Deglaciation sequences in the Permo-Carboniferous Itararé Group, Paraná Basin, southern Brazil

The Late Carboniferous–Early Permian Itararé Group is a thick glacial unit of the Paraná Basin. Five unconformity-bounded sequences have been defined in the eastern outcrop belt and recognized in well logs along 400 km across the central portion of the basin. Deglaciation sequences are present in the whole succession and represent the bulk of the stratigraphic record. The fining-upward vertical facies succession is characteristic of a retrogradational stacking pattern and corresponds to the stratigraphic record of major ice-retreat phases. Laterally discontinuous subglacial tillites and boulder beds occur at the base of the sequences. When these subglacial facies are absent, deglaciation sequences lie directly on the basal disconformities. Commonly present in the lowermost portions of the deglaciation sequences, polymictic conglomerates and cross-bedded sandstones are generated in subaqueous proximal outwash fans in front of retreating glaciers. The overlying assemblage of diamictites, parallel-bedded and rippled sandstones, and Bouma-like facies sequences are interpreted as deposits of distal outwash fan lobes. The tops of the deglaciation sequences are positioned in clay-rich marine horizons that show little (fine-laminated facies with dropstones) or no evidence of glacial influence on the deposition and likely represent periods of maximum ice retreat.     

Coal petrology of coal seams from the Leão-Butiá Coalfield, Lower Permian of the Paraná Basin, Brazil — Implications for coal facies interpretations

In the Leão-Butiá Coalfield, Rio Grande do Sul the coal seams occur in the Rio Bonito Formation, Guatá Group, Tubarão Supergroup of the Paraná Basin, Brazil and are of Permian (Artinskian–Kungurian) age.This study is the first detailed investigation on the coal petrographic characterization of the coal-bearing sequence in relation to the depositional settings of the precursor mires, both in terms of whole seam characterization and in-seam variations. The study is based on the analyses of nine coal seams (I2, CI, L4, L3, L2, L1, S3, S2, S1), which were selected from core of borehole D-193, Leão-Butiá and represent the entire coal-bearing sequence.The interpretation of coal facies and depositional environment is based on lithotype, maceral and microlithotype analyses using different facies-critical petrographic indices, which were displayed in coal facies diagrams. The seams are characterized by the predominance of dull lithotypes (dull, banded dull). The dullness of the coal is attributed to relatively high mineral matter, inertinite and liptinite contents. The petrographic composition is dominated by vitrinite (28–70 vol.% mmf) and inertinite (> 30 vol.% mmf) groups. Liptinite contents range from 7 to 30 vol.% (mmf) and mineral matter from 4–30 vol.%. Microlithotypes associations are dominated by vitrite, duroclarite, carbominerite and inertite. It is suggested that the observed vertical variations in petrographic characteristics (lithotypes, microlithotypes, macerals, vitrinite reflectance) were controlled by groundwater level fluctuations in the ancient mires due to different accommodation/peat accumulation rates.Correlation of the borehole strata with the general sequence-stratigraphical setting suggests that the alluvial fan system and the coal-bearing mudstone succession are linked to a late transgressive systems tract of sequence 2. Based on average compositional values obtained from coal facies diagrams, a deposition in a limno-telmatic to limnic coal facies is suggested.     

Cenozoic tectonic events at the border of the Paraná Basin, São Paulo, Brazil

In the last decade, even in areas that had been considered tectonically stable, a great amount of Cenozoic, including the Quaternary period, structural data have been collected throughout Brazil. The main goal of this study is to describe the Cenozoic structures and tectonic evolution of an area that is located at the border of the Paraná Basin in the state of São Paulo.The research methods consisted of the analysis of: (1) brittle structure data, mainly conjugate fractures and fault slip data; (2) lineaments traced on air photos and TM Landsat and radar images; and (3) a second-order base surface map.The study area, during the Cenozoic, has been affected by five strike–slip tectonic events, which generated mainly strike–slip faults, and secondarily normal and reverse ones. The events were named, from the oldest to the youngest, E1-NE, E2-EW, E3-NW, E4-NS, and E5-NNE; and the maximum principal stresses σ1 strike approximately NE–SW, E–W, NW–SE, N–S, and NNE–SSW, respectively. Event E2-EW seems to have been contemporaneous with the deposition of the Rio Claro Formation, the most important Cenozoic deposit of probable Neogenic age, and also to have controlled the distribution of its deposits. Event E3-NW was the strongest one in the area, as is pointed out by structural data, and the maximum principal stress σ1 of event E5-NNE is partially concordant with the orientation of σH-max of well break-out data in the Paraná Basin, suggesting a Neotectonic activity for this event. Finally, discontinuities parallel and correlated to the directions of strike–slip faults of the Cenozoic events seem to have actively controlled the sculpturing of the relief in the study area.     

