{{Short description|Geologic formation in Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada}} thumb|right|280px|Map of the Mackenzie Large Igneous Province and its sub-features. The Coppermine River Group are shown as "Coppermine River volcanics". The '''Coppermine River Group''' is a sequence of Mesoproterozoic continental flood basalts forming part of the Mackenzie Large Igneous Province in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada. It is among the largest flood basalt provinces on Earth, covering the area with a volume of approximately {{convert|650000|km3|cumi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.platinex.com/docs/MuskoxQualifyingReport2008.pdf Geological Report on the Muskox Property] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715092355/http://www.platinex.com/docs/MuskoxQualifyingReport2008.pdf |date=2011-07-15 }}</ref>

==Eruptive history== The Coppermine River Group was formed when vast volumes of basaltic lava paved over a large area of the northwestern Canadian Shield about 1,267&nbsp;million years ago. These basalts form flood basalts that reach thicknesses ranging from {{convert|2000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} to {{convert|3500|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} and consists of about 150&nbsp;lava flows, each about 10–25&nbsp;m thick. Except for the lowermost flows, which contain evidence of interaction with water, the entire sequence was erupted subaerially. Eruption of plateau lavas near the Coppermine River, built an extensive volcanic plateau about 1,200&nbsp;million years ago with an area of about {{convert|170000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} representing a volume of lavas of at least {{convert|500000|km3|cumi|0|abbr=on}}. These flood basalts have been interpreted as contemporaneous with the giant Mackenzie dike swarm and with the Muskox intrusion.<ref>Gunter Faure, ''Origin of Igneous Rocks'', Springer, 1st ed., 2000, pp. 357 - 358, {{ISBN|3-540-67772-0}}</ref>

==See also== *Natkusiak flood basalts *Volcanology of Canada *Volcanology of Northern Canada

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Large igneous provinces}} {{coord missing|Northwest Territories}}

Category:Volcanism of the Northwest Territories Category:Mesoproterozoic volcanism Category:Hotspot volcanism Category:Mackenzie Large Igneous Province