Geology of the Mostadmarka and Selbustrand area, Trøndelag.

Abstract

The bedrock of the area consists of metamorphic epiclastic, volcanic, and intrusive rocks of assumed Lower Ordovician age, assigned to, and lithologically matching the rocks of, the Røros, Støren and Lower Hovin Groups of the Trondheim Region. A detailed petrographic description of the rock varieties is given. The metamorphic grade of all rocks corresponds to the Greenschist Facies. - Small ore deposits occur in connection with the volcanic rocks. They comprise pyrite-pyrrhotite ores of the Leksdal Type, mixed pyrite-magnetite ores, and iron oxide ores. - Lithological variations of the sedimentary rocks is tentatively correlated with events during the early periods of the Caledonian Orogeny. - The volcanism within the area seems to have started with a phase of explosive activity, followed by extrusion (mostly submarine) of copious amounts of spilitic lavas; towards the end of the main period of volcanism a new episode of explosive activity has produced what is called the upper pyroclastic horizon, comprising rocks ranging from coarse volcanic breccia to finegrained tuffs. - The intrusive rocks consist mainly of saussurite gabbros and quartz keratophyres. The latter are thought to be intrusive rather than effusive, and evidence is offered to support this. In some places the character of pyroclastic material points to a quartz keratophyre parentage. Thus, quartz keratophyres may have occurred both as intrusive and volcanic rocks.