Stratigraphic evolution of a fluvial–eolian succession: The example of the Upper Jurassic—Lower Cretaceous Guará and Botucatu formations, Paraná Basin, Southernmost Brazil

The Guará and Botucatu formations comprise an 80 to 120 m thick continental succession that crops out on the western portion of the Rio Grande do Sul State (Southernmost Brazil). The Guará Formation (Upper Jurassic) displays a well-defined facies shift along its outcrop belt. On its northern portion it is characterised by coarse-grained to conglomeratic sandstones with trough and planar cross-bedding, as well as low-angle lamination, which are interpreted to represent braided river deposits. Southwards these fluvial facies thin out and interfinger with fine- to medium-grained sandstones with large-scale cross-stratification and horizontal lamination, interpreted as eolian dune and eolian sand sheets deposits, respectively. The Botucatu Formation is characterised by large-scale cross-strata formed by successive climbing of eolian dunes, without interdune and/or fluvial accumulation (dry eolian system). The contact between the Guará and the Botucatu formations is delineated by a basin-wide deflation surface (supersurface). The abrupt change in the depositional conditions that took place across this supersurface suggests a major climate change, from semi-arid (Upper Jurassic) to hyper-arid (Lower Cretaceous) conditions. A rearrangement of the Paraná Basin depocenters is contemporaneous to this climate change, which seems to have changed from a more restrict accumulation area in the Guará Formation to a wider sedimentary context in the Botucatu Formation.     

Inherent heterogeneity of sediments in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia — a case study

The behavior and properties of sediments depend on their compositional characteristics and formation processes, as well as the environmental conditions during their geological history, i.e. post-formation processes. A vertical cut made in a hill in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, reveals a vivid picture of the inherent heterogeneity of sediments that have been deposited at different geological ages. A review of the geology of the area, as well as laboratory tests, help to determine the possible causes of the variability of soil types and properties in the area. Laboratory tests include basic geotechnical tests, chemical tests, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. These tests are used to identify different rock types and soils from the face of the cut. The results of this study indicate that the material from this cut varies from clayey shale and limestone rock (Tertiary, lower Eocene) formed some 52 M.Y. to calcite-cemented sand and pure calcite rock formed in the Quaternary age.     

Hierarchy of tectonic control on stratigraphic signatures: Base-level changes during the Early Permian in the Paraná Basin, southernmost Brazil

The Lower Permian sedimentary succession of the Paraná Basin in southernmost Brazil has an overall transgressive sedimentation regime, recorded by a clear retrogradation of the facies belt. However, important depositional strike-orientated variations and regional inversions occur in the sedimentation regime along the paleo-shoreline (i.e., along-strike) of the basin. At the regional scale, a huge source area was uplifted by the end of the Artinskian in the north and caused regression; the southern part of the study area increasingly was transgressed by the epicontinental sea (= regional inversion). This important tectonic overprint on the stratigraphic signature of the basin’s infill has a tectonic origin. The variable sedimentation regime along the paleo-shoreline is controlled by the structural framework of the basement, which is formed by several crustal blocks with different responses to tectonic strain induced by terrain accretion on the occidental margin of Gondwana during the Permian. Stratigraphic data indicate that during the Early Permian, there were at least two differential subsidence and uplift events, one by the end of the Sakmarian–Artinskian and another during the Late Artinskian–Kungurian.     

Shrimp U–Pb zircon dating and palynology of bentonitic layers from the Permian Irati Formation, Paraná Basin, Brazil

