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G. B. Morey

Publications and source records attributed to G. B. Morey.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2010

The North American Midcontinent rift beneath Lake Superior from GLIMPCE seismic reflection profiling

The Midcontinent rift system is a 1.1-b.y.-old structure extending from Kansas, through the Lake Superior region, and into southern Michigan. The rift is filled with thick sequences of basaltic volcanic rocks and clastic sediments. For most of its extent it is buried beneath Paleozoic rocks but can be traced by its strong gravity and magnetic anomalies. The rocks of the rift system are exposed only in the Lake Superior region and comprise the Keweenawan Supergroup. Much of the geology of the Keweenawan is beneath Lake Superior and has only been inferred from potential field studies and seismic refraction studies and extrapolation from on-shore geology. Seismic reflection surveys by the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution in 1986 imaged much of the deep structure of the rift beneath the lake in detail. The reflection profiles across the rift reveal a deep, asymmetrical central graben whose existence and magnitude was not previously documented. They show that, in addition to crustal sagging documented by previous investigations, normal faulting played a major role in subsidence of the axial region of the rift. A sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, in places greater than 30 km thick, fills the graben. Thinner volcanic and sedimentary units lie on broad flanks of the rift outside of the graben. Near the axis, the prerift crust is thinned to about one fourth of its original thickness, apparently by a combination of low-angle extensional faulting and ductile stretching or distributed shear. The sense of asymmetry of the central graben changes along the trend of the rift, documenting the segmented nature of the structure and suggesting the existence of accommodation zones between the segments. The location of the accommodation zones is inferred from abrupt disruptions in the Bouguer gravity signature of the rift. Uplift of the central graben occurred when the original graben-bounding normal faults were reactivated as high-angle reverse faults with throws of 5 km or more in places. The Midcontinent rift has some striking similarities to some younger passive continental margins. We propose that it preserves a record of nearly complete continental separation which, had it not been arrested, would have created a Middle Proterozoic ocean basin.

Lake Superior↗
USGS2008

Geology of the Biwabik Iron Formation and Duluth Complex

The Biwabik Iron Formation is a ???1.9 billion year-old sequence of iron-rich sedimentary rocks that was metamorphosed at its eastern-most extent by ???1.1 billion year-old intrusions of the Duluth Complex. The metamorphic recrystallization of iron-formation locally produced iron-rich amphiboles and other fibrous iron-silicate minerals. The presence of these minerals in iron-formation along the eastern part of what is known as the Mesabi Iron Range, and their potential liberation by iron mining has raised environmental health concerns. We describe here the geologic setting and mineralogic composition of the Biwabik Iron Formation in and adjacent to the contact metamorphic aureole of the Duluth Complex. The effects of metamorphism are most pronounced within a few kilometers of the contact, and decrease progressively away from it. The contact aureole has been divided into four metamorphic zones-each characterized by the composition and crystal structure of the metamorphic minerals it contains. The recrystallization of iron-formation to iron-rich amphibole minerals (grunerite and cummingtonite) and iron-pyroxene minerals (hedenbergite and ferrohypersthene) is best developed in zones that are most proximal to the Duluth Complex contact. ?? 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology↗
USGS2001

Paleoproterozoic basin development and sedimentation in the Lake Superior region, North America

The peneplaned Archean craton in the Lake Superior region was the platform upon which a continental margin assemblage was deposited. Extension resulted in localized rifts that received thicker accumulations of sediments and volcanic rocks than did adjacent parts of the platform. Seas transgressed onto the continent several times and an ocean basin opened south of the present-day Lake Superior. Island arcs that formed during subduction collided with the craton margin as the ocean basin closed; oceanic crust is poorly preserved as a dismembered ophiolite sequence. The arc volcanics are preserved as the Wisconsin magmatic terranes. The collision resulted in a fold-and-thrust belt known as the Penokean orogen. To the north of the fold-and-thrust belt, a northward-migrating foreland basin - the Animikie basin - developed. Thick turbidite successions were deposited along the basin axis, and terrigenous clastics and Lake Superior-type iron-formation were deposited on the shelf along the northern margin of the basin. The primary paleoclimatic indicators are: (1) glaciogenic rocks at the base of the Paleoproterozoic succession in Michigan indicating ice-house conditions; 2) remnants of a paleosol on the glaciogenic rocks indicative of deep weathering, probably under subtropical conditions and therefore of greenhouse conditions; and (3) carbonate minerals after gypsum, halite, and anhydrite in stromatolitic dolomite, indicative of aridity. Three second-order depositional sequences are bounded by major unconformities, and can be correlated throughout the Lake Superior region. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Sedimentary Geology↗
USGS2001

