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Cretaceous intracontinental rifting and post-rift inversion in NE Brazil:

Insights from the Rio do Peixe Basin

Article  in  Tectonophysics · January 2015

DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2014.12.016

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 Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107

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Tectonophysics
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Cretaceous intracontinental rifting and post-rift inversion in NE Brazil:

Insights from the Rio do Peixe Basin
Francisco C.C. Nogueira a,⁎, Fernando O. Marques b, Francisco H.R. Bezerra c,
David L. de Castro c, Reinhardt A. Fuck d
a
Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campina Grande, PB 58.429-140Brazil
b
Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
c
Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Rio G. Norte, Campus Universitário, Natal, RN 59078-970, Brazil
d
Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário, Brasília, DF 70.910-900, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The breakup of Pangea in the Mesozoic placed the South American and African plates under horizontal extension,
Received 19 April 2014 which triggered rifting and the formation of intracontinental basins in NE Brazil. The subsequent geodynamic
Received in revised form 18 December 2014 evolution changed the forces acting upon the South American plate because of the simultaneous development
Accepted 29 December 2014
of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and the Andes. The problem we address in this work is the effect of the changing
Available online 9 January 2015
stress field on intracontinental deformation in NE Brazil, and we used the intracontinental Rio do Peixe Basin
Keywords:
(RPB) as case study. We used remote sensing, shuttle radar topography, geophysical data, and detailed structural
Pangea breakup geology to address this problem. Based on the integrated analysis of brittle deformation within the basin, at the
South American stress field basin boundaries, and in the host basement, we conclude the following: (1) In the Cretaceous, the Rio do Peixe
Intracontinental rift Basin formed from an approximately NW–SE tension, as deduced from brittle deformation in sedimentary
Basin inversion rocks within the RPB and bounding master faults. (2) Subsequently, the maximum compressive stress that
Rio do Peixe Basin acted upon the study area shifted from vertical to horizontal, and was oriented approximately ENE–WSW. The
NE Brazil new compressive stress field inverted the RPB, which is recorded in the basin at all scales. (3) The inversion of
the RPB is consistent with the stress field imposed by the MAR push (to the west) and the Andean push (to
the east), which have kept the South American plate under ENE–WSW horizontal compression since the late
Cretaceous.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The plate-scale compressive stress field dominated during the

Continental rifting was widespread along the eastern continental
margin of South America when Pangea began breaking up in the
Jurassic–Cretaceous. Later, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) formed and
the Andes began to rise. Intracontinental rifting ceased during this peri-
od because these two new sources of stress and permanent topographic
reliefs (MAR and Andes) comprised a first-order source of stress that in-
duced horizontal compression in the South American plate (SAm)
(e.g., Assumpção, 1992; Cobbold et al., 2007; Coblentz and Richardson,
1996; Cogné et al., 2012; Marques and Moulin, 2011). This horizontal
compressive regime has varied over time, apparently following fluctua-
tions of altitude in the Central Andes (e.g., Cogné et al., 2011, 2012;
Cogné et al., 2013).
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 83 21011130.
E-mail address: frcezar@dem.ufcg.edu.br (F.C.C. Nogueira).
three Andean deformation and rise phases: the Peruvian (Late
Cretaceous), Incaic (Paleogene), and Quechua (Neogene to Recent)
phases (e.g., Cobbold and Rossello, 2003; Cobbold et al., 2007;
Steinmann, 1929). Although rifting ceased in the Late Cretaceous, the
intraplate stress field and stronger inversion occurred in the Paleogene
and Neogene during the Incaic and Quechuan phases, when the Andes
presented an exceptionally high topography. The end of the rift period
and the onset of a new stage of intraplate horizontal compression may
have led to inversion of sedimentary basins in intraplate South
America, which is central to our study.
Although the timing, geometry, and kinematics of post-rift deforma-
tion in intraplate areas have gathered relatively little attention in recent
years, especially along sedimentary basins (e.g., Bezerra et al., 2014),
post breakup compressive intraplate stresses from the Late Cretaceous
to the present are poorly constrained in the sedimentary basins in intra-
plate South American. For example, most studies describe the sedimen-
tary basins' rift stage evolution but do not present intraplate stress field

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2014.12.016
0040-1951/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 93

