THE SYSTEM OF CONTINENTAL RIFTS BORDERING THE
SANTOS BASIN, BRAZIL
FEltNANDO F.
Jnsfi tuto de (~e('(têr.ctas. Universidade de São Paulo
São Paulo,
ABSTRACT
Opposite vertical rnovernents exceeding eleven
kilometers have occurred since lhe Lower Cre-
taceous belwecn the Santos Baaín, localed on lhe
continental margin, and lhe neighboring con-
tinental regíon. The geodynamic process wae
accompanied, between the Crelaceous and Eoce-
ne, by íntense fissural basaltlc magmatism as
well as central type alkaline volcanism. After
lhe volcanism ceased, when a great difference in
leveI had been established between the tWQ tecto-
me provinces, a syslem or rifts, whose depres-
sicns were part.l y occupied by sedimenlary basins,
developed tn lhe region. This tectoruc syslem
evolved from an erosion surface of probable
Eocenic age, deformed since the Oligocene. The
rlfts (the most notable of which ts lhe one lhat
contatns the mlddle valley of the Paraiba do
Sul Rivet- and lhe Taubaté Basin) are bordered
by hlgh mountains, whíoh were elevated during
the process of subaídence ín the areas between
them.
ln tte geographlc [ocatíon, the system of
rlfts wae Intiuenced by , the proxtmtty of the
Santos Bnsln and the presence of a grea t system
or anctent trsnscurrent rauits. The Jntter, reacti-
vated In the Cembro-Ordovíctnn. cuts obHquely
the precamhrlan metamorphlc structurea or the
region nnd WBS pa rtlally reactlvated slnce the
Mesozoíc. Thls system seems to have also ln-
rtuencec the general ccntour of the coaet as
well as the northern border of lhe Santos Bastn.
whtch is IImlted by 11 large tautt on the conti-
nental shelf.
~1. DE AU\1EIOA
Brazil
It is suggested tnat lhe late rifting of lhe
eleva.ted ccnt.inenta l reg-íon 15 due to a process
of gravltational slidlng towards the Basl n. fi
result af the proximity ot the two provtnccs ond
the ímmense diffcrcnce in basement levei h(>-
tween lhem.
lNTltOOUCTIOl':
The Santos Bastn is a mcso-cenoaoic. tcc-
tonto de preaalon futl of basalts and scdímcuts,
located on the continental margin between the
States of Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catnrtna.
In front of the Basln, the Atlantic pla teau ot
southeas tem Brazil enda In I1ttoral scarps, 800
to 2200 rneters high, .ín a mountain chaln strctch-
ing 1200 kilometers, genericaJJy known as the
Serra do Mar.
The complex or tectonic vnlleva, block
mountains and smal1er xedímcntary baains or
tectonlc origino whlch form the Serra. du ~far
Rltt SY8tem, representa one of the most nota hle
topographlc and structurat uspecta or the Attnn-
ttc margtn of the Arnertcas. The opposlte vertical
movements whlch took place in thls region aince
the Late Jurasslc probably exceeded 11 krn or
dlf!erence in level between lhe híghest mountnlns
and the Santos Bàeih basement. These move-
mente were accompariíed In par t by Intense
megmattam "'h1ch produced trom ultrabasic and
tholeiltic rocks to pernlkaline granites.
TIl•• eísmtc. actlvl~y or the reglon. af thougfr
eak, aeems to trtdlcate tbat the rift syetem i~
not entlrcly inactive.
 16 F'ERNANDO
Thc st udy or $0 great a differential vertical
mov~ment. nccompunied by auch mngmatfsm,
wlthm a. plate prescnts a suoject or specíaí Inte-
rest, for whích an adequats explRnation has not
vet becn found in medem geodynnrnic modela.
Although lhe Scna do Mar Rift System haa
nol y~t bee n fully xtudied, and has been mapped
onl:: m a Jimiled urea. lhe a.vailable knowledge
pel.lllt~ a charHctcri7.flllon or íta major corupo-
nents. Mor-covcr. it pennits a tcntativc Jnter.
pretat íon (")1" rts evotutton, with rcspect to the
~cvelopment o( thc Santos Baaín. The Baain
rtsetr has 'bcen inv(>f.!tigatcdvcry liltle as yet.
Those arca.s least investigated, lhe States' or
Pnt-aná nnel Santa Cn tnrtna wlll not be described
not-e.
TIni: ANf'II':NT iõ;TltlJCTfJRF;S
. Wlth t rte excep ttnn or minor continental se-
d'mentary bll!'lins Hnd Httora! sedimentation th
~\'hnlc const.m rcglon !Jonlcring lhe Santos ~aSi:
1.':; compcsccí of prN':unbl'ian metamorphic rocks
penet~ated h.:, granilc~ whose ages go up to th~
Ordovictan he lnajol'ity or these rocks belong
to the Ribe~r. folucd bett (Almeidn ct al., 1973J.
c:,olved dur-j ng- the Late Precarnbria (BraziIiano
CycleJ, 01' to its infrasttucture.
.Thc oldcst I'ocks Hre exposed in one of the
meclHl~ nJ~tssifR or the belt, that of Joinvile
(HnsuI e-t n.", 1975). Despite policyclic rework-
mg. the maRsif sUl! rctnins R-Ar rlldlometric
<l~(,.<:: exceeding ~lOOO !TI.y. (Mlnioli, 197.3). Tlle
hlghest elevations nf the Serra do Mar in Pa-
~aná, ~Iose to 2200 m abov sea leveI, are found
10 t.el'~l~ryfa.ult blocks supported by the cambro-
or~ov,clan allcaJine granites that lntruded the
!JomvUe massif. Also in the Ribeira belt Jnfra-
l'ltructure, ror,k~ tIre found that belong to the
Trnn!"l-.AIllDZOl1ic cycle. whose prinCipal mcta-
morphlC and granitizntion episodes took Plac~
between 1800 nnd 2000 m. y. These rocks form
the Pal'niba do Sul folded belt (Almcida et n)
U~73), who~e Jnost developed areas lie east o'~ Baikal rifts, also influenced by anclent f.g,utts
Sall Paulo, SQuth af Minas Gerais and' th
St t f . . m e tures (Florensov, 1969). In South Ame,.icn,
•. fi, e o RIO de Janeiro. The Paraiba do Sul
belt s rocks prcsent mctamorphic fneies varying
~rom ampflibolite to gmnulite. and indicate an
~nt~nse influence o( migmatization and graniti-
, za~lon also prodtlccd during' the Late Precam-
bn:m.
The Ribeira belt is formed by metasedlments
general1y fOl.Hld tn metamorphlc fa(!les va'ryJn~ -'~Imnzonicstructures, reworked .dunng the Br",.
from greenshist to alllphlbolite. the latter havtng
t1H. Acorl. bTrl.<f.
CMnc.~ (1976). 48, (Suplemento)
}o.,. M. DE ALMEIDA
bee~ partly migmatiz.ed and granttlzed. The
belt fi late dcvelopment took place durtng the
Cambro-Ordovlcian. At that time. the mnlaasea
formed and the subsequent volcantsm occurred
together with the intrusion of numeroun post-
klnematic g,ranite plutons. After the fOlding
~henomena or the Ribeira beIt, an intense fault-
mg process occurred, possibly as a resuít of the
reactivation or deep, anelent lineamcnts. Thts
fault system is 'composed of larg'e dextr-al, trans-
current .fauIts, trending prlmarlly ENE. They
thus obhquely cross and inflect the precambrian
structures which gcneraJly trend NE to ENE
(Flg. 1). lnformatlon on the Late Brazlllano
fnult system is sUII incomplete, some of its
major components having only recently been
Identifted. N~vertheless, many of Jts major faults
and mínor assoclated faults are already weü