This paper presents the first SHRIMP zircon age data from bentonitic ash fall layers intercalated with the Irati sedimentary rocks, as well as palynofossils retrieved from the PETROBRAS-Six mine, Paraná State, southern Brazil. The Permian Irati Formation is one the most important oil source horizons within the Paraná Basin, and consists mainly of siltstones, gray claystones, as well as organic-rich claystones intercalated with limestones. Zircon morphology based on cathodoluminescence images includes two different populations: a dominant population of euhedral, prismatic, elongate to acicular grains which are most likely related to an ash fall volcanism; and a population of rounded to large prismatic grains, that were interpreted as detrital grains. SHRIMP analysis performed on the euhedral and prismatic grains revealed an age of ca. 278.4 ± 2.2 Ma (7 points with 95% confidence) interpreted as the crystallization age of the volcanic eruption. Based on this new dating, the Irati Formation should be placed on the Lower Permian (Cisuralian), Artinskian in age, modifying substantially the traditional ages previously attributed to this unit. The palynofossils from this level include key species of the Lueckisporites virkkiae Zone (such as L. virkkiae, L. densicorpus, L. stenotaeniatus, Weylandites lucifer, Alisporites splendens). Typical species of this zone also occur in African and other South American (Argentina) Permian strata, allowing stratigraphical correlations. The origin of the ash falls is not clearly defined. It may be related either to calc-alkaline arc magmatism associated to the Sanrafaelica Orogeny (275 and 250 Ma) or to bimodal volcanic events associated to an early intracontinental rift developed within southwestern Gondwana at ca. 278 My. The dating of this unit is significative to calibrate biostratigraphic schemes along the Paraná Basin, as well as equivalent zones in Gondwana areas, mainly in its Occidental portion.     

The kerogen type, depositional environment and maturity, of the Irati Shale, Upper Permian of Paraná Basin, Southern Brazil

Two samples from the upper and lower horizons of the Irati oil shale of the Paraná Basin, Brazil were sampled in a single borehole, and analysed using organic petrography and geochemistry. The results are interpreted in terms of the kerogen type, maturity and depositional environment of the two horizons.Organic petrography shows the oil-shales to be composed of a mineral groundmass, mainly clay minerals, carbonate and pyrite, associated, and sometimes impregnated, with fluorescing organic material and disseminated phytoclasts. Humic material is fairly rare and mostly present as very small particles. The liptinitic particles are mostly alginite (A and B), sporinite and more rarely resinite. Reflectance measurements (upper seam = 0.34% R₀; lower seam = 0.40% R₀) indicate an equivalent rank of lignite/sub-bituminous coal (ASTM), i.e. immature with respect to oil and gas generation. Different organic geochemical methods (Rock-Eval pyrolysis, solvent extraction, GC and GC-MS) demonstrate both samples to be immature, rich oil-shales (100–114 kg/ton) containing Type I kerogen, of a dominantly bacterially-degraded algal origin deposited in a lacustrine environment. The presence of Botryococcus suggests deposition under fresh/brackish water conditions.A tentative interpretation of the extract and vitrinite reflectance data suggests a maximum paleo-burial of between 1.3 and 2.8 km for the analysed section of the Irati Formation.     

Chemical and petrographical characterization of feed coal, fly ash and bottom ash from the Figueira Power Plant, Paraná, Brazil

The aim of the present study is the petrographic and chemical characterization of the coal at the Figueira Power Plant, Paraná, Brazil, prior and after the beneficiation process and the chemical characterization of fly and bottom ashes generated in the combustion process.Petrographic characterization was carried out through maceral analysis and vitrinite reflectance measurements. Chemical characterization included proximate analysis, determination of calorific value and sulphur content, ultimate analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Inductively Coupled Plasma — Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma — Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) analysis, and determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content.Vitrinite reflectance analyses indicate a high volatile B/C bituminous coal (0.61 to 0.73% Rrandom). Maceral analyses show predominance of the vitrinite maceral group (51.6 to 70.9 vol.%, m.m.f). Except of the Run of mine (ROM) coal sample, the average calorific value of the coals is 5205 kcal/kg and ash yields range from 21.4 to 38.1 wt.%. The mineralogical composition (X-ray diffraction) of coals includes kaolinite, quartz, plagioclase and pyrite, whereas fly and bottom ashes are composed by mullite, ettringite, quartz, magnetite, and hematite. Analyses of major elements from coal, fly and bottom ashes indicate a high SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Fe₂O₃ content. Trace elements analysis of in-situ and ROM coals by ICP-MS and ICP-AES show highest concentration in Zn and As. Most of the toxic elements such as As, Cd, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn are significantly reduced by coal beneficiation. Considering the spatial distribution of trace elements in the beneficiated coal samples, which were collected over a period of three months, there appears to be little variation in Cd and Zn concentrations, whereas trace elements such as As, Mo, and Pb show a larger variation.In the fly and bottom ashes, the highest concentrations of trace elements were determined for Zn and As. When compared with trace element concentrations in the feed coal, fly ashes show a significant enrichment in most trace elements (As, B, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, and Zn), suggesting a predominantly volatile nature for these elements. In contrast, Sn is distributed evenly within the different ash types, whereas U shows depleted concentration in both bottom and fly ash samples.According to the International Classification of in-seam coals the Cambuí coals are of para/ortho bituminous rank of low grade (except for the ROM sample), and are characterized by the predominance of vitrinite macerals.     

