1971 The Precambrian Evolution

.
'&
Reprinted from: THE OCEAN BASINS AND MARGINS, Vol.1
Edited by Alan E. M. Nairn,
and Fran6is G. Stehli
Bokk available from: Plenum Publishing Corporation
227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y.10011
Chapter 11
THH PRECAMBRIAN EVOLUTION OF THE SOUTH

AMERICAN CRATONIC MARGIN SOUTH
OF THE AMAZON RIVER
F. F. M. de Almeida
Esco[a Polit6cliica, Universidade de Sao Paiilo, Brazil
G. Amaral, U. G. Cordani, and K. Kawashita

lnstitiito de Geocielicias e Astl-oiiomia and Centl.o de Pesqiiisas
Geocronol6gicas da Universidade de Sdo Paiilo, Bi.azil
I. INTRODUCTION
The continued progress in geologic mapping in South America of large

areas previously poorly known, the compilation of regional charts, and the
growing number of radiometric age determinations has made it possible to
outline the major structures of the Precambrian, and to begin to explain the
geologic history of the cratonic areas. This can be done with greater confidence
for the upper Precambrian, here considered as being the time interval between
1800 and 570 in.y.* Older events can only be clearly recognized in small areas,
as, for example, in the northern part of the Guyana shield.
* The authors adopted the following subdivision for the Precambrian proposed by Almeida
(1971): upper Precambrian, 570-1800 in.y. ; middle Precambrian,1800-2600 in.y.; lower

Precambrian, older than 2600 in.y.
411
412 F. F. M. de Almeida, G. Amaral, U. G. Cordani, and K. Kawashita
Much of the basement of the Brazilian platform has only been studied on
a reconnaissance basis. The area includes the southern part of the Guyana
shield, the large Guapor6 craton, and the basement underlying the sedimentary
covers of the Amazon, Parnaiba, and Parana basins, as well as the Chaco
plains. For these areas only a limited number of radiometric age determinations
is available.
On a global scale, the number of age determinations made on the Pre-
cambrian rocks of South America is small. As a rough estimate, about 800
K-Ar, 200 Rb-Sr, and 60 Pb ages have been determined, many still unpub-
lished. This number is very small in comparison with the data which already
exist for the other continents. Most of the radiometric ages were obtained at the
Centro de Pesquisas Geocronol6gicas by working on rocks from the eastern
part of the Brazilian platform. Other data which refer to Guyana were obtained
by English, French, or Dutch laboratories. Many dates were determined in
North American laboratories in cooperative programs with South America
geologists.
There are few regions which have been studied in detail by geochronologic
methods using different materials and techniques. In most areas the age data
are restricted to single determinations made as part of a preliminary recon-
naissance, frequently by the K-Ar method on micas. The K-Ar method on
micas yields only minimum ages, but can be used to delineate regions affected
by the last major orogenic cycle. In many cases Rb-Sr whole-rock ages
strengthen the validity of the K-Ar determinations. However, in some regions
of complicated geologic evolution, discordant K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages were
obtained, indicating some degree of reworking and rejuvenation. For these
reasons and the lack of detailed geologic knowledge, a more definitive geo-
tectonic classification of South America is still not possible, and some of the
proposed boundaries between Precambrian age provinces are uncertain.
Examining the whole of the available radiometric data, independently
of the dating method employed, it can be seen that most of them will be
included into two principal age intervals. The older exhibits age values between
1800 and 2200 in.y., and the younger between 450 and 700 in.y. Those age values
are thought to represent events related respectively to the Trams-Amazonian and
Brasiliano orogenic cycles, which are the most important for the Precambrian
of South America. Events of intermediate age can be recognized in restricted
areas, and might be related to the Minas orogeny, which is well defined in the
region of the "Quadrilatero Ferrifero" (Minas Gerais). Events older than 2200
in.y. were also found, sporadically. Table I summarizes the main Precambrian
orogenic cycles, and the principal geotectonic units which are associated with
them. The age limits are taken from the available radiometric data, and they
are essentially related to orogenic events. Thus, the initial sedimentation must
be considered older than the highest limit quoted, for each of the main
The Precambrian Evolution of the South American Cratonic Margin 413
TABLE I
Main Geotectonic Cycles of tlie Brazilian Platform
Geotectonic cycle Age limits Main geotectonic units
Brasiliano 450-700 in.y. Several folded belts, surrounding old cratonic

orogenic cycle (upper precambrian areas :
to lower Paleozoic)
Caririan-northeastern Brazil
Propria-northern Bahia and Sergipe,
Brazil
Paraguay-Araguaia-entral-western
Brazil, and Paraguay
Brasiliarientral Brazil
Ribeira-southeastern Atlantic coast of
South America
Uruaquano 900-1400 in.y. Mina,s folded belt-southern and eastern

(upper Precambrian) Minas Gerais, Brazil
Araxa folded belt-western Minas Ge-

rais and Goias, Brazil
Trams-Amazonian 1800-2200 in.y. Several metamorphic belts, forming the base-

orogenic cycle (middle precambrian) ment of the younger cycles, or being
included on the following ancient areas:
Guyana shield-northern Brazil, Vene-

zuela, and the Guyanas
Guapor6 craton-northwestern Brazil
S. Luiz cratonic arealoastal area of
Para and Maranhao, Brazil
S. Francisco craton-Goias, Minas
Gerais, and Bahia, Brazil
Rio de la Plata cratonic area-southern

Uruguay and Buenos Aires Provlnce,
Argentina
more than 2200 in.y. Small regions, including basement units

(middle and lower for the Trams-Amazonian and younger
Precambrian) belts
Fig. I. Geotectonic outline of the Brazilian platform. (I) Guyana shield; (11) Guapore
platform; (Ill) Sao Luiz cratonic area; (IV) Sao Francisco platform; (V) La Plata cratonic
area ; (A) Caririan folded belt ; (jB) Propria folded belt ; (C) Ribeira folded belt ; (D) Paraguay-
Araguaia folded belt ; (E) Brasilia folded belt ; (A4) Amazon sedimentary basin ; (IV) Parnaiba
sedimentary basin; (P) Parana sedimentary basin; (Q) Chaco sedimentary basin.
geotectonic cycles. The available geologic information, as well as the geo-

chronologic control for the coastal area, are discussed in different parts of
Section Ill.
11. GEOTECTONIC OUTLINE OF TIIE BRAZILIAN PLATFORM
The entire Atlantic coast of South America, between the mouth of the
Orinoco River, in Venezuela, and Baia Blanca, in Argentina, is located on the
Brazilian platform (Almeida, 1967), a geotectonic unit already consolidated
in early Paleozoic times. Although partly covered by shallow sedimentary
formations, the Precambrian rocks crop out in three large shields: the Guyana
shield located to the north of the Amazon River, the Central Brazil shield to the
south, and the Atlantic shield along the coastal margin. To this last unit belongs
most of the coastal area considered in this work. These three shields are sepa-
rated from each other by the large Amazon, Parnaiba, Parana, and Chaco
syneclises. The western limit of the platform with the Andean orogenic belt
is covered by extensive Cenozoic sediments.
Ancient nuclei, consolidated before 1800 in.y., can be recognized on the
Guyana, Central Brazil, and Atlantic shields. These areas were partially re-
mobilized in the Trams-Amazonian orogenic cycle defined by Hurley ef a/.
(1967), and were stable foreland regions for the geosynclines which were formed
in late Precambrian times (Fig. 1).
Four old cratonic regions were defined for South America (Almeida,
1967; Cordani ez cz/.,1968): (I) the entire Guyana shield; (2) the Guapor5
craton, located on the Central Brazil shield; (3) the Sao Luiz cratonic area, a
narrow feature near the northern coast between Bel6m and Sao Luiz; and (4)
the Sao Francisco craton, located southeast of the Parnaiba basin, and reaching
the Atlantic coast in the state of Bahia. A fifth is proposed here, (5) the cratonic
area of Rio de La Plata, located in southern Uruguay and northeastern Ar-
gentina. Figure I outlines the approximate boundaries of these geotectonic
units, and shows that, with the exception of the Guapor5 craton, they all reach
the coastline.
The idea that the Guyana and Guapor6 cratonic areas may have been
a single stable unit during late Precambrian time cannot be definitely proven,
as the basement of the Amazon basin is very poorly known. However, the
few radiometric ages thus far obtained in this area, support this thesis (Amaral,
1970). On the eastern and southeastern border of the Sao Francisco craton,
a metamorphic belt of 1100-1400 in.y. age can be .recognized. These ages may
be related to the orogeny of the Minas Group, near Belo Horizonte.
The ancient Guapor6 and Sao Francisco nuclei are separated by a large
region affected by a major upper Precambrian tectono-magmatic event, in
which numerous basic and ultrabasic intrusions of alpine character occur.