The mesoproterozoic midcontinent rift system, Lake Superior region, USA

Exposures in the Lake Superior region, and associated geophysical evidence, show that a 2000 km-long rift system developed within the North American craton ??? 1109-1087 Ma, the age span of the most of the volcanic rocks. This system is characterized by immense volumes of mafic igneous rocks, mostly subaerial plateau basalts, generated in two major pulses largely by a hot mantle plume. A new ocean basin was nearly formed before rifting ceased, perhaps due to the remote effect of the Grenville continental collision to the east. Broad sagging/subsidence, combined with a system of axial half-grabens separated along the length of the rift by accommodation zones, provided conditions for the accumulation of as much as 20 km of volcanic rocks and as much as 10 km of post-rift clastic sediments, both along the rift axis and in basins flanking a central, post-volcanic horst. Pre-rift mature, quartzose sandstones imply little or no uplift prior to the onset of rift volcanism. Early post-rift red-bed sediments consist almost entirely of intrabasinally derived volcanic sediment deposited in alluvial fan to fluvial settings; the exception is one gray to black carbon-bearing lacustrine(?) unit. This early sedimentation phase was followed by broad crustal sagging and deposition of progressively more mature red-bed, fluvial sediments with an extra-basinal provenance. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Sedimentary Geology↗
USGS1999

High-grade iron ore deposits of the Mesabi Range, Minnesota-product of a continental-scale proterozoic ground-water flow system

The Mesabi Range along the north edge of the Paleoproterozoic Penokean orogen in northern Minnesota has produced 3.6 billion metric tons of ore since its discovery in 1890. Of that amount, 2.3 billion metric tons were extracted from hematite-or goethite-rich deposits generally referred to as "high-grade" ores. The high-grade ores formed as the Biwabik Iron-Formation was oxidized, hydrated, and leached by solutions flowing along open faults and fractures. The source of the ore-forming solutions has been debated since it was first proposed that the ores were weathering products formed by descending meteoritic ground-water flowing in late Mesozoic time. Subsequently others believed that the ores were better explained by ascending solutions, possibly hydrothermal solutions of pre-Phanerzoic age. Neither Wolff nor Gruner could reconcile their observations with a reasonable source for the solutions. In this paper, I build on modern mapping of the Mesabi Range and mine-specific geologic observations summarized in the literature to propose a conceptual model in which the high-grade ores formed from ascending solutions that were part of a continent-scale topographic or gravity-driven ground-water system. I propose that the ground-water system was active during the later stages of the development of a coupled fold and thrust belt and foreland basin that formed during the Penokean orogen.

Economic Geology↗
USGS1997

Element distribution patterns in the ordovician Galena group, Southeastern Minnesota: Indicators of fluid flow and provenance of terrigenous material

As part of a regional geochemical investigation of lower Paleozoic strata in the Hollandale embayment of southeastern Minnesota, elemental concentrations in acid-insoluble residues were determined for carbonate rock in the Middle Ordovician Galena Group. Elemental distribution patterns within the insoluble residues, particularly those of Ti, Al, and Zr, show that the Wisconsin dome and the Wisconsin arch, which contributed sediment to the embayment prior to Galena time, continued as weak sources of sediment during this period. In contrast, trace metals commonly associated with Mississippi Valley-type lead-zinc mineralization, including Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag, Ni, Co, As, and Mo, show dispersal patterns that are independent of those associated with primary depositional phenomena. These trace metals are concentrated in southern Minnesota in carbonate rocks near the interface between limestone- and dolostone-dominated strata. Dispersal patterns imply that the metals were carried by a north-flowing regional ground-water system. The results show that the geochemical attributes of insoluble residues can be used to distinguish provenance and transport directions of primary sediments within a depositional basin from effects of subsequent regional ground-water flow systems.

Economic Geology↗
USGS1997

U-Th-Pb zircon ages of some Keweenawan Supergroup rocks from the south shore of Lake Superior

New single-crystal zircon U–Th–Pb ages for plutonic and rhyolitic Keweenawan Supergroup rocks from the south shore of Lake Superior provide geochronological constraints on magmatic evolution associated with the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent rift. Analyses of a granophyric phase of the Mineral Lake intrusion and the Mellen granite, both parts of the Mellen Intrusive Complex, and a laterally extensive rhyolite from the top of the Kallander Creek Volcanics have weighted average 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages of 1102.0 ± 2.8 Ma ( N = 2), 1100.9 ± 1.4 Ma ( N = 5), and 1098.8 ± 1.9 Ma ( N = 4), respectively. Analyses of a pyroclastic rhyolite flow at the top of the Porcupine Volcanics result in variable 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages that range from 1080 to 1137 Ma. This rhyolite exhibits a continuum between morphologically complex and simpler prismatic zircon crystals, the latter yielding concordant analyses having a weighted average 207 Pb/ 206 Pb age of 1093.6 ± 1.8 Ma ( N = 2). Four prismatic zircons from an aphyric rhyolite of the Chengwatana Volcanics in the Ashland syncline form a linear array intersecting concordia at 1094.6 ± 2.1 Ma (MSWD = 1.3). Another presumed Chengwatana rhyolite recovered from drill core intersecting the Hudson–Afton horst in southeast Minnesota yielded only ~20 morphologically indistinguishable zircons. Six analyses give 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages ranging from 1112 to 1136 Ma, including one analysis with a virtually concordant age of 1130 Ma. This age, however, is considerably older than that obtained for the Chengwatana Volcanics in the Ashland syncline or any other precisely dated rock from the Midcontinent rift.

Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

Rare earth elements in weathering profiles and sediments of Minnesota: Implications for provenance studies

The relative abundance of rare earth elements in sediments has been suggested as a tool for determining their source rocks. This correlation requires that weathering, erosion, and sedimentation do not alter the REE abundances, or do so in a predictable manner. We find that the rare earth elements are mobilized and fractionated by weathering, and that sediments derived from the weathered materials can display modifications of the original pattern of rare earth elements of some due to grain-size sorting of the weathered material. However, the REE distribution pattern of the provenance terrane can be recognized in the sediments.

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗
USGS1996

Significance of tourmaline-rich rocks in the North Range group of the Cuyuna iron range, east-central Minnesota

Concentrations of tourmaline in Early Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Cuyuna iron range, east-central Minnesota, provide a basis for redefinition of the evolutionary history of the area. Manganiferous iron ore forms beds within the Early Proterozoic Trommald Formation, between thick-bedded granular iron-formation having shallow-water alepositional attributes and thin-bedded, nongranular iron-formation having deeper water attributes. These manganese-rich units were previously assumed to be sedimentary in origin. However, a reevaluation of drill core and mine samples from the Cuyuna North range has identified strata-bound tourmaline and tourmalinite, which has led to a rethinking of genetic models for the geology of the North range. We interpret the tourmaline-rich rocks of the area to be a product of submarine-hydrothermal solutions flowing along and beneath the sediment-seawater interface. This model for the depositional environment of the tourmaline is supported by previously reported mineral assemblages within the Trommald Formation that comprise aegirine; barium feldspar; manganese silicates, carbonates, and oxides; and Sr-rich barite veins.In many places, tourmaline-rich metasedimentary rocks and tourmalinites are associated locally with strata-bound sulfide deposits. At those localities, the tourmaline-rich strata are thought to be lateral equivalents of exhalative sulfide zones or genetically related subsea-floor replacements. On the basis of the occurrence of the tourmaline-rich rocks and tourmalinites, and on the associated minerals, we suggest that there is a previously unrecognized potential for sediment-hosted sulfide deposits in the Cuyuna North range.

Economic Geology↗
USGS1985

Hydrocarbon source rock evaluation of Middle Proterozoic Solor Church Formation, North American Mid-Continent Rift System, Rice County, Minnesota

Hydrocarbon source rock evaluation of the Middle Proterozoic Solor Church Formation (Keweenawan Supergroup) as sampled in the Lonsdale 65-1 well, Rice County, Minnesota, shows that: (1) the rocks are organic matter lean (24 of 25 samples have less than 0.8% organic carbon); (2) the organic matter is thermally post-mature, probably near the transition between the wet gas phase of catagenesis and metagenesis (dry gas zone); and (3) the rocks have minimal potential for producing additional hydrocarbons (genetic potential < 0.30 mg HC/g rock). Although no direct evidence exists from which to determine maximum burial depths, the observed thermal maturity of the organic matter requires significantly greater burial depths, a higher geothermal gradient, or both. It is likely, t least on the Saint Croix horst, that thermal maturation of the organic matter in the Solor Church took place relatively early, and that any hydrocarbons generated during this early phase were probably lost prior to deposition of the overlying Middle Proterozoic Fond du Lac Formation (Keweenawan Supergroup).

Minnesota↗
USGS1984

Hydrocarbon source-rock evaluation - Solor Church Formation (middle Proterozoic, Keweenawan Supergroup), southeastern Minnesota

In the type section (Lonsdale 65-1 core, Rice County, Minnesota) the Solor Church Formation (Middle Proterozoic, Keweenawan Supergroup) consists primarily of reddish-brown mudstone and siltstone and pale reddish-brown sandstone. The sandstone and siltstone are texturally and mineralogically immature. Hydrocarbon source-rock evaluation of bluish-gray, greenish-gray and medium-dark-gray to grayish-black beds, which primarily occur in the lower 104 m (340 ft) of this core, shows: (1) the rocks have low organic carbon contents (<0.5 percent for 22 of 25 samples); (2) the organic matter is thermally very mature (T max = 494&deg;C, sample 19) and is probably near the transition between the wet gas phase of catagenesis and metagenesis (dry gas zone); and (3) the rocks have minimal potential for producing additional hydrocarbons (genetic potential <0.30 mgHC/gm rock). Although no direct evidence exists from which to determine maximum depths of burial, the observed thermal maturity of the organic matter requires significantly greater depths of burial and(or) higher geothermal gradients. It is likely, at least on the St. Croix horst, that thermal alteration of the organic matter in the Solor Church took place relatively early, and that any hydrocarbons generated during this early thermal alteration were probably lost prior to deposition of the overlying Fond du Lac Formation (Middle Proterozoic, Keweenawan Supergroup).

Solor Church Formation↗