effects from the Late Cretaceous to the present (e.g., Chang et al., 1992;
Matos, 1992). An earlier report on the stress field in the Rio do Peixe
Basin, northeastern Brazil, concluded that σ1 was mostly horizontal
and oriented ENE–WSW, which was interpreted as a result of
intracontinental rifting (Françolin et al., 1994).
The internal contractional deformation in continental South
America seems best recorded in the intracontinental basins (Marques
et al., 2014); therefore, we used one of the basins in NE Brazil for the
case study, the Rio do Peixe Basin (Fig. 1). The main problems we ad-
dress in this study are (1) the effects caused by the varying stress
field in intraplate areas, (2) the inversion timing, and (3) where the re-
cord of such deformation can be found in basins and host basement
rocks.
To solve these problems, we used remote sensing, shuttle radar to-
pography, geophysical data, and detailed structural geology. We col-
lected new data in both sedimentary units within the Rio do Peixe
Basin and master faults bounding the basin. We also looked at major
faults in the nearby basement, which show that the bounding master
faults are composed of several parallel faults. We use the new data de-
scribing post-rift sediment deformation and the internal structure of
the bounding master faults to infer an inversion of the basin in the
Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. In particular, we describe the basin in-
version structures at all scales, and their origin is discussed for the
first time. The new data help to constrain the changes in stress in
northeastern Brazil from vertical to horizontal maximum compressive
stress, which is consistent with the stress evolution in intraplate
South America.
2. Geological and tectonic setting
The Rio do Peixe Basin (RPB) and several other intracontinental
basins in the region were generated in the Neocomian to Barremian
during the South America–Africa breakup (e.g., de Castro et al.,
2007, 2008; Matos, 1992). The RPB comprises three major regions
of subsidence, which are considered sub-basins: Brejo das Freiras,
Sousa, and Pombal (Françolin et al., 1994). The RPB has been de-
scribed as a basin consisting of half-grabens, tilted toward the south
and southeast and controlled by three major faults: the Malta,
Portalegre, and Rio Piranhas faults (de Castro et al., 2007) (Fig. 2).
The Malta fault marks the southern border of the Sousa sub-basin
and a flexural border marks the northern limit of this basin (Fig. 2,
cross-sections A–A′, D–D′ and E–E′). The same occurs in the Brejo
das Freiras sub-basin, where the Portalegre fault marks the SSE limit
and a flexural border marks the WNW limit of the sub-basin (Fig. 2,
cross-sections A–A′ and E–E′). Normal faults occur in both flexural
borders.
The infill of the RPB is composed of siliciclastic deposits of Early
Cretaceous age. These sedimentary units interfinger with each other,
which indicate almost similar ages that range from 145 to 130 Ma
(Córboda et al., 2008) (Fig. 3). The Rio do Peixe Basin is composed
of three main formations: Antenor Navarro, Sousa, and Rio Piranhas
(Fig. 2) (Braun, 1969). The Antenor Navarro Formation directly over-
lies the crystalline basement and is composed of conglomerates and
immature sandstones at the base and fine sandstones that interfinger
with shales at the top. This unit was deposited in alluvial plain and
alluvial fan systems. The Sousa Formation interfingers with the previ-
ous unit and is mainly composed of red, locally gray shales and silt-
stones with limestone and marl lenses and a few layers of fine to
coarse sandstones. This unit was deposited in shallow lacustrine and
flood plain systems with alluvial influence. The Rio Piranhas Forma-
tion is mainly composed of coarse to conglomeratic sandstones,
with feldspar and lithic fragments that interfinger with siltstones
and red shales, deposited in an alluvial system (Sénant and Popoff,
1989).
The sub-basins have different tectonic histories. The Brejo das Freiras
sub-basin is 2400 m deep, whereas the Sousa sub-basin is 1600 m deep
(De Castro et al., 2007). The formation and evolution of the sub-basins
have been ascribed to brittle reactivation of the ductile NE–SW- and
E–W-oriented Precambrian shear zones in the Neocomian (Fig. 2).
This reactivation generated a rift-related normal fault system with

