Accepted Manuscript

Geochemistry of the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá Tonalite in NW Colombia -

Evidence of subduction initiation beneath the Colombian Caribbean Plateau

M. Weber, J. Gómez-Tapias, A. Cardona, E. Duarte, A. Pardo, V. Valencia

PII: S0895-9811(15)00052-8
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2015.04.002
Reference: SAMES 1388

To appear in: Journal of South American Earth Sciences

Received Date: 29 October 2014

Revised Date: 30 January 2015
Accepted Date: 9 April 2015

Please cite this article as: Weber, M, Gómez-Tapias, J, Cardona, A, Duarte ., E, Pardo, A, Valencia, V,
Geochemistry of the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá Tonalite in NW Colombia - Evidence of subduction
initiation beneath the Colombian Caribbean Plateau, Journal of South American Earth Sciences (2015),
doi: 10.1016/j.jsames.2015.04.002.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Geochemistry of the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá Tonalite in NW Colombia - Evidence

of subduction initiation beneath the Colombian Caribbean Plateau

Weber, M.1*, Gómez-Tapias, J.2, Cardona, A.3, Duarte, E.1, Pardo, A.4,Valencia, V. 5

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1
Departamento de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de

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Colombia, Carrera 80 No. 65-223, Medellín, Colombia
2
Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Diagonal 53 n.° 34 - 53, Bogotá D.C., Colombia

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3
Departamento de Procesos y Energía, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia,
Carrera 80 No. 65-223, Medellín, Colombia

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4
Instituto de Investigaciones en Estratigrafía, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 Nº 26 - 10,
Manizales, Colombia
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5
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, USA.

*Corresponding author's address: mweber@unal.edu.co, Carrera 80 # 65-223, M2-201, Medellín,

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Colombia.Tel.: 57-4-4255139
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Abstract
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Plateau related rocks accreted to the Caribbean plate margins provide insights into the
understanding of the intra-oceanic evolution of the Caribbean plate and its interaction with the
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continental margins of the Americas.

Petrologic, geochemical and isotope (Sr and Nd) data were obtained in rocks from the Santa Fe
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Gabbro-Tonalite and Buriticá Tonalite in the Central Cordillera of Colombia.

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Field relations and whole rock - mineral geochemistry combined with juvenile isotope signatures
of the different rocks present in the area, suggest that initial melts, represented by the Buriticá
Tonalite, formed due to asthenospheric upwelling at ~ 100 Ma, which intrude the CCOP basalts,
and subsequent migration of the Caribbean plate towards the northeast resulted in subduction
initiation and the formation of the Santa Fe tonalitic units at ~90 Ma on the CCOP.

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The relation of the Santa Fé Batholith with other units from the Caribbean, such as Aruba and the
Buga Batholiths suggests the existence of an immature arc constructed on the Caribbean Plateau,
which partially accreted onto a continental margin of South American in pre-Eocene times, or
migrated to the present day position in the Lesser Antilles.

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Keywords: Santa Fe Batholith, Buriticá Tonalite, Colombian Caribbean Oceanic Plateau, Island
arc, Cretaceous oceanic rocks

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1 Introduction

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The northern margin of the South American Plate (Figure 1) comprises a series of accreted
metamorphosed and non-metamorphosed volcano-plutonic Mesozoic oceanic igneous and
sedimentary rocks (Toussaint, 1996; Kerr et al., 1997; Villagómez et al., 2011). These record the

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Meso-Cenozoic interaction of the advance of the Caribbean plate and the formation of diverse
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intra-oceanic domains after the break-up of the North American and South American plates since
Jurassic times (Pindell et al., 2005).
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In the Western Cordillera of Colombia, the mafic volcanic rocks are interpreted as fragments of
the Late Cretaceous Colombian-Caribbean Oceanic Plateau (Nivia et al., 1996; Kerr et al., 1997;
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Villagómez et al., 2011). This unit comprises thick mafic sequences with intercalated
sedimentary rocks and minor ultramafic sequences that formed in a mantle plume environment in
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the Pacific (Pindell, 1990; Kerr et al., 1997). In the northernmost Western Cordillera of
Colombia these rocks are intruded by Cretaceous rocks of the tonalitic Santa Fe Batholith and
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the Buriticá Tonalite (Rodríguez et al., 2012). Similar relationships have been described
elsewhere in the Caribbean and Ecuador, such as in the Buga and Aruba Batholiths, and the
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Pujilí Granite (White et al., 1999; Nivia, 2001; Vallejo et al., 2006), and have been discussed as
part of an island arc built over plateau rocks or as partial melting of the plateau crust during its
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growth.

In this contribution we present new whole rock geochemical and Sr-Nd data of igneous rocks of
the Santa Fe and Buriticá units and compare these with other equivalent intrusions in order to
establish a petrogenetic model of their origin and the tectonic and paleogeographic implications
within the Caribbean convergence system.

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2 Regional Geology

The northern Andes of Colombia comprise three Cordilleras that are the Eastern, Central and
Western Cordilleras, separated by two deep Valleys that are the Magdalena and the Cauca river
Basins (Figures 1 and 2). The Eastern Cordillera and the eastern flank of the Central Cordillera

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are made up mainly of the South American Continental basement, whereas the western
Cordillera and part of the Central Cordillera consist of allochthonous accreted oceanic mafic

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terranes (Maya and González, 1995). The contact between both units is a regional fault system,
in which the para-authoctonous continental rocks are tectonically mixed with elements of

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Cretaceous oceanic origin, such as metamorphosed mafic and ultramafic rocks, high-pressure
units and ocean sedimentary sequences (Vinasco and Marín, 2012). This suture is defined by the
Romeral Fault System (Maya and González, 2985), and extends southward into Ecuador as the

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Calacalí-Pujilí Fault (Villagómez et al., 2011). The Cauca Valley follows this broad suture.
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2.1 Western Cordillera of Colombia
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The Western Cordillera of Colombia comprises accreted oceanic blocks that were thrust onto the
South American plate during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene (Toussaint, 1996; Kerr et al., 1997;
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Villagómez et al., 2011). These oceanic blocks are considered as various separate Mesozoic
lithodemic units (Figure 2) (Maya and González, 1995) that include from west to east 1) The
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Colombian-Caribbean Ocean Plateau (CCOP) (Kerr et al., 1997), 2) the subduction-related

metamorphic Arquía Complex of MORB and T-MORB affinity (Restrepo and Toussaint, 1976;
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Bustamante, 2008; Villagómez et al., 2011), 3) possible back-arc extensional sequences like the
Quebradagrande Complex (González, 1980; Toussaint and Restrepo, 1994; Nivia et al., 2006;
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Villagómez et al., 2011).

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The CCOP consists of anomalously thick oceanic crust, which is commonly considered to have
formed as an oceanic plateau between the Early and Late Cretaceous, and that part of this plateau
accreted onto the continent. Various fragments have been described in Colombia and Ecuador, as
well as Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Aruba and Curacao and the Dominican Republic (Kerr
and Tarney, 2005; Spikings et al., 2001; Lapierre et al., 2000; Revillion et al., 2000).

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Though different origins have been proposed for the CCOP, regarding the place of origin and
subsequent migration (see Pindell et al., 2006 and references therein), it is agreed by most
authors that it formed in the Pacific Ocean, and later migrated to the northeast-east, placing itself
between the two Americas as they separated in the Jurassic. The proto-Caribbean ocean crust
subducted the leading edge of the Caribbean microplate, which gave rise to an intraoceanic

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island arc, called by some authors the Great Caribbean Arc (Burke, 1988; White et al., 1999;
Pindell et al., 2005). During this process, part of the CCOP subducted-accreted the North and

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South American margins. Ages for the CCOP range between 99 and 82 Ma (Wadge et al., 1982,
Donnelly et al., 1990; 2002b; Sinton et al., 1997; 1998; Hauff et al., 2000; Spikings et al., 2005).