Some of these rocks were dated with results close to 1000 in.y. (Hasui and
Almeida, 1970).
The folded belts of the Brasiliano orogenic cycle (450-700 in.y.) are
shown in Fig. I, as well as regions in which granites and migmatites formed
during this cycle can be recognized.
The Caririan folded belt (j4 in Fig. 1), covers the northeastern corner
of Brazil, and probably extends below the sediments of the Parnaiba basin,
separating the Sao Luiz from the Sao Francisco cratonic areas. The Propria
folded belt (8) is located at the northeastern border of the Sao Francisco era-
tonic area.
The Ribeira belt (C) at least 1800 kin in length, only locally contains
geosynclinal rocks of the Brasiliano cycle. For the most part only rocks
older than Upper Precambrian occur in this unit, either remobilized or reju-
venated during this late Precambrian event (Delhal ez cz/., 1969). Near the
border of the Parana sedimentary basin, however, occur extensive areas of
metamorphic and eruptive rocks which formed in the late Precambrian
geosyncline.
The Paraguay-Araguaia belt (D) is composed of miogeosynclinal deposits
which are exposed for a distance of approximately 2700 kin, which makes
this one of the longest belts of continuous outcrop of material belonging
to the Baikalian orogenic cycle (also called Assyntic or Cadomian) in the
world.
The Braziliano folded belt, located along the western border of the Sao
Francisco craton, is homologous, in nature and origin, to the Paraguay-
Araguaia belt. Between these two folded belts in Gc)i5s and southern Minas
Gerais states, older structures occur which originated during the Uruaeuano
geotectonic cycle (from 900 to 1300 in.y.). To these structures alpine-type
basic and ultrabasic rocks may be related.
Figure 1 shows that nearly 80% of the Brazilian coastline, as well as the
Uruguayan littoral zone east of Piriapolis, is underlain by areas which were
formed or rejuvenated during the Brasiliano cycle. Structures of late Pre-
cambrian age probably exist on the basement of the Amapa continental
shelf.
In summary, most of the Brazilian platform was consolidated about
1800 in.y. ago, after the events of the Trams-Amazonian orogenic cycle. Older
events, although known, are poorly characterized. Rocks affected by events
of the Minas and Uruaguano cycles, between 900 and 1300 in.y., are restricted
in area, but are locally of great importance. Finally, areas remobilized or
rejuvenated during the events of the Brasiliano orogenic cycle (450-700 in.y.)
are very important, and cover near 40% Of the shields.
The Precambrian Evolution of the South. American Cratonic Margin 417
Ill. TIIE PRECAMBRIAN EVOLUTION OF TIIE COASTAL AREA
Figures 2-6 were compiled from the available geologic and radiometric
data, and give an idea of the control for the geotectonic interpretation of the
coastal area of the Brazilian platform.
The radiometric ages were obtained from different materials by various
methods. Although they may have different geologic interpretations, in a
general way they are adequate to date the major tectonic event with which
they are associated and identify the principal orogenic cycles.
In most cases, for small regions, mica "apparent" ages by K-Ar or
Rb-Sr methods are younger than K-Ar ages from amphiboles of related rocks
by some tens of millions of years. At the same time, they are usually some
200 in.y. younger than Rb-Sr whole-rock apparent ages or Rb-Sr whole-rock
isochron ages from rocks of the same area. However, the mica ages often re-
flect the final events of the same orogenic cycle. In cases` of polymetamorphic
terrains with at least two very distinct ages (formation and isotopic rejuvena-
tion), the legend of the figures usually refer only to the la.st cycle which affected
the area. These anomalous areas will be briefly mentioned in the text.
In addition to showing the locations of the available geochronologic
samples, the figures also show the approximate boundaries of the Precambrian
tectonic provinces, as well as the general trends and some other important
geologic boundaries. The Geological Map of South America published in
1964 (Commission for the Geological Chart of the World) completes the
informations contained in such figures.
A. Northern Brazil
Two ancient cratonic areas, neither of which were affected by the events
of the late Precambrian Brasiliano orogenic cycle, are shown in Fig. 2. A belt
of this age appears on the southeastern part of the map, forming the basement
for the Parnaiba basin sediments.
The eastern border of the Guapor6 craton can be observed along the
Itacaiunas River, where iron formations were recently discovered. Gneisses,
migmatites, amphibolites, schists, quartzites, phyllites, and itabirites have been
described in this region. The stratigraphy still remains obscure, and regional
discordances are not known (see Table 11). The main structural trends are east~
west to WNW-ESE. Several radiometric ages, obtained by K-Ar and Rb-Sr
methods (Almaraz,1967 ; Hurley a/ cz/.,1967), indicate that the area was affected
by the events of the Trams-Amazonian orogenic cycle. The thick iron formations
of the Serra dos Carajas probably belong to this geotectonic cycle. The only
younger tectonic events in this region are apparently an intense north-south
fracturing, and some Paleozoic-Mesozoic diabase dike intrusions. Remnants of
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The Precambrian Evolution of the South American Cratoliic Margin 419
TABLE 11
The Stratigraphical Succession of the Northeastern Portion of the Guaporfe Craton
(see location 1 on Fig. 7)
Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Unit
radiometric age of south America)
Gorotire formation (?) 1600 in.y. GO

Rio Fresco formation (Cambro-Ordovician)
Uatuma group
Cubencranqu6n formation (?)
Unconformity
Serra dos carajas group 2000 in.y. C3

(upper Carboniferous)
Unconformity
Undivided basement more than 3000 in.y. A

(undifferentiated Precambrian )
a sedimentary platform cover with associated volcanic rocks of upper Pre-

cambrian age are found in several places, overlying this old cratonic area.
The Sao Luiz cratonic area is still very poorly known, since the main part
is covered by Paleozoic or younger sedimentary rocks. Gneisses, schists, and
amphibolites occur, intruded by granites, diorites, and other eruptive rocks
(Moura,1936). Age dating (Hurley ez cz/.,1967; Almaraz and Cordani,1969)
yielded results close to 2000 in.y. The Sao Luiz cratonic area extends east-
wards to the mouth of the Parnaiba River, where structures related to the
Brasiliano orogenic cycle occur.
A metamorphic belt of late Precambrian-Cambrian age is found along
the southern border of the Sao Luiz craton. The rocks include the so-called
Gurupi Group (Table Ill), with` schists, phyllites, quartzites, and itabirites
folded with northwest strikes. This belt, which is largely covered by sediments,
can be followed for at least 200 kin, and may even extend to 400 kin, since
correlatable rocks occur near the bay of Sao Jos6. It apparently represents
part of a folded belt which surrounds the borders of the Sao Luiz craton
which, at the end of the Precambrian, constituted its foreland. Radiometric
ages by Rb-Sr and K-Ar methods (Hurley cf cz/.,1967; Almaraz and Cordani,
1969) confirm the Brasiliano ages for those rocks. Whole-rock Rb-Sr ages
close to 600 in.y. indicate that the events are not related to simple isotopic
rejuvenation of older rocks. Clastic nonfolded rocks, estimated to be Cambro-
Ordovician in age, might represent the molasse of the final stage of the Bra-
siliano cycle in this area.
420 F. F. M. de Almeida, G. Amaral, U. G. Cordahi, and K. Kawashita
TABLE Ill
Principal Precambrian Formations Found in the Sao Luiz Cratonic Area