Fig. 1. Geodynamic context of the study area: (A) Satellite image with location of the Central Andean Plateau and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The white and black arrows represent the
MAR and Andean pushes, respectively to W and E. Insert at bottom right is a graph representing the rise of the Andes in the last 30 Ma, according to oxygen isotopes (adapted from
Garzione et al., 2008). (B) Map of the Borborema Province with the main Cretaceous basins, major ductile shear zones, and tectonic stress orientations highlighted. In detail, the South
American continent, Anden Belt (AB) and Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). BVB indicates the location of the Boa Vista Basin. Present-day stress data from Assumpção (1992), Lima et al.
(1997), Ferreira et al. (1998, 2008), Bezerra et al. (2007, 2011), Lima Neto et al. (2013), and Reis et al. (2013).
94 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107
Fig. 2. Simplified map of the Rio do Peixe Basin and cross-sections based on 3D gravity
modeling by De Castro et al. (2007). The geology and basin structures were derived
from Sénant and Poppof (1991), Françolin et al. (1994), De Castro et al. (2007), Córboda
et al. (2008), and Medeiros (2008).
vertical offsets as large as 2.4 km in the basin. The reactivation period for
ductile shear zones and sedimentation onset was inferred using
thermochronological data along the Portalegre Shear Zone, which
indicated that crustal cooling associated with block uplift and
downfaulting occurred in the basin at approximately 140–120 Ma
(Nóbrega et al., 2005). From 45 Ma to the present, the subsiding
movements of the westernmost sub-basin occurred along the eastern
section of the Portalegre Shear Zone (Nóbrega et al., 2005). However,
the exact kinematics of these faults could not be constrained by
fission-track data.
The kinematic model for the formation and evolution of the RPB in-
ferred from Sénant and Popoff (1991) and Françolin et al. (1994), and
supported by the regional model of Matos (1992), is associated with a
NW to NNW tension, which is responsible for the main rifting in the
Neocomian–Barremian. These tectonic models propose that opening
in the RPB and other basins in the region occurred along the Cariri–
Fig. 3. Stratigraphic chart of the Rio do Peixe Basin (modified from Córboda et al., 2008).
Potiguar rifting axis. This axis trends NE–SW and extends from the
Araripe to Potiguar Basins (Fig. 1).
Although a few studies have described the neotectonic stress field in
NE Brazil, the post-rift evolution of the area is poorly understood. In the
Paraíba Basin, ~290 km E of the study area (Fig. 1), the stress field pre-
sents an ENE–WSW-oriented compression that affects the Miocene and
Quaternary sedimentary units (Bezerra et al., 2008). In the Potiguar
Basin, ~170 km NE of the study area (Fig. 1), fault-slip data from sedi-
ments ca. 100 ka indicate dominant E–W-oriented horizontal maximum
compression (Nogueira et al., 2010). These paleostress fields are consis-
tent with the present-day stress field in the region, which is constrained
by focal mechanisms, borehole breakouts, and anelastic strain recovery
(Fig. 1).
The current state of stress in continental South America was
modeled by Coblentz and Richardson (1996), who included MAR-
push (to the W) due to the cooling oceanic lithosphere and the elevated
continental crust (the Andean Cordillera). Presently, the greatest source
of stress in the Andes is the Altiplano with its deep crustal roots
(e.g., Artyushkov, 1987; Husson et al., 2008).
3. Methods
Our study concentrated on the main fabric of the basin and base-
ment, including the ductile shear zones and data from the basin's
bounding faults, basement faults, and intrabasin faults. We used
existing geological maps and improved the structural map using satel-
lite imagery, digital elevation models to map lineaments, and the
major outcrops in the basin and basement. We derived the main basin
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 95

Table 1
Fault data used for stress tensor determination, with plunge and plunge direction of principal stress axes: σ1, σ2, σ3, and φ equals stress ratio.

Site Latitude Longitude Number of fault Formation Age σ1 strike dip, deg σ2 strike dip, deg σ3 strike dip, deg φ

Diagram 1 −6°46′50″ −38°33′56″ 8 Rio Piranhas Neocomian 300, 56 078, 27 179, 17 0,0141
Diagram 2 −6°41′57″ −38°32′49″ 9 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 178, 84 014, 05 282, 02 0,0573
Diagram 3 −6°41′49″ −38°31′32″ 12 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 074, 61 273, 28 183, 05 0,7302
Diagram 4 −6°48′23″ −38°27′21″ 18 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 020, 61 238, 19 148, 09 0,067
Diagram 5 −6°42′28″ −38°17′16″ 20 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 070, 76 247, 14 337, 03 0,5551
Diagram 6 −6°41′46″ −38°37′41″ 12 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 265, 14 110, 74 357, 09 0,1332
Diagram 7 −6°41′57″ −38°32′49″ 5 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 264, 13 173, 05 074, 77 0,671
Diagram 8 −6°41′57″ −38°32′49″ 32 Antenor Navarro Neocomian 270, 08 053, 08 179, 03 0,478
Diagram 9 −6°39′43″ −38°29′30″ 21 Rio Piranhas Neocomian 270, 11 003, 18 150, 68 0,1809
Diagram 10 −6°45′00″ −38°14′50″ 13 Sousa Neocomian 277, 04 186, 09 037, 82 0,1274
Diagram 11 −6°45′32″ −38°15′12″ 19 Sousa Neocomian 268, 04 359, 09 155, 79 0,0381

and basement structural framework from preexisting maps, new field

data, and aeromagnetic map (Fig. 3).
We used an airborne magnetic survey, the Iguatu Project, to
map the main lineaments in the basement and their continuation
into the basin. The project was executed over the Rio do Peixe
Basin between 1976 and 1977 (Brasil.MME/CPRM, 1995). The sur-
vey covered an area of 223 km by 250 km, and the aircraft was
flown along N45W-oriented flight lines spaced 1 km at a nominal
survey elevation of 150 m. NE–SW tie lines were acquired every
20 km. The magnetic data were corrected for the transient geomag-
netic variations and International Geomagnetic Reference Field
(IGRF). We interpolated the magnetic data set onto a 500 m cell-
size grid using the bi-directional method. Next, we combined a
decorrugation filter with a directional cosine filter and applied it
to the grid to eliminate high frequency noise along the flight direc-
tion. Additionally, we applied the tilt derivative filter, which is the
ratio of the first vertical derivative of the potential field to the

