A palaeomagnetic and40Ar/39Ar study of late precambrian sills in the SW part of the Amazonian craton: Amazonia in the Rodinia reconstruction

Abstract

A new key palaeomagnetic pole (Plat. = 64.3 degrees S, Plon. = 271.0 degrees E, N = 14, A(95) = 9.2 degrees; Q = 5) is calculated from a primary magnetization isolated in early Neoproterozoic Aguapei basic sills and dykes hosted by 1.3-1.0 Ga sedimentary rocks from the southwestern part of the Amazon craton. The characteristic remanence carried by stable, pseudo-single domain titanomagnetite shows two antipodal polarities that pass a reversals test. Magnetic anisotropy for most sites shows fabric orientations that are typical of sills, with horizontal magnetic foliations concordant to the flat-lying bedding of the host sedimentary rocks. Ar-40/Ar-39 analyses for one of the sills reveal a well-defined plateau age at 981 +/- 2 Myr. A tectonic reconstruction for Amazonia relative Laurentia based on this new pole 'is consistent with' a position of the present northwestern part of Amazonia attached with eastern Laurentia close to Greenland at ca. 981 Ma. On basis of palaeomagnetic and geological data, we propose a scenario where Amazonia moved northeastwards along the present southeast coast of Laurentia from ca. 1200 to 980 Ma. By 980 Ma, Amazonia is placed alongside Laurentia and Baltica, in a position similar to other reconstructions of Rodinia but with a significantly different orientation. (Less)