Unit
Gurupi group 550 in.y. P(B)

(middle Precambrian)
Unconformity
Basement 2000 in.y. P(B) and A

(middle Precambrian and un-
differential Precambrian)
The Mesozoic tectonic basin, which includes Maraj6 Island at the mouth
of the Amazon River, probably originated through faulting which affected the
older Brasiliano cycle structures. The few isotopic ages in this region, obtained
on borehole samples, by the K-Ar method, tend to confirm this idea.
8. Northeastern Brazil
Three great units occur in northeastern Brazil (Fig. 3): (I) the Sao Fran-
cisco craton; (2) the Propria folded belt; and (3) the Caririan orogenic area.
The northern part of the Sao Francisco craton is composed of three meta-
sedimentary units, older than upper Precambrian, all of which have trends
oriented close to north-south (Table IV). The Caraiba Group (Barbosa,1966)
is the oldest. It is composed of low-maturity metasediments associated with
eruptive rocks of basic and ultrabasic character. These rocks underwent strong
metamorphism reaching granulite facies, and show extensive migmatization and
granitization. Rocks of this group yielded radiometric ages close to 2000 in.y.,
which seem to be minimum ages.
The Uaua Group (Barbosa, 1966) includes schists, quartzites, marbles,
amphibolites, and several types of paragneisses, metamorphosed to the am-
phibo]ite facies. Migmatites are rare in this unit. The Uaua Group was affected
by a tectonomagmatic event which may very likely have been the Trams-Amazo-
nian orogenic cycle.
The Jacobina Group is a narrow metasedimentary belt of great thickness
(possibly more than 8000 in), composed of epizonal to mesozonal metamorphic
rocks including phyllites, quartzites, schists, metaconglomerates, and associ-
ated metabasites (Leo cf cr/., 1964; Griffon, 1967). Locally, the Jacobina
Group is intruded by granites. It shows a peculiar tectonic style, an intense
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422 F. F. M. de Almeida, G. Amaral, U. G. Cordalii, and K. Kawashita
TABLE IV
Principal Precambrian Formations in the Northern Part of the Sao Francisco Craton

Unit
Bambui group 600 ± 20 in.y. S (Silurian)

Unconformity
Lavras group unknown, possibly late P(A) (upper Precambrian)

upper precambrian and
D[ (lower Devonian)
Unconformity
Jacobina group 2000 in.y. P(B) (middle precambrian)

Uaua group A (undifferentiated Precam-
brian)
Unconformity
Caraiba group >2000 in.y. A (undifferentiated precam-

brian)
folding directed toward the west associated with high-angle reverse faults.
Apparently, the sedimentation and tectonics of the Jacobina Group were
controlled by an important zone of north-south abyssal fractures, which per-
mitted subcrustal magmatic intrusions of basic and ultrabasic character.
The basement of the Sao Francisco craton, composed of rocks with Trans-
Amazonian ages or older, is covered by sedimentary sequences named Bambui
and Lavras groups (Table IV). The last, composed mainly of arenaceous rocks,
in part of .glacial origin, has a doubtful age although it is certainly post-Trans-
Amazonian. The Bambui Group is composed of fine detrital rocks and im-
portant limestone beds, locally stromatolithic. Both groups are weakly de-
formed with faulting and folding typical of platform covers. In some places of
Goias and Bahia the generally tectonic transition from the Bambui unfolded
cover to the folded belts of the Brasiliano cycle have been described. The
northern border of the Diamantina plateau, recently mapped by Jordan
(1968), in the state of Bahia, is an example of such transition.
During the Brasiliano cycle an orthogeosyncline, designated the Propria
geosyncline by Humprey and Allard (1968), developed along the northeastern
border of the Sao Francisco craton. At the contact between these geotectonic
units large thrust faults occur. However, on the platform relicts of a weakly
deformed detrital and carbonate cover exist which can be correlated with the
geosyncline deposits. The miogeosynclinal zone in Bahia and Sergipe states is
represented by the Canudos and Miaba formations, respectively (see Table

V). In the eugeosynclinal zone basic volcanic products are associated with
pelites, metagraywackes, in part conglomeratic, sandstones, and limestones
(Vaza Barris Group). These rocks were metamorphosed to the greenschist
facies and locally to the amphibolite facies in the internal zones of the geosyn-
cline. In some places these rocks were migmatized and granitized, being trans-
formed into syntectonic granodiorite rock bodies. The geosynclinal basement
is exposed in the internal zones, as indicated by some radiometric ages up to
2530 in.y. (Hurley ef cz/., 1967). Intense linear folding, inverse faulting, cleavage,
and schistosity indicate tectonic transport from the internal zones of the Propria
geosyncline toward the Sao Francisco platform, which acted as foreland during
the orogenesis. Relicts of red elastic deposits of molassic nature are found both
within the geosyncline (Jua Formation) and over the platform (Estancia
Group). The structures of the Propria geosyncline, more than 450 kin long,
are partially covered by the Mesozoic sedimentary basins. These structures
trend perpendicularly to the coastline and continue under the narrow conti-
nental shelf.
Northwestward from the Propria folded belt, and apparently cutting in
the northern part of the Bahia state, is an important system of transcurrent
faults. The main faults form in the south the Pernambuco (Ebert,1962) and in
TABLE V
Principal Formations in the Region of the Propria Folded Belt

Unit
Estancia, Jua, and Acaua 600 in.y. P (Permian)

formations
Unconformity
Vaza Barris group more than 600 in.y. S and P®)

(Silurian and
middle Precambrian)
thrust contact
Miaba group unknown A and P(B)

(undifferentiated Precambrian
and middle Precambrian)
Basement more than 2000 in.y. A and p(B)

(undifferentiated Precambrian
and middle Precambrian)
the north the Patos (Kegel,1965) lineaments. Both strike generally east-west
and have an extension of hundreds of kilometers, probably extending to the
continental shelf. They are dextral with a net slip still unknown but presumably
in the order of several tens of kilometers. Alkaline granitic intrusioris are known
along both lineaments. Syenites and quartz syenites are known to occur along
the Patos lineament (Vandoros and Coutinho, 1966; Almeida ez cz/., 1971,
Santos,1971).
Santos (1971), analyzing the mechanism of that transcurrent faulting,
suggested that they were originated by NNE-SSW compressional forces ac-
companied by rotational deformations. This fault system is at least as old as
upper Precambrian, as indicated by age determinations (K-Ar amphibo]es)
on quartz syenites of the Patos lineament (Vandoros and Coutinho, 1966).
However, at the end of the Jurassic the main faults were reactivated by vertical
movements giving rise to some Mesozoic sedimentary basins. The Cabo
cratonic alkaline granite, located at the southern coast of the state of Per-
nambuco and with a Cretaceous (±100 in.y.) age (Vandoros, j./?` Almeida
cZ cr/.,1971), seems to have been intruded in the eastern part of' the Per-
nambuco lineament.
The Caririan orogenic area is exposed to the north of the Pernambuco
lineament and to the east of the Parnaiba sedimentary basin (Fig. 3). The
older rocks (Table VI) exposed in this area are gneisses, migmatites, schists,
quartzites, marbles, and amphibolites with radiometric ages ranging from 500
to 2000 in.y. (Almeida cf cz/., 1968). Such age variation indicates an isotopic
rejuvenation process which affected a basement older than upper Precambrian.
TABLE VI
Principal Formations in the Caririan Folded Area

Unit
Jaibaras group 500 in.y. GO (Cambro-Ordovician)

Unconformity
Ceara group 650 in.y. P(B) (middle precambrian)