Fig. 5. Cross-cutting relationship used to separate fault-slip data in two stress field:
Fig. 4. Tectonic fabric in the Rio do Peixe Basin and basement: (A) magnetic tilt derivate (A) NE-striking right-lateral strike-slip fault that cut across a previous E–W-striking nor-
map; (B) interpretation of magnetic lineaments from. mal fault; (B) detail of vertical striae in the normal fault.
96 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107

horizontal gradient of the field (Miller and Singh, 1994), to the
magnetic data to enhance the edges of shallow magnetic sources
related to the geological contacts and structural fabric of the Pre-
cambrian basement.
The fault slip data were used to calculate the paleostress axes.
We used Riedel shears, piercing points, joints associated with faults,
and fault jogs as main kinematic indicators. Similar to previous au-
thors (e.g., Françolin et al., 1994; Sénant and Popoff, 1991), we as-
sumed that (1) the block rotation was not significant (because
bedding tilting is minimal), (2) the structures reflected the far
field stresses (because they are pervasive and affect both basin and
basement), (3) the data allow identification of different stress fields
(because together they are incompatible), and (4) the basin and
basement rock stratigraphy is consistent with Sénant and Popoff
(1991) and Françolin et al. (1994). We used the direct inverse meth-
od (Angelier, 1984) to estimate the paleostresses. We determined
the stress ratio by calculating the angle of minimum misfit between
the slips of a selected fault set. We used the software TectonicsFP
(Reiter and Acs, 2000), which facilitated the separation of fault pop-
ulations, and we determined all stress parameters presented in
Table 1.
We based the stress analysis on the new field data. We split the
data according to a combination of several criteria, which included
crosscutting relationships and the stratigraphic ages of affected rocks.
In addition, kinematically inconsistent structures were identified direct-
ly in the field, either by crosscutting relationships between individual
faults or by superimposition of striae on the same fault surfaces. We
combine the stress analysis of major faults that bound the basin
with the meso-scale analysis of faults inside the basin. However, the
fault-slip data here presented do not represent reactivated fault
surfaces.
4. Results
4.1. General tectonic features of the RPB
The major faults in the RPB and its crystalline basement were de-
rived from several studies (Córboda et al., 2008; De Castro et al., 2007;
Françolin et al., 1994; Medeiros, 2008; Senant and Popoff, 1991)
(Fig. 2). The faults mainly follow the trends of the basement, which is
depicted in the magnetic tilt derivative map and in the lineaments ex-
tracted from this map (Fig. 4).

Fig. 6. Diagrams of the rift (first stress field) and post-rift (second) stress field for the faults identified in the sedimentary rocks of the sub-basins Brejo das Freiras (BFSB), Sousa (SSB) and
Pombal (PSB). We removed Quaternary deposits for the sake of clarity. The map shows bedding dextral drag along the eastern bounding fault, the Portalegre Shear Zone inherited from the
Precambrian basement.
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 97

The tilt derivative map (Fig. 4A) and faults derived from previous
geological mapping (Fig. 2) correlate well. The map indicates that the
deep magnetic source 15 km downward (Curie Surface) correlates
well with the faults. It also indicates that the faults are deeply rooted
in the crust and may be linked to the ductile shear zones. This relation-
ship favors reactivation. Below, we describe the syn-rift and post-rift
stress fields that we observed in the basin and basement.
We recognized and grouped the fault-slip data from the RPB and
its basement in two main groups based on crosscutting relationships
and ages of the stratigraphic units affected by deformation. The field
data indicate that the first group is composed mainly of normal faults
consistent with the basin's syn-rift phase; the second group is com-
posed of strike-slip and reverse faults and is consistent with the
basin's post-rift phase and the present-day stress field in the region.
Fig. 5 presents the crosscutting relationships observed in the field.
Below, we present the results for faults related to the two stress
fields.
4.2. Syn-rift stress field — basin formation
Interpreting the aeromagnetic data for the RPB (Fig. 4A, B) yielded
the NE- and E–W-trending basement fabric (Fig. 4B). The E–W-trending
lineaments are mainly related to the continental-scale Patos ductile
shear zone, whereas the NE–SW-trending lineaments are related to
other shear zones. If we compare the map of the basement fabric in
Fig. 4B and the geological map in Fig. 2, the basement fabric is clearly re-
lated to the reactivated faults in both the rift and post-rift basin stages.
The first stress field we identified in the sedimentary units presents a
vertical σ1 related to the syn-rift phase (Fig. 6).
The RPB faulted borders comprise two major high-angle faults,
which strike NE–SW and E–W. One of the main points here is that the
basin results from the reactivation of preexisting discontinuities in the
Precambrian basement; the E–W boundary is the Patos Shear Zone
(Malta fault), and the NE–SW boundary is the Portalegre Shear Zone
(Portalegre fault) (Fig. 2).