:.ocumented ín field atudles by varlous Inves-,
.lgators. Some of lhe faults present belta or
mtensc eu taclasUc deformatton, hundreds or
metera thtck. The author .maintains that some ot
these ancient fautts suffered local vertical mo-
vements duríng- the Wealdian reactlvati~n (Al-
meida, 1969), as did the documented case or
the CantareJra tault zone, north of tha ctt .
Qf São Paulo.
Magnetometrlc studies indicate that the
above-mentioned precarnbrian structures extend
to ~e ba~ement of a large part of the Santos
Basm which evolved on the continental crust.
The precambrian structures and especlalJy
the late Brazll!ano faults had Rn appreclable
Influence on the dl.posltion of the major compo-
nents of the Serra do Mar Rift System
shawn In Fig. 1. A comparable phenornenon ~:;
be o~served in other rneso-cenozoic continental
rift sl.stems of the world, such as: the grabens
of Rhme and Oslo, influenced in lhelr deslgn by
the Hercynian faults (Bederke. 1965); the system
of East AfrJca rins, eonditioned by early pre
cambri.n faults (McConnell, 1974); or 11;"
of the Bnikalldes and Early Caledonides .true-
camparable examples are found ln the Braziii1.n
Northeast (Almelda, 1972), Rnd In the grabell
of Takutu in Gulana (McConnell, 1969).
Thc NNE trend of the Brazlltan caa!::t
b~tween Salvador and lhe Paraiba do Sul River
u(;lt'a retlects the trend of the oldest Trans-
t
7. •. ano cycJe. The Paralba do Sul River. in thf'!
arca where it borders the States of Minas Gere.i'i
THE SYSTEM DF CONTINENTAL RIFTS BDRDERING THE SANTOS BASIN, B.RAZfL
17
and Rio de Janeiro. has its rectiJinear eourse perrnitted them to delineate 'the Bastn In parto
determJned largely by a vast dextral transcurrcnt and to determine its great thickness of scdlments
tnult of the late BraziUano systcrn (Almeida. (Ewlng et aI., 1969). Butler (1910) discu ss e. the
Hasul and Carneiro, 1976). The Trans-Amazon~c nature of the Baaln's sediments, basing hís con-
etructures were markedly inflected ENE because clusíons on selsmlc reflectlon prorües. He poJnted
of thís as well as other late Braziliano faults. ln out lhe existence ot salt domes and unatyzed
addltlon to the coastune, the fault Itself, whlch the conditIons in which the sedimentation devel-
bordera tne northem part of the Santos Bastn, oped. Seismograph1c research by Petrobrás in
adopt the ENE trend of the large cambrc- 1969 was pubUshed by Baccar (l970) , whlle
orôcvícíen faults. In the States of Santa Ca- Leyden and hlo collaborators descrlbed In 1971
tarina and Paranã, the coastal region 19 devel- the resulta obtained with new setsrníc, g ravl-
oped in the Jo1nvUe median masstr, Itaelf not rnetrlc and magnetometric proflles taken through-
out the BaBln. Mlrand& (1970) nollfied the
arrected In Its Interior by that fault systcm;
the coastline as well as the faulted flexure resulte of the setamtc rerractíon and ref1ectlon
bordering the Santos Baain trend NNE, accomp- research undertaken by Petrobrás whtc h led to
anled at thI8 potnt by tertlary inults or the the discovery or the large Santos fault. Shortly
Serra do Mar, Identltled by Maack In 1947. atterw.rds,· Petrobrãs begnn the rtrst drilllngs
In the Basln ..
P08T-PALEOZOIC STRUCTURES
Despiu ali these Invcstigatlons the Santos
Buln Is BUli only barely known.
From the beglnnlng of the Wealdlan reactí-
vallon, the e!ellCl'lbedreglon became rrubjoct to 1'he Buln 18 open towards the ocenu where
an Intenso tectonlem and magmatllm. Two 01 It bordara the São Paulo plateau. It.'l continental
the most notable reSUlta ot these phenomena are edge ta bordered by lhe Santos fauJt wnose ellp
lhe upUit oi the Ponta Gro... arch anel the OR the nortb exceeds 3000 m. However. It be-
overtlow oi lho Paraná Baatn'. b•••••lta.· comes o. Jarge tnult flexure in the SW. F'ig. 1
y w as ndapted irom Leyden et et. (1971), to lhe
TIlo Ponta Gr_ arch I. 11 large upllftad
area correspond1ng to the ocean, and has lhe
structure wttOM lÍXIlIInclln •• NW, normal to the
Santos fault outllned. It shaws lhe Basin's
cORBlIlneoi lhe 8tata Di Parl\M. Although It.
deepest zone On lhe continental slopc in fmnt
orlgln seema to ·extend to Uppor Paleozolc, the
ot the Stn.te af São Paulo's coaslllnc. The ha~
structure suttered Intanse uplltt, •• Umatad by
sement h!l tound to be over 8000 m under sen
Bowen (l966) at 7.~ km. between lhe Late )evel. Bacéar (1970, Flg. 5) shows a depth of
Jurn.ol. ane! Neooomlan. AIlhough .uch a value
up to 7tsOO m for the base of lhe layer (I[ ~ei8mlc
seems to be O\'8J'oe8tlmated, the uparchlng
veloelty 4.2 to 4.~ km/oec., whlch I. Interpreted
nctlvlty dlll'lD&'lhe extrullon oi lho blll8lUc a8 belng tormed by apttan evaporiteR. Under
magro. li won confirme<! by lhe Immense quan- lhe salt beds, there are rocks Wh05C seismit'
tlty Di vertical. dlabue dyko., parallellng the velocltte8 vary belween 5.1 and 5.6 krn/sec. rmd
urch's ax18. Beeau.e the arch's pre8ence 18 not who8e lhickncs8 reaches 3.8 km (Leyden et aI..
reflected In lhe Santos Bam (Leyden et aI., 1971). They 8eem to represent bnsaltíc rl)cks
1971), Il _ma· lha! the acUvlty 01 lhe Ponta relR.ted to those of Serra Geral.
Grossa arch coued at the developmenl of apUan-
albtlUt sedlmentatloo In lhe b•••in. To judge irom Above the 'aalt beds, there are up to 5.6
the largo quaoUty Df dlab •••e dykes trendlng km or thlckness (Flg. 5, Baccar, 1970) of clnstlr:
ENE 00 the Berra do Mar and the coaBt, it sedltnenls lntercalated with carbonnte~, repres-
.eemo that thúI reglon also particlpateel In 8 enting a. column from lhe Upper Creta('eou~ trl
large uparching or nexure slmtlarly ortented, Quaternary.· Butler recognLzed in lhose scdl·
resultlng 10 the extruslon af the basaltic magmn ments three unlts. while Baecar tnnintaihs that
through the tenslon tractures. therc are at lenst four. Thesc unit8 fornl
prograded sedimentary wedges to which Butler
THE SANTOS BASIN tried to correIa te the coastal leclonic l1lovf'Jllentf>.
Thc development of pedlments would cQrrc8pond
The Santo. Basln was identiiled In 1960 as . to these wedges as well. The tcctonlc move-
a result of seismlc retraction studles developed ments. in Butler's oplnion. would have the
by tnvesttgatora trom the Lamont-Doherty Geo~ foUowing ages: Late Cretaceous-EBrly Tertinry,
logtcal Observatory. In 1967, new research Middle Tertiary nnd Late Tert1nry-Plcl~l()cenc.
underlaken by these 8clent1st8, uslng sonobuoys. nceordlng to the ages attributed to ('nll~tnl pe-
AI~. Acad. arM. Ci6ftc., (1976), 48, (Ruplt'Jlwnt,'1
 I
I
~}
lR FERNANDO F. 1\1'. DE ALMEIDA

