A-type tonian granite in the northwest of the Gavião block: record of within-plate magmatism precursor to the continental rifting of the São Francisco paleoplate?

Abstract

The Early Tonian period in the São Francisco Craton represents the development of an intracontinental rift across the northern and central Espinhaço regions, playing a crucial role in understanding the tectonic evolution of the Neoproterozoic Period within this craton and its adjacent orogens. This rift is associated with the breakup of the São Francisco paleoplate, marked by the formation of several rifts, some of which were aborted (e.g. Santo Onofre Rift), and magmatism associated. Field investigations, coupled with petrographic, lithogeochemical, and U–Pb geochronological data of the Serra do Meio Suite, elucidate key characteristics and offer significant insights into the Tonian tectonic evolution of the São Francisco Craton and its relationship with Santo Onofre Rift. The suite comprises metagranitoids exhibiting a mineralogical composition spanning from alkali-feldspar granites to granites and its petrogenesis and tectonic characteristics reveal an alkaline to calc-alkalic signature, exhibiting extreme ferroan geochemistry and indications of moderate to high oxygen fugacity. Pressure estimations suggest low-pressure conditions during magma crystallization, implying shallow crustal emplacement. The suite’s evolution involves complex petrogenetic processes, likely influenced by fractional crystallization and contamination by country rocks from a quartz-feldspathic crustal source, as well as a possible contribution from juvenile tholeiitic mantle sources associated with rift environments, showcasing a signature typical of A1-type granite. The U–Pb SHRIMP age, determined as 930 ± 2 Ma (MSWD = 0.34), is interpreted as the crystallization age of the rock and allows us to connect it to the opening of the Santo Onofre-Macaúbas Rift in the São Francisco Craton.