Aerogeophysical Data Research Articles

Insights on the Mesoarchean to Neoproterozoic evolution of the western Campo do Meio Shear Belt, SE Brazil, using structural, aerogeophysical and U-Pb zircon data

The Campo do Meio Shear Belt (CMSB) is an approximately 200 × 25 km transcurrent area along the south-southwest margin of the São Francisco Craton. A comprehensive review of geology was performed in the western CMSB, where rocks from the Campos Gerais and Petúnia Complexes are predominant. The Campos Gerais Complex is relatively well positioned in the geotectonic context of the region. It corresponds to an Archean granite-greenstone belt lithological association related to the south-southwest part of the São Francisco Craton. The Petúnia Complex, in contrast, is unraveled in this contribution through the integration of aerogeophysical data from the western Campo do Meio Shear Belt (CMSB) with new fieldwork observations and zircon U–Pb (LA-MC-ICP-MS) dating.The Petúnia Complex has been restricted to two Mesoarchean gneissic units – Petúnia and Ribeirão da Conquista Gneiss, with crystallization ages of 2993 ± 11 Ma and 2870 ± 9 Ma, respectively. Although the ages are broadly coincident with those found in the Campos Gerais Complex, three characteristics suggest an evolutionary independent scenario (pre-S2) during the Archean for the Petúnia and Campos Gerais Complexes: i) the sharp contrast in gamma-ray emissions between these complexes; ii) the absence of komatiite affiliation in the meta-ultramafic rocks from the Petúnia Complex; and, iii) the absence of mafic dykes in the Petúnia Complex. These two complexes also can be distinguished by the frequency of Paleoproterozoic granitoid intrusions. The Petúnia Complex has only one occurrence, the Bom Jesus da Penha Metagranite, with a crystallization age of 2004 ± 11 Ma. On the other hand, several Paleoproterozoic granitoid intrusions (2.0–1.9 Ga) have been found in the Campos Gerais Complex. These Orosirian granitoids are restricted to CMSB and younger than those in the Mineiro Belt. We suggest that these Orosirian granitoids may represent remnants of a collision event that occurred after 2.1 Ga, leading to the integration of the Petúnia and Campo Gerais Complexes into the Columbia paleocontinent. During the Neoproterozoic, the evolution in the CMSBinvolved the cratonic basement and units related to the Southernmost Brasília Orogen. This set configures a tectonic mélange that underwent progressive deformation in a non-coaxial, partitioned transpressional regime.

Local fractal and wavelet analysis of aerogeophysical data: An integrated approach in target generation of Cu-Au-Fe skarn and gold-polymetallic epithermal porphyry-related systems in eastern Transbaikalia, Russia

Three geophysical fields (anomalous magnetic, exposure dose rate, and apparent resistance) were investigated by local fractal and two-dimensional wavelet analyses for ore prospectivity mapping (scale 1:25000). The study region is part of the Gazimuro-Zavodsky gold-polymetallic ore district (Transbaikalia, South-East Russia) and includes 9 recognized hypogene ore deposits and 40 ore occurrences of Au, Fe, Cu, Pb, W, Sb, As, boron, talc, and fluorite (skarn and hydrothermal formations related to felsic and mafic magmatism). The results show that fractal and wavelet analyses of the geophysical fields demonstrate a certain specialization in the delineation of different mineralization types. The best prospective efficiency (in terms of quality/cost) was achieved by integrating the six individual prospective maps using the ensemble approach.

Utilizing Random Forest algorithm for identifying mafic and ultramafic rocks in the Gameleira Suite, Archean-Paleoproterozoic basement of the Brasília Belt, Brazil

