Potash in the Central New Brunswick Platform?

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 76, No. 857, 1983

S.R. McCUTCHEON, Assistant Regional Geologist, Department of Natural Resources, Sussex, New Brunswick

The regional stratigraphy of the Lower Carboniferous Windsor Group in the Moncton Subbasin indicates that evaporites could be present in the Marysville Subbasin, part of what was formerly called the Central New Brunswick Platform. The Windsor Group consists of basement-fringing, algal build-ups (Gays River Formation), in places with intercalated siliciclastics (Parleeville), which are laterally equivalent to deeper-water, very thin to thinly bedded, euxinic limestone (Macumber). The Macumber is overlain by stratiform, nodular to mosaic anhydrite (Upperton) that is hosted by carbonate or calcareous siliciclastics. The sulphate also is equivalent, in part, to the algal buildups. Deep-water salts (Cassidy Lake) which overlie and in places are laterally equivalent to Upperton rocks have a basin-centre distribution. The Windsor Group is overlain by shallow water evaporites and mudstones (Clover Hill) or by greenish grey mudstone ("transitional beds"). The paleogeographic distribution of these rocks provide important clues that help predict where deposits of salt and potash can occur.

Keywords: Potash, Salt, Central New Brunswick Platform, Windsor Group, Moncton Subbasin, Marysville Subbasin, Gays River Formation, Parleeville Formation, Macumber Formation, Upperton Formation, Cassidy Lake Formation.