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The oldest date is a U-Pb zircon age of 99.7 ± 1.3 obtained for the Palmar gabbro (Volcanic Fm.)
and is considered a proxy for the earliest time of formation by Villagómez et al. (2011). The

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CCOP accreted onto the South American continental margin between 75-70 Ma (Villagómez et
al., 2011).
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The Aruba Batholith in Aruba (White et al., 1999), the Santa Fe, Buriticá and Buga Batholiths in
Colombia (Nivia and Gómez-Tapias, 2005; Villagómez et al., 2011; Rodríguez et al., 2012), and
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the Pujilí Batholith in Ecuador (Vallejo et al. 2006), intrude the mafic sequences of the CCOP
(Figure 2), and have been interpreted as part of an intra-oceanic arc-sequence that evolved on the
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CCOP in the Late Cretaceous by most authors.

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3 Anlytical Methods
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Representative samples of all units were taken during systematic fieldwork mapping (Figure 3).
After extensive petrographic analyses, only fresh samples of each of the identified units were
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chosen for further geochemical analyses. Sample coordinates are given in Table 1.
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Samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at Acme

Analytical Laboratories Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada. A 0.2 g aliquot was weighed into a graphite
crucible and mixed with 1.5 g of LiBO2 flux. The crucibles were placed in an oven and heated to
1050° C for 15 minutes. The molten sample was dissolved in 5% HNO3. Calibration standards
and reagent blanks were added to the sample sequence. Sample solutions were aspirated into an
ICP emission spectrograph (Jarrel Ash Atom Comb 975) for determining major oxides and
certain trace elements (Ba, Nb, Ni, Sr, Sc, Y & Zr), while the sample solutions were aspirated

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into an ICP-MS (Perkins-Elmer Elan 6000) for determination of the trace elements, including
rare earth elements.

Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic analyses were carried out at the Geochronological Research Center of
São Paulo University (CPGeOUSP). Rb and Sr contents were determined by X-ray fluorescence

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and Sm and Nd values by isotopic dilution. For the Sm-Nd method the analytical procedures
followed Sato et al. (1995). 143Nd/144Nd was obtained using a multi-collector mass spectrometer,
with an analytical precision of 0.0014% (2σ). Experimental error for the 147Sm/144Nd ratios is on

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143
the order of 0.1%. La Jolla and BCR-1 standards yielded Nd/144Nd = 0.511849 ± 0.000025

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(1σ) and 0.512662 ± 0.000027 (1σ) respectively during the period in which the analyses were
performed. εNd values were calculated following De Paolo (1988), and the constants used
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include Nd/144Nd (CHUR) = 0.512638 and 147
Sm/144Nd (CHUR)0 = 0.1967. R-Sr analyses

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followed procedures presented by Tassinari et al. (1996). Rb and Sr values were obtained by X-
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87
ray fluorescence, and Sr/86Sr ratios were done using a VG-sector mass spectrometer and
corrected for isotopic fractionation during thermal ionization using a 87Sr/86Sr value of 0.1194.
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For U-Pb geochronology in zircons heavy mineral concentrates of the <350µ fraction were
crushed, sieved and hydraulically separated. Subsequent magnetic and heavy liquid separation
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with methylene iodide was used to concentrate zircons. Inclusion-free zircons from the non-
magnetic fraction were then hand-picked under a binocular microscope. U-Pb LA-ICP-MS
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analyses were carried at the Washington State University using a New Wave Nd: YAG UV 213-
nm laser coupled to a ThermoFinnigan Element 2 single collector, double-focusing, magnetic
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sector ICP-MS. Details on U-Pb LA-ICP-MS analytical procedures followed thus presented in
Chang et al (2006). U-Pb data were reduced using Isoplot (Ludwig, 2003). The final
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crystallization ages that we report are Concordia zircon ages. The reported error ages followed
two uncertainties: the first is derived from the concordant or intercept age calculation alone (time
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dependent), and the second represents our systematic uncertainty during that session (time
independent), with the error from the standards quadratically added to the analytical error.

4 Field characteristics and petrology of the Santa Fe Batholith

The Santa Fe Batholith was originally described as the Sabanalarga Pluton (Álvarez et al., 1975,
Mejía et al., 1983a, 1983b). It was defined as a tonalitic unit, that intrudes rocks from the Central

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and Western Cordilleras, the Barroso Formation, considered as part of the CCOP, and
metamorphic rocks considered to represent Permo-Triassic continental margin. Nevertheless,
Nivia and Gómez-Tapias (2005) proposed to separate this unit into two different Batholiths, one
that crops out to the east of the Cauca-Almaguer Fault (sensu Maya and González, 1995) and one
to the west of the Cretaceous suture. These are the the Sabanalarga and the Santa Fe Batholiths

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respectively (Figure 3). Also to the west, intruding the CCOP rocks, lies the Buriticá Tonalite
(cf. González and Londoño, 2002), considered by some authors to be correlated to the Santa Fe

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Batholith (Toussaint, 1996; González and Londoño, 2002; Álvarez and González, 1978).

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The Santa Fe Batholith comprises gabbros and more felsic rocks such as tonalites and
quartzdiorites, but diorites are also present (Figure 4a). In some instances gabbros show an
increase in percentage of amphibole, and can be classified as hornblendites. These lithological

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types show complex field relations. The most abundant rocks are tonalites (Figure 4b), which
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generally contain centimetre to meter sized enclaves of the more mafic rocks. Chilled margins
are absent, and there is evidence of assimilation, such as diffused margins and schlieren textures,
indicating that different rock types coexisted at high temperatures (Figure 4a and b).
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Conspicuous mineral orientation is a common feature in the tonalites. The described units are
often seen intruded by late dioritic dykes (Figure 4d), which are strait and show chilled margins,
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indicating that tonalites had already cooled during this stage.

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Felsites are present as discontinuous intrusions within the Barroso Formation basalts (Figure 4c).
Felsites have also been described near the town of Vijes, by Millward (1983), Aspden and
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McCourt (1986) and Kerr et al. (1996) and Kerr et al. (2004), mixed with basalt. They have been
interpreted by these authors, by means of their field relationships, as either associated with the
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waning thermal regime near the end of the CCOP formation, or related to partial melting of the
oceanic crust during obduction and imbrication of the plateau.
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To the north, the Buriticá Tonalite intrudes gabbros, and veining and agmatitic textures have
been described at their contact (Nivia and Gómez-Tapias, 2005).

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5 Geochronology

Former geochronological analyses for the Santa Fe and Buriticá granitoids include mainly K-Ar
and Ar-Ar ages that can be related to magmatic cooling, and in the case of the K-Ar it is not
possible to appropriately discriminate between argon excess, loss and a meaningful

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geochronological age.

Rodríguez et al. (2012) have recently obtained an Ar-Ar plateau age in a gabbroic rock

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associated to the Santa Fe Batholith of ca. 123 Ma. If geologically meaningful, this age may
suggest the existence of older Albian mafic rocks, related to the CCOP. Vinasco et al. (2003)

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present Ar-Ar amphibole geochronology on the Santa Fe Batholith. Ar-Ar spectra seem to be
disturbed and do not yield a well-defined plateau age, however some continuous degassing steps

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are calculated, and pseudo plateau ages of ca. 92 and 89 Ma are recorded, which may represent
the cooling ages of the batholith. Zapata et al. (2013) have recently determined a ca. 89 Ma U-Pb
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zircon crystallization age from a gabbroic rock further south from the Santa Fe Batholith. Such
gabbroic rock may be similar to the mafic rocks of the Santa Fe Batholith and therefore may
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suggest a ~90 Ma age for this batholith. All these ages are similar to granitoid rocks intruding the
CCOP in southern Colombia (Villagómez et al., 2011).
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We report new U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon ages carried out in a granitoid sample from the Buriticá
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Tonalite (sample GR 22) (Table 2). Our attempts to extract zircons from the Santa Fe rocks have
not been successful, a fact we consider may be connected to granitoid petrogenesis, suggesting
that the magma is not saturated in Zr, and that this element was retained in the amphibole
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residue.
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Forty nine zircon crystals Th/U ratios for the analysed zircon spots are >0.1, with values between
0.2 and 1.0, which are characteristic of magmatic related zircons (Rubbatto et al., 2002). These
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crystals have yielded an U-Pb weight average age of 100.9 ± 0.85 at the 2σ level, related to the
magmatic crystallization of the granitoid (Figure 5). This age is older than the 91.1 ± 6.4 Ma
amphibole K-Ar age presented by Göbel and Stibane (1979) which may be related to a granitoid
cooling or a reheating event.

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Similar 95-100 Ma ages have been obtained by Villagómez et al. (2011) in gabbroic rocks
associated to plateau related volcanics of the CCOP in southern Colombia and therefore are
considered as part of the plutonic elements of the plateau.

Based in the new U-Pb geochronology and published Ar-Ar, and also the regional correlations,

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we consider the existence of magmatic plutonism between ca. 100 Ma and 90 Ma. We will
discuss the petrotectonic implications of this record in the next sections.

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6 Geochemistry

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6.1 Whole rock geochemistry

The Geochemistry data is presented in Table 3. The Santa Fe and Buriticá rocks range in

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composition from gabbros, tonalites to quartzdiorites and can be divided into three main groups.
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Rock classification is based on the QAP diagram recalculated by the CIPW norm of Streckeisen
(Figure 6a) and the more felsic rocks were classified on the An-Ab-Or diagram (Figure 6b). The
distinction of different groups was based on field and geochemical characteristics, the latter of
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which are described below. Changes in the abundance of major and trace elements through the
rock suites are shown on Harker variation diagrams in Figure 7.
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Santa Fe Gabbro-Tonalite
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This group comprises gabbros, tonalites and quartzdiorites. SiO2 contents vary from 44.17 wt%
for the gabbros to 68.19 wt% for the tonalites (Figure 7). The MgO contents range from 1.39 to
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16.21 wt%, Al2O3 contents are relatively high, and range between 12.45 wt% and 18.29 wt%,
whereas K2O contents are less than 1 wt%. These rocks have variable Sr contents and range from
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56 to 581 ppm, Y contents vary from 2.4 to 15.9 ppm, and Yb from 0.29 to 1.6 ppm. Sr/Y ratios
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and La/Yb ratios for the tonalites are moderate and range from 27 to 46 and 2.6 to 6.5
respectively. Two types of tonalites can be differentiated by differences in field relationships,
and also geochemically by LILE contents. Type I has higher Rb, Sr, and REE abundances, as
well as Ni and Cr, compared to Type II (Figure 7).

The primodial mantle normalised (Taylor and McLennan, 1985) multi-element diagrams have
similar patterns and elements have overall similar relative abundances of incompatible elements,

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which suggests that the different samples analysed are related (Figure 8a-b). The patterns show
negative anomalies for Nb and Ti, and positive Ba and Sr anomalies, which have been
interpreted as consistent with a subduction-related origin.

REE patterns of gabbros are relatively flat, and somewhat heavy REE (HREE) enriched with

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respect to light REE (LREE) (Figure 9a-b). They also show a marked positive Eu anomaly,
indicating the presence of plagioclase as a possible cumulate phase. In contrast the tonalites and

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quartzdiorites are LREE enriched, and Eu anomalies are less pronounced. The HREEs are
relatively uniform in both rock-types.

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Buriticá Tonalite and Felsites

The Buriticá samples collected are tonalites (Figure 7), and the felistes comprise dacitic

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porphyries, geochemically very similar to the Buriticá rocks. SiO2 for both suites is relatively
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high, and varies from 66.51 wt% to 73.03 wt%, MgO is < 3.94 wt% and Al2O3 contents vary
from 12.83 to 14.82 wt% (Figure 6). K2O values are low, less than 1.05 wt%. The Sr content is
relatively low, 153-176 ppm for the Buriticá samples and 110-145 ppm for the felsites (Figure
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7).
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The primodial mantle normalised (Taylor and McLennan, 1985) multi-element diagrams have an
overall similar pattern compared to the Santa Fe tonalites, though they are more depleted in
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incompatible elements (Figure 8c). Also the negative Nb and positive Sr anomalies are less
evident, whereas there are much more pronounced positive Zr, and negative Ti anomalies. These
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rocks have much lower Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, distinguishing them from the Santa Fe unit
(Figure 10). The Buriticá samples show no negative Eu anomaly (Figure 9c), which indicates
that plagioclase was not a fractionating phase during crystallization. The similarities between the
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Buriticá samples and the felsite porphyries suggest that both share a similar formation process.
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6.2 Isotopes

The isotope data is presented in Table 4. All samples have relatively homogenous isotopic
values, and the data cluster around 87Sr/86Srt=92 Ma 0.70370 and εNdt=92 around 7 (Figure 11).
The isotope values are primitive, and no trace of more evolved material is evident, and in general

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overlaps data form the CCOP. Interestingly there is no difference in the isotope values between
the Santa Fe and the Buriticá rocks.

7 Petrogenesis

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The Santa Fe Batholith Type I, as well as other CCOP intrusions, such as the Aruba and Buga
tonalites and quartzdiorites, share some similarities to adakites. Santa Fe Type II, as well as the

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Buriticá and Felsite samples, have even lower LILEs, and low Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, and they
have characteristics more similar to ocean or primitive crust, i.e. M-type granites (cf. Whalen,

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1985; Kawate and Arima, 1998).

The term adakite refers to rocks that are rich in silica (>56 wt%), characterised by high Al2O3 (>

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15wt%), and Na2O (3.5 wt%≤Na2O≤7.5 Wt%), low MgO (< 3wt%). In terms of trace elements,
they have high Sr (>300), low Y (<18 ppm) and high HREE compared to equivalent island-arc
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rocks. They also have high Sr/Y (>40) and La/Yb (>20) ratios (Defant and Drummond, 1990;
Atherton and Petford, 1993; Feeley and Hacker, 1995; Kay and Kay, 2002). Although the Santa
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Fe Batholith Type I, the Aruba and the Buga tonalites and quartzdiorites have fairly high Al2O3,
and low Y, and in the Martin et al. (2005) diagram the Santa Fe Batholith samples follow the
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typical Adakite-TTG field trend (not shown), many characteristics are not similar to adakites:
Na2O is low (< 3.39 wt%), Sr/Y ratios are only relatively high, and La/Yb is low. Furthermore,
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K and Rb are depleted relative to other LILE elements, which is more characteristic of oceanic
plagiogranites (Coleman and Donato, 1979; Beard, 1998) and ocean-arc granites (Whalen, 1985;
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Kawate and Arima, 1998; Saito et al., 2004).

Comparison of the Santa Fe data with Phanerozoic oceanic island-arc gabbros and granitoids
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such as the Izu-Bonin, further supports a primitive ocean-arc related origin for these rocks. On
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the Th/Yb vs. Nb/Yb and (La/Yb)N vs. Sr/Y of Condie and Kröner (2011), the CCOP tonalite
intrusion rocks plot near the ocean-arc rocks data, indicating that these rocks formed by similar
processes (Figure 10). Moreover, negative Nb-Ta anomalies relative to Th-U, K and LREEs are
present in the gabbro spider diagrams. These geochemical features are typical of mafic rocks
from subduction zones and back-arc basins. This geological setting is envisaged for the Santa Fe
Batholith and Buriticá felsic rocks.

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Experimental studies of melting of mafic rocks have shown that it is possible to produce silicic
melts from greenstone-amphibolites (Beard and Lofgren, 1991; Rapp et al., 1991; Ruschmer,
1991, 1993; Sen and Dunn, 1994; Wolf and Wyllie, 1994; Rapp and Watson, 1995; Patino
Douce and Beard, 1995; Johannes and Koepke, 2001), basalts (Holloway and Burnham, 1972;
Helz, 1973; Beard and Lofgren, 1991; Winther and Newton, 1991; Kawamoto, 1996), and

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gabbros (Koepke et al., 2003, 2004; ). The melting of mafic rocks may occur over a broad
temperature range, between 800-1100°C (e.g. Spinger and Seck, 1997). Winther and Newton

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(1991) determined that tonalitic magmas are produced at high temperatures, low pressures and
high H2O contents, whereas trondhjemitic magmas formed at lower temperatures, higher

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pressures and lower H2O contents. Higher pressures would enable garnet to form, which is not
likely in the Santa Fe rocks. On the normative An-Ab-Or diagram the Buriticá and Felsite

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samples plot on the field of melts obtained by water saturated melting experiments of Winther
and Newton (1991), and the Santa Fe samples plot near the high temperature melts obtained by
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Helz (1976). In these melting experiments amphibole is found abundantly as residual phase at
low pressures, whereby the presence of amphibole in the residue would produce low-K melts, as
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K would be trapped in the solid phase (Winther and Newton, 1991).