I u.E; 'u , I,
dtmenta by .Bigarel1a and hts collaborntors depostta
I
,
I.
also. These layers represent; the of a
1.1965, 196ij n ) . large lake dammed by the Cachoeira Paulista !I :~ ':,:
õ
I
The upper formatíon
A selsmtc sect.íon (Baecar, 1970. Fig. 5)
uplifted bloek. of the Tau-
I â ~
H" ,
!li\\'
baté Basin, separated from the lower by nn
;I
indicntes that lhe cr-yatalhne basement or the \
continental
Janeiro)
thc Santos
shclf of( Juattnga
constitutcs
Ba etn.
A surface
This surface
inclined
extcnds
towards
up to
Poínt (Rio de
uncomformity,
whtch fiUs the Resende
15 of a sand to clay nature,
19 apparently
Bastn. This formatlon
partly conglomerallc.
related to that
!:
i
}
~~
. ~"
, .<
Q

OU
e
a
I

~ {
I ~r~~~,
1

\
"
:

and wea accumulated In flood plaina and ri ver e i

nearly 65 km where t shows a rapld nccentuat.íon I \

"~L
í

-
U
channels. Its thtckneaa is approxímately 100 m.
of the slope towards the Santos faul t. The arca I
along the conat Irom the States of Rio de Ja-
Ita age iR dubíoua slnce it lacks rossns, although ! ;~
tt ís generally presumed to be Pltocene.
~:
r~ =,::
neiro to Pnraná has numerous islands of prec- ;
\ ~í
:. :i;
ambrtan
This crystntune
rock s, or senonian alkaline
surface is aupposedly
tntrustves.
a reault
The surnmlts of the Atlantlc hlghlands of ~,

~:~
southeastern Brazil are leveled by the Japi h ';';
of retreat due to lhe eroston ot the ancestral erosin surrace, whose altitude reaches close to i j: q~
Serra do M~.1;', since its origin tn the Upper 1200 m where not Iocaüy deformed. The Japi n g~
:.: ~
Cretuceous nexl to the Santos fnult. The surface surface's age 18 controverstat since it lacks '1 i: "~: .' ,.,
lH
is covcred only by two younger parastratlgraphíc
datable eoverings. Becnuse tt extstec before the
!i :~n õ~ i
units (Baccar-. Hl701 with seísmic velociUes of i
begtnnlng of the subsidence or the Paraiba do L.. , ._ ....
2.4 and 1.85
ctnsuc
km/~ec.
eedtrnenta tton whose thickness reaches
maxirnuru ot 800 m south of the Juatinga Point.
n
The uníts contain cenozoic
Sul g raben,
alkaltne
and
instrusions.
because
this
it leveled
surface
the
seems
senoninn
to have
-.
evolved especlally during the Eocene. The peaks
ot the Serra da Mantiqueira are ostensibly leveled oS' ",;
THE PARAlBA DO SUL RIFT VALLEY
to close to 2000-2100 m above sea level by an .'..... ,
erosíon surface that E. de Martonne (1940) :.\ ' <. b> ' .•.• :- .•.
The middlc cour-se of the Parafbu do Sul
Rí ver devetop s in H tectontc 220 krn Iabeled Campo's surface. He considered tt to be
long. g'enerüll y trending
depreasion
gNg of lhe precnmbrian older lhan Japi which he called Cristas Médias ~----""
s tructures. Oeotogtcar. g-eomorphotogícal and CAverage Crests) surface. The aulhor in 1964
gecphyaical etudtes. nlthough still incomplete, dernonstrated that the two surfaces proposed by \ " ", "
ttest to
11 the tectontc nature aí the depression, Martonne are actually only one which wae elev-
oS'
. ,
" \ ,..
rccogrriaed by Maull (1930) as a graben. The ated tectanicaUy in the Serra da Mantiquelra
"
nverag'e width of lhe Puraiba do Sul Rift Valley region. \
Is ctoec to 25 km. T'he difference in level, A geomorphological analysis seems to indi- W
between thc eroston surrace which levels the cale that the Paratba do Sul graben eollapsed I
I-
bordertng mountains of Serra da Mantiqueira ín the axis of a large arched uplift, possibly
nnd Ser-ra du Bocai nn , and lhe base of the faulted In lhe flanks, where the Japi surface o
scdiments trmt. pfll'tially.fill the depresston, ts waa 'elevated to almost 900 m (Almeida, 1964). Z
HIOO m. T'b e Itoor of the grabcn ts irregular: This interpretation is based on field observations, o:
fi. medtum elevntton. the Cnchoeira Paulista the examlnatlon of lopographical maps and on W
uplifled hloc k. r-ises up to 800 m above sea the analysis of lhe drainage system of the upper O
lcvel. It is c rosseô by lhe Paralba do Sul River Rio Grande hydrographic basin. The basin's
O:z
0-
in a deep v a.lley. weet of this elevatton, the major rtvers are dispersed radia1Jy in the m(/)
Tn.uba.té Bu s in. partially full of sedtrnents. has highest zone of the SeITa da Mantiqueira. <t:
ts ct-ys taf l m e baeement a littlc above sea leveI. maintaining notable tndependence ln relat íon to
V)CO
W
í

To lhe east of thi$ block, -the -Resende Baein, the NE - ENE trends of the precambrtan (t(/) ; ~
lesa deep anel extenstve, is ulso full or sediments. "'structures (see Fig,'·l,." This fact denotes- a :JO ! I .~

su~crimpOSjtion of the dratnage eyatem on the 1-1- I

The 'rauoate Bastn contains at lenta 400 m trends of the reslstant structures. The aouthet-n oZ
of thickneas of continental sedtrnents. The Iower- rim or the arch was almost enttrety destroyed :J<t: iR
pa rt, cnucd the T'r'crnembé Forma tion, is fo rmed by ercsíon, favored by the subsequent character
o: V)
l- '"
01' peltttc material
rna.lian
Miocene
of lacustrine

age
origino
Jcsaí Is of Olf goceue.
Mar»-

'Me7.7.:'llil'él and
or nt the rncst
Couto. 1911),
Lowe r
are
ot the
major
this
draináge

system,
system,
Paraitinga
the
nnd Paraibuna
levelect
particularly

summlts
Rlvers.
of the
of the
Within
Serra
V)
.J
I,
fnund in it. The lF.l('u~trine laycrs have fi~h. da Bocaina rose elos e to 2000-2100 m above seR <t:
l-
cheloT1i~n nnd chil'npteJ' I'cmnins. which Mezzallm leveI, as did the SenEl da Mantiqueira acros~ V)
Hnd Cnuto dt.l a<lmittcd to have th8t ng~ the valley. This demanstrates that at one time <l
I ;-
(O)).

