The Mystic subterrane (partly) demystified: New data from the Farewell terrane and adjacent rocks, interior Alaska

Abstract

The youngest part of the Farewell terrane in interior Alaska (USA) is the enigmatic Devonian–Cretaceous Mystic subterrane. New U-Pb detrital zircon, fossil, geochemical, neodymium isotopic, and petrographic data illuminate the origin of the rocks of this subterrane. The Devonian–Permian Sheep Creek Formation yielded youngest detrital zircons of Devonian age, major detrital zircon age probability peaks between ca. 460 and 405 Ma, and overall age spectra like those from the underlying Dillinger subterrane. Samples are sandstones rich in sedimentary lithic clasts, and differ from approximately coeval strata to the east that have abundant volcanic lithic clasts and late Paleozoic detrital zircons. The Permian Mount Dall conglomerate has mainly carbonate and chert clasts and yielded youngest detrital zircons of latest Pennsylvanian age. Permian quartz-carbonate sandstone in the northern Farewell terrane yielded abundant middle to late Permian detrital zircons. Late Triassic–Early Jurassic mafic igneous rocks occur in the central and eastern Mystic subterrane. New whole-rock geochemical and isotopic data indicate that magmas were rift related and derived from subcontinental mantle. Triassic and Jurassic strata have detrital zircon age spectra much like those of the Sheep Creek Formation, with major age populations between ca. 430 and 410 Ma. These rocks include conglomerate with clasts of carbonate ± chert and youngest detrital zircons of Late Triassic age and quartz-carbonate sandstone with youngest detrital zircons of Early Jurassic age. Lithofacies indicating highly productive oceanographic conditions (upwelling?) bracket the main part of the Mystic succession: Upper Devonian bedded barite and phosphatic Upper Devonian and Lower Jurassic rocks. The youngest part of the Mystic subterrane consists of Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian–Aptian) limestone, calcareous sandstone, and related strata. These rocks are partly coeval with the oldest parts of the Kahiltna assemblage, an overlap succession exposed along the southern margin of the Farewell terrane. Our findings support previous models suggesting that the Farewell terrane was proximal to the Alexander-Wrangellia-Peninsular composite terrane during the late Paleozoic, and further suggest that such proximity continued into (or recurred during) the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic. But middle to late Permian detrital zircons in northern Farewell require another source; the Yukon-Tanana terrane is one possibility.