According to Koepke et al. (2004, 2007) experimental melts that form through hydrous partial
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melting of oceanic gabbros are low in TiO2 (< 1 wt%) as opposed to melts generated through
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fractional crystallization, because the protolith compositions used in the partial melting
experiments are strongly depleted TiO2 gabbros, that are typical for the oceanic crust. All of the
analysed tonalite samples have very low TiO2 contents (Figure 7).
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The REE concentrations of the Santa Fe Tonalites are consistent with an origin by partial
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melting. 15% batch melting of gabbro composition yields melts which are similar to the Type I
samples, leaving a 10:54:27 amphibole-plagioclase-clinopyroxene residue.
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Interestingly, experiments undertaken by Springer and Seck (1996) on metamafic rocks produce
coexisting plagioclase - clinopyroxene - hornblende - spinel ± orthopyroxene at low pressures.
Rocks that contain plagioclase -amphibole - clinopyroxene - spinel crop out in the area have
been found and possibly are related to the Santa Fe Batholith. These rocks have been described
by Rodríguez et al. (2012) and are referred to as the Pantanillo Granulite.

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We interpret the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá to represent partial melts of underlying
hornblende mafic rocks, possibly gabbros. Partial melting would have occurred at shallow crustal
level, precluding the formation of garnet in the refractory residue.

8 Comparison to other CCOP tonalite units

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Several Cretaceous tonalitic units have been identified intruding rocks of the CCOP in the

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southern Caribbean realm (Figure 1). These are, from south to north, the Pujilí Granite (Vallejo
et al., 2006), the Buga Batholith (Villagómez et al., 2011), the Santa Fe Batholith (Discussed in

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this paper), and the Aruba Batholith (White et al., 1999). All of these units have negative Nb-Ta
and Ti anomalies, and high concentration of LILE elements, and are therefore interpreted to have
formed in a subduction zone setting.

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The Pujilí granite is a tectonic block in an ophiolitic mélange. Blocks within the melange include
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foliated muscovite-rich granitoids, amphibolites, phyllites, grey sandstones, and conglomerates
surrounded by a serpentinitic matrix. U/Pb crystallization ages (SHRIMP) are 85.5 ± 1.4 Ma
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(Hughes et al., 1998; Vallejo 2007; Vallejo et al., 2006).

The Buga Batholith comprises diorites and granodiorites, and lies in the southern Western
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Cordillera of Colombia. This unit intrudes basalts and gabbros of the CCOP (Amaime Fm.) in
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this area. Villagómez et al. (2011) obtained two ages for this unit: a 92.1±0.8 Ma (MSWD=0.66;
n=43) U-Pb age in a tonalite and a less precise 90.2±1.8 ((MSWD=2.3; n=22) age in a diorite.
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The Aruba Batholith intrudes a thick volcanic sequence, the Aruba Lava Fromation (ALF),
which comprises basalt flows, pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits of the CCOP, that have
undergone subgreenschist facies metamorphism (Beets et al., 1996; White et al., 1999, Wright
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and Wyld, 2011). 40Ar/39Ar ages have been recorded ranging from 81.8 ± 0.3 Ma to 90.61 ± 1.74.
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(White et al., 1999; van der Lelij et al., 2010), and U-Pb zircon data are around 89 Ma (van der
Lelij et al., 2010; Wright and Wyld, 2011).

Figure 12 shows a comparative Primitive mantle-normalized multi-element geochemical plot

between the Santa Fe Type I tonalite data, the Pujilí Granite, the Buga and Aruba Batholiths
(White et al., 1999, Vallejo, 2007; Villagómez et al., 2011). The comparison clearly shows that
the Aruba, Buga and the Santa Fe units all share very similar patterns, in particular there is a neat

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overlap of the Aruba and Santa Fe tonalite samples. Comparison with the Pujilí Granite data
shows some notable differences between these rocks. Interestingly, the Pujilí Granite (Vallejo,
2006) shares more chemical characteristics with adakites, such as high Sr (> 300) and low Y (<
18), and very high Sr/Y (>113) and a strong HREE depletion, which sets it apart from the other
tonalite units that intrude the CCOP.

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In Figure 11 the 87Sr/86Sr and εNd data of the Santa Fe and Buriticá Batholith are shown together

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with isotope data from the Aruba Batholith, and again these overlap neatly. Consistent with the
87
other results, the Pujilí plots to the more enriched Sr/86Sr, indicating some possible additional

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enriched source input.

These considerations indicate that most of the Santa Fe and Buriticá samples, the Aruba

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Tonalites and the Buga Tonalites share a similar origin, and it is therefore possible that they
might have formed from similar processes.
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9 Tectonic setting
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The origin of the Buriticá and Santa Fe Batholith rocks has to take into account the following
considerations: 1) Only small volumes of felsic melt have been identified intruding the CCOP in
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the southern Caribbean realm 2) Geochemical signatures of these melts are similar to M-Type
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granites, which are characteristic of felsic melts in ophiolites or intra-oceanic arcs, 3) The
formation of these melts has to have occurred at high temperatures, and relatively shallow (above
garnet) crustal levels. This involves a high geothermal gradient at the time of formation in order
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to melt mafic rocks, without the presence of garnet. 4) Ages for the Buriticá rocks are older
(~100 Ma) than other similar granitoid rocks and possibly the Santa Fe Tonalites (~90 Ma), that
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intrude the CCOP.

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The CCOP is considered by most workers to have formed in the Pacific (see Pindell et al., 2006
and references therein). As northern and south America separated in Jurassic times, the thickened
CCOP crust migrated towards the northeast-east, ultimately subducting proto-Caribbean
seafloor. Two models exist as to when subduction beneath the CCOP began and both include the
formation of a “Great arc”, first proposed by Burke et al. (1984).

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Some authors (e.g. Burke et al., 1984; Duncan and Hargraves, 1984; White et al., 1999; Kerr et
al., 2003; Thompson et al., 2004) suggest that the CCOP originated on ocean crust, west of the
“Great arc”. This arc formed by east-dipping subduction of Pacific Ocean crust beneath the
proto-Caribbean. The arrival of the CCOP overthickened crust at this subduction zone, in the
early Cretaceous, “choked” the subduction zone and triggered subduction polarity reversal at ~90

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Ma, and therefore the formation of a new west-dipping subduction zone.

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Other authors (e.g., Pindell et al., 2006; Jolly et al., 2006), suggest that the polarity reversal
occurred earlier, at ~120 Ma and that a long-lived arc existed to the east of the CCOP, with the

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subduction zone always dipping to the west.

Most recently Wright and Wyld (2011) proposed that the Cretaceous Great Arc of the Caribbean

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may have evolved as initially two arcs separated by a transform boundary referred to Subduction
Termination Edge Propagator (STEP), which partially evolved by 89 Ma to the Ecuadorian
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Colombian-Leeward Antilles (ECLA) west-dipping arc, build largely upon a basement of the
CCOP. These authors suggest that part of the Plateau was transferred to the hanging wall of the
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subduction zone where the Aruba Batholith was emplaced. This would imply that at 89 Ma,
subduction initiation occurred at the eastern margin of the CCOP.
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One important aspect of the formation of the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite is the
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origin of the anomalous heat flow. High-silica melts have been found to have been produced by
partial melting and has been suggested for felsic melts in various settings where magma-rock
interactions are possible, such as the top of an axial magma chamber at mid-ocean ridges
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(Coogan et al., 2003; Gillis, 2008).

Another possibility for heat input is due to asthenospheric upwelling and consequential melting
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of overlying crustal rocks. This process is possible at specific tectonic scenarios such as: 1) Slab
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detachment (e.g. Davies and Blanckenburg, 1995). 2) Crustal delamination, which can occur
after crustal thickening and slab-breakoff in a subduction zone or by gravitational instability of
the lithosphere (Ueda et al., 2012). 3) Mantle window or ridge subduction beneath active
margins, where the high heat flow through the slab window could induce melting (Aguillón-
Robles et al., 2001; Bradley et al., 2003; Thorkelson and Breitsprecher, 2005; Cole and Stewart,
2009) and 4) Intraoceanic subduction Initiation (Stern, 2004; Gerya, 2011).

