd isotopic data from the northeastern Avalon
Peninsula, and the nature of basement rocks remains enigmatic,
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together with the source of the ca. 1380 Ma inherited zircon compo-
nent in sample 209. Two samples from the HIS, from west and east of
the Topsail Fault, have 3Nd values of +2.6 and +2.9, respectively, at
620 Ma, and a sample from the Hawke Hills Tuff in the Holyrood
Horst has an 3Nd value of +2.7 at 730 Ma (G. Sparkes, unpublished
data, 2011). Therefore, because the HCC is hosted by a ca. 620 Ma
granodiorite with volcanic arc signatures that is correlated to the
HIS, and because the HIS is intrusive into the Hawke Hills Tuff, it is
possible that the 3Nd values of certain HCC rocks were lowered from
primitive mantle 3Nd values owing to assimilation of older arc-
related rocks that are equivalent to those of the HIS and (or) Hawke
Hills Tuff.
However, there is no reliable evidence of significant crustal con-
tamination. Out of the four geochronology samples in the HCC, in-
herited zircon components were encountered only in sample 209.
For personal use only.
Inheritance in sample 209 occurred in only one of three fractions,
and the other two fractions are concordant at ca. 578 Ma. Zircon
inheritance may be due to assimilation of minor crustal material
during stoping and may not be indicative of the significant crustal
contamination required to induce the low 3Nd value and arc geo-
chemical signatures exhibited by this andesitic dyke (sample 89).
Several other U–Pb geochronology studies on the northeastern
Avalon Peninsula found no inherited zircon (Krogh et al. 1988;
Sparkes et al. 2002; O'Brien et al. 2001; Sparkes 2005). Most notably, in
the work of Sparkes (2005), no inherited zircon was discovered dur-
ing U–Pb age determinations of nine rocks on the eastern margin of
the Holyrood Horst. It must be noted that the lack of inherited zircon
in U–Pb samples may be due, in part, to selectivity during the U–Pb
dating process whereby only a small number of the clearest, most
euhedral zircon grains are analyzed. Nevertheless, the rarity of doc-
umented inherited zircon from the northeastern Avalon Peninsula
suggests an insignificant amount of assimilation or mixing with an
older crustal source.
Given the current tectonic interpretation of the Avalon Zone, it is
most likely that the HCC was emplaced in an environment of back-
arc or arc rifting. Because subduction beneath the Gondwanan mar-
gin resulted in extensive arc-related magmatism during 650–550 Ma
in Avalonia (Nance and Murphy 1994, 1996; Thompson et al. 2007),
arc-related magmatism is probable in the Avalon Peninsula at ca.
580 Ma. Furthermore, the HCC overlaps in age with arc-related
magmatism documented elsewhere in Avalonian rocks in New-
foundland, including the Marystown Group on the Burin Penin-
sula (Fig. 16)2. This contemporaneous rock package broadly echoes
the lithologic assemblage represented by the WHPC and HCC, in
which the ca. 582 Ma basinal volcano-sedimentary rocks of the
WHPC were intruded by the mafic-to-felsic intrusions of the HCC
between ca. 582.6 and 576.1 Ma.
The Marystown Group consists of ca. 590–565 Ma volcanic arc
rocks, ranging in composition from basalt to rhyolite and exhibiting
calc-alkaline to tholeiitic chemistries, which are overlain by volcani-
2A compilation of U–Pb zircon age constraints (and references) for main lithological units in the Avalon Zone, Newfoundland, is provided in a supplementary file (Table S2). Supplementary data
are available with the article through the journal Web site at http://nrcresearchpress.com/doi/suppl/10.1139/cjes-2012-0090.
Can. J. Earth Sci. Vol. 50, 2013
clastic rocks and an upper sequence of continental, alkaline basalt,
and rhyolite (O'Brien et al. 1990, 1996, 1999). Limited age control in
the Marystown Group is provided by a ca. 572 Ma pyroclastic rock
(Ketchum, unpublished data, 1998, in O'Brien et al. 1999), a 568 ± 5 Ma
rhyolite at the base of the overlying Long Harbour Group (Tucker,
unpublished data, O'Brien et al. 1984), and a 610 ± 1 Ma tuff from the
middle of the underlying Connecting Point Group (Dunning, unpub-
lished data, in Dec et al. 1992). The Marystown Group was intruded by
granite, diorite, and gabbro during ca. 570–580 Ma (O'Brien et al.
1984, 1999). Although there are limited U–Pb ages in the Marystown
Group, and no rocks aged ca. 580 Ma have yet been dated, it is prob-
able that arc-related magmatic events in the Marystown Group and
HCC overlap in time.
Magmatism in the HCC is also coeval with subduction-related
Avalonian rocks farther afield, including the Caledonia terrane of
southern New Brunswick and the Mira terrane of Cape Breton
Island, Nova Scotia. In the Caledonia terrane, a ca. 620 Ma
continental-margin subduction zone complex is represented by
metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Broad River
Group and associated dioritic to granitic plutons (Barr and White
1999). Subsequent volcanism and sedimentation recorded by the
Coldbrook Group (ca. 560–550) occurred during extension of the
ca. 620 Ma subduction complex (Barr and White 1999). In the Mira
terrane, widespread volcanism and plutonism occurred at
ca. 620 Ma in the East Bay Hills and Coxheath Hills belts, followed by
volcanism in the Coastal belt at ca. 575 Ma (Bevier et al. 1993).
Episodes of widespread arc related magmatism in the Avalon
Zone in Newfoundland date back to ca. 760 Ma, the age of the
dominantly mafic volcanic rocks of the Burin Group (Krogh et al.
