Slave Craton

The Slave Craton is an Archean block of ancient continental crust in northwestern Canada, forming part of the Canadian Shield. It contains rocks and minerals recording some of Earth’s earliest preserved crustal history.

Craton: A stable, long-lived part of continental lithosphere whose ancient core has resisted major deformation. The Slave Craton is one example of this durable continental foundation.
Continental crust: The relatively buoyant, silica-rich outer layer of Earth that forms continents. The Slave Craton is a preserved segment of this crust.
Acasta Gneiss: A tonalitic gneiss complex in Canada containing rocks dated to about 4.0 billion years old. It provides an exceptionally ancient record near the western margin of the Slave Craton.
Ekati Diamond Mine: A diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, Canada, opened in 1998. It exploits kimberlite pipes emplaced through the Slave Craton.
Archean: A geologic eon from about 4.0 to 2.5 billion years ago, when Earth’s early crust and life developed. Much of the Slave Craton’s basement formed during this eon.
Arc magmatism: Magma generation and emplacement above a subduction zone, commonly building volcanic arcs and continental crust. Arc-related magmatism contributed to parts of the craton’s Archean crust.
Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt: A metamorphosed rock assemblage in Quebec whose proposed age may exceed 3.8 billion years. Its debated age offers a comparison with the Slave’s better-established ancient record.
Diavik Diamond Mine: A diamond mine on an island in Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada. Its deposits demonstrate the craton’s economic importance for diamond exploration.
Zircon: A durable mineral that incorporates uranium and can preserve evidence of its crystallization age. Zircon grains provide dates for ancient crustal rocks in the craton.
Subduction: The descent of one lithospheric plate beneath another into Earth’s mantle. Subduction is one proposed setting for generating and assembling some Slave crust.

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