The Cretaceous to Paleogene tectonic development of the Canadian Arctic recorded in the sediment provenance signature

The Cretaceous-Paleogene was a critical period in the development of the Canadian Arctic Islands. In the Early Cretaceous, the ongoing opening of the Amerasia Basin led to emplacement of the Sverdrup Basin Magmatic Province. In the latest Cretaceous-Paleogene, the opening of Baffin Bay and the consequential movements of the Greenland plate relative to North America resulted in the onset of the Eurekan Orogeny. This led to the cessation of sedimentation in the Sverdrup Basin, shedding of thick piles of sediment from the orogen into northern Baffin Bay and syn-tectonic sedimentation in intramontane basins within the Canadian Arctic Islands. Piecing together all the elements of the tectonic evolution of the region during this period is essential for constraining paleogeographic models and reducing uncertainty for hydrocarbon exploration.

The best record of the events which affected the region can be found in the Cretaceous-Paleogene sedimentary succession. Through our ongoing research programme in the Canadian Arctic, we have amassed a large body of sedimentological and structural field and analytical data on Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands. Our approach uses integrated biostratigraphy (macropaleontology, palynology and micropaleontology) to provide an age framework for our studies. Sediment provenance and paleocurrent data are provided by field observations, petrography, heavy mineral analysis, mineral geochemistry, detrital zircon dating, and palynology (reworked fossils). Uplift and burial histories are provided by vitrinite reflectance and apatite fission track analysis. The data from these studies provides a framework on which we can base models of sediment provenance and transport, therefore constraining palaeogeographic reconstructions.

Our work so far, shows us that contributions from Cretaceous magmatic sources and the reworking of material caused by Eurekan tectonism can be identified in the provenance signature of sandstones in the Sverdrup Basin and overlying Paleogene sedimentary basins. These data, when viewed in the context of biostratigraphic constraints, help to constrain plate and palaeogeographic reconstructions, and locally, help us to trace and predict the occurrence and quality of hydrocarbon reservoirs.