Laurentia in transition during the Mesoproterozoic: Observations and speculation on the ca. 1500–1340 Ma tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian margin

Abstract

An accretionary tectonic model for the Mesoproterozoic ca. 1500–1340 Ma tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian margin is presented. The tectonic model incorporates key observations about the nature and timing of Mesoproterozoic deposition, magmatism, regional metamorphism, and deformation across the 5000-km-long southern Laurentian margin. This time period was one of transition in the supercontinent cycle and occurred between the breakup of Columbia and the formation of Rodinia, and the southern Laurentian margin was a significant component of a much greater accretionary margin extending into Baltica and Amazonia and possibly parts of Antarctica and Australia. However, fundamental questions and contradictions remain in our understanding of the tectonic evolution of Laurentia and paleogeography during this time interval.