Age constraints of the glaciation in the Paraná Basin: evidence from new U–Pb dates

Abstract

The absence of absolute dating in glacial deposits of the Parana Basin prevents better understanding of the complete history of the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age in Western Gondwana and the climatic change that took place in the late Carboniferous. In this study, new U–Pb radiometric ages date the topmost glacial deposits of the Itarare Group at 307.7 ± 3.1 Ma (Kasimovian−Moscovian) and the base of post-glacial deposits of the Rio Bonito Formation at 298.8 ± 1.9 Ma (Ghzelian−Asselian). Correlation of glacial and post-glacial deposits of the Parana Basin with other southwestern Gondwana basins shows that the end of the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age is asynchronous. Supplementary material: Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U–Pb zircon data and methods for the ash sample of the Itarare Group and the tonstein sample of the Rio Bonito Formation are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3278273.