O
O
~~ __ ~~ ~~~~~~w_~ =~ _
Flg. 1 - COfll!tnl Mt"\1rlnr~~ h(}r.ll"'rln~ thp Sllnt')!! B:l.'1.1n.

20
a. mountafn existed on íts southern síde. though
only the Serra da. Bocainn and its prolongation.
tbe Serra de Quebra Cangalha rematn today.
The upwarping or the mountaíns nelghboring
lhe Par-afbn. do Sul rlft ehould have
more or Ices aímultaneous to the suoetõence of
lhe middle regton. However, when the large
oligocene lake was formed, the marginal eleva-
tions should have had Httle topographic premi-
nence, as Rfch (1!l!'>3) observed. Thts explatna
the maturity and the esscntiaUy pelitic character
of the Tremembé Formation, contrastíng wlth
the granule.r and mineraloglcally Immature
nature or the upper formation
Geophysical studies are
Parntba do rift. In a recent work. Davlno
Sul
and Harnlyi (1973) present results of gravi-
metrtc and rnagnetometr-íc surveys or the graben,
the adjacent mountains and the uplifted block
of the CachoeJra Paulista. Thc Bougucr g'rnvl-
metrlc map indlcatcs lsoanornaly lines nlong the
geuern! dlrection of the rift, wlth decreaslng
regional anornaues towards the interior of the
basln nnd 'wtth negntivc anomnlies near the
NNW edge, wnere lhey reach -10 mgals. As
a reeult. fi reduced deficlcncy of mass compatible
with the srrrall lh1ckness of sedtments retalned
in the 'I'nu baté Bnaiu ts observed. 'I'hls con-
traste wlth lhe posttíve nnomaües of up to 30
mgals which are observed on its elevated edges.
1n additlon the magnetometric map (vertical
component) preaents ísoanomaly Unes trending
in lhe general dlrectlon of the valley, witll
vatues decreaslng from lhe el~vated southern
borde r of the valjey to the north, varying Irem
-/-14 to _10 gumrnas.
IIttle is known still about the modern
Very
rautts eaeocteted wf th the downthrow of the
grnben, lt eeems that It8 marginal scarps are
not n result of unique, large fa.ults, but rather
(lf a aystem of smnll, normal faults, eeveral of
which have already been identitled ln the fleld
rPrang+pant and Pannuti, 1966; Sugulo, 1968;
Cordnni et aJ., 1974l. Transverse faults along
the rift cut the layers of the pllocene formation,
as noted by Suguio (ep. (~It.).Mlnor ondulations
of the layers accompany those faults (Campos,
1952. 1952a).
C. Wushburne (1930) noted a regional jncli~
naUon of the Taubnté Bnsin's layers towards the
Serra da Mantiqueira, which later observattons'
confirmed, indicnting a structural assymelry,
A tI. ACRrl. bral'l. eMltc.,
FERNANDO F. M. DE ALMEIDA
NW
THE SÃO PAULO BASIN PARANÁ BAStN
The tectonlc ortgln of the Slo Paulo Basln
where the c1ty of the same name Ia Jocated,
waa conjectured by Washburne (1930) and
occurred Freltes (1951) and later conflrmed by the author
In 1955. e Basín'a northem border touches a
arge, late Brazlllano transourreet fault, tren-
dlng E- W. Dur\ng the fonnaUon of the Basín,
thls fault snffered a vertical movement.
The São Paulo Basín 10 close to 70 km
long accompanled lengthwise by the TI.tê River.
lt doesn't seems to be bordered by faults to
the south, 90 !t may be consldei'ed a half-gTllben.
(Suguio, 1968).
At the northem edge, cIose to the f'ault zone
sUll acai-ce on the that limita the Basin, the tnrckneee of the sedt-
ments of the São Paulo Formatlon ortglnally
reached elose to 300 m. The Formation appeara
to be an interflngertng of psammltlc and pellUc
beds, the latter predominating In the upper part.
The Basin contatns deposits of flood plains
and fluvial channels, accumulated ln a tropical'
climate. The proceaa was not accompanled by
upwarping of lhe bordertng fault block on the
north. The latter !s called the Serra da Cants-
relra, wnose altitude 113close to 1200 m, similar
to the Jap! surrace, where not deformed.
The sedlmentary São Paulo Ba81n 18 sur-
rounded by preeambrínn rock elevatlons (Cou-
tlnho, 1972; Sadowskl, 1974) wh1ch the Alto
Tletê er0810n surface leveled to nearly 850 m.
The author maíntaíns that sueh a .urtace, of
presumable Neogene age was depressed ln the
fault zone, thus orlginating the Basln. 'fhe
Basin's basement reveala acctdents which in part
should be due to faults trending NE, (Kollert
nnd Davlno, 1963).
'l'he age of the Sli.o Paulo Fonnatlon 18
ba"., o
dlttlcult to determine sinee It doeIII!.'t fOllSiIs.
lts probable correlatlon with the upper !ayers
of the Taubatê Damn mnkes the generaLattrlbu-
=
l!..=!=J
.oo,ion sol' ueee- Senonlon
Bouru Group
tion of Plfõcene age acceptable.
C:zl
POltlOZOiC
THE GUANABARA RIF'T
I f lhe eonttnimtal borâer of the Bflnlol'J Bu!n,
FtJ:. 2 - Po •• lble tectono.maamRtlc uolut 00 n:l rlU a.nd df:poatted a lreal thickn~'lll 0'( eV8)'lOrltc8 over lhe
The topographícally depressed and elongated 1) Durlng lho ApUan, lhe eee noodeC! tbe onel to the northwetJl tht!le lav{l8 cover pateczotc p('dlments.
region on which the Guannbara Bay resta W8S Lower CrelaeeouI bua1tl~ lavlUl. ln lh.o PAraM :a~~n, prol'TefllfIIlvé IlUbeidcnc(', nceumulated detrtc Mdimentl'l
Interpreted In 1944 by Ruellan to be a graben 2) Durlng lho Lower. genonfnn, the 8nnlo' BIl3I, fnated dunni; lho UPP(lr Oretaeeoua, ncxt to th(l Bantoe
from the er'OlloD of lhe Serrll do Mar, Tha latter orte the elen.ted bor<1er of the 8QnloB Bn.8ln.
or a tectonic depreesion siluated between f8ult fautt, The fI"t pbate af atkAl'ne 'VOlcanltmt oee'=e o:Oleanl.in procreHed to the Interior or lhe CQIIUnent.
blocks t!lted NNW. F'reltas (1951, 1956) labeled :1) Between the campanlan an4 PaleoceM. lhe depo.tted In the Parant Dallln.
It «1ft valley Campo Grande-Guanabara-Río Bo- At the end of tbe &enontan, lhe Bauna Q1'Ot1P.'WU.. aeUvtty ln tho regton, thé derormattou er tbe Japi
nIto>, notlng Its extenslon to the bay of llha 4) Durlng the 011coeen~. atter lhe end of th~ 'O'oleanlc I ff~"" uparched. whHe lhe PArolba ~r:\b!"n
erasl" eurft\Ce commeneed (")" In Flg. 24). The JQ.pl eT08 onto:: lllke evolved tn thé interior or thp. ~rnh •.• n.
Grande. The reglon has not been tectonlcally t o
began U•• downthrow ." lhe ufal cone. At uw,moment. 8. :et d
studled In deta!! 8u1flclent1y to exclude the alter-
natlve proposed by Ruellan: that It 10 an Inten-
In' wbleh .edlmmta of lhe Tremembó :Alnnatlon
5) DUrtng lhe PUoeene and the Qua.tematY.
ac:~~:t o~ 'UH~:graben "ubllided markedly. pl\rll)'
lhe bu Fonnntlon, The upw8rjllng or lhe nelghborlnJ.'( mnuntalllR
('.olllp~n-
sely eroded. fault~angle depression. Mted by lhe pUoeene Ic<:umulet\!on of lhe 8&0 Paulo M.anUquellil o.nd the Serrn. da. Boeatns. ln 'ta prG·
contlnued slmultaneoulty, repreeenled by !e dS:t"~a:(\ a.bandoned lhe allroHne tnlruRloo8 or lhe 1~IAnd af
wes81ve retreat due to eroRlon,. the Se .! I hcd detrltnl sedlm('nt!; to lhe Santos Br\!!II1.
(]978), 48. (Suplemento) sao SebnstlAo and 'Olher n(!lghb<lrlng cOMlal 1810n(19. ,m(\ um !I
 I
22
FERNANDO F. 111. DE ALMEIDA

