Neoproterozoic tectonic synthesis of Uruguay

Abstract

Neoproterozoic–lower Palaeozoic successions in the Brasiliano fold belts are described and a brief synthesis of these terranes is presented in order to erect a tectonic framework for this region. Tectonic events that occurred around the Río de La Plata craton were diachronous and reflected successive stages of the Brasiliano orogenic cycle. They took place in mobile belts that constituted part of the Gondwana supercontinent. The most thoroughly investigated Neoproterozoic sections are located in the eastern and southeastern regions of Uruguay. The Dom Feliciano Belt shows a tectonic evolution from back-arc to foreland basin characterized by fold-and-thrust, thick-skinned belts developed during the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic cycle. The most conspicuous features were late-tectonic high-K calc-alkaline granitoids, HT-LP metamorphism, significant displacements along shear zones, and post-tectonic granitoids. The final stage was characterized by post-collisional basins (molassic sequences) and extensional magmatism related to a phase of crustal stretching. Several lithotectonic units are present as basement inliers in the Dom Feliciano Belt: these include a low-to-medium metamorphic grade sequence (the Zanja del Tigre Formation), granitoids and gneisses (the Campanero Unit), high-grade basement of the Cerro Olivo Complex (Palaeoproterozoic or Neoproterozoic), and a low-metamorphic grade orogenic belt (the Rocha Formation). This paper provides a simplified tectonic map of eastern Uruguay, which we use to describe tectonic evolution from Precambrian to early Palaeozoic time.