Geological mapping techniques have continuously advanced, particularly with the increasing use of remote data acquisition methods, such as aerogeophysical data analysis and the use of machine learning techniques, both has become essential for mapping and understanding geological environments. Mafic-ultramafic bodies, which may be linked to metallic ore deposits, can be mapped using these innovative techniques. In Brazil, the Tocantins Province is reknown for its primary Cu–Co–Ni–Cr ore deposits, which are found in mafic-ultramafic rocks. The Tocantins Province contains several mafic-ultramafic bodies that have received less attention than the well-known deposits in the Brasília Belt. The Gameleira Suite is a geological unit located in the basement of the North Brasília Belt. Our study aims to use machine learning to identify new potential mafic-ultramafic occurrences in the Gameleira Suite. To achieve this, aerogeophysical surveys data, including magnetometry and radiometry, were used in conjunction with remote sensing. The data collected from aerogeophysics surveys were compiled into a database. The Random Forest algorithm was used to analyze this database, with 1.96% (from a total of 84.535 samples) used for training and generating the predictive map. Three approaches were used to verify and evaluate the data: analyzing magnetic lineaments to assess the influence of structural tectonic factors on body positioning, collecting field samples, and utilizing Magnetic Vector Inversion (MVI) to analyze the magnetic properties of the projected bodies at depth. This was done because the Gameleira Suite bodies display magnetic remanence. Our findings suggest that the utilization of these methods, in conjunction with the verification techniques employed, aids in the mapping and identification of mafic-ultramafic rocks. Machine learning can improve cartography by identifying new occurrences or indicating areas that need more detailed mapping. The use of additional geological knowledge and information not included in the model is crucial because the predictive map does not inherently represent geological truth. It is necessary to interpret the results from a geological perspective.

Utilizing remote sensing and aerogeophysical data for spatial decision support system for optimal gold mineralization site identification in North-Central Nigeria

Utilizing remote sensing and aerogeophysical data for spatial decision support system for optimal gold mineralization site identification in North-Central Nigeria

Integration of Remote Sensing and Aerogeophysical Data Applied in the Geological Characterization of the Ipueira-Medrado Segment, Andorinhas/BA

The segment of the Ipueira-Medrado mines constitutes two of the main chromium mines operated by Companhia Ferro-ligas da Bahia (Ferbasa). The research area is located in the municipality of Andorinhas, in the north center of the state of Bahia, in the Piemonte Norte Do Itapicuru region. Therefore, the main objective of the present work is the use of Remote Sensing and Aerogeophysics data to elaborate the geological map of the study area and highlight new target areas for mineral research. The Digital Image Processing (PDI) stage was carried out in an environment in the ENVI® 5.3 software for the scenes of the optical Alos and radar images, Palsar. The treatment of magnetic and radiometric data was carried out in the environment of the software Oasis Montaj 9.10 by Geosoft®. In the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform of ArcGis 10.7.1®, multisource data was integrated. This integration supported the screening of information from local lithologies and the identification of four lithological units: Sienito Itiúba, Santa Luz Unit, São Bento Unit and Jacurici Valley Complex. In this last unit, a combined analysis between Map Algebra and Fuzzy logic was applied to all input raster data, in order to mark out a zoning of potential areas for the occurrence of mafic-ultramafic rocks. In the end, a good relationship was noted between the results obtained with models that already exist in the bibliography. In view of this, the application of the methodology developed in this research requires more robustness for the local geological knowledge, as it will also help in the development of new mineral research endeavors.

Concealed architecture, volcanism and tectonics of Deccan LIP related alkaline complexes of Rajasthan, NW India: Constrained from high resolution aero-geophysical data

In the north-western Indian shield two important alkaline complexes (Sarnu-Dandali and Mer-Mundwara) are linked to end-Cretaceous Deccan large igneous province (LIP) bear significance for REE mineralization, CO2 outgassing and mass extinctions near the K-Pg boundary. Although both of them bear numerous similarities, but, the geomorphology and magmatic emplacement are quite conflicting. Here, the subsurface crustal architecture of these two alkaline complexes is reported for the first time on the basis of high resolution airborne geophysical anomaly data (magnetic and spectrometric). Aeromagnetic anomalies distinguish prominent NW-SE and E-W trending linear deep seated crustal structures in the Sarnu-Dandali alkaline complex. The E-W trending structure mimics the older tectonic tendencies of the regional crustal-scale Narmada-Tapti tectonic zone. The NW-SE trending linear are linked to subsurface rift-oblique networks of fault systems of the petroliferous Barmer basin. The ensemble of numerous fracture patterns at various depths may attest to the rejuvenation of fracture systems and recurrent magmatism, leading to the polychronous nature of Sarnu-Dandali alkaline complex. On the contrary, the Mer-Mundwara alkaline complex exhibits broad magnetic circular features representing the deeper sections of a magmatic plumbing system. The geometry also resembles the subsurface magma chambers for Deccan basalt volcanism, occurring as rootless cones. Paleo stress pattern is derived from the fractures and when compared with the results obtained from geophysical data, these analyses demonstrate a high degree of compliance, reinforcing the validity and accuracy of both methods. Further, the inversion modeling, profile depth analysis and computed Euler depth solutions led us to infer that the subsurface magma sources of the Sarnu-Dandali are deeper than those of the Mer-Mundwara alkaline complex.

