Reactivation and propagation of the transbrasiliano strike-slip system in Tocantins province, central Brazil: From Ediacaran to Cretaceous

• Published in: Journal of South American earth sciences Vol. 146; p. 105081
• Main Authors: Dalat de Sousa, E.M., Vidotti, R.M., Ruiz, A.S., Motta, J.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15.10.2024
• Subjects: Crustal structure; Intraplate seismicity; Potential field analysis; Structural geophysics; Tocantins province; Transbrasiliano lineament; Intraplate seismicity; Structural geophysics; Transbrasiliano lineament; Crustal structure; Potential field analysis; Tocantins province
• ISSN: 0895-9811
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2024.105081

Strike-slip zones are formed by the accommodation and displacement of crustal blocks, reflecting dynamic behavior within the lithosphere. Repeated deformation in these zones can obscure earlier geological processes by creating new structural frameworks and reactivating ancient weakness zones. In central Brazil, the Transbrasiliano Lineament - a major continental-scale strike-slip system - has significantly reworked the Tocantins Province, altering key geological elements that constrain the final stages of Western Gondwana's assembly. Although several seismic events have been linked to this large structure, establishing a direct correlation remains challenging due to its crustal framework being largely obscured by Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. This study presents a multiscale analysis of geological, geomorphological and geophysical data to characterize the Transbrasiliano Lineament dynamic in central Brazil. Our findings reveal a deep crustal discontinuity associated with the Goiás-Tocantins seismic zone, characterized by low-velocity anomalies and a thinner crust within the Brazilian Platform. The complex configuration of this strike-slip system, due to successive reactivations, has displaced and reoriented previous magnetic elements, affecting the Araguaia, Brasília, and Paraguay Belts. Consequently, deformation of the Transbrasiliano Lineament has propagated from the southern Bananal Basin to the northern Paraná Basin, exhibiting a horsetail splay geometry. Structural geophysical analysis indicates that this ongoing reactivation has recorded deformation episodes from the Ediacaran-Cambrian to the Upper Cretaceous. •Multidisciplinary geological study of the basement of the Southern Bananal Basin.•New Airborne geophysical data reveals the belts connection in the Tocantins Province.•Unveiling the Transbrasiliano Lineament as a Horsetail Splay Strike-slip System in the Central Brazil.•Reactivation of Transbrasiliano Lineament System are observed from late Precambrian to upper Cretaceous.