Petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic rapakivi A-type granites of the Archean Carajás metallogenic province, Brazil

Three Paleoproterozoic A-type rapakivi granite suites (Jamon, Serra dos Carajás, and Velho Guilherme) are found in the Carajás metallogenic province, eastern Amazonian craton. Liquidus temperatures in the 900–870 °C range characterize the Jamon suite, those for Serra dos Carajás and Velho Guilherme are somewhat lower. Pressures of emplacement decrease from Jamon (3.2±0.7 kbar) through Serra dos Carajás (2.0±1.0 kbar) to Velho Guilherme (1.0±0.5 kbar). Oxidizing conditions (NNO+0.5) characterized the crystallization of the Jamon magma, the Velho Guilherme magmas were reducing (marginally below FMQ), and the Serra dos Carajás magmas were intermediate between the two in this respect. The three granite suites have Archean T_DM model ages and strongly negative _Nd values (−12 to −8 at 1880 Ma), and they were derived from Archean crust. The Jamon granite suite may have been derived from a quartz dioritic source, and the Velho Guilherme granites from K-feldspar-bearing granitoid rocks with some sedimentary input. The Serra dos Carajás granites either had a somewhat more mafic source than Velho Guilherme or were derived by a larger degree of melting. Underplating of mafic magma was probably the heat source for the melting. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of the Carajás granite suites imply considerable compositional variation in the Archean of the eastern Amazonian craton. The oxidized Jamon suite granites are similar to the Mesoproterozoic magnetite-series granites of Laurentia, and they were derived from Archean igneous sources that were more oxidized than the sources of the Fennoscandian rapakivi granites. The Serra dos Carajás and Velho Guilherme granites approach the classic reduced rapakivi series of Fennoscandia and Laurentia. No counterparts of the Mesoproterozoic two-mica granites of Laurentia have been found, however. Following the model of Hoffman [Hoffman, P., 1989. Speculations on Laurentia's first gigayear (2.0 to 1.0 Ga). Geology 17, 135–138], the origin of the 1.88 Ga Carajás granites is related to a mantle superswell beneath the Trans-Amazonian supercontinent. This caused breakup of the continent and was associated with magmatic underplating and resultant crustal melting and generation of A-type granite magmas. The Paleoproterozoic continent that included the Archean and Trans-Amazonian domains of the Amazonian craton was assembled at 2.0 Ga; its disruption was initiated at 1.88 Ga, at least 200 Ma earlier than in Laurentia and Fennoscandia. The Carajás granites were related to the breakup of the supercontinent, not to subduction processes.