STRATIGRAPHY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF SQUANTUM TILLITE, BOSTON BAY GROUP:USING FIELD LOG AND ICP ANALYSIS

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the depositional history of the Squantum Tillite. The Squantum Tillite, which is part of the Neoproterozoic Boston Bay Group, is located in the Boston Basin, and for over a century researchers have come up with contradicting hypotheses about the origin of the rocks in the area. While some believe that the rocks were deposited by glaciers along a prograding submarine margin, others believe the rocks here are of volcanic or tectonic origin. The Boston basin, as records show, is a tectonic basin; as a result many scientists are inclined to believe the rocks here are of tectonic origin. This study involved carrying out field logging so as to find out the characteristic sedimentary facies in the area. A total of 30 samples were collected in situ from the outcrops. Chemical analyses are used to deduce the degree of chemical weathering in this Neoproterozoic sequence using major element ratios, such as the chemical index of alteration (CIA). Rock samples and 12 USGS rock standards were analyzed for major and trace elements via Inductively-coupled Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The data obtained from the ICP-OES spectrometer will further be interpreted and results compared with field data from similar research along the Polar Regions and in other locations, such as the late Precambrian Gaskiers Formation in Newfoundland, Canada. Field and laboratory results will be used to draw conclusions on the actual mode of deposition of the Squantum Tillite, Boston Bay Group.