The nature of the crust in the Yukon-Koyukuk province as inferred from the chemical and isotopic composition of five Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary volcanic fields in western Alaska

Abstract

Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary volcanic and plutonic rocks in western Alaska comprise a vast magmatic province extending from the Alaska Range north to the Arctic Circle, south to Bristol Bay, and west to the Bering Sea Shelf. The chemical and isotopic composition of five of these Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary volcanic fields in the north central part of this province were studied to determine if Paleozoic or older continental crust underlies the Yukon-Koyukuk province. Three of the fields, the Blackburn Hills, Yukon River, and Kanuti, occur within the Yukon-Koyukuk province and two, the Sischu and Nowitna, overlie bordering Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic terranes to the southeast. High initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of 0.7075–0.7079 and moderate initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd of 0.51244–0.51247 of rhyolite, dacite, and high-silica andesite of the Sischu volcanic field indicate that the magmas have interacted with the underlying Paleozoic or older continental crust. The relatively limited variation of isotopic (initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7044–0.7051; initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd = 0.51256–0.51257) and elemental compositions of andesites from the Nowitna field can be accounted for by assimilation of small amounts of Paleozoic or older continental crust during crystal fractionation of andesite parent magmas at crustal levels. The Blackburn Hills field, which consists of medium-K basalt, andesite, and rhyolite intruded by a small granitic pluton, has a large range in initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd that plot in the field for 60 Ma mantle, from near mid-ocean ridge basalts to near “bulk-earth” compositions (initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7033–0.7052; initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd = 0.51253–0.51290). Andesites and basalts from the Blackburn Hills are divided into two group on the basis of rare earth element (REE) and isotopic composition. Isotopic variation in the more primitive group 1 is best explained by assimilation of the lower crust of the Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Koyukuk terrane by mantle-derived basalts during crystal fractionation, though part of the isotopic variation may be due to metasomatism of an oceanic island basalt type mantle source by fluids derived from subducted sediments. Group 2 andesites from the Blackburn Hills have lower heavy REE abundances and more enriched isotopic compositions. These group 2 andesites and dacites from the Kanuti field, which have ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i = 0.7043–0.7048 and ( 143 Nd/ 144 Nd) i = 0.51248–0.51267, appear to have formed by partial melting of the lower crust of the Koyukuk terrane. The Yukon River field consists of basalt, andesite, dacite, and rhyolite having ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i = 0.7037–0.7051 and ( 143 Nd/ 144 Nd) i = 0.51266–0.51280; its isotopic composition does not require the presence of Paleozoic or older continental crust under the volcanic field and may have formed by interaction between mantle-derived melts and the oceanic Angayucham/Tozitna or island arc Koyukuk terrane. Most of the intrusive rocks and rhyolite domes from the Blackburn Hills volcanic field have ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i = 0.7038–0.7041 and dacites from the Kanuti volcanic field have ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i = 0.7043–0.7048. Thus little or no old continental crust was involved in the genesis of the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary rocks and therefore probably does not extend beneath this part of the Yukon-Koyukuk province. However, the ultimate source of the small volumes of enriched shoshonitic andesite ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.7075, 143 Nd/ 144 Nd = 0.5125) erupted at 118 Ma in the Yukon-Koyukuk province may be continental lithosphere, which may have been thrust under this part of the Yukon-Koyukuk province during arc-continent collision in the Early Cretaceous.