Silvia Regina de Medeiros

Evidence of mingling between contrasting magmas in a deep plutonic environment: the example of Várzea Alegre, in the Ribeira Mobile Belt, Espírito Santo, Brazil

At the end of the geotectonic cycle that shaped the northern segment of the Ribeira Mobile Belt (Upper Proterozoic to Paleozoic age), a late to post-collisional set of plutonic complexes, consisting of a wide range of lithotypes, intruded all metamorphic units. The Varzea Alegre Intrusive Complex is a post-collisional complex. The younger intrusion consists of an inversely zoned multistage structure envolved by a large early emplaced ring of megaporphyritic charnoenderbitic rocks. The combination of field, petrographic and geochemical data reveals the presence of at least two different series of igneous rocks. The first originated from the partial melting of the mantle. This was previously enriched in incompatible elements, low and intermediate REE and some HFS-elements. A second enrichment in LREE and incompatible elements in this series was due to the mingling with a crustal granitic magma. This mingling process changed the composition of the original tholeiitic magma towards a medium-K calc-alkalic magma to produce a suite of basic to intermediate rock types. The granitic magma from the second high-K, calc-alkalic suite originated from the partial melting of the continental crust, but with strong influence of mantle-derived melts.

Mineral inclusions in diamonds from Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil: a Raman spectroscopic characterization

The Chapada Diamantina, located in the central region of the State of Bahia, is of important historical significance due to its diamond occurrences. Discovered in the nineteenth century, comprehensive research about the regional diamonds and their origins are still limited, demanding more investigation in the matter. Looking for insights about their genesis, mineral inclusions in 23 alluvial diamonds from 4 garimpos located in the Chapada Diamantina were analyzed through the use of Raman micro spectroscopy. Additionally, the characteristics of nitrogen aggregation of the host diamonds were measured using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The diamonds from Chapada Diamantina consist mainly of well-formed crystals, with dominant dodecahedral habits, characterized by faint to very light yellow body colors, typically with green and brown radiation spots on their surface. The main surface textures observed are related to processes that took place in the late stage resorption and during the residence of the diamonds in placer environments. The diamonds are predominantly type IaAB, with a significant occurrence of poorly aggregated nitrogen (Type IaA diamond). The main mineral assemblages of the studied peridotitic inclusions refer to a harzburgitic paragenesis.

Assinatura isotópica de Sr e Nd do magmatismo cálcio-alcalino de alto-K na Faixa Ribeira central: o exemplo do Granito São Pedro em Lumiar, RJ

Sr and Nd isotopic signature of the high-K calc-alkaline magmatism of the central Ribeira belt: the São Pedro Granite in Lumiar, RJ. In the central-northern Ribeira belt there are many granitic to granodioritic bodies showing varied shape and size, characterizing a lateto post-collisional Ca-alkaline, cordilleran I-type province. The São Pedro Granite occurs in the mountain region of Rio de Janeiro State as small post-collisional bodies. It presents isotropic fabric, equigranular to seriate inequigranular texture, as well as local concentration of allanite, which gives discrete composition and texture variation to the rock. The granite has a high-K calcalkaline to alkali-calcic character and weakly peraluminous nature. Despite its short geochemical variation, high Ba, Zr and Th contents besides low concentrations of MgO and CaO are noticeable. High REE contents are associated with fractionated REE patterns showing strong negative Eu anomalies. A crustal origin for the granite can be assumed by its very negative and positive ЄNd and ЄSr values, respectively, as well as by 87Sr/86Sr initial ratios ranging from 0,718 to 0,740. TDM ages point to paleoproterozoic source, which agrees with geological time of intensive crust generation.