GUlmar~es
of the alknhne
sugge.'lted tha.t
~]947), observing the aJignment
Il1lrusions afon thís
't g
.
depresstnn,
correspond fault
identified next to the edge of the Parafba
Sul River delta.
do.
I THE SYSTEM OF CONTINENTAL

Goíâe, where the magmatism of this phase Is

RIFTS BORDERING THE

sedíments as a basement.
SANTOS BASIN.

During the Aptian.

BRAZIL 23

I
I Jl111y to a
zune, whkh Images or the ERTS-l sal notable for its abundance of melnnoeratic auca- an epicontinental sea coming trom the south
scern to ccrrobors.ts. ellite The Campos surface's probabJe Eoce Jine rocks. (Maack, 1969) penetrated the original rtrt. In
mar-ka the maximum a e Hm ne age
bara Rlft. The maestrl!hthm lt tor the Guana- f- the desert cUmate of the time, t.hts sea preclpt-
Thc Guanabal';t Rift extends nt J t The second aub-phase evolved during the
cani.sm and th to Pateocene vot, tated the g-reat volume of evaporítes or lhe
JOl1 I~etwcen the Barr-a de Sáo João :a:d 200 e small calcareous C b ' Campanian and Paleocene (or Lower Eocene,
associated wlth the Rfft a ,uçu BBSIn,
lower pnrt ot the Baatn'a sedimentary t1tting.
Scpetlbn Ba.y. 1C the Ilh G the I t should the 53 m . y. daUng of the Cabo Frio rocks
b . a rnnda Bay were to
e JOcluded i n lhe calculn tton, lhe Rift wouJd
:each 280 km. TlJe wtdth of lhe Guanabara B
Iatter since it
mations is'
th .
' ex 5 ed prevtous to the
was not fiIJed by lava,
Incomplete for an interpretatIon or
Infor- i be confirrned) . This phase seems· to be charac-
teristlc of the erea occupied by the tectonlc
The Serra do Mar did not extat at that time as
a hlgh rellef bordering the Bnairt.
1.~ bet wecn 2!l t., 10 ay system of Serra do Mar. Its intruslve centera The ancestra.l Serra do Mar W8$ fnrmcd
. th' . km. Il llal'l'Ows howeveJ' e evolution of this structure, Similar to th
P araiba do Sul G b e a t-e located in the interior ai the rifts or on durlng the Upper Cretaceous probably before
m . e RIO BOJlito merfdlnn A tOpographícaIJ ' have j ra en, the Rift alao aeema to
depL esscd region, not flooded by lhe ;Y lhe bordering mountalns. Leucocrntic and me- the Senontan: only st ra ttg-rnphtc atudles of lhe
neogeni~ t:~e~n morphologicaJ features to B
pr'('Rcnts fi n~Jjr;>fof low büts ( d seu. I socratic rocks, such as nephellne syenites, foyat- Santos Basin wUl define the aetual date uccut-e-
br-inn rocka Th . . orme or precam. with orne pulsntion, possibly eeaocíated
de . e HII{flhne Intrusions ot the Serra a prolonged eroston. .tes, tjotítes. pulaskltes, ttnguaítes, umptekites, tely. e Serm do 'Mar. einerged In a place not
.rv;endn~hH. of Rio Bonito and or the Morro phonoütes. nordmarkttes, ete., predomlnate abso- -tO<> tu h'Om the Santos fault, and aínce then
de Sfio Jorro stfllld out in the rclief. MAGMATIS~r Iutely ín these centere. Even peralka1ine granltea haa retrated to ItJJ present poslUon as • result
occur In Itatlaía (Ribeiro Filho, 1967). ;:;otLert!!!lon.fFlg. 2).
d 1'he ~C(!llmulnt:ed scdiments are very Hmited
a n thfn 111 the mtes-lm- or the rift. In addT The fissural basaltic magmsUsm of th Because of the Iittle knowledge now avat- The Senoniah and the Paleocene were mo-
raná Bastn (Serra Geral b e Pa-
to Quater-na I'y fltlVi;t! ~edimeniatlon thi 1 IOn lable. It 18 dlrflcult to clarlry the relattonantp merit,s ot great tectontc acttvf ty ín the Serra do
ticnlly tholeiitic thou h with asalts), Characte.ris_
linental layers OCCUrarouJld lhe Guan n con- variatlons (RU g important chernIcal thnt may nave exletild between lhe alkaUne Mar fegton, whlch was rtsing by that time. The
pos~ibly related to til S. abat-a Bay, Late J egg, 197::i), occurred between tha nmg mauam and tectoníca In thia reglon. Tbere Sêrra .co Mar' suppltcd sedímente to the Paraná
The I e ao Paulo Formation urassic and Lower C
C::thn .;,mn I. fHlJlt~an,;'e Jacustrine Basln oiet aI. J966) Th' retaceous (Amarat IH crenrty a geograpblc_assoclatlon. partlçularly
wlth respect to the second magmatlc 8ub:phas •.
Basln in the interior of the conttnent, whet'e ut
the end of the Senontan the Bauru Oroup began
eu' ~Oç . south of Nlterói, was filled by a hundred excee~ing 2· miJlil~nmagmatis~ affected an area
, meters 01: calcfl1'cous Lhí k . square kllometers ín S The Itattata, Paolia,Quatro and Morro ~ondo to aceumulate. The Santos Basín alao began
(rom thcl'maJ aouroas 11" lC ness, onginating America, particularJy in the central d outh centers are 8ltuated wbere tbe Ja.pt· 8urtace to aecumulate Uttoral and mnrine aedimenta ot
remnins t Ccu t.o 105·31 ..•emz, :938), Marnmalian zones south ot the 14" an eaatern
• õJ~ contamed j th extended up to lSOO k parn.llel. In BraziJ, tt roee hlgheat In Slo Paulo. TIl.·enUre magmaUc Upper Cretaceous age, as confirmed by core log
reou,s cnvilies indiente an Upper P ~ e calca- lhen active Ponta G m from the consto The proco.. preceeded· til•. development of the rifts data. The aJkaU.ne volcanlsm that A.ccompanied
The calcareous Hre pl'Obabl Lo a ,eocene age. by swal'ms af d' b rOSsa arch was penetrated now expolled on,~ cQnUnent. An IntoMa! ot thliJ tectonlc pulsaUon was more inten~e in t11C
01' L,lte Cret Y wel PaJeocene IR ase dykes whJch trended NW prolonged tecton1é caím ,eparat.ed lhe ma.gma- .reglan durlng the Lower Senonlan and bclwecn
alk ,: n~eo1l8, {'Ol1tempol'lmeous with the paralleUng their axls Th '
~he :t~lIe. volcanJsm in the ncighborhood, to which with . ese were associated t1"1n and tlle rlrt.ng, nece80llry for the IlIghly the CA.mpanlan and Paleocene. The Jutler took
a8m seenl~ to he genetically tied. same some alkaline intrusion centers, having the developed elaboraUon ar the J apt .roolon surtaee place more ln the Interior. in the region where
d age a~ the basalts (Fig. 1). The Serra and the almo.t tolal de.tructlon or th. etu.lvo lhe cenozoic ritts begnn to develop. A tcntaUve
The Guana ba l'it Rift is bordered b . o Mar regIon was at that ti .
moun tains, especialJy t tI' y h1gh products of that msgtnatl8in by eroslon. rclatlonshlp may be eslabUshed between lhe
tenslon fractures, Jnto which a . me sub]ect to
Serra do Mar i~ locnll ~ le north where the of d' n Immense number Compan1an-Paleocene tectonic-magmatic epísode.
OJ'gãos. The ;ntter's \ . nown as lhe Serra dos r nd I~~~e dykes penetrated. These trended NE nnd the deposlUon of the sedlmentnry unit B
226:.l m which resul;s il~frhest. altitude ('eaches , wlthout having been associated .th {Butler, 1970). It i5 interesting to keep in
contemporaneous, central_t .
The facUI arld' tnteren<:ce dlscu88ed
with the d . n dlfference in levei \VI
above mind that I.JC Pichon and Hayes 11971) a.ttribu-
, epression af over 2000 ' . Eions. On the othcr hand ype alkahlle intru-
pa,'Uy includes lhe \Vem'in m. l.hl!) value aCCur rare Iam h ,however, there did lend to the tolrowlni InterpretnUon of the ted an important varJation in the ocean floor
Sena dos O - g by eroslOn. The 1966). prop yre dykcs (Damasceno, tcctonle evoluUon ar the reglob, Belween lhe ~preadlng of the Atlantic to the ::;tlmc time
rgam: W:I,., inlcrpf'cted b R 11
11944) to be . . y ue an Lnle Jurasslc and Lower Cretaceous, a pheno- tnterva!.
Call1pOs f n block ongmally.leveled by the A.rter the Turonian a menon In the upper mantle, possibly of a therma.l
WNW. SUr see, fAUltcd NNE nnd in~lined The Japi erosion surface represcnls the cnd
t~ok plnce. The m8g~ati:w \magmatic Ph~se orlgln. resulted In the elevatlon of the modern
tically a central t vas charactens_ of a long erosive processo probably rcaching
Serra do Mar regton anel the Ponta Grossa arch,
The elevated southel'n bnrder . lh ype, marltedly alkaline 'th back to lhe Eocene. It leveled the ~cnonian
lJar-ely J'eaches 1000 1l1. Jt is v of lhe Rlft e r..bsencc of tholeiitic basalts. ' WI with lhe subsequent fracturlng provoked by
the few available Potassium_Ar onTo jUd~e from
alkaline intrusions. but. those of ItntiHia und
erosion, transformed in th : ery worn by tenslon and nbundant lholeUtlc flB8ural volca-
that two different sub g ages, lt seems Passa Quatro, formed between the Mncsll'ichtian
(Serra da. Carioc~ N't ó' e LlttoraJ ma~sifs nlsm. The colneldence of thls proces! with the

