Geochemistry, Nd isotopes and U–Pb geochronology of a 2350 Ma TTG suite, Minas Gerais, Brazil : implications for the crustal evolution of the southern São Francisco craton.

Abstract

The Paleoproterozoic is considered the main period of crustal growth in the South American continent, with voluminous production of granitoid suites emplaced during the onset of the ca. 2.2–2.1 Ga Trans- Amazonian orogeny. This work documents and interprets mineral chemistry, whole rock geochemistry, Nd isotopes and U–Pb geochronology data for the high-aluminium Lagoa Dourada TTG suite. This suite constitutes a hitherto unknown episode of Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2350 Ma) juvenile felsic plutonism in the southern São Francisco craton, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is also a rare example of juvenile continental crust production in the global crustal age-gap between 2.45 and 2.2 Ga. The suite is composed of metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, low-Mg#, low-K and high-Ca, biotite-hornblende to hornblende-biotite (± garnet-magnetite) tonalites and biotite trondhjemites, varying from ∼62 to 73 wt.% SiO2. The trace element geochemistry of the suite is characterized by mildly depleted Nd isotope compositions [εNd(t) = +1.0 to +2.1], low large-ion-lithophile element (LILE, i.e., Rb, Ba, and including the highly incompatible Th) and heavy Rare Earth element (REE, Yb < 1.00 ppm) contents. The suite is also characterized by high Sr/Y ratios (≥41 up to 81), high (La/Yb)N ratios (≥12 up to 46), and positive Eu/Eu* anomalies. These data are consistent with the derivation of the suite from a tholeiitic metabasaltic source, which had a short crustal residence time prior to melting. The chemical diversity of the suite is attributed mainly to the fractional crystallization of hornblende and accessory minerals, coupled with plagioclase accumulation in the tonalitic parental melt. Emplacement of new batches of magma could explain samples which diverge from the proposed liquid line of descent of the suite. The composition and age of the Lagoa Dourada suite suggest a link with the accretion of greenstone belt packages in an intra-oceanic tectonic setting.