Characteristics of Milankovitch Cycles in the Mid‐Permian Liangshan and Qixia Formations of the Sichuan Basin—Examples from Well‐Long17 and Well‐Wujia1

The Liangshan and Qixia formations in the Sichuan Basin of central China were formed in the earlier middle Permian. Based on outcrop observation of the Changjianggou section at Shangsi, Guangyuan region and 3rd-order sequence division in typical drillings, one-dimensional spectrum analysis has been used to choose the better curve between the natural gamma ray spectrometry log(ln(Th/K)) in Well-Long17 and the gamma ray log(GR) in Well-Wujia1, respectively, for identifying Milankovitch cycles in Sequence PSQ1 which comprises the Liangshan and Qixia formations, and then to identify the variation in the Milankovitch cycle sequences. On this basis, the system tract and 4th-order sequence interfaces in Sequence PSQ1 were found via two-dimensional spectral analysis and digital filtering. Finally, a high-frequency sequence division program was established. Among these cycles, long eccentricity (413.0 ka) and short eccentricity (123.0 ka) are the most unambiguous, and they are separately the major control factors in forming 4th-order (parasequence sets) and 5th-order (parasequences) sequences, with the average thicknesses corresponding to the main cycles being 11.47 m and 3.32 m in Well-Long17, and 14.21 m and 3.79 m in Well-Wujia1, respectively. In other words, the deposition rate in the beach subfacies is faster than that of the inner ramp facies. The ln(Th/K) curve is more sensitive than the GR as the index of relatively ancient water depth in carbonate deposition. One-dimensional spectrum analysis of ln(Th/K) curve could distinguish the Milankovitch cycle sequences that arose from the Precession cycle (20.90 ka), with a much higher credibility. Sequence PSQ1 in Well-Long17 contains 10 4th-order sequences, and the growth span of Sequence PSQ1 consisting of the Liangshan and Qixia formations is about 4.13 Ma. The single deposition thickness of the long eccentricity cycle sequence has the characteristics of thinning and then thickening in the two-dimensional spectrum, which could be used to identify the system tract interface of the 3rd-order sequence. The precession sequence thickness remains stationary. As a result, the early deposition rate in the mid-Permian of the Sichuan basin was very slow, remaining nearly stationary, and this reflects a sustained depositional environment. Whole-rock carbon and oxygen isotope curves could also prove this point. Milankovitch cycle sequence studies provide a basis for paleoenvironmental analysis and, as such, can be used to analyze ancient climate change, calculate deposition rate and deposition time, and carry out fine isochronous stratigraphic correlation.     

Tectonic Control of the Triassic Santa Maria Supersequence of the Paraná Basin, Southernmost Brazil, and its Correlation to the Waterberg Basin, Namibia

The Middle and Late Triassic Santa Maria Basin, exposed in southernmost Brazil, and Waterberg Basin, in Namibia, are herein interpreted as part of en échelon small basins in southern West Gondwana. The main structures are the Waterberg-Omaruru Fault which can be connected to a NW-strike anastomosed fault zone in Brazil. Based on field structural and stratigraphic analysis two populations of NW-strike fractures, named A-type and B-type, are recognized. A-type fractures (Az = 280°-290°) occur in the Sanga do Cabral Supersequence, underlying units of Santa Maria Basin, as extension of the Waterberg-Omaruru Fault during the Early Triassic. B-type fractures (Az = 295°-345°) are observed in all studied stratigraphic units, from the Triassic Sanga do Cabral Supersequence to the Early Cretaceous Botucatu/Serra Geral formations. Based on the structural analysis we propose that NNE-SSW extension reactivated structures of the Damara Belt, Namibia, with a propagation towards Rio Grande do Sul State forming an anastomosing normal fault system and related-rift basin by Early-Middle Triassic time. The A-type fractures were preferentially active by this phase and the B-type ones are interpreted as secondary link segments within the anastomosing system. During the Gondwana break-up and South Atlantic opening (rift to proto-oceanic phase, Aptian) the B-type fractures were reactivated as normal faults by N50°E-S50°W extension.     