,
I er I massif, ete.). processo The oJdest phases occurred in this and Danian. remained as residual relie(s.
'<.
widcly admlUed South Atta.ntic opening slnce
Faults Jike the Rio B ·t Lower Senonian, repre;::te:eveloped during the the Late Jurnsstc ar Early Cretaceous (Maxwell The down-faulting of the Parníba do Sul
]065), RI'e found' t1 '. ~nJa fault (Rosler, exposed on the Sã p by intrusive centera
telJite imnges III le mterlOr af the Rlft. Sn- o auJo coast (e é ct a1., 1970) leada one to cansider these pheno- Graben began during the Oligocene. togethcr
nearby islands (Sã S b' anan Ia) and meno. related to the taphrogenesis with whtch t.he with the sirnultaneous deformation of t.he Japl
this fault f:'O,~~em to indicnte lhe extension af o e astJão MontA d .. .
Buzio., Vitória). Thls sub- h ' o e Tngo, sepRratlon or the contlncnts was lnl tlated. At surface and its upwarping nt the edgc!'l of the
)\.,(. _ the Gunnab'l.ra Bay to th
to the reglon next to th f P ase V/as not Iimited
on o de SJt.o João. 'rhe f'
tinues to th
.
'.
e c0ntll1cntnl
ault probably con-
~helf on the S:- T
e
~he Santos Ba.sin, but :at~ult .flexures bordering
!
I
lhe westcrn border of the original rlft, a system
of (oulta and tlexures exlsled, or whlch lhe
depression. The formatíon of the Gtmnabnra
Rift as well as the movement of impl")f't:wt fault
FllUlt which .Petrnbnh;
•.
.' .
lc('hllJCIaIlS
ao OJn6 mtensely in the
(Asmus 19-0.
. er lt WIlS manlfested ,
I
Santos fn\llt would becomc a part. To .lhe east biocks In the Serra do Mar, In an nn'n.. tnday
C alllpn!-! f·t 11., 1!)7'I' P , (..•• fnulted on th reglOn similarly f1exured nnd
, , onte :md Asmus, 1976) e of the rlft bordar, the SR.lltos BaRin was down- cavered by the continental shelf, prohnhly tonk
raná Basin in northeastern border of the Pa-
the States or Minal'3 Gerais nnd fa\llted, havlng basalt.tc lavas of Lower Creta- place nt lhe same time. This tectonic n.divitv
.411. Arlltl. õr(lJ;. (';(1",."
(l!Jifil. ceou!> nge, pnssibly lntercalnted with continentn.l which. seems to hnve eoincided with :"tn IIl1lple
4,~. (SlIpl!'l11('nt.o)

