Lithofacies analysis of basic lava flows of the Parana igneous province in the south hinge of Torres Syncline, Southern Brazil

Author(s)

Santos Barreto, Carla Joana ^[1] ; de Lima, Evandro Fernandes ^[1] ; Scherer, Claiton Marlon ^[1] ; May Rossetti, Lucas de Magalhaes ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Programa Posgrad Geociencias, BR-91501970 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF VOLCANOLOGY AND GEOTHERMAL RESEARCH; v. 285, p. 81-99, SEP 15 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 16

Abstract

The Parana igneous province records the volcanism of the earlier Cretaceous that preceded the fragmentation of the Gondwana supercontinent. Historically, investigations of these rocks prioritized the acquisition of geochemical and isotopic data, considering the volcanic pile as a monotonous succession of tabular flows. This work provides a detailed analysis of the emplacement conditions of these basic volcanic rocks, applying the fades analysis method integrated to petrographic and geochemical data. The Torres Syncline is a NW-SE tectonic structure, located in southern Brazil, where a thick sequence of the Parana-Etendeka volcanic rocks is well preserved. This study was performed in the south hinge of the syncline, where the basaltic lava flows are divided into three lithofacies associations: early compound pahoehoe, early simple pahoehoe and late simple rubbly. The first lavas that erupted were more primitive compound pahoehoe flow fields composed of olivine basalts with higher MgO contents and covered the sandstones of the Botucatu Formation. The emplacement of compound pahoehoe flow fields is possibly related to intermittent low effusion rates, whereas the emplacement of simple pahoehoe is related to sustained low effusion rates with continuous supply. The thick simple rubbly lavas are associated with high effusion rates and were formed during the main phase of volcanism in the area. The absence of paleosoils between the lavas and lithofacies associations suggests that the successive emplacement of the lava flows occurred in a relatively short time gap. Geochemically, the lithofacies associations are low-TiO2 and belong to Gramado magma type. The lavas of the south hinge of the Torres Syncline have a similar evolution when compared to other Continental Basaltic Provinces with earlier compound flows at the base and thicker simple flows in the upper portions. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/06082-6 - The Paraná-Etendeka magmatic province in Brazil: temporal and petrologic relationships between the tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism and geodynamic implications
• Grantee: Excelso Ruberti
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants