Ciro Alexandre Ávila

Nd-Sr isotopic geochemistry and U-Pb geochronology of the Fé granitic gneiss and Lajedo granodiorite: implications for paleoproterozoic evolution of the mineiro belt, southern São Francisco Craton, Brazil

The Fe granitic gneiss and Lajedo granodiorite belong to a voluminous felsic-mafic plutonism, tectonically linked to Paleoproterozoic magmatic evolution of the Mineiro Belt, southern portion of the Sao Francisco Craton, central-eastern Brazil. The Fe pluton is located north of the Lenheiros shear zone and is intrusive with respect to the Rio das Mortes greenstone belt and pyroxenite - gabbroic bodies, as indicated by xenoliths of gneiss and amphibolite, in the first case, and pyroxenite in the latter. The Lajedo granodiorite is located south of the Lenheiros shear zone and cuts the metamafic rocks of the Forro peridotite - pyroxenite and mafic and intermediate rocks of the Nazareno greenstone belt, as evidenced by xenoliths from the latter unit. The modal composition of the Fe granitic gneiss lies within the ranges of monzogranite and syenogranite. It is peraluminous and shows a large variation in K2O content, which implies a middle-K calc-alkaline to high-K calc-alkaline tendency. The Lajedo modal composition is consistent with granodioritic and tonalitic compositions. It indicates a predominantly peraluminous composition and calc-alkaline character. The U-Pb zircon crystallization age of the Fe granitic gneiss is 2191 ± 9 Ma, whereas the Lajedo granodiorite yields 2208 ± 26 Ma. The Nd/Sr characteristics of the Fe and Lajedo plutons are consistent with mixtures of enriched mantle (EMI-type), DMM and crustal components during magma genesis in a plutonic arc setting, while the low 87Sr/86Sr i ratios point to contribution of mafic rock protoliths during magma genesis. This is also in accordance with the characteristic xenoliths observed within the investigated plutons from the Nazareno and Rio das Mortes greenstone belts. The Fe granitic gneiss and Lajedo granodiorite show tectonic characteristics which are comparable to those of nearby coeval plutons: Brito quartz-diorite (2221 ± 2 Ma), Brumado de Cima granodiorite (2219 ± 2 Ma), Brumado de Baixo granodiorite (2218 ± 3 Ma), Gloria quartz-monzodiorite (2188 ± 29 Ma), Cassiterita Trondhjemite/Tonalite (2162 ± 10 Ma), Rio Grande diorite (2155 ± 3 Ma), Brumado diorite (2131 ± 4 Ma) and Ritapolis granite (2121 ± 7 Ma). As a whole, the integrated data and geologic setting of the plutons in the Mineiro belt define a well-constrained pre- to syntectonic phase of the Mineiro Belt to the period between 2221 and 2121 Ma.

The Glória quartz-monzodiorite: isotopic and chemical evidence of arc-related magmatism in the central part of the Paleoproterozoic Mineiro belt, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The Glória quartz-monzodiorite, one of the mafic plutons of the Paleoproterozoic Mineiro belt, is intrusive into banded gneisses, amphibolites, schists and phyllites of the Rio das Mortes greenstone belt, in the southern portion of the São Francisco Craton, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Glória quartz-monzodiorite yields a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 2188 +/- 29 Ma, suggesting a tectonic relationship with the pre-collisional phase of the Mineiro belt. According to the Nd isotopic evidence (epsilonNd(T) = -3.4; T DM = 2.68 Ga) the original magmas was formed by a mixture among Archean crustal material and Paleoproterozoic juvenile magma. The Glória quartz-monzodiorite shows metaluminous and calc-alkaline tendency with intermediate K content, comparable to that of volcanic-arc rocks. The primary mineralogical assemblage was partly modified by metamorphism, dated between 2131-2121 Ma in nearby coeval plutons. Such metamorphism is significantly older than the reported metamorphic episodes of the Mineiro belt in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region (2059-2041 Ma) in the eastern portion of the study area. This evidence, together with chemical and isotopic data from other mafic and felsic plutons coeval with the Glória quartz-monzodiorite, indicate a tectonic and magmatic migration within the Mineiro belt from west to east.

Caracterização petrográfica e mineralógica de brechas magmático-hidrotermais no complexo alcalino de Itatiaia, estado do Rio de Janeiro: ocorrências de fluorita e minerais de ETR

The meso-cenozoic alkaline magmatism in Rio de Janeiro is represented by several plutonic/volcanic bodies, which occurred on W-E fracture and lineaments zones associated with the development of the Southeastern Brazilian Rift. One of main occurrences of those rocks is the Itatiaia Alkaline Complex (IAC), which consists of nepheline-syentite, dykes of trachyte/phonolite and magmatic-hydrothermal breccia. This paper shows petrographic and mineralogical caracterization (optical petrography, SEM-EDS and XRD analysis) of breccia. The breccia comprises lithoclasts of trachyte and cristaloclasts of biotite and K-feldspar immersed in microcrystalline groundmass. As hydrothermal mineral it were observed albite, carbonate, sanidine, clinochlore, pyrite (also in lithoclasts), biotite, apatite, fluorite, tourmaline, sericite, synchysite (A parisite), Nb-rutilo, sphalerite, epidote and orthoclase (adularia?). Minerals associated to weathering are gibbsite, melanterita and cancrinite. The new occurrences of fluorcarbonates (synchysite and parisite) and Nb-rutile at the IAC, are rare minerals commonly associated with hydrothermal alteration in alkaline-carbonatite complexes. The hydrothermal paragenesis, as well as comparison with data from other alkaline associations of Rio de Janeiro, suggests that the study rocks consist in late-magmatic/hydrothermal autobreccia, associated to epithermal systems of low sulphidation subtype and generated during interaction with low-temperature alkalic fluids. The description of fluorite and REE-minerals at IAC opens the possibility to find those minerals in other alkaline complex of Rio de Janeiro.

Hafnian zircon as a tracer for rare metal exploration

The major difficulty for the application of tracer minerals as mineralogical tool in geological ex- ploration is to differentiate, in geochemical samples (like soil or stream sediment), the ore-related resistant indicator minerals from the barren-related grains. Hafnian zircon or high hafnium zircon can be such a tool to prospect rare metal granite and pegmatite bodies. Here we present some habits of the Hf-rich zircon associated to granites and pegmatites from the southeastern Brazil. Some particular characteristics of the mineral, like its luster, colour and especially its crystal forms, would allow the separation, with a simple visual analysis under a stereomicroscope, of the possible hafnian zircon from the common zircon grains. Microprobe or SEM/EDS analysis are still necessary to confirm the hafnium content in zircon crystals.