40Ar– 39Ar geochronology across Archean and Paleoproterozoic terranes from southeastern Guiana Shield (north of Amazonian Craton, Brazil): Evidence for contrasting cooling histories

• Published in: Journal of South American earth sciences Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 113 - 128
• Main Authors: da Rosa-Costa, Lúcia Travassos, Monié, Patrick, Lafon, Jean-Michel, Arnaud, Nicolas O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2009
• Subjects: 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology; Amazonian Craton; Guiana Shield; Transamazonian event; T– t paths; T– t paths; 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology; Transamazonian event; Amazonian Craton; Guiana Shield
• ISSN: 0895-9811; 1873-0647
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2008.08.010

A 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronological study was performed on amphibole and biotite from some representative units of distinct tectonic domains of the southeastern Guiana Shield, north of the Amazonian Craton, the Amapá Block and the Carecuru Domain. In the Amapá Block, an Archean continental block involved in the Transamazonian orogenesis (2.26–1.95 Ga), the investigated minerals, from rocks of the Archean high-grade basement assemblage, give only Paleoproterozoic ages, indicating their complete resetting during the Transamazonian orogenic event. Amphibole ages vary from 2087 ± 3 to 2047 ± 20 Ma, and biotite ages spread mainly between 2079 ± 18 and 2033 ± 13 Ma. In the Carecuru Domain, in which the geodynamic evolution is related to Paleoproterozoic magmatic arc setting during the Transamazonian event, calc-alkaline granitoids yield amphibole age of 2074 ± 17 Ma, and biotite ages of 1928 ± 19 Ma and 1833 ± 13 Ma. These data reinforce the importance of the Transamazonian orogenic cycle in the investigated area, and indicate that the rocks were not significantly affected by post-Transamazonian events. When coupled with available U–Th–Pb monazite and Pb–Pb zircon geochronological records and petro-structural observations, the new 40Ar/ 39Ar data delineate contrasting cooling and exhumation histories for the tectonic domains. In the Amapá Block, the data suggest nearly vertical T– t paths that reflect fast cooling rates, which indicate tectonically controlled exhumation, related to collisional stages of the Transamazonian event, between 2.10 and 2.08 Ga. Conversely, in the Carecuru Domain, low cooling rates suggest that the arc-related granitoids underwent slow and monotonous cooling since their emplacement until reaching the biotite isotopic closure temperature.