Ali. Acori. brr'8, Ci~"c., (1976). 411. ISuplt"'TI1l'ut,»)

 24 FERNANDO F. M. DE ALMEIDA
THE SYSTEM OF CONTINENTAL RIFTS BORDERING THE SANTOS BABIN, BRAZlJJ 25
regresaíon of tne sea, already documenled in
the Esplrito Smto Baeln (Asmus, 1972), IR POS- . 2 - TIle alkallne magmatlsm occurred dur-
ring the ttrst part of that rnovement, Indícattng REFERENCES
terIor to any k.rrown volcanlsm in the regIon.
'I'hls acttvíty should be reflected ln the Santos a genetic connotatlon between the two pheno-
mena. However, the rJfting or the continental ALMEIDA F F. :M. de - 1965 - As camadea de pos J M - 19528. - Xtsto betumtuoeo. Cnns.
Bastn, po8sib~ to bc reune in the layer of 'SãO P~ulo' e fi tectêníca da. Serra. da Cantare Ira CA~ae. 'Petr61e·o. Relatório 1951, pp. 221·233. Rio de
seismic velocity 2.4 km/sec., (seeBaccar, 1970. block developed after the Eocene when the mag- Soe. Bras. Oeotoata. BoI. n. 4, v. 2. pp. 23-40. São .Jenetro.
Fig. 5), whhh directly covers the crystatlíne matlc activity ín .the area had ceased. Paulo. CAMPOS, C. W. M., PONTE. F. C. and MI1JRA. K.
basement of the continental shelf. Le Pichon ALMEIDA, F. r. M. de - 1964 - Fundamentos ge~~~. - 1974 - Geology of lhe Brazlllan conttnentat
3 - The system of rltts developed In fi margln. 111. Burk, C. A. and Drnke, C, L., ~~~t~~~:
nlld Hnyes (!!)71) 3 tfrtbuted another occaston gtcoe do relevo paullata. Inst. Geog. Geol6g ,
region where an intense taultlng took place BoI. n. 41, PI>. 169·263. São Paul!). The Geology of Continental Marglns. PP. • .
of rmportant va r-rnnon ín lhe procese or the Sprtnger-Verlag, Berlln.
durlng- the Cambro-Ordovlcian, together wíth the ALl\lEIDA, F. F. M. de - 1969 - Structure anel
Atlantic sprelding to lhe Middle Tertlary.
reacUvatJon or major transcurrent faults appro- dvnnmtcs or the Brazlllan ccastet area. Intern. CORDANI, U. o., COIMBRA, A. M., BOTTURA. J.
úPper Mantle Svmpoeta, n. 22·B, v. II, ~P. 2'9·38. A. and RODRI(:,U'ES, E. L. M, - 1974 - Oeotoma
A thlrd tcc tontc pufaatlon affected the xirnateJy paraJ1eJ1ng the northwestem border of
xrextcc d~ reglAo de Crueeíro e Cachoeira Paullstll e I:IU!\
Serra do Mar s yss t.em, probably during Pliocene. the Santos Basín and the nelghborlng coast. ímportâncte na. JnterpretaçAo dn. evolução tcctõníce
lhe se me Urre in whlch the São P<\ulo Basin Some ot these rautts represent ancient deep ue do Vale do Parnlba. CEPEGE, Unlv, SãO, Paulo.
ALMEIDA.
actjvatton P'. arF. the
M. de - 1972
South - 'r'ectono-magma
AmerJcan Plattorm anj ro"'-Iogla,
~ Ciência e Técnica, n, 6•. PP. 9-,10. SI\c..
orlginated and wa.s fllled witb sedlments. Sfmul- Uneaments of Precambrian age. asscctet.ed mtnerettzatton. XXIV tntern. Oect. õong., ,Paulo. Pré-
taneousry, thcsubsidence or the Taubaté and Re-
Sect. 3, pp, 339·346. Montreal. COUTINliO, '$. :M, V. _ 1972 _ Petrolcgte do
sende Baslna )ecame accentuated. These basíns 4 - The layers of the Santo. Baaín do not
ALMEIDA F. F. M. de, AMARAL, G., CORDANI, CambrJano em 810 Paulo e erredoree. IlIst. ~.~~~
were atso flI'ed wtth clastíe continental sedí- reveal folds other than those due to halokinesls U. G. 'nnd KAWASHITA, K. - 1973 - The Pre· etêncíee, Uni". Silo Paulo, BoI. n. s, pp.
ments, This process was accompnnied by an ar local movernents next to the faults, maklng it cnmbrten evctutlcn of the South Amerlcan cratonlc 810 Paulo.
accentuation)f the relief of the netghbonng improbable that compression stresses caused the margln aoutb of lhe Amuon Rlvcr. 'n Nalrn, E, M. como, C. de P, _ 19ti3 _ A bacll\ catcárta de
IInd Slhell, F, G., Editor8: 'lhe Ocean Bnetna and ltaboraf e & tectênícà da costa eudeate do Brasil.
mountains am l'ifts whlch at that time assumed elevation or the continental block with tts con-
Mnrgln8, v. I, pp. <441-0148.Plenum Pub. Co .. Ncw Dlv, Geol. K1ner., Not. Pret. E!tudo.l!l, n. 75, p.
theil' modern Ispect~. Presumably, it was at that eequent division ínto rlfts.
York. . 12, Rio de Janeiro,
time thnt the em an, conttnentsl unfosstliferous.
The causes of the Jarge opposíte vertical ALMEIDA P". F. 14. de. liA SUl. Y. end CAJtN'Er'llO, DU~O •. m./O. _
1966 _ E!tudo prcuuünar rlas
snud-cln y depH'lits nccur-red, represented by the C D •R - 1976 - O lineamento de Âl~m PIl' roch~ bUlcae.e uttrabblcB.ll dll reglAo de Ubatuba.
movements between the Santos Basín and the tntba. A~R4. Bralll. Ci~n,. Anais, v. 48 (tn p'r~•• ). J:ttado de SIô Paulo, Acad. Brss. Cíõnc .. Anais,
Alexandra (farnná.) and Pariquera-Açú (São
Paulo) FOrnlltions, together with those that
nelghboring continental area are dlfflcult to AMARAL, O.. COltDA.NI. U. O.• KAWASJU~A) ,Jt. ir"<~;~<~,"pp;
293.804. Rio de Janeiro.
explaín, posslbly having been a consequence of end RI!lYNOLD8,J. K. - 1961 - P.to •• lum-'A...... ISl~ó: À... ~na''HARALYI, N. L. I!l. _ 1973 _ Le-
exist a round :he Guanabara Bay. The Pltocene movements ín the upper mantle. However, the dR.tl\ of baaalUo roclc.lJ rrom lIOutherD Brutl, tuaentoa ,éotfeleo. no vale do Peratbn. XXVII
was a time cf genen:\lized epeirogenic elevation exiatlng difference in leveI between the elevated õecehem. COllmochem. Aetll. ,. 81. n, '.:, pp. \t ~et 'Btú, de ~Iogla, Anal1J ün pteea) . ArncaJa.
of the entírr central anel eastern regfon of continental border and the floor of the Basin JI7-142. .. IIWtNG, J',;LJI!l'I)I!lN, ·R.• nd ElWING, M. _ 1969 _
Brazil, whicll resulted in a.n intense erosive ASMUS. H. E. - 1972 - Esplrlto Santo - A· patttn'l_ :' " !tetn.cUOIt, _,6ootlnl' wtth expendeble eonobuova.
could have been a Cause of the late rlfting of or the eaeteee BruUlan maralnal b •• ln.~ ,..:.:r ~r. A.I8Óc. ~elr. Oeol., Buli., ", 63. pp, 174-181.
process and çonsequent sedimentation in the
CORsta) regiOls, represented by the Barreiras
the continental block.
Peper nresenteâ at the 57th Amer. A•• oe. ~etroL~:~. M~âoV; n; A. _ 1969 _ Rlfts of the Bnlkal

