Paleomagnetic Study of the Juiz de Fora Complex, SE Brazil: Implications for Gondwana

The Juiz de Fora Complex is mainly composed of granulites, and granodioritic-migmatite gneisses and is a cratonic basement of the Ribeira belt. Paleomagnetic analysis on samples from 64 sites widely distributed along the Além Paraíba dextral shear zone (SE Brazil, Rio de Janeiro State) yielded a northeastern, steep downward inclination direction (Dm=40.4°, Im=75.4, a₉₅=6.0°, K=20.1) for 30 sites. The corresponding paleomagnetic pole (RB) is situated at 335.2°E; 0.6°S (a₉₅=10.0°; K=7.9). Rock magnetism indicates that both (titano)magnetite and titanohematite are the main magnetic minerals responsible for this direction. Anisotropy of low-field magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements were used to correct the ChRM directions and consequently its corresponding paleomagnetic pole. This correction yielded a new mean ChRM (Dm = 2.9°, Im = 75.4°, a₉₅ = 6.4°, K = 17.9) whose paleomagnetic pole RBc is located at 320.1°E, 4.2° N (a₉₅=10.3°, K=7.5). Both mean ChRM and paleomagnetic pole obtained from uncorrected and corrected data are statistically different at the 95% confidence circle. Geological and geochronological data suggest that the age of the Juiz de Fora Complex pole is probably between 535–500 Ma, and paleomagnetic results permit further constraint on these ages to the interval 520–500 Ma by comparison with high quality paleomagnetic poles in the 560–500 Ma Gondwana APW path.