Unconformity
Caic6 group 2000 in.y. A (undifferentiated Precam-

brian)
Unconformity
Basement unknown A (undifferentiated Precam-

brian)
No clear unconformities have been found at the base of the metasedimentary

rocks of the Ceara Group, which represents the Brasiliano cycle in that region
and overlies the basement.
The Ceara Group is composed of a thick association of micaschists, meta-
arkoses, metagraywackes, phyllites, marbles, and gneisses. Its stratigraphy is
still obscure (Meunier,1964; Ebert,1966,1967,1970). The lithology is constant
over large distances following the strike of the folds but changes noticeably
normal to the strike. The rocks of the Ceara Group generally exhibit an am-
phibolite facies metamorphism, but locally can pass to the greenschist facies.
Fold axes strike N 10-50° E and show evidence of drag near the transcurrent
faults, especially those trending east-west.
The Caririan orogenic area was affected by intense granitization and
migmatization which we consider to have occurred during the Brasiliano cycle
(Almeida c/ cz/.,1968) but Choubert (1970) considered to be older. Porphyro-
blastic granites, granodiorite bodies, and minor tonalitic bodies are the synki-
nematic rocks. The first rocks (Itaporanga-type granites) are of anataxitic
origin (Almeida ef cz/.,1971) being formed within anticlines in rocks of the
Ceara Group and in which transition zones can be observed. Small plutons and
numerous dikes of fine-grained tardikinematic granites (Itapetim-type granites)
occur over the whole Caririan area.
Iron hastingsite-bearing alkaline granites, syenites, and quartz syenites are
the postkinematic rocks of that region. A large number of pegmatites, important
for their mineralization in Ta, Ba, Nb, Sn, and Li, also occur. Radiometric
ages suggest that the final episodes of the granitization process occurred during
the Cambro-Ordovician. At this time the molasse basins of the final stages of
the Brasiliano cycle, as those in the northwestern part of the State of Ceara,
were formed. One such basin, the Jaibaras, was affected by granitic and grano-
dioritic plutonic intrusions, with associated rhyolites, andesites, and basalts,
representing the final magmatic phenomena of the Brasiliano cycle. K-Ar
determinations indicate a minimum age of about 440 in.y. for this magmatic
activity.
K-Ar and Rb-Sr age determinations on rocks of the Ceara Group yielded
values corresponding to the Brasiliano cycle, for the granitization and meta-
morphism processes which affected it (Hurley ez cz/., 1967; Almeida cf cz/.,
1968 ; Ebert and Brochini,1968). A particularly significant 650-in.y. reference
isochron was obtained for six whole-rock samples, which represents the main
metamorphic event in the Caririan area.
C. Eastern Brazil
The ancient Sao Francisco craton reaches the coast between the parallel
of Aracajti (State of Sergipe) and the Pardo River (Bahia). Southward, the
Precambrian rocks exposed along the coast exhibit evidence of intense re-
mobilization during the Brasiliano cycle. These rocks may belong to the
Paraiba do Sul orogenic belt, which has been more thoroughly studied in the
states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Some radiometric ages obtained on the acid granulites near Salvador
(Fig. 4), by different methods, are close to 2000 in.y., and are therefore charac-
teristic of the Trans-Amazonian orogenic cycle. Metamorphic rocks principally
of amphibolite facies including gneisses, schists, quartzites, and marbles, oc-
cur in the southern part of the State of Bahia, and the northern part of the
State of Espirito Santo. This complex, not yet studied in detail, was intensely
granitized and migmatized, and its structural trends are north-south to NNE-
SSW. Some discordant post-tectonic granitic bodies occurring north of Vit6ria
Fig. 4. Geotectonic outline of eastern Bra,zil.

TABLE VII
Succession East and Southeast of the Sao Francisco Craton
Approximate Legerid (jn the Geological Map

Unit
ra.diometric age of south America)
Rio Pardo group 600 in.y. S and P(B)

(Silurian and
middle Precambrian)
Unconformity
Basement 2000 in.y. A

(undifferentiated Precambrian)
lie on the same Rb-Sr reference isochron of the Brasiliano orogenic cycle,
defined by similar rocks collected in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Delhal ez cz/
1969). Local occurrences of granulitic rocks, some of charnockitic character,
apparently form narrow belts interlayered with the regional gneisses.
To date it has not been possible to precisely delimit the area affected by
the rejuvenation phenomena of the Brasiliano cycle, and to define the eastern
boundary of the Sao Francisco cratonic area. The boundary indicated in Fig. 1
was suggested by Almeida (1967).
In the region of the Pardo and Jequitinhonha rivers in southern Bahia,
a late Precambrian basin, formed near the eastern border of the Sao Francisco
craton, can be recognized. It contains sedimentary rocks metamorphosed to the
greenschist facies. The original sequence consisted of shales, silstones, grey-
wackes, conglomeratic arkoses, limestones, and dolomites. They are only
gently folded, but are intensely deformed by faulting. The sequence (Table
VII) was recently named Rio Pardo Group (Pedreira ez cz/., 1969), and it
shows many evident similarities with other deposits originated over the borders
of the Sao Francisco craton or on the adjacent miogeosynclines, such as the
Sao Joao del Rei Group, the Miaba and Canudos formations, etc. Unpublished
radiometric results confirm a late Precambrian age for the Rio Pardo Group.
D. Southeastern Brazil
The region shown in Fig. 5 is the most intensively studied of all Brazilian
Precambrian areas. Two main geotectonic provinces are recognized: the
southern border of the Sao Francisco craton, and the large region which was
formed or was rejuvenated during the tectonomagmatic cycle of late Precam-
brian age.
Fig. 5. Geotectonic outline of southeastern Brazil.
The southern border of the Sao Francisco craton near Belo Horizonte,
in the region known as Quadrilatero Ferrifero, was mapped in detail because
of the existence of large iron deposits. Dorr (1969) has recently described
the regional stratigraphy and structure of that area. An ancient basal complex,
composed of granitized and migmatized rocks, was intruded by a granitic
body (Engenheiro Correa) with a minimum age of about 2800 in.y. (Herz,
1970). This complex is covered by Precambrian rocks representing tectonic
events older than Brasiliano (Table VIII). The older unit, named Rio das
Velhas Series, is composed of two groups (Dorr ¬f cz/.,1957) separated by an
unconformity. The lower, Nova Lima Group, is about 400 in thick and com-
posed of fine detrital sediments with subordinate graywackes, quartzites, do-
TABLE VIII
Succession in the Region of the "Quadrilatero Ferrifero" (Southern Portion of the
Sao Francisco Craton)

Unit
Bambui group 600 ± 20 in.y. S (Silurian)

Unconformity
Itacolomi group unknown P(B)

Unconformjty
Minas Series more than 1300 in.y. P(B)