Favourable IOCG and polymetallic environs in Marwar - Khetri, NW Indian Shield imprints from aerogeophysical data analysis

The analysis of aeromagnetic data reveals two significant broad oval-shaped aeromagnetic anomalies oriented in the NE-SW direction, west of Laxmangarh and east of Fatehpur. These significant anomalies identified beneath sand-alluvium-covered areas of Rajasthan's Marwar region are of a low dominance nature. These magnetic signatures are associated with gravity gradients in the regional Bouguer gravity map. Magnetic anomalies and subsurface modeling revealed that the remanence source had a high magnetic susceptibility. The ground gravity profiles across the Laxmangarh anomaly show a high gravity variation of 5 mGal/km. The integration of geochemical distribution patterns, spectrometric elemental concentrations, different ratios, and composite image maps has brought out alteration/shear zones that are favourable for mineralization. The results of selective 2D-profiles, plate modeling, and 3D-inversion modeling of these anomalies reveal that the depth of the causative source varies from 300 to 1000 m. The higher-order magnetic susceptibilities, geochemical dispersion pattern, and spectrometric ratio maps and composite images distinguished hydrothermal alteration zones characterised by potassium enrichment. The results indicate the possibility of concealed source rocks with high magnetic mineral content (magnetite, maghemite, titanomaghemite, pyrrhotite, and franklinite?) and a relatively high density. The geophysical signatures observed around Fatehpur and Laxmangarh, with high magnetic contrast, low dominance, and remanence coupled with high gravity values, as well as hydrothermal alteration zones, appear to have striking similarities with the geophysical and geochemical scenarios of some of Australia's Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) prospects in the Gawler, Arunta, Tennant, and Mount Isa regions. Therefore, these anomalous areas may be explored for the possibilities of an IOCG or polymetallic type of mineral.

Multiscale mapping and scaling analysis of the censored brittle structural framework within the crystalline bedrock of southern Finland

Fracture studies commonly lack data for the length range between 10 m to 1 km. For this reason, scaling laws are required to extrapolate fracture properties, for example in discrete fracture network models. This study focused on analysis and correlation of topology, orientation and length distribution of multiscale fracture datasets to assess their scalability. The used datasets comprise UAV-derived photogrammetric models from natural outcrops and lineaments mapped using airborne LiDAR, bathymetry and aerogeophysical data, in several contrasting scales and resolutions. This study highlights challenges in acquiring uncensored and coherent brittle structural datasets from source data characterized by a large span of resolutions between the remote sensing datasets and models of the fractured outcrop. In specific, collected data was found to be potentially biased and affected by uncertainties related to both the censoring by sedimentary cover and the scale of observation. Our results revealed differences between lineament and outcrop fracture orientations, as well as difficulties in assessing topological parameters from lineament datasets. The 1:200000 resolution was found best suited to the mapping of lineament length and resulted in a length distribution power law exponent of -1.92. For outcrop fractures that are less than 2 m long, the lognormal length distribution provided the only good fit to our data, while the longer outcrop fractures fitted relatively well with a power law exponent of -2.26.

A geophysically constrained crustal element map of East Antarctica between Enderby Land and Princess Elizabeth Land

East Antarctica along with Greater India played a vital role in the accretion and breakup of the Indo-Antarctic landmasses during the supercontinents Nuna, Rodinia and Gondwana. Without geophysical potential field methods, interpreting the architecture of the ice-covered geological provinces of Antarctica is impossible. We present here a crustal element map of East Antarctica between Enderby Land and Princess Elizabeth Land (Indo-Antarctica tectonic element) using aerogeophysical data interpretation. The data reveal distinct anastomosing geophysical provinces that correlate with sparse geological data. Our crustal element map shows the Oygarden Province and the Northern and Southern Rayner provinces are arcuate belts that wrap around the Archean Napier Province. These provinces represent the remnants of an accretionary tectonic margin, which evolved between ca 1300 Ma and 900 Ma. The arcuate geometry of these Meso- to Neoproterozoic provinces formed during the collision with the Napier Province, which represents a microcontinent. This collision triggered widespread extension and ultra-high temperature metamorphism in the Northern and Southern Rayner provinces. The southernmost provinces include the Fisher Province, Lambert Province and a transition zone. The provinces are truncated by a suture zone with the Archean Ruker Province, following north-dipping subduction during the Meso- to Neoproterozoic. Our interpretation provides a template upon which to correlate geological provinces with the terranes on the conjugate eastern Indian margin. KEY POINTS An aeromagnetic interpretation is given for Enderby Land and Princess Elizabeth Land of East Antarctica. Napier Province is a microcontinent that collided with the Rayner Province during a ca 1000 Ma orogenic event. A new interpretation of potential field data suggests anastomosing provinces accreted as part of a collisional event. New structures/piercing points are identified at the Mawson Coast and in Kemp Land.