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In many of these scenarios, an on-going subduction zone is inherent to the model. In the general
southern Caribbean realm, evidence of a mid-late Albian (or older) of a late Cenomanian (~95
Ma) intra-oceanic arc, are restricted to the Washikemba Formation in Bonaire, part of the Lesser
Antilles (Beets et al., 1977, 1984; Thompson et al., 2004; Wright and Wyld, 2011). These rocks
are generally considered as the south end of the Great arc of the Caribbean. In the case of the

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Colombian Western Cordillera, so far no evidence of ocean-arc activity prior to 90 Ma has been
registered. In the Central Cordillera, the Early Cretaceous Quebradagrande Complex, thought to

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have formed in the back-arc basin (Villagómez et al., 2011), referred to as the Colombian
Marginal Seaway by Pindell and Keenan (2009), is considered to have formed in an east-dipping

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subduction zone and accreted against South American margin in the Late Aptian, which was
accompanied by the obduction of medium-high P-T metamorphic rocks of the Arquía Complex

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onto the Cretaceous forearc. Therefore, models that imply abundant magmatic activity related to
the CCOP prior to the formation of tonalite magmas are precluded. Consequently, three
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possibilities of Santa Fe and Buriticá rocks could be considered: 1) Melting at the plateau itself,
due to either magma-rock interaction or because of gravitational instability and delamination of
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the lithosphere, 2) Asthenospheric upwelling at the Subduction Termination Edge Propagator

(STEP), or 3) Subduction initiation due to spontaneous nucleation (SNSZ) resulting from
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inherent gravitational instability of old oceanic lithosphere compared to the underlying mantle
(c.f. Stern 2004 and references therein). Models 2 and 3 are not exclusive of each other, and
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subduction initiation is a possible result, if the STEP fault is subject to compression, for instance
due to a change in plate motion (Baes et al., 2011). This has been argued by Wright and Wyld
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(2011), who suggest that the Cretaceous Caribbean STEP partially evolved to the Ecuadorian
Colombian-Leeward Antilles (ECLA) west-dipping arc.
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The increase of negative Nb and Ti anomalies and (La/Yb)N ratios between the samples from the
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Buriticá and the Santa Fe units, are indicative of an increase of subduction related input, and
therefore we favour such a tectonic scenario. The model in Figure 13 shows the evolution of
Caribbean-South American plate interaction during the Cretaceous, taking into account the above
tectonic considerations. Within the north-western margin of the South America, the CCOP
formed at ~112 Ma to the west of the South American continental margin, at a time where a
west-trending Great arc was active. The eastern termination of this arc comprises the STEP
proposed by Wright and Wyld (2011). Initial melting due to asthenospheric upwelling resulted in

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the formation of the Buriticá and Felsite rocks at ~ 100 Ma, which intrude the CCOP basalts, and
subsequent migration of the Caribbean plate towards the northeast resulted in subduction
initiation and the formation of the Aruba, Santa Fe, and Buga tonalitic units at ~90 Ma on the
CCOP. At ~75 Ma part of the arc collided with the continent, and the Buga and Santa Fe units
were transferred onto the continent. The Aruba Batholith continues as part of the CCOP, and is

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tectonically transported to the present day position.

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10 Conlusions

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The Santa Fe gabbros and tonalities, and the Buriticá tonalities and related dacites formed at
shallow crustal levels by melting of underlying mafic rocks with an associated mantle source and
thermal input. The envisaged tectonic scenario is the formation of initial melts in the Colombian

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Caribbean Oceanic Plateau (CCOP) due to the asthenospheric upwelling at a Subduction
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Termination Edge Propagator (STEP) at ~ 100 Ma within the Caribbean realm. Later subduction
initiation at the eastern margin of the CCOP led to the formation of a primitive island arc that
comprise rocks from the Santa Fe Batholith and the Aruba and the Buga Tonalites.
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11 Acknowledgements
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This project was funded by the Colombian Geological Survey (Servicio Geológico Colombiano).
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We would like to thank Daniel García, Nathalia Guerrero, Juanita Flórez, and Andrés Valencia
for their valuable participation during the field-work and petrography analyses and Jennifer
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Betancourt for sample processing. The authors wish to acknowledge the staff of the
Geochronological Research Centre (CP-Geo) and geochemical laboratories of the University of
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Sao Paulo. Victor Valencia from WSU is acknowledged for his help with the U-Pb LA-ICP-MS
analysis. We would also like to thank the National Hydrocarbon Agency-ANH (Colombia), for
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support the U/Pb dating of Buriticá Tonalite, which was part of a Caldas University-ANH project
(2011). We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and
suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript.

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Colombia. XIV Congreso Colombiano de Geología, 375.
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Figure Captions
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Figure 1. Present day Tectonic framework map of northwestern South America and the
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Caribbean Map. (BR) Baudo Range; (WC) Western Cordillera; (CC) Central Cordillera; (EC)
Eastern Cordillera; (CV) Cauca Valley and (MV) Magdalena Valley. The principal ages of these
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units are shown. Simplified from Gómez et al. (2014) and oceanic plateau fragments were taken
from Lidiak and Jolly (1996).
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Figure 2. Geological map of the Western of Colombia. a. Location of the geological map area. b.
Geological units: (1) Neogene-Quaternary deposits and sedimentites; (2) Neogene-Quaternary
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volcanites and volcanoclastic deposits; (3) Neogene intrusives; (4) Paleogene volcanites and
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volcanosedimentites; (5) Paleocene intrusives; (6) Paleocene sedimentites; (7) Late Cretaceous
Colombian-Caribbean Oceanic Plateau: (7a) Ultramafic rocks, (7b) Gabbros, (7c) Basalts, (7d)
Sedimentites and (7e) Plutons; (8) Upper Cretaceous high pressure rocks; (9) Upper Cretaceous
plutons in continental crust; (10) Lower Cretaceous-Quebradagrande Complex; (11) Lower
Cretaceous-Aquía Complex, (12) Lower Cretaceous metamorphic rocks; (13) Lower Cretaceous
diorites and gabbros; (14) Cretaceous volcanosedimentites; (15) Inland sea Cretaceous
sedimentites; (16) Upper Triassic-Middle Jurassic intrusives and volcanosedimentites; (17)

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Triassic metamorphic rocks; (18) Triassic plutons (19) Triassic sedimentites; (20) Permian-
Triassic orthogneisses; (21) Paleozoic plutons and metamorphic rocks; (22) Paleozoic
sedimentites and (23) Stenian-Tonian metamorphic rocks. (AC) Arquía Complex; (BT) Buriticá
Tonalite, (SB) Santa Fe Batholith and (BB) Buga Batholith. Simplified from Gómez et al.
(2014).

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Figure 3. Geological map of the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá Tonalite. Simplified from

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Gómez et al. (2014).

Figure 4. A. Microdiorite inclusions within a tonalite, showing evidence for variable degrees of

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ductile deformation. B. Darker mottled basic rocks within tonalite Type II. Note the “nebulitic”
texture, indicating high temperatures of both rocks. C. Felsite vein intruding the tonalite. D. Late

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microdiorite dike, with chilled margins. AN
Figure 5. Zircon U–Pb concordia plot for the Buriticá Tonalite (sample GR 22).

Figure 6. A. Streckeisen classification (after Streckeisen, 1974) of Santa Fe Batholith and

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Buriticá Tonalite samples. B. An-Ab-Or normative classification of silicic plutonic rocks (after
Barker, 1979). Also shown are the compositional fields of melts obtained by melting
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experiments by Winther and Newton (1991) and Helz (1976) (H). Also shown are the late stage
intrusion compositions.
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Figure 7. Selective major and trace element variations of the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá
Tonalite rocks. Symbols as in Figure 6. Late stage dykes are shown for comparison.
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Figure 8. Primitive mantle-normalized trace-element patterns of the Santa Fe Batholith and

Buriticá Tonalite samples. Normalization values from Taylor and McLennan (1985). Shown for
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comparison are the patterns of average compositions of high silicate adakite (HSA) and low
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silicate adakite (LSA) after Martin et al. (2005). Symbols as in Figure 6.

Figure 9. REE patterns normalized to chondrite for the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá Tonalite.
Normalization values from Nakamura (1974). Shown for comparison are the patterns of average
compositions of high silicate adakite (HSA) and low silicate adakite (LSA) after Martin et al.
(2005). Symbols as in Figure 6.

