{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144895"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144895","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Paleomagnetic Constraints on Assembly of the Superior Craton: Results from the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermilion District of the Wawa Subprovince, MN","abstract":"Paleomagnetism can reveal ancient tectonic motions and identify the processes that regionally overprint magnetizations. We present paleomagnetic data from greenstones in the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermillion Belt, Superior Craton, Minnesota. The Vermillion Belt has experienced lower greenschist facies alteration associated with volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits on the Archean paleoseafloor, as well as weak metamorphism from later reworking events. We isolate four magnetization components: a low-temperature viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) recording the present geomagnetic field, a mid-temperature direction consistent with a ~1.11 Ga Midcontinent Rift overprint, a higher temperature component interpreted to be a 1.78 Ga Penokean overprint, and a high-temperature component that exhibits two clusters in in situ coordinates depending on locality: samples from the southern limb of an anticline host a direction D, I = 165.82°, -70.23° (α₉₅ = 14.4°; n= 2 VGPs), while those from the northern limb host D, I = 198.5°, 78.85° (α₉₅ = 14.0°; n = 5 VGPs). To understand the relative timing of these magnetization directions, we also report results for a 2.69 Ga fold test and baked contact test, a 1.78-1.11 Ga baked contact test, and a conglomerate test. Based on these field tests, we constrain our high temperature component magnetization to either a VMS-related primary thermochemical remanent magnetization at 2.69 Ga, or a 1.78 Ga thermochemical post-orogenic overprint associated with the collapse of the Penokean Orogeny. If primary, our data define a paleopole at 46.85°N/ 84.12°E (α₉₅ = 14.95°; n = 7 VGPs). This would suggest rapid plate motion during the accretion of the Wawa-Abitibi Terrane onto the Superior Craton, suggesting that subduction leading to ribbon continent accretion occurred at a higher velocity than observed in Phanerozoic time. However, more data is required before this motion can be fully confirmed.","abstract_html":"Paleomagnetism can reveal ancient tectonic motions and identify the processes that regionally overprint magnetizations. We present paleomagnetic data from greenstones in the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermillion Belt, Superior Craton, Minnesota. The Vermillion Belt has experienced lower greenschist facies alteration associated with volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits on the Archean paleoseafloor, as well as weak metamorphism from later reworking events. We isolate four magnetization components: a low-temperature viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) recording the present geomagnetic field, a mid-temperature direction consistent with a ~1.11 Ga Midcontinent Rift overprint, a higher temperature component interpreted to be a 1.78 Ga Penokean overprint, and a high-temperature component that exhibits two clusters in in situ coordinates depending on locality: samples from the southern limb of an anticline host a direction D, I = 165.82°, -70.23° (α₉₅ = 14.4°; n= 2 VGPs), while those from the northern limb host D, I = 198.5°, 78.85° (α₉₅ = 14.0°; n = 5 VGPs). To understand the relative timing of these magnetization directions, we also report results for a 2.69 Ga fold test and baked contact test, a 1.78-1.11 Ga baked contact test, and a conglomerate test. Based on these field tests, we constrain our high temperature component magnetization to either a VMS-related primary thermochemical remanent magnetization at 2.69 Ga, or a 1.78 Ga thermochemical post-orogenic overprint associated with the collapse of the Penokean Orogeny. If primary, our data define a paleopole at 46.85°N/ 84.12°E (α₉₅ = 14.95°; n = 7 VGPs). This would suggest rapid plate motion during the accretion of the Wawa-Abitibi Terrane onto the Superior Craton, suggesting that subduction leading to ribbon continent accretion occurred at a higher velocity than observed in Phanerozoic time. However, more data is required before this motion can be fully confirmed.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Levitt, Zoe I."],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Bachelor","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Fu, Roger"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-05","date_published":"2022-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:10Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144895","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Fu, Roger"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Levitt, Zoe I."