Fig. 7. (A) Faults in the basement hosting the RPB, and close to the contact with the basin sediments. (B) Zoom of the fault surface to show the brecciated and striated basement. (C) Image
of the fault zone bounding the Sousa sub-basin to the S. Note that the sandstone is already deformed by the fault. (D) Image of the fault zone bounding the Sousa sub-basin to the S, west of
the village of Marizópolis. The sandstone on the left (north) dips to the N (steeper than farther N into the basin), followed by a half a meter of green gouge (center), and thick breccia 10 m
farther right. (E) Pseudotachylite breccia associated with normal faulting in the basement. (F) In the blade, the pseudotachylite is represented by a dark matrix.
98 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107
Fig. 8. (A) Listric normal fault in sandstone, some tens of meters away (north, left) from
the contact shown in (B). (B) Normal fault in sandstone, note the thickening of the sand-
stone layer in the hanging wall block, which indicates syn-rift depositional faulting;
(C) normal faults deforming the Antenor Navarro Formation sandstone located on the
northern edge of the Sousa sub-basin, with the maximum displacement exceeding 1 m.
The normal NE-trending faults indicate that σ1 was vertical and σ3
was horizontal and NW–SE-trending during the RPB opening (Figs. 2
and 6). For example, the Malta fault was formed from the reactivation
of the Patos Shear Zone and records the first stress field during the
rift phase. The normal slip along E–W-trending faults also indicates
that σ1 was subvertical, as indicated by cluster 1 (σ1 = N301°/56°)
and cluster 4 (σ1 = 020°/61°), and σ3 trended N–S to NW–SE during
the RPB rift phase (Fig. 6). The Malta fault zone in the crystalline base-
ment comprises faults that dip both N and S (Fig. 7A), but the master
bounding fault dips to the N. In Fig. 7A, the fault dipping opposite to
the observer strikes N105 and dips 60° S with striations on the fault
surface that plunge 48° SSE. The shear criteria indicate normal sinistral
kinematics. The fault dipping toward the observer strikes N93, dips 46°
N, and presents dip-slip striation (Fig. 7B); this fault system also pre-
sents cataclasite, fault breccias, gouge, and pseudotachylite veins
(Fig. 7C, D, E, F), which indicate fault reactivation at different crustal
levels. In a few places, this bounding E–W master fault is filled
with thick (N 10 m) quartz veins along the southern RPB boundary
(e.g., Fig. 7D).
Abundant examples of the rift phase faults are also present inside the
basin. The structural data measured on faults that deform stratigraphic
units within the RPB confines reveal a preferred NE–SW orientation
and, secondarily, E–W, NW–SE and N–S orientation for the faults
(Fig. 8). Negative flower structures are associated with extensional tec-
tonics (Fig. 9), where dextral transcurrent structures are apparent with
oblique striations and low angle fault planes that are represented by
synthetic and antithetic normal fault kinematics.
4.3. Post-rift stress field — tectonic inversion
The data related to the second stress field, which is composed of
faults that cut across the normal faults described above, indicate an
~E–W to ENE–SSW σ1 (Fig. 6). This horizontal compression deformed
the syn-rift sedimentary units in the Brejo das Freiras and Sousa sub-
basins, where the E–W-striking faults slipped as left-lateral strike-slip
faults, and the NE–SW-striking faults slipped as right-lateral strike-slip
shears; all included a significant thrust component. Most of the NE-
striking normal faults from the first stress field slipped as right-lateral,
strike-slip faults with a component of thrust. In addition, the E–W-strik-
ing faults of the first stress field mostly slipped as left-lateral strike-slip
faults, with a component of thrust, induced by a 084°-striking σ1 (Figs. 6
and 10). Therefore, we concluded that the strike of stress axis σ1 ranges
from 084° to 098°.
In the Brejo das Freiras sub-basin (BFSB), the NE–SW-striking
Portalegre fault system is also composed of low-angle faults, with a
sandstone layer overthrusted by the crystalline basement (Fig. 10).
The fault strikes N70 and dips 36° SE; it exhibits reverse kinematics, as
the basement thrusts over the basin sandstones (Fig. 10A, B, C). The
sandstone layers are folded close to the fault. The sandstone in the foot-
wall and close to the fault strikes N200 and dips 66° WNW, but away
from the fault, the bedding dip gradually decreases to 25° (Fig. 10A), in-
dicating inverse and oblique dextral kinematics. The sandstone bedding
shows consistent deflection along the Portalegre fault, as indicated on
the map in Fig. 6 and as measured in the field (Fig. 10A). We concluded
that the E–W horizontal compression reactivated the NE–SW-striking
Portalegre fault as a right-lateral strike-slip fault with a small reverse
motion component (Figs. 6 and 11).
In another location, the Portalegre fault in the Brejo das Freiras sub-
basin strikes N20 and dips 60° W, and the striations plunge 50° N240.
Using this geometry and the observed S–C relationship (Fig. 11), dex-
tral thrust is deduced. These kinematics are consistent with a second
stress field that inverted the basin. Based on the reverse faulting
shown here, we propose that the well-preserved Brejo das Freiras
sub-basin SE scarp along the Portalegre fault (Fig. 2) is the product of
post-rift inversion.
The E–W-striking faults also exhibit kinematic indicators consistent
with basin inversion. The most complete and instructive outcrops
are shown in Fig. 12A. At this location, pseudotachylite veins cut
across the basement and sandstones of the Rio Piranhas Formation
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 99

Fig. 9. (A) Schematic section of a negative flower structure in the outcrop; (B) detail of deformation bands deforming the sandstones of the Antenor Navarro Formation. This drawing
corresponds to the upper left-side of the flower depicted in (A). (C) Stereonet of the syn-rift stress field (stress field 1).