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Figure 10. A. Nb/Yb vs. Th/Yb plot (Perace, 2008) and B. (La/Yb)N vs. Sr/Y plot (Condie and
Kröner, 2011) for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite, compared with the Aruba
and Buga Batholiths (White et al., 1999, Villagómez et al., 2011) and Pujilí Granite (Vallejo et
al., 2006), high silicate adakite (HSA) and low silicate adakite (LSA) (Martin et al., 2005), and
the Izu arc (Saito et al., 2004). Also shown are fields from oceanic and continental arcs, and

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ophiolite felsics after Condie and Kröner (2011). Symbols for the Santa Fe and Buriticá, LSA
and HSA data as in Previous figures. Late stage intrusion data is also shown for comparison.

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Figure 11. Sr and Nd isotopes for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite, age corrected

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at 92 Ma, compared with the Aruba Lava Formation (ALF), Aruba Batholith (White et al., 1999)
and Pujilí Granite (Vallejo et al., 2006). Also shown are data from Curacao and Gorgona
Komatiites (Kerr et al. 1997), and a range of East Pacific Rise (EPR) (Faure, 1986).

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Figure 12. REE patterns normalized to chondrite for the Santa Fe Batholith and Buriticá
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Tonalite. Compared to the patterns of the Pujilí Granite, the Buga and Aruba Batholiths (White
et al., 1999, Vallejo, 2007, Villagómez et al., 2011). Normalization values from Nakamura
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(1974).

Figure 13. Three-stage model (after Pindell et al., 2005) for the formation of the Santa Fe
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Batholith. ~100 Ma migrationfrom the south-west of the CCOP (in green) as part of the
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Caribbean plate. The “Great arc” is active at the leading edge of the Plate. The STEP is the
southern edge of this arc. ~ 90 Ma the STEP transforms into a subduction zone, and the tonalites
(in pink) are emplaced. ~ 80-70 Ma, part of the CCOP, with the Santa Fe and Buga Batholiths, is
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emplaced onto the eastern margin of South America. The Aruba Batholith remains as part of the
Caribbean Plate. ~ 70-50 Ma the Batholiths are tectonically transported to a near modern day
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position.
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Table Captions

Table 1.

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Sample locations for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite

Table 3.

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U-Pb zircon ages from the Buriticá Tonalite samples

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Table 3.

Whole rock geochemical data for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite

Table 4
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Sr and Nd isotope data for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite
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Sample Coordinates

Latitude Longitude
AN-1834-2 6° 34' 43,23" N 75° 50' 29,78" W
AN-1834-4 6° 34' 43,23" N 75° 50' 29,78" W

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AN-1836 6° 35' 35,37" N 75° 50' 55,69" W
AN-1838 6° 36' 01,49" N 75° 51' 28,17" W
AN-1992-2 6° 41' 17,81" N 75° 55' 51,07" W

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AN-1993 6° 41' 40,55" N 75° 55' 31,48" W
AN-1994 6° 41' 17,72" N 75° 55' 12,00" W

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AN-1995 6° 42' 06,48" N 75° 54' 45,85" W
DAN-12A 6° 49' 23,11" N 75° 49' 34,48" W

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DAN-12C 6° 49' 23,11" N 75° 49' 34,48" W
DAN-12D 6° 49' 23,11" N 75° 49' 34,48" W

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DAN-70 6° 40' 50,17" N 75° 49' 57,69" W
JA-51-B 6° 36' 54,94" N 75° 53' 33,84" W

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JA-74 6° 36' 53,38" N 75° 51' 46,40" W
JA-108 6° 35' 12,39" N 72° 52' 43,11" W

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JA-146 6° 30' 49,27" N 72° 50' 48,03" W
JFC-23A 6° 36' 43,24" N 72° 51' 18,80" W

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JFC-25 6° 36' 42,72" N 75° 51' 0,75" W
JFC-36 6° 35' 47,01" N 72° 51' 07,92" W
JFC-36C 6° 35' 47,01" N 72° 51' 07,92" W
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JFC-36D 6° 35' 47,01" N 72° 51' 07,92" W
JGT-116B 6° 34' 27,65" N 75° 50' 19,08" W
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JGT-118A 6° 34' 41,67" N 75° 50' 08,75" W

JGT-121A 6° 41' 33,46" N 75° 55' 33,19" W
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GR 22 6° 41' 14,82" N 75° 55' 15,35" W

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Table 2
U-Pb zircon ages from the Buriticá Stock samples.

Sample U Th 238U 1 sigma 207Pb 1 sigma 206/238 1 sigma 207/206 1σ Best age 1σ
(ppm) U 206Pb % err 206Pb % err age abs err age abs err Ma abs (Ma)

GR-22_1 225 0 62.7 2.9306 0.0 0.5177 102.0 2.9642 158.3 12.07 102.0 3.0

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GR-22_2 397 0 63.9 2.9312 0.0 1.5472 100.1 2.9106 160.5 35.80 100.1 2.9
GR-22_3 122 0 63.3 4.0937 0.0 1.6564 101.0 4.1018 162.1 38.28 101.0 4.1
GR-22_4 1084 0 64.0 2.3536 0.0 1.1819 100.0 2.3344 181.6 27.31 100.0 2.3

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GR-22_5 1638 1 65.3 2.2692 0.0 1.0334 97.9 2.2049 140.5 24.08 97.9 2.2
GR-22_6 1604 0 62.7 2.2650 0.0 0.7262 102.0 2.2918 138.9 16.98 102.0 2.3
GR-22_7 762 0 63.4 3.2721 0.0 1.4236 100.9 3.2760 139.3 33.09 100.9 3.3

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GR-22_8 634 1 62.6 2.6506 0.0 0.6800 102.2 2.6870 156.0 15.84 102.2 2.7
GR-22_9 437 0 62.8 2.5572 0.0 0.9856 101.9 2.5844 174.3 22.84 101.9 2.6
GR-22_10 688 0 62.7 2.9489 0.0 0.4094 102.0 2.9826 129.2 9.60 102.0 3.0
GR-22_11 1333 1 62.5 3.4035 0.0 1.2093 102.3 3.4550 137.1 28.16 102.3 3.5

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GR-22_12 420 0 65.2 3.2713 0.0 1.5608 98.2 3.1870 158.5 36.12 98.2 3.2
GR-22_13 203 0 60.2 3.7534 0.1 2.1366 106.1 3.9491 220.7 48.69 106.1 3.9

AN
GR-22_14 275 0 64.7 3.0745 0.0 1.7526 98.9 3.0176 164.0 40.46 98.9 3.0
GR-22_15 332 0 63.0 2.9735 0.0 0.9957 101.5 2.9951 106.0 23.36 101.5 3.0
GR-22_16 290 0 61.7 3.0806 0.0 1.6148 103.6 3.1648 94.2 37.80 103.6 3.2
GR-22_17 344 0 66.1 3.3450 0.1 1.2035 96.8 3.2136 229.8 27.56 96.8 3.2

M
GR-22_18 1042 1 61.6 2.5616 0.0 1.1544 103.8 2.6363 110.8 27.03 103.8 2.6
GR-22_19 446 0 62.7 2.6139 0.0 1.2809 102.0 2.6437 106.3 29.99 102.0 2.6
GR-22_20 578 1 62.2 2.7072 0.0 1.1506 102.8 2.7597 129.1 26.85 102.8 2.8

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GR-22_21 791 0 62.2 2.6321 0.0 1.2707 102.8 2.6839 122.0 29.67 102.8 2.7
GR-22_22 569 0 62.6 2.7973 0.1 0.8827 102.1 2.8326 215.5 20.31 102.1 2.8