The Usage of GIS Tools on Vintage Aerogeophysical Data for Simple and Fast Processing with a Focus on Fault Interpretation: An Austrian Case Study

The reuse of vintage datasets which were acquired in the 20th century can pose challenges for modern geophysical modeling due to missing detailed preprocessing information, significant uncertainties, or lack of precise tracking, etc. Nevertheless, they are often the only available datasets in a target region. We explore here the potential of such vintage airborne geophysical datasets (magnetics, AEM, radiometrics) to detect the location and dip direction of geological faults, using a non-modeling interpretation approach based on multiple GIS tools. We apply our approach in a geologically well-known region where four different types of faults are mapped. The applicability of the tools used in this study depend on the geological setting of each fault and is evaluated based on the comparison with geological and—where available—with modeling data. In general, the GIS tools, especially used on a combination of datasets, show reliable results concerning the location and strike of faults, and even seem to be able to predict the dip direction of a fault.

Concealed anatomy and new geological features beneath desert areas of NW India – Constrained from high resolution aero-geophysical data

The vast swathe of area in the Trans-Aravalli region between the western part of the South Delhi Fold Belt and eastern part of the Barmer basin, north-western India exhibits limited geological information due to thick sand cover of the Thar Desert. The present study is to unravel the hidden architecture of the above area using recently acquired high-resolution aero-magnetic data. Here, our interpreted results brought out a buried ring structure in the northern part and NW-SE trending constellation of linear magnetic highs in the southern part. Considering the regional geological milieu, our study correlates the buried ring structure with a possible remnant volcanic cone of the Neoproterozoic silicic Malani Large Igneous Province. Secondly, the significant NW-SE trending linear magnetic highs in the south possibly represents a humongous dyke swarm activity, facilitated by the intricate network of fractures. The orientation of these magnetic linear are conspicuously similar with the Deccan linked Sarnu-Dandali dykes and regional Barmer-Cambay rift system. The northwestern portion of study area displays high magnetic and gravity responses of long wavelength features indicating crustal heterogeneity. The study for the first time documents two concealed structures, which may hold a link of Neoproterozoic Malani and Mesozoic Deccan magmatic pulses.

British Antarctic Survey's aerogeophysical data: releasing 25 years of airborne gravity, magnetic, and radar datasets over Antarctica

Abstract. Over the past 50 years, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has been one of the major acquirers of aerogeophysical data over Antarctica, providing scientists with gravity, magnetic, and radar datasets that have been central to many studies of the past, present, and future evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Until recently, many of these datasets were not openly available, restricting further usage of the data for different glaciological and geophysical applications. Starting in 2020, scientists and data managers at BAS have worked on standardizing and releasing large swaths of aerogeophysical data acquired during the period 1994–2020, including a total of 64 datasets from 24 different surveys, amounting to ∼ 450 000 line-km (or 5.3 million km2) of data across West Antarctica, East Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Amongst these are the extensive surveys over the fast-changing Pine Island (BBAS 2004–2005) and Thwaites (ITGC 2018–2019 & 2019–2020) glacier catchments, and the first ever surveys of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WISE-ISODYN 2005–2006) and Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (AGAP 2007–2009). Considerable effort has been made to standardize these datasets to comply with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable) data principles, as well as to create the Polar Airborne Geophysics Data Portal (https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/nagdp/, last access: 18 July 2022), which serves as a user-friendly interface to interact with and download the newly published data. This paper reviews how these datasets were acquired and processed, presents the methods used to standardize them, and introduces the new data portal and interactive tutorials that were created to improve the accessibility of the data. Lastly, we exemplify future potential uses of the aerogeophysical datasets by extracting information on the continuity of englacial layering from the fully published airborne radar data. We believe these newly released data will be a valuable asset to future glaciological and geophysical studies over Antarctica and will significantly extend the life cycle of the data. All datasets included in this data release are now fully accessible at https://data.bas.ac.uk (British Antarctic Survey, 2022).