1988; Murphy et al. 2008). Subduction during ca. 640–606 Ma re-
sulted in the volcano-sedimentary successions of the Love Cove
and Connecting Point groups in the Burin Peninsula – Bonavista
Bay area and the volcano-sedimentary Connaigre Bay Group and
Simmons Brook Intrusive Suite on the Connaigre Peninsula
(O'Brien et al. 1989, 1995). Closer to the HCC, arc magmatism is
documented by the ca. 730 Ma felsic porphyries and volcanic
rocks in the Holyrood Horst (Israel 1998; O'Brien et al. 2001). Also
in the region of the Holyrood Horst, the HIS, White Hills Intrusive
Suite, and associated volcanic rocks represent a ca. 640–606 Ma
volcano-plutonic arc magmatic event (Sparkes 2005; Sparkes et al.
2007). We suggest that a subsequent subduction zone at ca. 580 Ma
resulted in the widespread magmatism recorded by the MVS and
WHPC and that the melts that formed the HCC ascended through
rifted arc or back-arc crust.
Recent studies (O'Brien et al. 2001; Sparkes et al. 2005) show that
the tectonostratigraphic record of the Avalon Zone is far more
complicated than previous models of Rose (1952), McCartney
(1967), and King (1988), and this complexity is further demon-
strated by the HCC and the associated ca. 580 Ma magmatic
event documented by Sparkes et al. (2005). Together with the
Marystown Group on the Burin Peninsula, the HCC and associated
ca. 580 Ma magmatism on the Avalon Peninsula probably repre-
sent the last pulse of subduction zone – related magmatism dur-
ing the Neoproterozoic in the Avalon Zone in Newfoundland. This
occurred prior to the emplacement of continental, alkaline intru-
sions, such as the Louil Hills Intrusive Suite, and the volcano-
sedimentary successions of the Long Harbour, Musgravetown,
Conception, St. John's, and Signal Hill groups.
Conclusions
1. Granodiorite in the Bauline area is correlative with the felsic
plutonic rocks of the Holyrood and White Hills intrusive suites
and is therefore not included in the HCC. This correlation
Published by NRC Research Press
 Skipton et al.
confirms the occurrence of Holyrood or White Hills intrusive
suite rocks farther north of their previously known distribu-
tion and east of the Topsail Fault.
2. After the emplacement of ca. 625 Ma granodiorite, there was a
gap in magmatism of about 40 Ma, until the emplacement of
the HCC between ca. 582.6 and 576.1 Ma.
3. The HCC is a composite unit, composed of shallow-level intru-
sions of feldspar porphyry, gabbro, and diorite, which host a
swarm of mafic-to-felsic dykes. The dykes are dominantly ba-
saltic to andesitic in composition, and rhyolitic dykes are rare.
4. Feldspar porphyry and rhyolitic dykes demonstrate volcanic
arc geochemistry and are interpreted to be petrogenetically
related.
Can. J. Earth Sci. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by MIT LIBRARIES on 04/19/13
5. The mafic-to-intermediate rocks in the study area are divided
into six geochemically distinct groups based on REE patterns
and Nb/Th ratios. The rocks in these groups cover a range of
compositions, from rocks with E-MORB geochemical signa-
tures to calc-alkaline andesites and basalts with well-
developed negative Nb anomalies. Crosscutting relationships
indicate that these rocks follow an overall progression from
rocks with E-MORB-like geochemistry to rocks with arc signa-
tures. However, there are exceptions to this general trend ow-
ing to the episodic emplacement of the dyke swarm and the
broadly coeval nature of several mafic-to-intermediate rock
units.
6. The most likely tectonic setting for the HCC is a back-arc basin
because (i) in a back-arc basin, melts from the depleted mantle
and melts that were contaminated by subduction processes
For personal use only.
and (or) continental crust can be emplaced side by side and
closely spaced in time, as they were in the HCC; (ii) the rarity of
inherited zircon components in geochronology samples from
the HCC and correlative rocks on the northeastern Avalon
Peninsula suggests insignificant assimilation of continental
crust, making it unlikely that arc signatures in the HCC were
acquired solely via crustal contamination; and (iii) in the con-
text of the current tectonic interpretation of the Avalon Zone
in Newfoundland, an active subduction zone on the northeast-
ern Avalon Peninsula at ca. 580 Ma is likely.
7. The HCC represents the last-known period of Neoproterozoic
subduction zone – related magmatism on the northeastern
Avalon Peninsula. It is envisaged as a major dyke swarm, pos-
sibly controlled by the orientation of a Proterozoic Topsail
Fault – related system. These dykes may have been feeders to
volcanic centres to the south along the eastern margin of the
Holyrood Horst and to the north at Cripple Cove. Magmatism
in the HCC may be contemporaneous with the deposition of
basal strata in the Conception Group, but subsequent sedi-
mentation marks the transition from the back-arc basin envi-
ronment of the HCC to the deep marine setting of the
Conception Group, followed by basinal–deltaic sedimentation
in the St. John's Group and molasse-like deposits in the Signal
Hill Group.
Acknowledgements
Sherri Furey and Alain Potrel are thanked for Nd isotopic anal-
yses of the samples in this paper. Thanks are due to Michael
Hutchings for his assistance in the field and to Sherri Furey for her
help in the geochronology laboratory. Interactions with the fol-
lowing individuals are gratefully acknowledged: George Jenner,
Mark Wilson, Steve Piercey, and Sandra Barr. We thank Jeff Pollock
and an anonymous reviewer for their thorough and helpful re-
views. This project received financial assistance from the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) in the form
of a grant to G.D. and a postgraduate scholarship to D.S. and from
the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador.
481
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