The development of precambrian shields includes the assembly of fundamentally different blocks or terranes. Wopmay Orogen, in the Northwest Territories of Canada is a well-studied example of juxtaposition of different terranes, with Archean crust now adjacent to juvenile 2.0-2.4 Ga crust. This research will investigate the geologic and isotopic consequences of collisional interaction between these terranes, thought to have occurred at 1.885 Ga. The work will involve timing the deformation along Wopmay Fault Zone, and the sources and timing of magmatism along this fundamental crustal lithospheric boundary, and will be accomplished in collaboration with workers at the Geological Survey of Canada.
