The Central Gneiss Belt revisited: forensic analysis of the metamorphic core complex hypothesis and an alternative explanation

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Volume 63, Issue , Page 1-30, January 2026.The hypothesis that the Central Gneiss Belt (CGB) of the western Grenville orogen in Ontario is the footwall infrastructure of a metamorphic core complex (MCC) formed during late Ottawan orogenic extension was developed over the last 15 years by T. Rivers and coauthors. We challenge this interpretation based on an in-depth re-analysis that shows: (1) the CGB lacks essential characteristics of modern MCC’s; (2) t