Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2321-0940

Date of Graduation

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Geology (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Geosciences

Advisor/Mentor

Dumond, Gregory

Committee Member

Potra, Adriana

Second Committee Member

Sharman, Glenn

Keywords

Athabasca Granulite Terrrane; CA-ID-TIMS; Canadian Shield; Granulite; LA-ICP-MS; Zircon

Abstract

The Upper Deck domain in the Athabasca granulite terrane of the Western Canadian shield was an once backarc basin that experienced mafic under-and-intraplating during the closure of said basin and subsequent crustal thickening. Sampling for this study took place within Sucker Bay and is focused on dating the detrital age of backarc sediment and metamorphic age when this sediment reached deep crustal conditions (T>950°C and 1.4 GPa ≈ 50-km-depths). Sucker Bay displays a gradational change from felsic metasedimentary protolith to felsic “white gneiss” granulite as you travel across strike of the early penetrative gently-dipping foliation. Samples were analyzed via microscopy, cathodoluminescence scanning electron microscopy (SEM-CL), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) to better constrain the age and temperature conditions of samples. By using LA-ICP-MS data in conjunction with SEM-CL imagery, this study found detrital zircon ages from 3000-2670 Ma and a metamorphic age of 2610-2525 Ma. CA-ID-TIMS analysis of soccer ball zoned granulitic zircon further constrained the metamorphic age, displaying a lower discordia intercept at 2607.40 ± 0.92 Ma. These results suggest the transition from backarc basin to deep crustal burial and metamorphism occurred over ~60 Myr.

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