Deformation of Early Cretaceous volcanic-arc assemblages, southern Coast Belt, British Columbia
Early Cretaceous clastic volcanic-arc rocks of the Gambier Group in the southern Coast Belt were deposited in estuarine and marine environments on a deeply incised unconformity exposing Jurassic plutonic and arc assemblages. The Cretaceous arc was deformed in response to Late Cretaceous oblique subduction, producing orogen-parallel and orogen-normal shortening. Supracrustal Early Cretaceous rocks are preserved, in part, within the footwalls of overthrust sheets.Basal conglomerate and transgressive clastic successions underlie the volcanic edifices, with clasts reflecting volcanic – plutonic provenance. Volcanic rocks are calc-alkalic and span the complete basalt–andesite–dacite–rhyolite association typical of composite volcanoes. Extensive coarse pyroclastic deposits record an explosive volcanic environment.The Gambier Group occurs within the foreland of the major structural and metamorphic culmination of the southeastern Coast Belt. Early thin-skinned thrusting occurred to the east, repeating the Cretace...