TE
GR-22_23 313 0 64.5 3.3389 0.0 0.5434 99.2 3.2854 106.1 12.79 99.2 3.3
GR-22_24 526 0 61.9 2.9316 0.0 1.0621 103.4 3.0053 104.7 24.91 103.4 3.0
GR-22_25 1403 1 62.4 2.4660 0.1 0.9405 102.5 2.5075 252.4 21.49 102.5 2.5
GR-22_26 819 1 64.5 2.6216 0.0 1.0525 99.2 2.5802 132.6 24.56 99.2 2.6
EP
GR-22_27 413 0 64.1 3.1398 0.1 1.5249 99.8 3.1093 249.1 34.72 99.8 3.1
GR-22_28 164 0 64.7 3.7188 0.0 0.9854 98.8 3.6464 121.4 23.06 98.8 3.6
GR-22_29 661 0 62.8 2.7062 0.0 0.7001 101.8 2.7330 91.4 16.50 101.8 2.7
GR-22_30 754 0 66.3 3.4379 0.0 1.6396 96.6 3.2944 123.8 38.17 96.6 3.3
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GR-22_31 1600 0 68.7 2.7607 0.0 1.2156 93.2 2.5533 168.1 28.15 93.2 2.6
GR-22_32 124 0 60.7 3.9814 0.1 1.8851 105.3 4.1571 202.5 43.18 105.3 4.2
AC

GR-22_33 360 0 63.3 3.2155 0.0 1.1601 101.0 3.2223 163.2 26.90 101.0 3.2
GR-22_34 351 0 61.6 2.9875 0.1 1.3319 103.8 3.0743 204.9 30.61 103.8 3.1
GR-22_35 271 0 67.6 3.9314 0.0 0.6398 94.7 3.6941 152.7 14.92 94.7 3.7
GR-22_36 596 0 64.4 2.9854 0.1 1.6676 99.3 2.9421 199.6 38.28 99.3 2.9
GR-22_37 354 0 60.6 3.0306 0.0 1.1254 105.5 3.1702 160.4 26.11 105.5 3.2
GR-22_38 408 0 62.9 3.2100 0.0 1.9097 101.6 3.2361 134.0 44.28 101.6 3.2
GR-22_39 408 0 62.9 3.2100 0.0 1.9097 101.6 3.2361 134.0 44.28 101.6 3.2
GR-22_40 516 0 62.5 2.9552 0.1 1.7038 102.4 3.0012 267.7 38.62 102.4 3.0
GR-22_41 171 0 62.5 4.0525 0.1 1.6900 102.3 4.1111 375.2 37.59 102.3 4.1
GR-22_42 775 0 62.2 2.8973 0.1 1.4632 102.7 2.9525 269.0 33.21 102.7 3.0
 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Sample U Th 238U 1 sigma 207Pb 1 sigma 206/238 1 sigma 207/206 1σ Best age 1σ
(ppm) U 206Pb % err 206Pb % err age abs err age abs err Ma abs (Ma)

GR-22_43 141 0 62.1 3.9588 0.1 2.2308 103.0 4.0431 219.2 50.82 103.0 4.0
GR-22_44 370 0 64.9 3.2326 0.0 1.3333 98.6 3.1611 101.4 31.23 98.6 3.2
GR-22_45 612 0 62.7 3.0749 0.0 1.5755 102.1 3.1126 189.2 36.25 102.1 3.1
GR-22_46 1197 1 62.7 2.8112 0.0 0.8994 102.1 2.8461 131.9 21.01 102.1 2.8

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GR-22_47 869 1 62.5 2.9614 0.0 1.5345 102.3 3.0048 133.8 35.68 102.3 3.0
GR-22_48 304 0 67.1 3.3337 0.0 1.4909 95.4 3.1551 156.6 34.53 95.4 3.2
GR-22_49 493 0 63.2 2.9001 0.1 1.2765 101.2 2.9101 275.2 28.98 101.2 2.9

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Table 1.
Geochemical data for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite
Santa Fé Batholith Buriticá Tonalite
Type I Type II Gabbro Felsite
JA-108 JA-128 JA-146 JA-74 JGT-116-B DAN-12C DAN-12A DAN-12D JFC-36C JFC-36 AN-1838 DAN-70 JFC-36D JFC-25 JFC-23A AN-1836 AN-1834-2 AN-1834-4 JA-51-B JGT-118-A AN-1992-2 AN-1993 AN-1994 AN-1995 JGT-121-A
Rock Tonalite Tonalite Qzdiorite Tonalite Qzdiorite Tonalite Tonalite Tonalite Tonalite Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Gabbro Dacite Dacite Dacite Dacite Tonalite Tonalite Tonalite Tonalite Tonalite

SiO2 54.22 61.58 53.12 68.19 56.57 52.53 60.92 65.30 55.25 44.17 45.54 51.46 49.69 44.73 45.27 48.49 70.81 70.44 66.51 71.21 52.70 73.03 71.86 72.60 71.10

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Al2O3 15.79 16.88 12.45 15.13 13.84 17.23 16.48 16.61 17.48 18.29 16.75 15.36 12.58 16.30 16.41 16.34 13.64 13.90 14.82 14.06 13.80 13.32 12.83 12.90 13.45
Fe2O3(T) 7.51 5.92 9.40 4.40 8.64 9.96 7.81 5.20 10.60 15.18 12.75 9.86 12.02 7.49 13.02 12.87 3.95 4.58 5.61 4.43 9.54 3.87 4.44 3.89 3.57
MnO 0.16 0.13 0.16 0.08 0.18 0.18 0.13 0.07 0.18 0.19 0.19 0.18 0.21 0.12 0.20 0.25 0.07 0.06 0.10 0.06 0.16 0.05 0.03 0.02 0.03
MgO 7.15 2.27 9.01 1.39 5.94 5.05 2.34 1.42 4.40 6.45 8.98 9.31 11.33 16.21 6.94 6.38 1.12 1.13 3.94 1.14 8.62 0.81 0.64 0.57 0.64

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CaO 9.37 6.45 9.58 5.56 9.60 9.79 7.05 7.18 10.06 13.26 13.47 10.33 11.18 11.33 13.76 11.36 5.09 4.85 1.14 4.64 8.17 3.58 3.20 3.24 3.37
Na2O 2.10 3.39 2.28 3.37 1.88 2.42 2.71 2.66 1.46 0.86 0.59 1.58 1.09 1.20 1.21 1.83 3.53 3.13 4.47 3.25 2.89 3.98 3.84 3.74 4.37
K2O 0.85 0.99 0.66 0.35 0.94 0.32 0.12 0.14 0.06 0.08 0.05 0.07 0.03 0.04 0.27 0.20 0.43 0.21 0.83 0.19 0.42 0.43 0.85 1.04 0.75

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TiO2 0.36 0.57 0.67 0.42 0.49 0.52 0.46 0.35 0.50 0.52 0.36 0.23 0.29 0.17 0.85 0.93 0.34 0.33 0.26 0.32 0.38 0.20 0.19 0.20 0.20
P2O5 0.08 0.26 0.26 0.16 0.12 0.04 0.13 0.07 0.08 0.02 bld 0.03 0.05 0.02 0.11 0.35 0.08 0.07 0.07 0.13 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.05
LOI 2.39 0.74 1.10 0.75 1.83 1.16 0.85 0.78 0.32 -0.11 -0.09 1.39 0.29 1.57 0.59 0.89 1.28 0.93 2.72 0.95 3.20 1.20 0.75 0.99 1.14
Total 99.99 99.19 98.69 99.81 100.00 99.20 99.01 99.79 100.40 98.89 98.59 99.80 98.76 99.18 98.62 99.89 100.30 99.65 100.50 100.40 99.95 100.50 98.65 99.23 98.68

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Sc 31 17 33 13 47 50 16 12 30 52 50 38 49 18 46 39 16 16 19 15 44 11 13 10 10
V 162 122 245 89 301 185 134 123 254 434 386 149 240 66 494 309 59 55 91 59 226 32 30 18 31

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Cr bdl bdl 410 bdl 70 80 bdl 20 30 30 170 390 560 700 bdl 100 bdl bdl 30 bdl 380 bdl 20 bdl bdl
Co 33 11 39 9 29 37 20 13 33 50 52 49 58 60 38 32 7 8 15 9 39 5 6 3 6
Ni 50 bdl 90 bdl 40 30 bdl bdl 30 30 60 100 100 440 40 40 bdl bdl bdl bdl 70 bdl bdl bdl bdl
Cu 60 30 20 10 70 110 10 20 60 150 80 30 120 10 310 130 60 10 90 30 120 bdl bdl 10 150
Zn 50 60 70 40 70 80 60 40 90 100 70 90 90 50 70 100 50 bdl 50 bdl 60 bdl bdl bdl bdl

