Age of felsic volcanism and the role of ancient continental crust in the evolution of the Neoarchean Rio das Velhas Greenstone belt (Quadrilatero Ferrifero, Brazil): U-Pb zircon dating of volcaniclastic graywackes

Date

2005

Authors

Noce, Carlos M
Zuccheti, M
Baltazar, O F
Armstrong, Richard
Dantas, Elton L
Renger, Fuming E
Lobato, L

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

A felsic eruptive event within the Rio das Velhas Greenstone belt is mainly represented by volcaniclastic and resedimented volcaniclastic rocks, besides rare lava flows of dacitic composition. The volcaniclastic rocks comprise four lithofacies: (1) monomictic and polymictic breccias, (2) conglomerate-graywacke, (3) graywacke-sandstone, and (4) graywacke-argillite. SHRIMP and ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon dating of three graywacke samples dated the eruptive event at 2792 ± 11, 2773 ± 7 and 2751 ± 9 Ma, indicating a range of about 40 Ma for the felsic magmatism. This time range may also encompass the whole magmatic activity within the belt, because of the association of the felsic rocks with the more extensive basaltic flows. Volcaniclastic graywackes are characterized by an abundance of detritic/xenocrystic zircon grains displaying a polymodal age spectrum ranging from 2.8 to 3.4 Ga. Older zircon grains must be derived from magma contamination, and/or post-eruptive sedimentary reworking and mixing with felsic detritus from other sources. It may be concluded that felsic magmas were in contact with older granitoid crust, and that this basement was also exposed as source for detritic material. In the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, the ancient complexes of TTG gneisses and migmatites make up most of the exposed Archean terrains, and its present juxtaposition with the supracrustal assemblage suggests an authochthonous to parauthocthonous development for the Rio das Velhas Greenstone belt in a continental or near-continental tectonic setting.

Description

Keywords

Keywords: Archean; graywacke; greenstone belt; SHRIMP dating; uranium-lead dating; volcaniclastic deposit; volcanism; zircon; Brazil; Minas Gerais; Quadrilatero Ferrifero; South America; Western Hemisphere; World Quadrilátero Ferrífero; Rio das Velhas Greenstone belt; Volcaniclastic graywackes; Zircon SHRIMP and ID-TIMS U-Pb ages

Citation

Source

Precambrian Research

Type

Journal article

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2037-12-31