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  3. Basement domains of the conterminous US and Alaska
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Superior

Basement domain in the Central and Southwest

Geologic information

Region Central and Southwest
Crust
Formation age: 2750-2600 Ma
Accretion
Type: Collisional
Age: 2.7-2.5 Ga
Notes S-vergent collision with Minnesota River terrane, Great Lakes tectonic zone; Cratonized ~2500 Ma

Geographic extent

Alger, Baraga, Charlevoix, Delta, Dickinson, Iron, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft, Florence

Bibliographic references

Bickford, M.E., Wooden, J.L., and Bauer, R.L., 2006, SHRIMP study of zircons from early Archean rocks in the Minnesota River Valley—Implications for the tectonic history of the Superior Province: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 118, p. 94–108; doi: 10.1130/B25741.1.Schmitz, M.D., Bowring, S.A., Southwick, D.L., Boerboom, T.J., and Wirth, K.R., 2006, High-precision U-Pb geochronology in the Minnesota River Valley subprovince and its bearing on the Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic evolution of the southern Superior Province: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 118, p. 82–93; doi: 10.1130/B25725.1.Van Schmus, W.R., Schneider, D.A., Holm, D.K., Dodson, S., and Nelson, B.K., 2007, New insights into the southern margin of the Archean-Proterozoic boundary in the north-central United States based on U–Pb, Sm–Nd, and Ar–Ar geochronology: Precambrian Research, v. 157, p. 80–105.Sims, P.K., Kisvarsanyi, E.B., and Morey, G.B., 1987, Geology and metallogeny of Archean and Proterozoic basement terranes in the northern midcontinent, U.S.A.—An overview: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1815, 51 p.Gibbs, A.K., Payne, Barton, Setzer, Thomas, Brown, L.D., Oliver, J.E., and Kaufman, Sidney, 1984, Seismic reflection study of the Precambrian crust of central Minnesota: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 95, p. 280–294.Hoffman, P.F., 1988, United plates of America, the birth of a craton—Early Proterozoic assembly and growth of Laurentia: Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences: v. 16, p. 543–603.