(Fig. 12B, C). The presence of pseudotachylite indicates that the area
was exhumed, most likely through basement thrusting over the basin
along a reverse fault. Further evidence of Malta fault reactivation during
the basin's post-rift phase is the breccias formed due to the process of
drag folds (Fig. 12A, D and E). Within this context, Rio Piranhas Forma-
tion sandstone blocks are displaced with basement rock blocks along
the fault planes located on the south edge of the Sousa sub-basin and
with drag folds (Fig. 12A, D and E).
The northern flexural border of the Sousa sub-basin (Fig. 2, cross-
sections A–A′, D–D′, E–E′) also presents evidence of fault reactivation.
The low-angle reverse faults in the flexural border are related to inver-
sion of the basin. The road cut shown in Fig. 13A, located close to the
flexural border (Fig. 6), exposed the contact between the basin sand-
stones (south) and basement mylonitic granite (north) through a fault
striking N90 and dipping 45° S. In this outcrop, the inversion is related
to a subhorizontal σ1 that strikes 084°, which produced sinistral-
reverse faults similar to those of cluster 6 in Fig. 6. The bedding dip in
the sandstone on the hanging wall can reach 72° proximal to the basin
contact (Fig. 2, cross-section D–D′ and Fig. 13B).
In the Brejo das Feiras sub-basin, the main brittle structures are the
NE-striking deformation bands, and as shear progressed, new secondary
deformation bands striking N–S (reverse), E–W (extensional), and NW–
SE (antithetic) were formed (Fig. 14A, B, C). We concluded that defor-
mation bands were generated by an approximately E–W-trending σ1
and N–S-trending σ3 related to the inversion phase (Fig. 14A, B). The
different deformation band directions mapped in the sandstones inside
the basin are consistent with this stress field, as shown in the schematic
evolution (Fig. 14C).
In the central portion of the Sousa sub-basin (Fig. 6), we observed
NE-striking dextral faulting and folding (Fig. 15A, B) consistent with
the inversion stress field and mainly associated with drag folds and
right-lateral strike-slip (Fig. 16A). A system of antiform and synform
folds occurs on both sides of the fault and the plan view of this
system is consistent with dextral faulting (Fig. 16). In the same outcrop
100 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107

Fig. 10. (A) Image showing a reverse fault (dipping opposite to observer, ESE) thrusting the basement (background) over the sandstone (foreground, dipping toward observer, WNW), at
the eastern boundary of the Brejo das Freiras sub-basin. (B) Closeup of the thrust in (A) to show the fault gouge in the shallow angle contact. (C) Detail of the thrust observed in (B).

(Stratigraphic Well in Fig. 16A), a borehole 300 m deep shows bedding- (inversion phase), instead of the vertical compression of the first stress
orthogonal stylolites (Fig. 16C). Although the stylolite peak orientation field (rift phase).
could not be determined exactly, their subhorizontal disposition is
consistent with horizontal compression from the second stress field 5. Discussion

5.1. Evolution of the stress field in the RPB

Part of the data herein are consistent with published paleostress

Fig. 11. S–C structure in the fault gouge localized in the Portalegre fault in the BFSB.
studies for the RPB (e.g., Françolin et al., 1994; Sénant and Popoff,
1991); however, relevant and new data related to post-rift evolution
were not previously reported. The interpretation of a vertical σ1 and
NW–SE trending σ3 associated with the syn-rift phase and opening of
the basin has been previously proposed (Françolin et al., 1994; Sénant
and Popoff, 1991). Françolin et al. (1994) reported that σ1 was mostly
horizontal and oriented ENE–WSW and interpreted it as the result of
intracontinental rifting in the Early Cretaceous. We found a similar ori-
entation for σ1, but we show that it post-dates rifting and, thus, is com-
patible with a post-rift compressive reactivation.
Inherited crustal discontinuities weaken the lithosphere and play a
critical role in localizing intra-plate compressional deformation. In ad-
dition, reactivation of steeply dipping normal faults occurs when the
horizontal maximum compressive stress is at an angle b45° to the
strike of the normal fault (Brun and Nalpas, 1996; Ziegler et al.,
1995). Once the RPB is elongated approximately along E–W and NE–
SW, the faults with these directions were less than 45° to the maxi-
mum compressive stress and, therefore, played a major role during
basin inversion. These are the directions for the major Patos and
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 101

Fig. 12. (A) Schematic model of the thrusts associated with the Malta fault at the southern border of the SSB. (B) and (C) Details of pseudotachylite inserted in the sandstones of the Rio
Piranhas Formation, at the southern edge of the Sousa sub-basin. (D) Drag folds deforming the Rio Piranhas Formation near the Malta fault. (E) Fault zone filled with blocks of basement
rock steeped in a sandy matrix belonging to the Rio Piranhas Formation.

