U–Pb SHRIMP and Sm–Nd geochronology of granite–gneiss complexes and implications for the evolution of the Central Brazil Archean Terrain

Abstract

The paper is a first attempt to unravel the Archean multi-stage metaplutonic assemblage of the Meso/Neoarchean terrane of the State of Goiás, Central Brazil, by means of the U–Pb SHRIMP zircon and Sm–Nd techniques. Two stages of granitic plutonism, spanning ca. 140 m.y., were precisely established for the accretion of the gneiss protoliths. The earliest stage embraces tonalitic to granodioritic and minor granitic orthogneisses with Nd juvenile signature, emplaced from ca. 2845 to ca. 2785 Ma, interpreted as the roots of an early arc. Inherited zircon xenocrysts and Nd isotopic data indicate that the juvenile magmas underwent contamination from a sialic crust as old as 3.3 Ga, from which there are, so far, no recognizable exposures. The second stage comprises granodioritic to granitic gneisses and lasted from ca. 2711 to 2707 Ma. Based on their Nd isotopic signatures and on inherited zircon crystals, their protoliths are interpreted as dominantly crustal-derived. The SHRIMP data from zircon crystals did not depict a Paleoproterozoic overprinting on the Archean gneisses, which is due to geological processes with prevailing temperatures below the isotopic stability of the U/Pb/Th system in the mineral. These processes comprise crustal extension and intrusion of a mafic dike swarm at ca. 2.3 Ga, followed by low grade events mostly related to shear zones between ca. 2.15 and 2.0 Ga. The study also revealed the extent of the Pan- African tectono-thermal overprinting on the Archean orthogneisses. Most of the zircon populations show morphological evidence of metamorphic peripheral recrystallization dated between ca. 750 and 550 Ma. One of the banded gneisses with a crystallization age of ca. 2700 Ma (2 σ) has a more complex zircon population including magmatic new grains, which yielded a precise 206Pb/238U crystallization age of 590 ± 10 Ma (2 σ). These new grains are interpreted to have grown in anatectic veins injected within strongly sheared gneiss.The data characterize a widespread Pan-African-aged metamorphic overprinting, culminating with localized anatexis of the Archean orthogneisses.