Unconformity
Rio das velhas series 2700 in.y. A

Unconformity
Basement more than 2700 in.y. A

(u ndifferentiated Precambrian )
1omites, metaconglomerates, cherts, itabirites, and metavolcanic rocks. The

upper, Maquin6 Group, is 1800 in thick and is composed of quartz-sericite
schists, phyllites, metaconglomerates, and quartzites. In the northeastern part
of the Quadrilatero Ferrifero the series is composed mainly of gneisses (Reeves,
1966). The Rio das Velhas Series was metamorphosed to the greenschist-
amphibolite facies and extensively granitized. It was intruded by granite and
granodiorite bodies as well as basic and ultrabasic rocks now metamorphosed.
A rich gold mineralization is found associated with the series.
Rb-Sr age determinations (Aldrich ef cz/., 1964; Herz, 1970) yielded
2760 and 2675 in.y. for muscovites from metamorphic rocks of the Rio das
Velhas Series. On that basis the series represents the relicts of the most ancient
folded belt clearly identified in Brazil.
Tectonomagmatic events of the Trams-Amazonian cycle were indicated
near the southern border of the Sao Francisco craton, where a 1930-in.y.
Rb-Sr isochron was obtained by Pinson cf cz/. (1967) for rocks from Sete
Lagoas, northwestward from Belo Horizonte.
The Rio das Velhas Series is covered unconformably by the Minas Series,
which seems to be younger than the Trams-Amazonian cycle but older than
1300 in.y. (age of the Borrachudo granite which cuts it, Herz, 1970). In tbe
Quadrilatero Ferrifero, where the grade of metamorphism is lower, three

groups can be recognized: the lower, Caraca Group, is composed of detritic
sediments accumulated during transgressive events; the intermediate, Itabira
Group, is composed of mainly chemical sediments, with which are associated
large iron deposits (banded ironstone type); and the upper, Piracicaba Group,
is of a detrjtal nature. The total thickness of the Minas Series reaches variegated
6000 in. It was intensively deformed, with large-scale folding followed by
several types of faulting. These structures indicate northwestward tectonic
transport, which occurred in two main compressional events. In the Quadri-
latero Ferrifero the metamorphism of the Minas Series is generally that of the
greenschist facies, but at the northeast corner, in the Monlevade and Rio
Piracicaba quadrangles (Reeves, 1966), this series is composed mainly of
gneisses and amphibolites. Several granitic and granodioritic bodies, as well
as metamorphosed basic and ultrabasic rocks, intruded the Minas Series.
The so-called Italcolomi Group, which has a very restricted occurrence in
the Quadrilatero Ferrifero region, overlies the Minas Series with a sharp an-
gular unconformity. It is composed. of quartzites with subordinate phyllites
and metaconglomerates, and with a total thickness exceeding 1000 in. Its age
is unknown, but it represents probably a late episode of the event which de-
formed and metamorphosed the Minas Series.
To the south of the Sao Francisco craton, in the region G represented in
Fig. 5 a geosyncline developed during the Brasiliano cycle, reworking rocks of
older cycles. The older cycle, clearly recognized, corresponds to the Barbacena
Series (Table IX), which is composed of paragneisses associated with basic
and ultrabasic eruptives. These rocks were intensively migmatized and gran-
TABLE IX
Succession South of the "Quadrilatero Ferrifero"

Minas Series = 1300 in.y. P(B)

Unconformity
Lafaiete formation unknown A

(undifferentiated Precambrian )
Unconformity
Barbacena series more than 2300 in.y. A

TABLE X
Succession Along the Southern border of the Sao Francisco Craton

Unit
Sao Joao del Rei group 550 in.y. P(A) (upper precambrian)
Unconformity
Andrelandia series unknown P(A) (upper precambrian)

Unconformity
Barbacena Series more than 2300 in.y. A

(un di fferentiated Precambrian )
itized resulting in the formation of granodiorites and quartz diorites, but

not true granites (Ebert,1962). Its intense folding and associated structures in-
dicate nortbwestward tectonic transport. The Barbacena Series is considered
older than 2300 in.y., the minimum age of the Matola alkaline gneiss, which
is thought to be younger than that series. It seems that the Barbacena can be
correlated with the Rio das Velhas Series.
The Lafaiete Formation is younger than the Barbacena Series but older
than the Minas Series, as indicated by an angular unconformity between them.
It is composed of quartzites, mica shists, and queluzites, metamorphosed to the
amphibolite facies but without granitization phenomena. In spite of its restricted
occurrence south of the Quadrilatero Ferrifero, it is very important due to
deposits of lateritic manganese ore formed by the weathering of queluzites.
The Andrelandia Series lies unconformably over the Barbacena Series
in the south of Minas Gerais. It seems to represent in that region the extension
of an important folded belt well developed in the Brazilian middlewest region.
It belongs to the Urucuano cycle which Hasui and Almeida (1970) believe to
have occurred between 900 and 1300 in.y. ago. The Andrelandia Series is
composed of mica schists with subordinate limestones and quartzites. These
rocks were intruded by several pegmatite veins, but granitic bodies are rare.
However, several basic and ultrabasic bodies of alpine character occur as an
evident extension of the important peridotite belt from the center of Goias.
The Sao Joao del Rei Group (Ebert, 1967) is the youngest of all the
Precambrian units in the region covered by Fig. 5 (see Table X). It lies un-
conformably over the Andrelandia Series and represents the miogeosynclinal
development of the Brasiliano cycle, being an extension of the Brasilia folded
belt which develops around the western border of tbe Sao Francisco craton.
TABLE XI
Succession in the Paralba do Sul and Ribeira Folded Belts, near Rio de Janeiro

Unit
Serra dos Orgaos Series 550 in.y. A

Unconformity
Paraiba-Desengano series 2000 in.y. A

This group is composed by phyllites, schists, quartzites, metagraywackes,

limestones, and metaconglomerates, all of the greenschists facies of meta-
morphism. Its total thickness is on the order of some hundreds of meters. It
was linearly folded and compressed against the foreland represented by the
Sao Francisco craton at the end of the Precambrian, if not already within
Cambrian times. To the north of the region in Fig. 5, the Sao Francisco
craton is covered by mainly carbonate sequences of the Bambui Group, which
js apparently synchronous with the younger rocks of the Sao Joao del Ref
Group.
At the extreme south of Minas Gerais and extending towards Sao Paulo,
Rio de Janeiro, and Espirito Santo, an important folded belt of the Trans-
Amazonian cycle developed during the middle Precambrian. This belt probably
continues into the southernmost Brazilian states (Parana, Santa Catarina,
and Rio Grande do Sul) as well to the south of Bahia. Here we propose to
designate it as "Paraiba do Sul folded belt."*
The Paraiba do Sul folded belt is composed mainly of paragneisses,
metagraywackes, and metaarkoses with subordinate quartzites and mica schists.
These rocks constitute the Paraiba-Desengano Series (Ebert, 1957; Rosier,
1965) (Table XI). The metamorphism reaches the amphibolite facies and very
often the granulite facies, when typical charnockites occur (Ebert,1968). These
rocks were identified along the coastal region from Bahia to Sao Paulo. Gran-
itization phenomena are widespread and occurred during two cycles at least.
The rocks of the Paraiba do Sul belt support the escarpments of the Serras do
Mar and Mantiqueira and form the Paraiba do Sul River Valley, which is placed
* Since the former "Paraiba, folded belt" included rocks belonging to two different tectonic
cycles, the adoption of a new nomenclature for both is justified: the older one, "Paraiba
do Sul folded belt," corresponding to the Trams-Amazonian cycle, and the younger one,
the "Ribeira folded belt," corresponding to the Brasi]iano cycle.
within a large graben. Its folds and main faulting strike east-northeast in Sao
Paulo, but to the north the trend gradually changes to northeast and north-
northeast, parallel to the present coastline. The Paraiba-Desengano Series
is intruded by several granite, granodiorite, and other rock bodies with dif-
ferent ages. Ebert (1957) and Barbosa cf cz/. (1966) assumed that the age of
the Paraiba-Desengano Series was late Precambrian. Recent geochronologic
studies carried out by Delhal e/ cz/. (1969) showed that granulitic rocks of this
series are 1923 ± 66 in.y. old, as indicated by Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron.
U-Pb determinations on zircons from the same rocks, which yielded 2070 in.y.,
confirmed the presence of the Trams-Amazonian cycle in this belt.
The Brasiliano orogenic cycle is represented in the State of Rio de Janeiro
by the Serra dos Orgaos Series, whose age of 620 ± 20 in.y. is indicated by
a Rb-Sr reference isochron (Delhal cZ c!/., 1969), It is mainly composed by
migmatites and granitic gneisses within the Paraiba do Sul folded belt. In this
region post-tectonic granites of the Brasiliano cycle were dated by Ledent and
Pasteels (1968) by the Rb-Sr method and U-Pb determinations on zircons. The
rocks yielded ages in the 540 ± 60 in.y. age range, which agree with many
other results obtained to the south, from rocks of the Ribeira folded belt.
In the states of Sao Paulo, Parana, and Santa Catarina, the Sao Roque,
Agungui, and Brusque groups represent sediments deposited in a late Pre-
cambrian geosyncline and constitute the Ribeira folded belt (Table XII). It is
composed of phyllites, schists, quartzites, dolomites, and limestones with sub-
TABLE XII
Succession in the Ribeira Folded Belt, in Sao Paulo, Parana, and Santa Catarina States