Palaeobotanical evidence of wildfires in the Late Palaeozoic of South America – Early Permian, Rio Bonito Formation, Paraná Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Fossil charcoal, as direct evidence of palaeowildfires, has repeatedly been reported from several plant-bearing deposits from the Late Palaeozoic of the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast charcoal reports from the Late Palaeozoic deposits of the Southern Hemisphere are relatively rare in comparison to the Northern Hemisphere. Although the presence of pyrogenic coal macerals has repeatedly been reported from Late Palaeozoic coals from South America, no detailed anatomical investigations of such material have been published so far. Here is presented an anatomical analysis of charcoal originating from Early Permian sediments of the Quitéria Outcrop, Rio Bonito Formation, Paraná Basin, located in the central-eastern portion of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This charcoal comes from two different coaly facies, and it was possible to scrutinize between three types, based on anatomical characters of the charcoal. Two of these charcoal types can be correlated to gymnosperm woods, and the other type corresponds to strongly permineralized bark with characteristic features of lycopsids. The presence of charcoal in different facies, ranging from parautochtonous to allochtonous origin, indicates that different vegetation types, i.e. plants which grew under wet conditions in the lowland as well as in the more dry hinterland, have experienced wildfires. Taking into account previous petrographic and lithological analyses from the facies in which the charcoal occurs and from the conditions of the wood and bark fragments, it was possible to speculate that the intensity of such wildfires most probably corresponds to forest-crown fires. Moreover, it is possible to state that wildfires have been a more or less common element in distinct Late Palaeozoic terrestrial ecosystems in the South American part of Gondwana. The data support previous assumptions on the occurrence of wildfires in the Early Permian of the Paraná Basin which were based solely on coal-petrographic data.     

Tsunami-induced large-scale scour-and-fill structures in Late Albian to Cenomanian deposits of the Grajaú Basin, northern Brazil

Late Albian to Cenomanian upper shoreface deposits from the Grajaú Basin, northern Brazil, consist of well‐sorted, very fine‐ to fine‐grained sandstones with swaley, trough, tabular and minor hummocky cross‐stratification. A striking feature of these deposits is the abundance of large‐scale scour‐and‐fill structures, which consist of regularly spaced, repetitive, very shallow swales with either symmetrical or asymmetrical profiles, arranged along an undulose surface or as a succession of superimposed troughs. The sediment filling these scours is characterized by very fine‐grained sandstone with gently undulose, near‐parallel lamination to very low‐angle dipping cross‐stratification intergraded with swaley and hummocky cross‐stratification. The nature of the scours and the sedimentary structures of their fills reveal the action of combined flows, which are hydrodynamically similar to those developed during storms. However, it is speculated that the combined flows responsible for the genesis of these structures were formed by tsunami waves enhanced by tsunami‐induced ebb currents and/or tidal currents. This interpretation is proposed on the basis of several lines of reasoning: (1) palaeogeographic reconstructions of the study area during the late Cretaceous show that it was outside the belt favourable for the development of storms; (2) comparison of the scour‐and‐fill structures with stratigraphically correlatable deposits exposed north of the study area, where similar features occur in association with abundant seismically induced, soft‐sediment deformation structures; and (3) the presence of several styles of soft‐sediment deformation features (i.e. convolute lamination, bed collapse, large‐scale folds, massive bedding, sand‐filled fractures and diastasis cracks) are suggestive of synsedimentary seismic activity in Cretaceous deposits located in and near to the study area. This study proposes that episodic, high‐amplitude tsunami waves, enhanced by tsunami‐induced ebb currents, develop powerful flows capable of producing complex patterns of erosion and sedimentation, which may be represented by scour‐and‐fill structures similar to those described here.     

Gaspé belt subsurface geometry in the northern Québec Appalachians as revealed by an integrated geophysical and geological study: 1 — Potential field mapping