A newly discovered subglacial lake in East Antarctica likely hosts a valuable sedimentary record of ice and climate change

The Princess Elizabeth Land sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is a significant reservoir of grounded ice and is adjacent to regions that experienced great change during Quaternary glacial cycles and Pliocene warm episodes. The existence of an extensive subglacial water system in Princess Elizabeth Land (to date only inferred from satellite imagery) bears the potential to significantly impact the thermal and kinematic conditions of the overlying ice sheet. We confirm the existence of a major subglacial lake, herein referred to as Lake Snow Eagle (LSE), for the first time using recently acquired aerogeophysical data. We systematically investigated LSE’s geological characteristics and bathymetry from two-dimensional geophysical inversion models. The inversion results suggest that LSE is located along a compressional geologic boundary, which provides reference for future characterization of the geologic and tectonic context of this region. We estimate LSE to be ~42 km in length and 370 km2 in area, making it one of the largest subglacial lakes in Antarctica. Additionally, the airborne ice-penetrating radar observations and geophysical inversions reveal a layer of unconsolidated water-saturated sediment around and at the bottom of LSE, which—given the ultralow rates of sedimentation expected in such environments—may archive valuable records of paleoenvironmental changes and the early history of East Antarctic Ice Sheet evolution in Princess Elizabeth Land.

Microleveling aerogeophysical data using deep convolutional network and MoG-RPCA

Residual magnetic error remains after standard levelling process. The weak non-geological effect, manifesting itself as streaky noise along flight lines, creates a challenge for airborne geophysical data processing and interpretation. Microleveling is the process to eliminate this residual noise and is now a standard areogeophysical data processing step. In this paper, we propose a two-step procedure for single aerogeophysical data microleveling: a deep convolutional network is first adopted as approximator to map the original data into a low-level part with nature geological structures and a corrugated residual which still contains high-level detail geological structures; second, the mixture of Gaussian robust principal component analysis (MoG-RPCA) is then used to separate the weak energy fine structures from the residual. The final microleveling result is the addition of low-level structures from deep convolutional network and fine structures from MoG-RPCA. The deep convolutional network does not need dataset for training and the handcrafted network serves as prior (deep image prior) to capture the low-level nature geological structures in the areogeophysical data. Experiments on synthetic data and field data demonstrate that the combination of deep convolutional network and MoG-RPCA is an effective framework for single areogeophysical data microleveling.

Structural and lithological interpretation of aero-geophysical data in parts of the Lower Benue Trough and Obudu Plateau, southeast Nigeria

High resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric data were used to map probable sites for polymetallic-magmatic hydrothermal deposits in the study area. The first and second vertical derivatives, horizontal gradient, analytic signal and tilt angle derivative were used to enhance magnetic data in order to determine the location of short wavelength anomalies, magnetic sources and geologic boundaries. Also, to understand and detect radiometric anomalies controlling mineralization in host rocks, enhancement operations involving potassium (K), equivalent thorium (Th), equivalent uranium (U) concentrations and ternary imageries were carried out. All these operations enabled the delineation of responses associated with mineralization, lithology and geologic structures. Generally, lineaments trend in the NE-SW, NNE-SSW, NW-SE and E-W directions, and serve as potential pathway for hydrothermal fluid migration and mineralization. Radiometric anomalies from spectrometric imageries are caused by felsic minerals, hydrothermal rock alterations, widespread shales, residual clay, oxides and accessory minerals that constitute regolith of the area. The coincident high magnetic and potassium intensities sites in Anambra Bain (AB), Abakaliki Anticlinorium (AA), Ikom-Mamfe Rift (IMR) and Obudu Plateau (OP) are probable sites for polymetallic-magmatic hydrothermal deposits. Generally, the joint magnetic and radiometric results were able to establish link between lithology, geologic structures and hydrothermal alteration patterns.

