Recycling of the Archaean continental crust: the case study of the Gavião, State of Bahia, NE Brazil

Abstract

The Gavião block, located to the west of the São Francisco Craton (State of Bahia, NE Brazil), is the oldest crustal block so far recognised in South America—3.42 Ga. In its southern part, the Gavião block has been divided into three domains on the basis of 207Pb/ 206Pb dating on single zircons and monazites combined with Sr and Nd isotopic data and major and trace element geochemical modelling. These are: (1) an Archaean juvenile domain which consists of grey gneisses (Bernada massif) which evidence mantle extraction around 3.3 Ga; (2) an Archaean domain (3.24–3.16 Ga) either recycled, or juvenile with crustal contamination, consisting of trondhjemitic grey gneisses (Aracatu massif) and K-rich calc-alkaline granitic gneisses (Mariana and Serra do Eixo massifs); (3) a Paleoproterozoic recycled domain consisting mainly of the Umburanas granites, which yielded inherited zircons ages ranging from 3.1 to 2.8 Ga, whereas the monazite age is ca 2.0 Ga. The Aracatu and Mariana massifs are cut by granites at ca 2.0 Ga the same age of the Serra da Franga massif. The Gavião block is a type example of Archaean continental crust (3.2 Ga) that has been recycled through partial melting events mainly in Paleoproterozoic times during the Transamazonian orogeny (2.0–2.1 Ga). Brasiliano cooling ages are recorded by the Rb–Sr system of biotite–whole rock pairs ca 500 Ma.