Together, recent gravity and high-resolution aeromagnetic datasets are used to qualitatively investigate the upper- and middle-crustal geometry of the Middle Paleozoic Gaspé belt in the northern Appalachians. Long-wavelength potential field anomalies define two sub-basins that are divided by northeast trending gravity highs. For each sub-basins, gravity lows correlate with the youngest rock units.Maps that highlight anomalies associated with near surface features, at the expense of those related to deeper sources, provide an important supplement to the spatially discrete observations derived from bedrock mapping. Analysis of such maps indicates that the sub-basins are characterized by different structural patterns and that faults trending obliquely compared to the main structural grain have been previously underestimated.The geometry of the Gaspé belt as revealed by this integrated geophysical and geological study bears similarities with orogens exhibiting lateral extrusion. This geometry is interpreted as the result of a heterogeneous strain regime in front of an indenter corresponding to the Early Paleozoic Gander/Dunnage crustal block. The indentation tectonic model is supported by: 1) the various strike and kinematic of faults that suggest a strongly heterogeneous strain regime; 2) the greater geological complexity and the occurrence of faults with a significant thrust component in front of the indenter; 3) the predominance of dextral strike-slip faults in the eastern Gaspé Peninsula that result in lateral material transport away from the indenter; 4) the location of abundant Devonian magmatic dykes, sills and stocks in a fault-bounded zone that experienced local extension; 5) the occurrence of block rotation.     

K–Ar dating of fault gouge in the northern Sydney Basin, NSW, Australia—implications for the breakup of Gondwana

The occurrence of synkinematic and authigenic clay minerals is a common feature in fault gouges. Few attempts have been made to date fault gouges. We present the first age data in Australia for synkinematic illite–smectite growth in two fault zones of the northern Sydney Basin, NSW. The faults occur at Burwood Beach, NSW in the northern part of the Sydney Basin and are hosted by Early Permian siltstones, tuffs and coals of the Lambton Formation, Newcastle Coal Measures. The faults are 1.5 m apart, show normal displacement and trend N–S with steep easterly dips. Foliated gouge zones, comminution and dilational breccias are developed along both fault surfaces. K–Ar ages extracted from samples in the gouge and tuffs in the damage zones are 172 (6–10 μm) to 119 Ma (<0.4 μm), respectively. Older ages of 272–281 Ma for the coarse fractions (>2 μm), 237–245 Ma for the <2 μm fraction, 218 Ma for the <0.4 μm fraction and 196 Ma for the <0.1 μm fraction have been obtained from siltstones within and outside the damage zone. We believe the younger ages of 196–237 Ma indicate the time at which diagenetic illite–smectite formed and the 122–150 Ma dates from the <2 μm fraction represent the maximum age of gouge formation. The younger ages are thought to reflect the last slip event occurring on the faults, which is related to the rifting and dispersal of the eastern margin of the Australian continent.     

Geology, geochemistry, and U–Pb geochronology of the Archean (2.74 Ga) Serra do Rabo granite stocks, Carajás Metallogenetic Province, northern Brazil

The Carajás region, located in the southeastern part of the Amazon Craton, has been considered one of the most important mineral provinces in the world. The Serra do Rabo Granite (SRG) crops out near the eastern termination of the Carajás fault as two granite stocks, elongated approximately in an E–W direction, concordant with the regional structures. Leucomicrocline granite, hornblende–microcline granite, biotite–hornblende–microcline granite, hornblende syenogranite, and subordinate aplite are identified. The granites are grayish pink and coarse to medium grained and have mainly hypidiomorphic granular texture. Granophyric textures are common. The accessory minerals are ilmenite, apatite, zircon, allanite, and rare pyroxene.The SRG rocks are either massive or foliated, with a slightly anastomosed continuous S₁ foliation (E–W/subvertical) outlined by the preferred orientation of quartz, feldspars, and mafic minerals. Locally, decimeter- to meter-wide mylonite/ultramylonite bands (S_1m) occur along the E–W foliation. The S₁ foliation was developed under higher temperatures than those of the S_1m mylonite foliation. The SRG structural evolution was controlled by progressive deformation under decreasing temperature, indicative of syntectonic emplacement. The SRG also has relatively high SiO₂, K₂O, and Na₂O contents; high FeO*/(FeO*+MgO) ratios; high Zr, Ba, Nb, and Ga; and very high rare-earth element contents. The chemical signature is moderately alkaline and metaluminous, comparable to that of the A-type, A2, and ALK-3 granites. The origin of the SRG magmas may be related to the partial melting of crustal sources, such as previously metamorphosed calc-alkaline granites.The SRG crosscuts supracrustal rocks, promoting low-pressure/high-temperature metamorphism. The interaction between regional compressive stresses and the ballooning effect of the granite stocks promoted slight aureole flattening and rheological changes in the supracrustal rocks. The U–Pb zircon age of 2743±1.6 Ma is interpreted as the age of zircon crystallization, granite stock emplacement, and regional horizontal shortening. Other 2.7 Ga syntectonic alkaline granites (e.g. Estrela, Plaquê, Planalto) have been reported in the region.     