Accretion tectonics in Western Gondwana highlighted by the aeromagnetic signature of the Sergipano Belt, NE Brazil

Identification of suture zones in Precambrian orogens can be a major problem due to later reworking and/or erosion. Interpretation of aerogeophysical data is a useful tool to the understanding of the structure and evolution of old fold belts. In this study, we use aeromagnetic data to identify domain boundaries in the Sergipano Belt (SB), a Neoproterozoic orogen developed on the northern border of the São Francisco Craton (SFC), NE Brazil. The SB was formed due to convergence between the SFC and the Pernambuco-Alagoas Superterrane during the Brasiliano Orogeny, culminating in the assembly of West Gondwana. Total Magnetic Intensity (TMI) and tilt derivative maps provided the delimitation of magnetic domains corresponding to main lithological units of the Sergipano Belt and its basement and the definition of first to fourth order lineaments. Matched filter and Euler deconvolution results allowed to observe the magnetic behavior of both domains and lineaments in depth. The data suggest that the Marancó and Poço Redondo domains are two distinct lithotectonic units and that the Jirau do Ponciano dome, extreme NE of the Sergipano Belt, is likely a structural window of the São Francisco paleoplate reworked basement. Interpretation of these results combined with existent geological data allowed to highlight at least two possible terrane boundaries in the northern margin of the São Francisco Craton, represented by the São Miguel do Aleixo and Belo Monte-Jeremoabo shear zones, and the definition of the High-Intensity Magnetic Zone, which comprises a ca. 10 km wide and 140 km long corridor of mafic and ultramafic rocks, and represents the main suture zone within the SB. The data imply that the Sergipano Belt evolved as an accretionary orogen during West Gondwana assembly.

Structural architecture and the episodic evolution of the ediacaran Campo Alegre Basin (southern Brazil): Implications for the development of a synorogenic foreland rift and a post-collisional caldera-volcano

During the last decades, tectonic models provided new insight into the evolution of the Luis Alves, Curitiba, and Paranaguá terranes, which are all limited by thrust and transpressive shear zones, nowadays outcropping only as deep crustal horizons and presenting poorly known lateral displacements. An essential puzzle piece to understanding the juxtaposition processes and evolution of these blocks in the Neoproterozoic lies in the Campo Alegre Basin in Southern Brazil, a volcano-sedimentary sequence deposited during the middle to late Ediacaran. Based on new U–Pb geochronological, structural, and aero-geophysical data, at least two main stages of filling and subsidence have been identified in this region, namely the basin and the caldera stages. In the Basin Stage, the regional collisional tectonics triggered the far-field stress resulting in a local extension at ~605 ± 5 Ma through the reactivation of NNW-SSE inherited basement structures. The deposition of the sedimentary basin finishes with the Initial Volcanic Activity, corresponding to a bimodal mildly alkaline, predominantly mafic and effusive volcanism. After the transition to a post-collisional setting, probably at ca. 595 Ma, regional extension led to the Caldera Stage of the basin, which had its volcanic peak at ca. 583-580 Ma, contemporaneous with the intrusive A-type magmatism of the nearby Graciosa Province. The Main Volcanic Activity corresponds to a predominantly alkaline silica-saturated, effusive to explosive magmatic manifestation culminating with the formation of a caldera-volcano. The volcanic products from both the initial and the main volcanic activities were raised to the surface mainly through NNW-SSE and ENE-WSW oriented conduits, respectively reactivated and neo-formed during the collisional process. The crustal-scaled discontinuities associated with the development of the sedimentary basin have further controlled the subsidence of the caldera structure, which might be the main mechanism of preservation for these ancient volcano-sedimentary sequences in the evolution of the Campo Alegre Basin.

Shortening history of the Neoproterozoic oroclinal bending in Paraguay belt, Central Brazil, based on structural interpretation of field work and high resolution aerogeophysical data