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Ga 13 18 15 16 15 17 16 16 17 17 14 15 12 12 17 17 12 13 13 14 13 13 13 12 13
Ge 1.6 1.3 1.5 1.3 2 2 1.3 1 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 2 1.1 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.4 0.7 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.4
Rb 20 25 16 6 13 5 3 3 bdl bdl bdl 2 bdl bdl 3 4 6 5 11 4 6 5 19 17 9
Sr 291 581 384 354 324 135 173 165 192 165 131 185 138 56 347 364 145 136 110 137 125 158 153 167 176

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Y 6.9 15.9 13 9.9 11.9 24.6 6.1 5.6 4.2 3.5 2.4 5.6 6.3 4.6 10.1 10.4 16.6 17.6 8.8 15 8.1 15.8 18.7 15.1 13.7
Zr 48 60 28 96 25 37 38 24 bdl bdl bdl 13 14 8 18 17 76 80 57 81 19 94 139 85 211

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Nb 2.2 2.2 1.7 2.9 1.3 3.5 2.2 2 0.4 0.2 bdl 0.7 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.5 4.7 5.1 2.2 4.6 0.7 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.9
Cs 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.2 bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl 0.1 bdl bdl 1.2 bdl 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4
Ba 299 773 375 198 332 96 76 62 21 11 10 50 18 12 74 133 174 137 101 147 152 148 200 222 258
Hf 1.3 1.7 1 2.2 1 1.3 0.9 0.7 0.1 0.1 bdl 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.8 0.6 2 2.1 1.6 2 0.6 2.5 3.5 2.3 4.9
Ta 0.16 0.14 0.12 0.25 0.13 0.19 0.18 0.15 0.01 0.01 bdl 0.04 0.05 0.17 0.05 0.09 0.41 0.42 0.18 0.43 0.05 0.24 0.22 0.21 0.23
EP
Pb bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl bdl
Th 0.47 1.27 0.77 1.73 1.56 0.27 0.38 0.21 bdl 0.1 bdl 0.15 bdl 0.08 0.15 0.28 0.94 0.99 0.46 0.94 0.21 0.92 0.83 0.78 0.84
U 0.19 0.35 0.23 0.37 0.33 0.29 0.41 0.31 bdl bdl bdl 0.04 bdl bdl 0.02 0.08 0.25 0.26 0.21 0.23 0.04 0.43 0.32 0.34 0.41
C

La 4.71 10.3 7.14 6.31 7.98 3.3 3.42 2.9 1.32 0.71 0.33 1.25 1.45 0.7 4.15 3.61 5.89 6.06 3.23 6.02 1.66 3.53 4.64 4.28 4.76
Ce 9.91 20.5 15.2 12.4 16.5 9.06 6.5 5.46 2.56 1.48 0.76 2.72 3.65 1.82 10.4 8.72 12.2 12.8 6.9 12.4 4.01 8.67 10.7 9.67 10.2
AC

Pr 1.29 2.87 2.32 1.71 2.29 1.49 0.76 0.64 0.35 0.21 0.12 0.4 0.57 0.32 1.65 1.32 1.56 1.65 0.91 1.62 0.6 1.32 1.58 1.39 1.38
Nd 5 12.2 10.3 6.76 8.86 8.11 3.19 2.65 1.59 1.1 0.63 1.92 2.61 1.68 7.39 6.14 6.6 6.84 3.86 6.74 2.94 6.27 7.56 5.98 5.96
Sm 1.19 2.78 2.56 1.52 2.02 2.54 0.8 0.69 0.45 0.33 0.21 0.57 0.74 0.5 1.99 1.6 1.7 1.76 1 1.78 0.85 1.78 2.1 1.7 1.63
Eu 0.512 1.11 0.922 0.637 0.78 0.859 0.472 0.462 0.364 0.254 0.161 0.336 0.327 0.216 0.715 0.773 0.555 0.609 0.381 0.593 0.344 0.496 0.514 0.555 0.516
Gd 1.15 2.49 2.3 1.36 1.84 3.16 0.91 0.75 0.55 0.43 0.26 0.64 0.86 0.56 1.75 1.75 2.02 2.03 1.09 1.92 1.02 2.05 2.5 1.89 1.78
Tb 0.22 0.45 0.4 0.25 0.33 0.64 0.17 0.15 0.11 0.09 0.06 0.14 0.17 0.12 0.33 0.31 0.4 0.4 0.23 0.38 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.36 0.33
Dy 1.3 2.79 2.35 1.58 2 4.26 1.08 0.98 0.71 0.64 0.4 0.92 1.11 0.8 2.07 1.84 2.6 2.65 1.53 2.58 1.34 2.48 3.03 2.28 2.14
Ho 0.26 0.54 0.44 0.32 0.41 0.87 0.22 0.2 0.15 0.13 0.09 0.19 0.23 0.17 0.39 0.36 0.55 0.56 0.31 0.55 0.28 0.51 0.6 0.46 0.46
Er 0.74 1.6 1.3 0.94 1.22 2.56 0.66 0.58 0.47 0.4 0.26 0.57 0.7 0.5 1.17 1.07 1.72 1.74 0.96 1.65 0.88 1.58 1.83 1.4 1.45
Tm 0.109 0.24 0.194 0.142 0.184 0.386 0.1 0.087 0.072 0.062 0.042 0.087 0.108 0.073 0.176 0.157 0.268 0.268 0.152 0.26 0.139 0.255 0.298 0.218 0.239
Yb 0.76 1.6 1.21 0.97 1.24 2.49 0.66 0.57 0.5 0.44 0.29 0.6 0.7 0.46 1.16 1.04 1.78 1.85 0.98 1.75 0.93 1.71 1.99 1.46 1.73
Lu 0.122 0.249 0.187 0.153 0.19 0.379 0.109 0.086 0.078 0.077 0.045 0.102 0.11 0.069 0.189 0.164 0.282 0.287 0.148 0.281 0.146 0.267 0.305 0.225 0.279
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* not analysed, bld = below detection limit

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Table 1.
Sr and Nd isotope data for the Santa Fe Batholith and the Buriticá Tonalite
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Sample Lithology Rb (ppm) Sr (ppm) Rb/86Sr Erro
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Sr/86Sr Erro
147 144
Nd (ppm) Sm/ Nd
Sm (ppm) Erro
147
Nd/144Nd Erro

JA-51-B Dacite 8 104 0.233699 0.001847 0.70545 0.000053 0.90 3.37 0.162058 0.000956 0.51293 0.000010
JGT-118A Dacite 4 129 0.096058 0.003134 0.70394 0.000070 1.80 6.96 0.108932 0.000641 0.51294 0.000011

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AN-1993 Tonalite 5 158 0.086421 0.000682 0.70398 0.000021 1.84 6.34 0.175198 0.001029 0.51297 0.000009
JA-108 Tonalite 6 241 0.074271 0.000580 0.70367 0.000044 1.09 4.57 0.144044 0.000847 0.51294 0.000009
JA-74 Tonalite 6 333 0.053093 0.000418 0.70357 0.000043 1.53 7.01 0.132108 0.000777 0.51293 0.000010
JA-146 Qzdiorite 13 396 0.093312 0.000739 0.70380 0.000062 2.32 9.50 0.147607 0.000891 0.51291 0.000045

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JFC-36C Gabbro 0 175 0.002129 0.000018 0.70369 0.000059 0.35 1.38 0.152789 0.000900 0.51296 0.000014
JFC-23A Gabbro 2 340 0.018915 0.000148 0.703637 0.000080 1.8288 7.3428 0.150606409 0.000874 0.51296106 0.000009
JFC-25 Gabbro 0 123 0.001909 0.000015 0.703704 0.000027 1.0913 3.5076 0.188144755 0.000877 0.51304624 0.000012

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JFC-36D Gabbro 0 126 0.004298 0.000033 0.70369 0.000051 0.75 2.64 0.171205 0.001010 0.51295 0.000024

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• Two different igneous units related to the Colombian Caribbean Plateau were analysed:
the Santa Fe Gabbro-Tonalite and the Buriticá Tonalite.

• The Buriticá Tonalite formed at ~100 Ma, by shallow crustal level melting of mafic
rocks, due to asthenospheric upwelling.

• The Santa Fe unit formed at ~90 Ma, by subduction initiation beneath the Colombian

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Caribbean Plateau.

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