Age and tectonic setting of the Quinebaug-Marlboro belt and implications for the history of Ganderian crustal fragments in southeastern New England, USA

Crustal fragments underlain by high-grade rocks represent a challenge to plate reconstructions, and integrated mapping, geochronology, and geochemistry enable the unravelling of the temporal and spatial history of exotic crustal blocks. The Quinebaug-Marlboro belt (QMB) is an enigmatic fragment on the trailing edge of the peri-Gondwanan Ganderian margin of southeastern New England. SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry indicate the presence of Ediacaran to Cambrian metamorphosed volcanic and intrusive rocks dated for the first time between ca. 540-500 Ma. The entire belt may preserve a cryptic, internal stratigraphy that is truncated by subsequent faulting. Detrital zircons from metapelite in the overlying Nashoba and Tatnic Hill Formations indicate deposition between ca. 485-435 Ma, with provenance from the underlying QMB or Ganderian crust. The Preston Gabbro (418 +/- 3 Ma) provides a minimum age for the QMB. Mafic rocks are tholeiitic with trace elements that resemble arc and E-MORB sources, and samples with negative Nb-Ta anomalies are similar to arc-like rocks, but others show no negative Nb-Ta anomaly and are similar to rocks from E-MORB to OIB or backarc settings. Geochemistry points to a mixture of sources that include both mantle and continental crust. Metamorphic zircon, monazite, and titanite ages range from 400 to 305 Ma and intrusion of granitoids and migmatization occurred between 410 and 325 Ma. Age and chemistry support correlations with the Ellsworth terrane in Maine and the Penobscot arc and backarc system in Maritime Canada. The arc-rifting zone where the Mariana arc and the Mariana backarc basin converge is a possible modern analog.

Automated summary

The Quinebaug-Marlboro belt in southeastern New England poses a challenge to plate reconstructions due to its high-grade rocks, but through integrated mapping, geochronology, and geochemistry, researchers have been able to unravel its temporal and spatial history. The presence of Ediacaran to Cambrian metamorphosed volcanic and intrusive rocks dated between ca. 540-500 Ma suggests a complex geological evolution, with detrital zircons indicating deposition between ca. 485-435 Ma and a mixture of mantle and continental crust sources. The geochemistry points to a correlation with terranes in Maine and Maritime Canada, highlighting a possible modern analog in the Mariana arc-rifting zone.