Portalegre Shear Zones, respectively; hence, we infer that these shear in the sandstones), which may be problematic for attempts to use
zones were preferentially inverted. these structural data to infer large-scale kinematics outside the
Previous observations (e.g., Françolin et al., 1994) have been car- basin. The bases for this difficulty are the following: (1) there is a mo-
ried out within the basin (mostly secondary faults and shear bands bile boundary (master fault) between the basement and basin
102 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107
Fig. 13. Northern border of the SSB: (A) Contact of the northern SSB by a reverse fault between sandstone on the left (south) and basement on the right (north). (B) Image showing very
steep (70°) bedding in sandstone very close to contact with the basement on the left (north).
sediment, which can operate as a detachment and promote deforma-
tion partitioning; and (2) faults with small displacements are charac-
teristic of all the small-scale faults measured inside the basin, which
can be due to (differential) compaction or fluid migration to lower
depths. Therefore, we used a different approach and integrated data
from intrabasin faults, bounding master faults, and crystalline base-
ment faults.
5.2. Correlation with other sedimentary basins in NE Brazil
The RPB rift to post-rift evolution exhibited strong similarities to
other basins in NE Brazil, such as the Araripe and Potiguar Basins
(Fig. 1). This is relevant because these basins also present evidence of
tectonic inversion. The Mesozoic sedimentary units of the Araripe
Basin peak at ca. 1000 m, which is greater than 500 m above the host
Precambrian basement and indicates that an intracontinental graben
was inverted to a topographically high-standing horst (Marques et al.,
2014). These authors report field observations, which indicate that in-
version occurred on faults striking between NNE–SSW and E–W, follow-
ing the structure of the host basement, similar to the Rio do Peixe Basin.
In both the Araripe and RPB, inversion of high-angle normal faults oc-
curred through oblique slip, which apparently facilitated precursor
steep normal fault inversion. Faults that cut through the colluvium
indicate that the latest inversion stage in both basins is Quaternary;
however, an older inversion is likely. This stress was preferentially con-
centrated along the shear zones that were reactivated to form the main
inversion faults. In active tectonics, such as in the Araripe and the RPB
rifting stage, tectonic topographic relief and erosion compete. If the
tectonic rate is much higher than the erosion rate, then high scarps
can form, which become gravitationally unstable and can supply
boulder-size debris (and debris flow) to the subsiding basin. Otherwise,
the fault scarp is small and can only supply small-size clasts (pebbles to
cobbles), which seems to be the case in the RPB (Fig. 17), where only
small-size clasts were observed in conglomerates that uncomfortably
lie on top of eroded basement at the fault scarp base. This observation
indicates that the fault scarps were not high, which could indicate that
the subsidence rate was low. In fact, this is a major difference between
the the RPB and Araripe Basins: low fault scarps in both rifting and in-
versions stages in the RPB, and high fault scarps in both rifting and in-
version stages in the Araripe Basin, as deduced from the size of the
clasts and the current topography. The reason why such contrast exists
is still a matter of investigation.
Both the Potiguar and Rio do Peixe basins are associated with the
Portalegre Shear Zone, which played a significant role during the rift
evolution of the basins (Nóbrega et al., 2005). Both basins present sim-
ilarities in their rift evolution, as they were formed by an NW–SE
trending extension (De Castro et al., 2007, 2008; Matos, 1992). In addi-
tion, these basins also present a few common points during the post-rift
evolution, when the basins were inverted by roughly ENE–WSW com-
pressive stresses, more specifically during the Miocene to Holocene
time interval (Bezerra et al., 2011; Nogueira et al., 2010; Reis et al.,
2013).
Another point of discussion is the inversion age. The NW–SE-orient-
ed tension, which corresponds to the first stress field in the study area,
began in the Neocomian (Matos, 1992). The present-day stress field in
the region, which corresponds to the second stress field in the study
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 103

Fig. 14. Antenor Navarro Formation sandstone showing the inversion stress field: (A) Detailed plan view of the deformation bands with four fault sets. Note that the σ1 orien-
tation is slightly different from those observed in Fig. 5. (B) Evolution model of the deformation bands affected by inversion. (C) Schematic section of the four sets of faults in
the outcrop.