Geochemistry and Crustal Evolution of Volcano-sedimentary Successions and Orthogneisses in the São Gabriel Block, Southernmost Brazil — Relics of Neoproterozoic Magmatic Arcs

Precambrian metaplutonic rocks of the São Gabriel block in southernmost Brazil comprise juvenile Neoproterozoic calc-alkaline gneisses (Cambaí Complex). The connection with associated (ultra-)mafic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks (Palma Group) is not well established. The whole complex was deformed during the Brasiliano orogenic cycle. Both metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks as well as metaplutonic rocks of the Cambaí Complex have been sampled for geochemical analyses in order to get constraints on the tectonic setting of these rocks and to establish a tectonic model for the São Gabriel block and its role during the assembly of West-Gondwana. The major element compositions of the igneous rocks (Palma Group and Cambaí Complex) indicate a subalkaline character; most orthogneisses have a calc-alkaline chemistry; many metavolcanic rocks of the Palma Group show signatures of low-K tholeiitic volcanic arc basalts. Trace element data, especially Ti, Zr, Y, Nb, of most igneous samples from both the lower Palma Group and the Cambaí Complex indicate origin at plate margins, i.e., in a subduction zone environment. This is corroborated by relative enrichment in LREE, low contents of Nb and other high field strength elements and enrichment in LILE like Rb, Ba, and Th. The data indicate the possible existence of two suites, an oceanic island arc and a continental arc or active continental margin. However, some ultramafic samples of the lower Palma Group in the western São Gabriel block indicate the existence of another volcanic suite with intra-plate character which possibly represents relics of oceanic island basalts (OIB). Trace element data indicate contributions from andesitic to mixed felsic and basic arc sources for the metasedimentary rocks. The patterns of chondrite- and N-MORB-normalized spider diagrams resemble the patterns of the igneous rocks, i.e., LILE and LREE enrichment and HFS depletion. The geochemical signatures of most igneous and metasedimentary samples and their low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_t ratios suggest only minor contribution of old continental crust.A geotectonic model for the São Gabriel block comprises east-ward subduction and following accretion of an intra-oceanic island arc to the eastern border of the Rio de la Plata Craton at ca. 880 Ma, and westward subduction beneath the newly formed active continental margin between ca. 750 and 700 Ma. The São Gabriel block represents relics of an early Brasiliano oceanic basin between the Rio de la Plata and Kalahari Cratons. This ocean to the east of the Rio de la Plata Craton might be traced to the north and could possibly be linked with Neoproterozoic juvenile oceanic crust in the western Brasília belt (Goiás magmatic arc).     

Sulphur and Lead Isotope Compositions of the Dajiangp—ing Deposit in Western Guangdong Province1

Abstract The Dajiangping pyrite deposit located in the middle sector of the Yunkai uplift in western Guangdong is a stratiform sulphide deposit occurring in Sinian marine clastic and fine clastic rocks. The formation of the deposit was related to submarine exhalation and hot brine deposition. A part of it was reformed by late-stage hydro thermal solution. The δ³⁴S values of pyrite vary from — 25.55‰ to + 21.07‰, which are inversely proportional to the content of organic carbon in ore and pyrite. Passing from striped fine-grained pyrite ore to massive coarse-grained pyrite ore, i.e. from south to north, the sulphur isotopic composition changes from the light sulphur-enriched one to the heavy sulphur-enriched one. The lead isotopic composition of striped ore is consistent with that of the country locks of orebodies and the lead is radiogenic lead derived from the upper crust. The lead isotopic composition of massive ore is relatively homogeneous and its ²⁰⁶/Pb²⁰⁴Pb, ²⁰⁷/Pb²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸/Pb²⁰⁴Pb ratios are a bit lower than those of striped ore; the lead result from mixing of synsedimentary ore lead with that derived from basement migmatite brought by late-stage hydrothermal solutions.     

