Sedimentary and U-Pb detrital zircons provenance of the Paleoproterozoic Piracicaba and Sabará groups, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Southern São Francisco craton, Brazil

Luiz Fernandes Dutra,Cristiano Lana,Maximiliano Martins

doi:10.1590/2317-4889201920180095

Luiz Fernandes Dutra, Cristiano Lana + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-4889201920180095

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Abstract

The Quadrilatero Ferrifero is an important mineral province located in Southern Sao Francisco craton, SE Brazil. Its prominent feature is the Gandarela syncline that was formed as part of the regional deformation event in the southernmost part of the craton at ca. 2,000 Ma. The syncline exposes several economically important units of Rio das Velhas and Minas supergroups, widely known for their gold and iron ore mineral deposits. This work focused on the upper Minas Supergroup — Cercadinho Formation and Sabara Group in the Gandarela syncline. We showed detail stratigraphic surveys combined with U-Pb detrital zircon analysis. Data reveal the development of high- to low-density turbidity systems. The first one is related to the deposition of Cercadinho Formation that marks the siliciclastic infilling of the Minas basin. For the Sabara Group, a fine turbidite system of foredeep depocenter is inferred. The detrital zircon analysis indicates that their sediments were derived from Archean, Rhyacian, and Orosirian exhumed terrains, besides granitoids positioned to the south and east of Quadrilatero Ferrifero. We proposed the age of 2,036 ± 25 Ma as the maximum age of deposition of Sabara Group, whose sedimentation occurs in the first stages of Minas accretionary orogeny.

Highlights

Minas Supergroup of Quadrilátero Ferrífero (“Iron Quadrangle”) in Southeast Brazil is a natural laboratory for its tectonic conformation and mineral deposits, especially those of metallic filiation
The absence of fossils, crosscutting igneous intrusion and interlayered volcanic beds, constitutes the main problems in the geochronological studies of Minas basin (Martínez-Dopico et al 2017). This gap has recently been filled through the integration of geochronological data of detrital zircons associated with stratigraphic surveys of scattered areas in and around Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Hartmann et al 2006, Cabral et al 2012, Mendes et al 2014, Farina et al 2016, Martínez-Dopico et al 2017)
We described the architecture of internal facies from Cercadinho Formation (Piracicaba Group) and Sabará Group in the Gandarela syncline

Summary

Introduction

Minas Supergroup of Quadrilátero Ferrífero (“Iron Quadrangle”) in Southeast Brazil is a natural laboratory for its tectonic conformation and mineral deposits, especially those of metallic filiation. The absence of fossils, crosscutting igneous intrusion and interlayered volcanic beds, constitutes the main problems in the geochronological studies of Minas basin (Martínez-Dopico et al 2017) This gap has recently been filled through the integration of geochronological data of detrital zircons associated with stratigraphic surveys of scattered areas in and around Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Hartmann et al 2006, Cabral et al 2012, Mendes et al 2014, Farina et al 2016, Martínez-Dopico et al 2017). Despite the available data, important areas in Quadrilátero Ferrífero that host large deposits of banded iron

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