Unit
radiometric age in south America)
Castro and ltajai groups 500 in.y. P(AB) and GO

Camarinha and (Cambro-Ordovician, middle
Guaratubinha formations Precambrian and undifferen-
tiated Precambrian)
Unconformity
Sao Roque, Acungui, 650 in.y. P(AB), P(B), and A

and Brusque groups (middle Precambrian and
undifferentiated Precambrian)
Unconformity
Basement more than 1200 in.y. A

(undi fferentiated Precambrian )
ordinate metaconglomerates, metaarkoses, metagraywackes, and itabjrites

(Hasui ¬/ cr/.,1969; Marini ef cz/.,1967). The rocks exhibit a greenschist meta-
morphic facies rising locally to the amphibolite facies, particularly near the
coast. In the latter case migmatization phenomena can be observed acting on
gneisses considered to belong to the group but always difficult to distinguish
from similar rocks of the geosynclinal basement. Although transitions from the
migmatitic-gneissic complex to the epimetamorphic rocks of the Sao Roque
and Agungui groups have been described (Melfi c/ cz/.,1965), it is very difficult
to distinguish in this complex the younger rocks from those that probably
belong to the Trams-Amazonian cycle. This cycle is indicated in Sao Paulo,
Parana, and Santa Catarina by some radiometric age determinations and by
the occurrence of charnockitic and ultrabasic rocks among the older rocks.
The metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in the Ribeira belt exhibit
an intense linear folding, generally northeast trending. Faulting is very con-
splcuous, and very large transcurrent faults have been recognized, such as the
Texaquara fault in Sao Paulo (Hennies c/ cz/., 1967). The deformation does
not present a clear polarity and the position of the foreland is not known.
Some authors assume it to be hidden under the Paleozoic sediments of the
Parana basin, whereas others believe that it was located in the region now
submerged by the Atlantic Ocean.
A large number of granitoid bodies is found along the Ribeira folded
belt. Some are adamellitic granites or granodiorites often porphyroblastic
of tardi- or synkinematic origin, others are post-tectonic bodies with a sub-
alkaline character and a circumscribed nature as the Serra da Graciosa granites
in the State of Parana (Fuck c/ a/., 1967), or are orthoclase-bearing pink
granites as the Itu Granite (Hasui ef c}/., 1969). The granitization process is
associated with Pb, Ag, Au, Zn, Sn, W, Cu, etc., mineralization.
Cordani and Bittencourt (1967), in a K-Ar geochronologic study, con-
cluded that the sedimentation of the Acungui Group is older than 650 in.y
the metamorphism occurring between 650 and 600 in.y. The post-tectonic
granites intruded into the group have ages ranging from 580 to 500m.y.
These ages coincide with those obtained for the Caririan area in northeastern
Brazil (Almeida e/ cz/., 1968).
Recently, Cordani and Kawashita (1971) presented a Rb-Sr study in
which latetectonic granitic rocks plotted close to a 610-in.y. reference isochron
and postectonic granites indicated a very precise isochron at 540 ± 5 in.y.
The final events in the evolution of the Ribeira folded belt consisted in the
development of intermontane basins located within fault depressions which
were then filled with red detritic sediments of molassic nature and volcanic
rocks of andesitic-rhyolitic character. Such basins, which characterize the
trapsition stage of the consolidation process of the folded belt (Almeida,
1967)', are represented by the Castro Group (Trein and Fuck, 1967) and the
Camarinha (Muratori ef cz/.,1967) and Guaratubinha (Trein and Fuck,1967)

formations at Parana, as well by the Itajai Group and volcanic rocks from
Campo Alegre in Santa Catarina. The beds lie unconformably over the Ribeira
folded belt and are generally not folded, but deformed by faulting. The rocks
are unmetamorphosed, and radiometric dating indicates a Cambro-Ordovician
age for the associated volcanism at the Ribeira belt as well as in other belts of
the same cycle.
E. Rio Grande do Sul State, Uruguay, and Argentina
Figure 6 represents the Precambrian areas of the State of Rio Grande do

Sul, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina, the southernmost part of the
S8o 56o
SOT!1 i" Q 52° 5oo
\-'a,I\'-
-, r}± 1":i-.":.`:```....-`.
I '1I..'j
z¢
s^NTAFE.22#2»
52.Ti- T----:Ì,a(?i,,,``\\,i,3TiBAIEEA8p.L;;A!111L Ii
- `-.-:.- i±.i`'.If#P:: ).L,I'.:.:,;.,.[1
P1¢
-. -. --`--:`. ` -::.. : -,..à
lDEO
)G
10!
I M=TE
36T--_I II"-..;.:..:+.-`;.,`='. I
1, ,. '.
01
HfoaAN.D,L`xur.NECOCHE:A `. -'.- ,i- i

fy I 11
\+I
!1,I
p dy jl
ly¢PL____ __
4o®LHTEi:--s±TTT2---DESRUFINO-
Fig. 6. Geotectonic outline of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina.

-I )ia50loo
Km
2C)O
Brazilian platform. They probably represent the most meridional Precambrian

occurrences in the Atlantic coastal region in South America, since the basement
rocks of northern Patagonia previously considered to be Precambrian are
mainly Paleozoic accordingly with recent geochronologic studies (Stipanicic
ef cz/.,1968; Halpern,1968). It indicates that the Brazilian platform does not
continue beyond the Colorado River in Argentina.
Within the region two main geotectonic units can be recognized, the ex-
tension of the Ribeira cycle folded belt and the ancient cratonic area already
consolidated in the upper Precambrian which the present authors propose to
designate "Rio de La Plata craton" (ff in Fig. 6).
The Rio de La Plata craton is mostly covered by Phanerozoic sediments,
which makes it difficult to establish its limits and its relation to the Guapor6
craton to the northwest. To this unit belongs the southeastern region of Uru-
guay, the Montevideo Formation, the La Plata River region, and the basement
of the Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, exposed in small areas as the
Sierras Tandil, Azul, and Bayas.
Where exposed, the basement of the Rio de La Plata craton is composed
of a gneissic complex of metasedimentary origin, associated with amphibolites,
mica schists, phy]Iites, quartzites, etc. It was affected by migmatization and
granitization processes during one tectonic cycle at least. This resulted in the
formation of several types of migmatites, granites, granodiorites, tonalites,
diorites etc. (Walther,1948 ; Bonorino,1950,1954; Bossi cf cz/.,1965; Quartino
and Fabre,1967). The planar features of this complex are generally ENE-ESE
trending, in contrast to the dominantly NNE~ENE-trending structures that
are typical for the upper Precambrian of the continent. Thick E-W and ESE
mylonite and cataclastic rock belts indicate the presence of large faults, probably
transcurrent, in the Sierra Azul in Argentina. Geochronologic studies (Caze-
neuve,1967; Hart c/ cz/.,1965; Stipanicic and Linares,1969; Umpierre and
Halpern,1971) yielded radiometric ages of around 2000 in.y., indicating that
the Rio de La Plata craton consolidated at the end of the Trams-Amazonian
cycle as the other ancient cratonic areas of the Brazilian platform.
In the Sierras Bayas the basement of the Rio de La Plata craton is par-
tially covered by unmetamorphosed and weakly deformed sediments, which
are about 100 in thick and composed of sandstones, quartzites, limestones,
dolomites, and fine-grained detrital sediments. Fossils are absent except for
stromatolithic structures of the Co//e7zz.cz type. These rocks, designated as the
La Tinta Group, have been referred to the Paleozoic (Table XIII). However,
Dr. Arturo U. Amos of the La Plata University, in a personal communication,
believes that these rocks possibly represent an Eocambrian cover similar to
those occurring in Brazil and Paraguay. This opinion is also that of three
of the present authors (Almeida, Amaral, and Cordani) after visiting that
region.
TABLE XHI
Succession in the Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