IlIIes in 1970 suggested a proces. of gra-

Geal., Annunl Meetlng. Denver, U.S.A •. (Not. . ~ ~tatn. ,..ton. TectonophyslCl. v. 8, pp. 433-466.
Group. The latter may be tentatively reJated
vltational sliding towards the continental margin PubU.hed). ~GU'A.NI, A• .,,4 PANNUTI. E. L. _ 1966 _
to the more recent layers of the continental BACCAR. M. A. - 1970 - Evldênctu gcon.léu no "tuao. htdro16clcoa na bacia de Taubaté entre
~helf with sdsrnic ví'locitics of 1.85 km/sec., 1n order to expIaln the origin of some of the
Jl8c:.ote sedlmentar no PIate.au de 810 Paulo. XXIV . Jacarel .e' Qutrlrtm. lnst. Géoit. Geológico, BoI.
Cong. BrAS. Geologia, Anah, pp. 201·210. Brullla., ..
whosc deposifion !'StllJ proceeds. A low seismlc large. neighboring, continental grabens, Such ao
explnnatlon would best flt the example of the BEDERKE. E, - 1965 - Tha dentopment ot Eu1"Opean
,'.u, .2,
.
1. pp. 810 Paulo,
S b o. origem da
arlivity of Ue tectonlc system of the Serra do
Serra do .Mar rift system rather than the others rlrt". 1" ThB World Rlft 8y.etem, Geol. SUM. Ca· l'JtIU'TAB., R., O. de - 1001 ; I o ~:o~raf1n. n. 20,
Mar seems b indicnte thet lt ls not cntirely nadA, paper 66~14. PP. 213·219. Ottawa. bacia d. 810 Paulo. &1. au,
inaC'tive. he cites, not only because of the great proxlmity pp. eo-u. &ao Paulo,
BIGARELLA, J. J.• nd ANDRJ.D!J, G. O. - lIea, - 14 li sobre
af the Santos Bastn, but also because af the Cont"lbullon ro lhe .tudy of the Drul1lm.·Qúa... J'RlÚTA8, J\. '0', 4e _ 19156 Con!l eraç e.s ••
ORWI)I" O," THI~ JUFT SYSTF:~t great differcnce in level established in the region. ~
temary. lu \Vr1ght. H. E., Jr. and .Frey,
D
",
a. teotônlca e reolorl8.
Jil{ner. MeUlutTIa,
do Vale do Parnlba.
v. XXIV, n. 143. pp. 276-283.
J::,ng.
The cambro·ordovlcian faulta could have tn some Editor": Internlltlon81 Studles of the Quat.4rnllry. Rio de Janeiro.
The avalable knowJedge 00 the Santos Geol. Soe. Amerlea, Spee. Paper 84. PP. ~S3-41S1.
way facllltated the process, whlch would also
Basin and tte Sermo do Mar rlfl"i is evldently explain the tlJtlng of the faulted blocks towards BIGARELLA, J. J., :MOUSINHO. M. R. an d DA GUIMARAES,
lInu. ln.t. D,TeenoJ.
- 1947 - Orllem
Induel. Boi, n.das
6. ,r~ChJ~:.~~~~
,.
insu(ficient fa- the prcsentatbnof a sOtisfactory SILVA. J. X. -l9Ma-Proceaee.nd ent'lronment" Horizonte.
the interior of the contInent. o( the Br9Zlllo.n QU8lern8ry. Curltlba, Brun, Unh',
genetic mOdl1 expIainlng the!r origin. Any
IUBU!, Y., CARNEIRO, C. D. R. .nd COIMBRA.
hypothesis, h)wever, should take the following ACKNOWLEDGF:ME~~S Prr..ss, p. 71. A, M, _ 19715 _ The Ribeira toldc I belt. Rev.
fl1cts lnto eOT.sideration: BOWl!:N, R. L. - 1966 - The p:aran' B18111 rleo4 BTR8. Geoeien., v. 6, n. 4, (ln {lre8!).
laV88 Bnd thelr struetural r~l.ttonl wlth the Ponta d
The thanks the Instituto
n.uthor de PeB~ GrossR arch Intern. Fleld lnat OUldebook, Brll,zll, ILLtES 1. H. _ 1970 _ Graben tectanlcs as rei ale
1 - systcln
TJ1C of rifts developed late on rp, X/l - X/IS, W8l1hlngtoll. to ~rulJt..mantle Interaetlon. f1t, IllIes, J. G. nnd
guisas EspecIais, the ceasion of MSS images of
Ule rising ba-der of the continent, adjacent to Muner, 8L, Editora: Graben Problcmll. Interno
the ERTS-l satcUite, the Professors Y. Hasul BUTLER. L. w. - 1970 - Sballo .•••• truclure ot the Upper M.e.nt1e Project, SclenUtlc Report n, 21,
a basjn subsding since the .Aptinn time. The
and G. R. Sadowski for provlding sugge.stlons continental ma.rrln, .authern Br9.zl1 sne! Urul\JflY. pp .•• 27. Bch'Welzerbart'sche VerlagsbuchhA.ndlung.
nppos,ite verlc;al rnovcmcnt reached a minlmum Geo!. Soc. Amerlca, Bull. v. 81, PP. 1079·1096. 8tuttgart.
or 11 km in L distnnce of 200km, for the improvement of the manuscrfpt and
Marta Morria for her ald in 1t8 t1'anslatlon. CAMPOS, J. M. ~ 1963 - A jazIda plrobetumln084 KOLLl'!lRT R and DAVINO, A. _ 1963 _ Levanln.
do "Ale do Perfllba. Blng. Mlner, Metalurgia.. V. mento ~ra~lmêtrlco na. cidade de Slo P!;lulo. Eng.
Ali. Aend. bn.'l. XVI, n. 90, PP. H7-421. Rio de .rlUlelro.
(Snplcmento)
Ao ••• Aoc4. bnII. 0'4"0 .., (976), 48. (Suplemento)
 ~
2G FERNANDO F·. ar. DE: ALME1DA
t
MEZZALIRA, S. aud COUTO, C. de P. - 19i1 - NO'.a
I
l\llncr. MelaIUl·gia.
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ccncettuacêo geccrunolôglca de 'r'remem bé. Estado !
LEINZ, V. - 1!l:18- O~ enleá rios de São J081\ Nítcrõt.
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LEYDEN.
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E"RcbnllJs(, el n cr Porschunesreíae durch Mlttel-Bra-
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~1I1en. Leip?lg.
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.1", Aoad. lJ)·(l~. C/I111C., (976), 48, (Suplomento)