A synthesis on the alkaline magmatism of Eastern Paraguay

Abstract

Alkaline magmatism occurs in six distinct areas of Paraguay and forms bodies of variable size, shape, composition and age. The oldest rocks are found in the north and correspond to the Permo-Triassic Alto Paraguay Province (241 Ma). Four Early Cretaceous events can be distinguished in Eastern Paraguay: the Rio Apa and Amambay Provinces (139 Ma), both predating the tholeiites of the Serra Geral Formation, are located in the northern and northeastern regions, respectively; and the Central (126 Ma) and Misiones Provinces (118 Ma) in the central-eastern and southern regions, respectively. The youngest alkaline rocks are volcanic rocks in Asuncion of Tertiary age (59 Ma). Excluding the Alto Paraguay rocks influenced by the Amazonian craton, the emplacement of alkaline bodies is clearly controlled by a tectonic extensional regime that generated NW-SE-trending faults and grabens. Geochemically, Paraguayan alkaline rocks are predominantly miaskitic, with a potassic or sodic affinity, the former being characterized by strongly fractionated rare earth-elements, negative Ta-Nb-Ti anomalies, and high Sr and low Nd radiogenic isotopes. Sodic rocks have slightly positive Ta and Nb anomalies and are less enriched in Sr, approaching bulk earth values. Carbonatites behave similarly to the associated pre-tholeiites potassic rocks. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios suggest that two main mantle components were involved in the genesis of the Paraguayan rocks: an enriched mantle I component dominated the Early Cretaceous potassic magmatism, and an high 238U/204Pb ou high U/Pb component that was important for the late Early Cretaceous and Tertiary sodic magmatism. The close association of potassic and sodic suites, such as in the Asuncion-Sapucai-Villarrica graben, indicates that their parental magmas were derived from a heterogeneous subcontinental mantle, enriched with incompatible elements.