Different phases of the orogen's evolutionary history can be geometrically restored by identifying associated tectonic features in the thrust-and-fold belts in the foreland basin. The geometry and fold styles allow understanding the rate of crustal shortening of the Paraguay Belt Neoproterozoic oroclinal. We suggest that high resolution airborne geophysical data provides critical information to understand the tectonic history of Brasiliano fold belts. Geophysical studies integrated to structural analysis in field mapping may unveil the crustal architecture as well as the sequence of events of rocks exposed in two structural windows of the basement in the region of Planalto da Serra and Nova Xavantina, in the state of Mato Grosso, northern segment of the Paraguay Belt, Central Brazil.The evolutive history of rocks exposed southwards of the Amazonian craton margin represents extensional tectonics followed by the development of a passive margin. It is estimated that the original width of the depositional space was ~350 km during the formation of the hyperextended platform and, after the intense shortening during the Brasiliano orogenesis, the oroclinal was restricted to ~130 km wide, in the post-deformation phase. Planalto da Serra region is characterized by asymmetrical, harmonic folds with thickened hinge zones. They show variable styles between tight and isoclinal and form pairs of EW and NE anticlines and synclines. In Nova Xavantina structural window, the magnetic lineaments mark important lithospheric discontinuities represented by the Campinápolis (CAL) and General Carneiro (GCL) lineaments, which seem to be the deep basement faults that controlled the extension and where the rift axial zone developed. The Transbrasiliano Lineament (TBL) is a major shear zone that controls the secondary lineaments propagation, forming a network of folds and drag faults, with lateral escapes and vertical movement. Between the two main lineaments occurred the deposition of sediments and volcanic successions related to Nova Xavantina Metavolcanosedimentary Sequence representing a marginal ocean basin. The transition from EW trending features of the Paraguay Belt to NE trend Araguaia Belt lies within Nova Xavantina region and is marked by the direct influence of TBL. TBL is evident in the magnetic images, forming a mosaic of different crustal blocks and corresponding to various curvilinear shear zones with unidirectional trend N30-45E. It is composed of mega-sigmoids interlaced with mainly dextral kinematics, within shallow and deep levels.During the Neoproterozoic orogeny, a foreland basin system was formed in response to the flexural subsidence due to the tectonic inversion of the basin. Several depocenters were formed and served as accumulation sites for the deposition of sediments of the Alto Paraguay Group (Raizama, Sepotuba and Diamantino formations). Gravimetric data allowed individualization of the foreland basin system, which is characterized by four discrete depozones (back-bulge, forebulge, foredeep and wedge-top), between the Amazonian Craton and the inner structural zone.

The southern São Francisco Craton puzzle: Insights from aerogeophysical and geological data

Accretionary orogens are considered as the result of the major crust production process, and terranes are accreted material representing distinctive assemblages regarding age and evolution. Scientific advances in the last years show that the southernmost São Francisco Craton includes Archean, Paleoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic areas. We used aerogeophysical data and field geology to understand the extension of individual pieces of this tectonic puzzle. We described five magnetometric lineaments. A–, B– and C–lineaments are related to dyke swarms of different ages. D– and E–lineaments represent regional-scale tectonic structures. In a tectonic perspective, we have identified the following terranes: (i) the Archean São Tiago crust (2.67 Ga), which is part of the São Francisco proto-craton; two Siderian juvenile arcs, represented by the (ii) Cassiterita (2.47 Ga) and the (iii) Resende Costa/Lagoa Dourada (2.36–2.35 Ga) orthogneisses; and two Rhyacian arcs, the (iv) juvenile Serrinha (2.22–2.20 Ga) and the continental Ritápolis (2.19–2.10 Ga) arcs. Tectonic terranes and five magnetic subdomains were identified on the basis of (i) association of shear zones/faults with quartz veins in the field; (ii) low– and high–intensity magnetic anomalies; (iii) sharp contrast in Euler solution intensities; and (iv) high–contrast in radioelement contents in the gammaspectrometric maps. Processing of aerogeophysical data permitted us to propose a new scenario on the evolution of the southern São Francisco Craton, and in particular of the Mineiro belt. The integration between aerogeophysical, new and compiled geologic information, provides a robust model for the understanding of individual tectonic pieces of the studied area.

A Possible Second Large Subglacial Impact Crater in Northwest Greenland

AbstractFollowing the discovery of the Hiawatha impact crater beneath the northwest margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, we explored satellite and aerogeophysical data in search of additional such craters. Here we report the discovery of a possible second subglacial impact crater that is 36.5‐km wide and 183 km southeast of the Hiawatha impact crater. Although buried by 2 km of ice, the structure's rim induces a conspicuously circular surface expression, it possesses a central uplift, and it causes a negative gravity anomaly. The existence of two closely spaced and similarly sized complex craters raises the possibility that they formed during related impact events. However, the second structure's morphology is shallower, its overlying ice is conformal and older, and such an event can be explained by chance. We conclude that the identified structure is very likely an impact crater, but it is unlikely to be a twin of the Hiawatha impact crater.