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2022-08-29T16:19:18Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-08-29T16:19:18Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022-05"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144895"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Paleomagnetism can reveal ancient tectonic motions and identify the processes that regionally overprint magnetizations. We present paleomagnetic data from greenstones in the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermillion Belt, Superior Craton, Minnesota. The Vermillion Belt has experienced lower greenschist facies alteration associated with volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits on the Archean paleoseafloor, as well as weak metamorphism from later reworking events. We isolate four magnetization components: a low-temperature viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) recording the present geomagnetic field, a mid-temperature direction consistent with a ~1.11 Ga Midcontinent Rift overprint, a higher temperature component interpreted to be a 1.78 Ga Penokean overprint, and a high-temperature component that exhibits two clusters in in situ coordinates depending on locality: samples from the southern limb of an anticline host a direction D, I = 165.82°, -70.23° (α₉₅ = 14.4°; n= 2 VGPs), while those from the northern limb host D, I = 198.5°, 78.85° (α₉₅ = 14.0°; n = 5 VGPs). To understand the relative timing of these magnetization directions, we also report results for a 2.69 Ga fold test and baked contact test, a 1.78-1.11 Ga baked contact test, and a conglomerate test. Based on these field tests, we constrain our high temperature component magnetization to either a VMS-related primary thermochemical remanent magnetization at 2.69 Ga, or a 1.78 Ga thermochemical post-orogenic overprint associated with the collapse of the Penokean Orogeny. If primary, our data define a paleopole at 46.85°N/ 84.12°E (α₉₅ = 14.95°; n = 7 VGPs). This would suggest rapid plate motion during the accretion of the Wawa-Abitibi Terrane onto the Superior Craton, suggesting that subduction leading to ribbon continent accretion occurred at a higher velocity than observed in Phanerozoic time. However, more data is required before this motion can be fully confirmed."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Paleomagnetic Constraints on Assembly of the Superior Craton: Results from the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermilion District of the Wawa Subprovince, MN"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Fu, Roger"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Levitt, Zoe I."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2022-08-29T16:19:18Z"],"dc:date.available":["2022-08-29T16:19:18Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2022-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["Paleomagnetism can reveal ancient tectonic motions and identify the processes that regionally overprint magnetizations. We present paleomagnetic data from greenstones in the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermillion Belt, Superior Craton, Minnesota. The Vermillion Belt has experienced lower greenschist facies alteration associated with volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits on the Archean paleoseafloor, as well as weak metamorphism from later reworking events. We isolate four magnetization components: a low-temperature viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) recording the present geomagnetic field, a mid-temperature direction consistent with a ~1.11 Ga Midcontinent Rift overprint, a higher temperature component interpreted to be a 1.78 Ga Penokean overprint, and a high-temperature component that exhibits two clusters in in situ coordinates depending on locality: samples from the southern limb of an anticline host a direction D, I = 165.82°, -70.23° (α₉₅ = 14.4°; n= 2 VGPs), while those from the northern limb host D, I = 198.5°, 78.85° (α₉₅ = 14.0°; n = 5 VGPs). To understand the relative timing of these magnetization directions, we also report results for a 2.69 Ga fold test and baked contact test, a 1.78-1.11 Ga baked contact test, and a conglomerate test. Based on these field tests, we constrain our high temperature component magnetization to either a VMS-related primary thermochemical remanent magnetization at 2.69 Ga, or a 1.78 Ga thermochemical post-orogenic overprint associated with the collapse of the Penokean Orogeny. If primary, our data define a paleopole at 46.85°N/ 84.12°E (α₉₅ = 14.95°; n = 7 VGPs). This would suggest rapid plate motion during the accretion of the Wawa-Abitibi Terrane onto the Superior Craton, suggesting that subduction leading to ribbon continent accretion occurred at a higher velocity than observed in Phanerozoic time. However, more data is required before this motion can be fully confirmed."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144895"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted","Copyright retained by author(s)"],"dc:rights.uri":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Paleomagnetic Constraints on Assembly of the Superior Craton: Results from the 2.72-2.69 Ga Vermilion District of the Wawa Subprovince, MN"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:10Z"}