Tropical chemical weathering of hillslope deposits and bedrock source in the Aburrá Valley, northern Colombian Andes

Tropical chemical weathering produces extensive lateritization and formation of deep weathering profiles. Both processes are fundamental to landscape evolution and slope instability. The Aburrá Valley of the northern Colombian Andes is characterized by tropical conditions. The valley slopes are mostly covered by hillslope deposits originating from four basement rock suites which comprise contrasting granitoid, volcanic–sedimentary, ophiolitic, and metamorphic sources, respectively. Tropical chemical weathering of the Aburrá hillslope deposits and their respective bedrock were examined using X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction analysis, to document and quantify their chemical weathering profiles, compositions, and mineralogical properties. The Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), loss on ignition (LOI), and the Mobiles index (Imob) were used to quantify the degree of weathering of hillslope deposits and bedrock source. Weathering trends were analyzed using A–CN–K and A–CNK–FM diagrams. The material mantling the slopes in the Aburrá Valley records an intense weathering history. Chemical weathering is characterized by increased development of clay minerals (kaolinite, halloysite) and iron and aluminum sesquioxides. Lateritization characterizes the final stage of the weathering profiles. Concentrations of CaO, Na₂O, K₂O decrease markedly in the weathering products compared to the fresh bedrock source, whereas concentrations of Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, and MgO increase significantly. CIA ratios of matrix slope deposits derived from all four sources near 100, whereas those of boulder slope deposits and saprolites are lower, but exceed source rock values. Different A–CN–K weathering paths are evident for each lithotype, validating the correlation established between the hillslope deposits and their various parents. Chemical weathering indices in some samples are strongly influenced by the presence of sesquioxides, as reflected by high LOI, anomalously low CIA, and varying enrichment trends on the A–CNK–FM diagrams. Consequently, different chemical indices based on different criteria need to be combined to obtain best results, as illustrated here by the combination of LOI, CIA, and Imob. The overall results suggest that tropical conditions have dominated for a long time in the northern Colombian Andes, leading to uniformly high weathering indices in matrix slope deposits irrespective of parent lithotype. Prolonged warm and humid conditions could thus be responsible for the weathering and remobilization of extensive old hillslope deposits during the Quaternary. However, in addition to the influence of climatic factors, tectonism has also undoubtedly influenced slope evolution in the Aburrá Valley.     

The geology of the Morro Velho gold deposit in the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil

The Morro Velho gold deposit, Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is hosted by rocks at the base of the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt. The deposit occurs within a thick carbonaceous phyllite package, containing intercalations of felsic and intermediate volcaniclastic rocks and dolomites. Considering the temporal and spatial association of the deposit with the Rio das Velhas orogeny, and location in close proximity to a major NNW-trending fault zone, it can be classified as an orogenic gold deposit. Hydrothermal activity was characterized by intense enrichment in alteration zones of carbonates, sulfides, chlorite, white mica±biotite, albite and quartz, as described in other Archean lode-type gold ores. Two types of ore occur in the deposit: dark gray quartz veins and sulfide-rich gold orebodies. The sulfide-rich orebodies range from disseminated concentrations of sulfide minerals to massive sulfide bodies. The sulfide assemblage comprises (by volume), on average, 74% pyrrhotite, 17% arsenopyrite, 8% pyrite and 1% chalcopyrite. The orebodies have a long axis parallel to the local stretching lineation, with continuity down the plunge of fold axis for at least 4.8 km. The group of rocks hosting the Morro Velho gold mineralization is locally referred to as lapa seca. These were isoclinally folded and metamorphosed prior to gold mineralization. The lapa seca and the orebodies it hosts are distributed in five main tight folds related to F1 (the best examples are the X, Main and South orebodies, in level 25), which are disrupted by NE- to E-striking shear zones. Textural features indicate that the sulfide mineralization postdated regional peak metamorphism, and that the massive sulfide ore has subsequently been neither metamorphosed nor deformed. Lead isotope ratios indicate a model age of 2.82 ± 0.05 Ga for both sulfide and gold mineralization. The lapa seca are interpreted as the results of a pre-gold alteration process and may be divided into carbonatic, micaceous and quartzose types. The carbonatic lapa seca is subdivided into gray and brown subtypes. Non-mineralized, gray carbonatic lapa seca forms the hanging wall to the orebodies, and is interpreted as the product of extreme CO₂ metasomatism during hydrothermal alteration. This dolomitic lapa seca ranges in composition from relatively pure limestone and dolomite to silty limestone and dolomite. The brown carbonatic and micaceous lapa secas are the host rocks to gold. These units are interpreted to correspond to the sheared and hydrothermal products of metamorphosed volcaniclastic and/or volcanic rocks of varying composition from dacitic to andesitic, forming various types of schists and phyllites. The high-grade, massive sulfide orebodies occur at the base of the gray carbonatic lapa seca. Both disseminated mineralization and quartz veins are hosted by micaceous lapa seca. The data are consistent with a model of epigenetic mineralization for the lapa seca, from a hydrothermal fluid derived in part from the Archean basement or older crust material.