La Tinta group possibly 600 in.y. PZ3

Unconformity
Basement 2000 ± 200 in.y. A

(un differentiated Precambrian )
The rocks deformed in the geosyncline of the Brasiliano cycle cross the
State of Rio Grande do Sul into Uruguay, where they form the basement widely
exposed along the coast, east of the Piriapolis meridian. Throughout the area
the structures maintain a north-northeast orientation, in contrast to the east-
west-trending structures of the Rio de La Plata cratonic area and of the geo-
synclinal basement, where locally exposed.
In the State of Rio Grande do Sul the hornblende and biotite gneisses par-
tially migmatized, which constitute the Encantadas Formation (Tessari and
Picada,1966; Ribeiro cf cz/ 1966), represent the local exposure of the base-
ment of the Brasiliano geosyncline (Table XIV). In the southeast of Uruguay
this basement is probably locally exposed, but on the basis of present knowledge
it is difficult to separate such rocks from similar ones which originated at
the end of the Precambrian.
The sediments accumulated in the Ribeira belt in the State of Rio Grande
do Sul are represented by the Porongos Group and younger volcanic and
detrital rocks. This group is composed of a large variety of phyllites, schists,
quartzites, limestones, metaconglomerates, metagraywackes, metaarkoses, and
rhyolitic, andesitic or pyroclastic metavolcanics. Greenschist facies meta-
morphism affected those rocks, but locally the metamorphic grade rises to the
amphibolite facies with the formation of gneisses, amphibolites, and marbles
with associated migmatization and granitization. These rocks constitute the
Cambai Formation of the Porongos Group (Ribeiro ez cz/.,1966) in the eastern
part of that state. Basic and ultrabasic eruptives of ophiolitic character (Gofii,
1962 ; Issler ef a/.,1967) are associated with the metasediments of the Porongos
Group. It is important to point out that eruptive rocks of ophiolitic character
are exceptional in the Brasiliano cycle geosynclines. To this final Precambrian
event, in the Rio Grande do Sul State, several synorogenic and tardiorogenic
granite and granodiorite bodies are associated.
TABLE XIV
Succession in the Ribeira Belt, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul

Camaqua group 500 in.y. GO

(Cambro-Ordovician)
Unconformity
Born Jardim group 500 in.y. GO

(Cambro-Ordovician)
Unconformity
Porongos group 650 in.y. GO and A

(Cambro-Ordovician and
A
Unconformity
Encantadas formation proba,bly 2000 in.y. A

Large fault systems cut the Rio Grande do Sul Precambrian rocks (Pi-
cada, 1968). The older system of normal faults constitutes the Vigia-Roque
linement with a N 40° E orientation which separates the Cambai Formation
at the east from other rocks of the Porongos Group at the west. The Porongos
folded belt is cut by large sinistral transcurrent faults, with an approximately
north-south strike, by N 30° E-trending large normal faults and N 70° W-
trending minor normal faults. Such systems partially determined the location
of molasse basins, subsequent volcanism, and endogene mineralization in
that region.
In Uruguay (Table XV) the Lavalleja Group (Caorsi and Gofii,1958;
Bossi c/ cz/., 1965) seems to be equivalent to the Porongos Group. It is com-
posed of phyllites, schists, quartzites, marbles, and basic metavolcanic rocks.
The metamorphism is of the greenschist facies, locally rising to the amphib-
olite facies when gneisses and migmatization and granitization phenomena
appear. Strongly folded and faulted rocks of this group are generally north-
northeast oriented, but near Maldonado the trend changes to a north-south
direction. The molasse deposits of the final events of the Brasiliano cycle
in the Rio Grande do Sul are represented by the Born Jardim and Camaqua
groups (Ribeiro cr cz/., 1966; Tessari and Picada, 1966) (Table XIV). They
are composed of continental detritic sediments, some of a polymitic con-

glomeratic nature. These rocks are weakly or nonmetamorphosed and affected
only by fault deformation. Lavas and pyroclastic rocks of andesitic, rhyolitic,
and dacitic composition are associated with the sediments, which are also in-
truded by granite and granodiorite bodies, one of which is a rapakivi-type
granite (Gofii,1961). Age determinations on the eruptive rocks indicate that
these events occurred during the Cambro-Ordovician (8. Minioli, personal
communication).
In southern Uruguay the Piedras de Afilar and Sierra de Animas forma-
tions (Table XV) seem to represent molassic deposits and subsequent volcanic
rocks of late Brasiliano cycle. The latter yielded radiometric ages in the 500
± 30 in.y. interval (Bossi, 1966), the same obtained for rocks in similar geo-
tectonic position in southern Brazil. This confirms the suggestion that the late
tectonomagmatic events of the Brasiliano cycle occurred during the Cambro-
Ordovician interval. The Piedras de Afilar Formation lies unconformably over
the Lavelleja Group and is composed of sandstones, quartzites, and limestones
slightly deformed but unmetamorphosed (Walther,1927; Jones,1956). The
Sierra de Animas Formation is composed of trachytes, syenites, and rhyolites
(Bossi and Fernandes, .1963). It is possible that the structures formed during
the Brasiliano cycle surround the Rio de La Plata craton and underlie the
continental shelf, emerging again at the Sierras Pampeanas in Argentina. The
liypothesis is supported by a 650-in.y. age determination (Cazeneuve, 1967)
for the Pan de Azucar (Aguas Blancas) granite which forms the basement of
folded Devonian beds in the Sierra de la Ventana region in southern Buenos
Aires Province.
TABLE XV
Succession in Uruguay

radiometric a.ge of south America)
Sierra de Animas and 500 ± 30 in.y. P(A)

Piedras de Afilar formations (upper Precambrian)
Unconformity
Lavalleja group 600 in.y. A and P(A)

(upper Precambrian and
Unconformity
Basement, including 2000 in.y. A

Montevideo formation (un differentiated Precambri an )
440 F. F. M. de Almeida. G. Amaral, U. G. Cordani, and K. Kawashita
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Some general comments, regarding the South American continental

margin, can be made from what has been discussed in the previous sections.
They will be discussed progressively, from north to south (see Fig. 1).
(I) Along the northern coast of Brazil, and certainly over the continental
shelf, the Sao Luiz cratonic area occurs. It was during late Precambrian times,
the foreland of a large orogenic belt which existed along its southern border,
and at that time the cratonic area should have extended further to the north.
(2) In general, the Atlantic coast of South America is parallel to the
structure of the Precambrian rocks. A notable exception is northeastern
Brazil, where the ancient structures exhibit a fan-shaped pattern. In that region
the trends are normal to the coastline, and they end abruptly against the border
of the continental shelf. At the same time, some peculiar morphologic features
characterize northeast Brazil :
(a) The region is a sharp prominence of South America, in which its

easternmost point appears.
(b) The continental shelf, when compared with the rest of the Atlantic
coast of the continent, is the narrowest. Moreover, in this region, the
continental slope is the longest in the world, characterized by rather
persistently steep slopes (Shepard, 1963).
(c) Several sedimentary basins were formed in the coastal region and
over tbe continental shelf, during the Mesozoic era, as a result of an
important tectonomagmatic activation. These basins, which are gra-
bens or semigrabens, are not controlled by the underlying Precambrian
structures, and their principal fault zones are parallel to the coast.
The most important exception is the Rec6ncavo-Tucano basin in
northern Bahia. It is not located along the coast, and its main fault
zones are parallel to the Precambrian structures. The faults belong
probably to the same system that delimits the continental margin in
Southern Bahia.
(3) In Bahia, the ancient structures of the Sao Francisco craton reach the
coast, and most likely extend over the continental shelf. However, judging
from the general shape of the geotectonic unit, it would not appear to have
extended much more to the east, in late Precambrian times.
(4) In eastern Brazil, north of the tropic, the metamorphic rocks which
occur belong to the Paraiba do Sul folded belt, and were formed during the
Trams-Amazonian orogenic cycle. However, these rocks were largely affected
and/or rejuvenated during the late Precambrian Brasiliano orogenic cycle,
when palingenetic granites and migmatites were formed. This leads to the
conclusion that the region is the remobilized infrastructure of a late Pre-

cambrian geosynclinal unit.
(5) The Ribeira folded belt, in southern Brazil and Uruguay, displays
materials of the Brasiliano cycle, accumulated in an internal zone of a geo-
syncline. At least two tectonic sequences can be distinguished. The lower,
equivalent to the phase of the geosynclinal subsidence, exhibits typical sedi-
mentation, metamorphism, and granitic to granodioritic magmatism. Ophi-
olitic magmatism occurs locally. The higher sequence, equivalent to the molasse
stage, exhibits sediments with little or no metamorphism, associated with
granitic plutons, rhyolitic-andesitic volcanic rocks, and mineralization.
The infrastructures of the Ribeira belt include older rocks formed during
the Trans-Amazonian cycle, or even earlier. This demonstrates that the Ribeira
belt was formed by regeneration of a previously cratonized area, over conti-
nental, and not oceanic crust. Consequently, it is characterized by the extreme
abundance of granitic plutonism, acid volcanism, and rarity of ophiolitic
magmatism and basic volcanism. Incidentally, this pattern is valid for all of the
units of the Brasiliano cycle, a fact which indicates that the basement for the
late Precambrian geosynclines of South Amei.ica was of sialic "continental"
character.
(6) In Uruguay and Argentina, the Rio de La Plata craton occurs, exhibit-
ing Trams-Amazonian structures, which surely extend over the nearby conti-
nental shelf. The predominant trends are nearly east-west in disagreement with
the NNE-NE trends of the Ribeira belt. This latter belt extends down to the
Uruguay coastal region, close to the border of the cratonic area, indicating
that the Rio de La Plata craton also, in late Precambrian times, probably
did not extend much further to the east.
The structural characteristics of the South American Atlantic margin

emphasized above permit some inferences regarding the origin of the South
Atlantic basin. It can be shown that the coastline, although generally oriented
parallel to the ancient geologic trends, in some regions cuts sharply across
them. In other regions, it crosses over the ancient cratonic areas, which were
already stabilized at the time of the Brasiliano orogenic cycle. There is no in-
dication during the late Precambrian of South America of continental accre-
tion encroaching on an old oceanic basin, which would have existed in the
place occupied nowadays by the South Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, there are no
geologic indications of the existence of such an oceanic basin, in the late Pre-
cambrian.
Looking for a continental mass which at the end of the Precambrian
would have been adjacent to the Atlantic margin of South America, features
equivalent to those above commented on should be recognizable. Several
comparative studies, regarding the geology, stratigraphy, and geochronology
of the Precambrian rocks of the continents around the South Atlantic, already
indicate that the Africa continent can very well be employed for such re-
constructions. In this case, at the end of the Precambrian, an ocean basin equi-
valent to the South Atlantic would not have existed. Among the several impor-
tant works which can be mentioned, dealing with comparisons of Precambrian
geologic features between Africa and South America, we emphasize here the
papers of Choubert (1935), Pflug (1963), Almeida (1968), Almeida and Blake
(1968), Hurley cJ cz/. (1967), and Allard and Hurst (1969). Such studies seem
to provide good arguments in support of the existence of continental drift
between the two continents during the Phanerozoic.
Fig. 7. Location map for the stratigraphic columns given in the text.
ACKNOVVLEDGMENTS
Acknowledgments are due to our Brazilian colleagues P. Vandoros, J.

Almaraz, 8. Minioli, and Y. Hasui for kindly permitting the use of their
unpublished data, and to Peter Rideg, Norman Herz, and A. E. M. Nairn
for careful revision of the manuscript. Financial support of the work at the
Centro de Pesquisas Geocronol6gicas was provided by Conselho Nacional de
Pesquisas and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo.
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1971 The Precambrian Evolution

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1971 The Precambrian Evolution

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THH PRECAMBRIAN EVOLUTION OF THE SOUTH

G. Amaral, U. G. Cordani, and K. Kawashita

The continued progress in geologic mapping in South America of large

(1971): upper Precambrian, 570-1800 in.y. ; middle Precambrian,1800-2600 in.y.; lower

Geotectonic cycle Age limits Main geotectonic units

Brasiliano 450-700 in.y. Several folded belts, surrounding old cratonic

Uruaquano 900-1400 in.y. Mina,s folded belt-southern and eastern

Araxa folded belt-western Minas Ge-

Trams-Amazonian 1800-2200 in.y. Several metamorphic belts, forming the base-

Guyana shield-northern Brazil, Vene-

Rio de la Plata cratonic area-southern

more than 2200 in.y. Small regions, including basement units

geotectonic cycles. The available geologic information, as well as the geo-

11. GEOTECTONIC OUTLINE OF TIIE BRAZILIAN PLATFORM

which numerous basic and ultrabasic intrusions of alpine character occur.

Ill. TIIE PRECAMBRIAN EVOLUTION OF TIIE COASTAL AREA

" .Tj-i-i a g,/ a "¬Yaor

1V- I a: .' . I 'ct'

XXX.XxXxXxO`.... . ` `q:I "'.,,i x x-~ x

x.-* x lf i--:-- <0-,

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Gorotire formation (?) 1600 in.y. GO

Serra dos carajas group 2000 in.y. C3

Undivided basement more than 3000 in.y. A

a sedimentary platform cover with associated volcanic rocks of upper Pre-

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Gurupi group 550 in.y. P(B)

Basement 2000 in.y. P(B) and A

4"- .-.`,-. Z 58®+a

'f}| / r{¢+..ir.--d``'...,.i,i:<./(_>-,- E .:;~i!:I riEjFT:i 3:/ 7

a "' '.'... \"I-I.:i`.:",-,3_I-..`,...-..--..I.`'`,-;":...i"Tc?"``_``,:`._`=

Fig. 3. Geotectonic outline of northeastern Brazil.

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Bambui group 600 ± 20 in.y. S (Silurian)

Lavras group unknown, possibly late P(A) (upper Precambrian)

Jacobina group 2000 in.y. P(B) (middle precambrian)

Caraiba group >2000 in.y. A (undifferentiated precam-

represented by the Canudos and Miaba formations, respectively (see Table

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Estancia, Jua, and Acaua 600 in.y. P (Permian)

Vaza Barris group more than 600 in.y. S and P®)

Miaba group unknown A and P(B)

Basement more than 2000 in.y. A and p(B)

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Jaibaras group 500 in.y. GO (Cambro-Ordovician)

Ceara group 650 in.y. P(B) (middle precambrian)

Caic6 group 2000 in.y. A (undifferentiated Precam-

Basement unknown A (undifferentiated Precam-

No clear unconformities have been found at the base of the metasedimentary

Fig. 4. Geotectonic outline of eastern Bra,zil.

Approximate Legerid (jn the Geological Map

Rio Pardo group 600 in.y. S and P(B)

Basement 2000 in.y. A

Fig. 5. Geotectonic outline of southeastern Brazil.

Approximate Legend (in the Geological Map

Bambui group 600 ± 20 in.y. S (Silurian)

Itacolomi group unknown P(B)

Minas Series more than 1300 in.y. P(B)

Rio das velhas series 2700 in.y. A

Basement more than 2700 in.y. A

1omites, metaconglomerates, cherts, itabirites, and metavolcanic rocks. The

Quadrilatero Ferrifero, where the grade of metamorphism is lower, three