area, also represents the neotectonic stress field in the region (Bezerra
et al., 2011; Ferreira et al., 2008; Reis et al., 2013). This second stress
field also affects the Barreiras Formation of Middle Miocene age (22–
17 Ma) (Bezerra et al., 2011; Lima, 2008; Rossetti et al., 2013). Addi-
tional evidence that indicates the age of the stress field shift may be
found at the Boa Vista sedimentary basin, which is located ~ 200 km
east of the RPB (Fig. 1). This basin encompasses lacustrine sedimentary
units intercalated with basalt flows. The latter yielded 40Ar/39Ar ages
25.5–24.0 Ma (Souza et al., 2013). These units are cut across by NE-
striking growth faults, which display vertical σ1 and NW-trending, ap-
proximately horizontal σ3 (Souza et al., 2005). This stress field is con-
sistent with the first syn-rift phase in our study area, which occurred
mainly in the Cretaceous. These data could have no regional sig-
nificance, but could also indicate that this stress field shift could
have occurred after the deposition of the Boa Vista Basin' volcanic–
sedimentary unit but before the Barreiras Formation's deposition
during the Middle Miocene (22–17 Ma). However, this issue deserves
further investigation.
5.3. Implications for the intraplate stress field in South America
The new tectonic data, timing, and stress field in both basins indicate
that the inversion was due to plate-wide compression associated with a
general E–W to ENE–WSW trending horizontal σ1. It follows that the
South American continent has been under E–W to ENE–WSW compres-
sion since the birth of the MAR (push to the W) and the Andes (push to
the E). MAR-push grew in the ca. first 80 Ma of Atlantic existence, but
the Andean push fluctuated over time at direct pace with altitude vari-
ations in the Andes (e.g., Cogné et al., 2011, 2012a,b; Cogné et al., 2013,
and references therein). Using thermochronological data combined
with inverse-forward thermal history modeling, Cogné et al. (2011,
2012, 2013) recognized the synchronicity of the cooling phases (uplift)
104 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107
Fig. 15. Outcrop located in the central part of the Sousa sub-basin: (A) post-rift drag fold; (B) detail of striae on a right-lateral strike-slip fault plane; and (C) bedding-orthogonal stylolite,
which is consistent with the post-rift (inversion) stress field.
in NE Brazil with the three Andean compressive tectonic phases
(uplift), from which they inferred plate-wide compressional stress-
es. Therefore, inversion should have followed the Andean cycles
of altitude variation, with peaks of eastward push during the
Peruvian (90–65 Ma), Incaic (50–40 Ma) and Quechuan phases
(20–0 Ma). The record of the older inversion episodes is not trivial
to track, mostly due to long-term erosion that erases all topographic
signs of inversion, and lack of dating; in contrast, the recent inver-
sion (b20 Ma) is easier to track, because the inversion structures
are well preserved, and the link to Andean compression much easier
to establish. Garzione et al. (2008) used oxygen isotopes to estimate
the altitude of the Andes in the last 30 Ma, and concluded that the
Andes has been rising since 30 Ma ago, especially in the last 10 Ma
(Fig. 1A), to an exceptional altitude that makes the Andean Plateau
the second largest on Earth.
Our data indicate that the preexisting E–W and NE–SW litho-
spheric scale major ductile shear zones were reactivated during
the Mesozoic intracontinental rifting as normal. Subsequent E–W
to ENE–WSW compression, which may be associated with topo-
graphic forcing (Andes and MAR), inverted the basins through
sinistral thrust reactivation in E–W-bounding faults and dextral
thrust reactivation in NE–SW-bounding faults. In certain areas, the
basement thrusted over the basin through new low-angle reverse
faults.
6. Conclusions
We identified two stress fields that acted to form structures that de-
form sedimentary rocks in the Rio do Peixe Basin. The first is consistent
with the basin's syn-rift evolution, and the second is consistent with its
post-rift evolution due to compression. The new and previous data re-
veal the following. (1) During the Early Cretaceous, due stretching of
Pangea's lithosphere, the Rio do Peixe Basin was formed by a NW–SE-
oriented minimum horizontal compression and vertical maximum
compressive stress, as recorded in sedimentary units within the Rio do
Peixe Basin and bounding master faults. (2) Subsequently, the maxi-
mum compressive stress became horizontal and oriented approximate-
ly WSW–ENE. This new stress field inverted the Rio do Peixe Basin,
which is recorded in its marginal sedimentary units and bounding mas-
ter low-angle thrust faults. (3) The NE–SW faults with oblique kinemat-
ics (dextral reverse) displace the central portion and southern boundary
of the Souza sub-basin. (4) The presence of pseudotachylite that cuts
across Cretaceous sedimentary units indicates that the fault was ex-
humed by the basement thrusting over the basin along a reverse fault
 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107 105

Fig. 16. Fault-fold system related to the inversion in the Sousa sub-basin. (A) Satellite imagery of drag folds along the NE-striking right–right lateral fault affecting the shales in the Sousa
Formation. (B) Structural map of the fault-fold system in (A); (C) 3D sketch of (B).

that was observed farther north of the bounding fault. This study indi-
cates an important stress field change in the South American intraplate
after the rift stage of the sedimentary basin. The age of this shift remains
a matter of debate, but structures associated with inversion were ob-
served in Cenozoic sedimentary deposits. The Rio do Peixe is not unique,
and other sedimentary basins in the South American intraplate also ex-
hibit good evidence of complex tectonic evolution, from early rifting to
late compressional inversion.
Acknowledgments
We thank two anonymous reviewers and Tectonophysics Editor Rob
Govers for their comments and corrections, which greatly improved the
manuscript. This study was sponsored by the Brazilian National Re-
search Council (CNPq) Project no. 471950/2012-2 and Instituto
Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Estudos Tectônicos (INCTET) Pro-
ject no. 573713/2008-1.
106 F.C.C. Nogueira et al. / Tectonophysics 644–645 (2015) 92–107
Fig. 17. Evolution model of the Rio do Peixe Basin, showing the plan and cross-sectional view and related stress field: (A) syn-rift fault similar to the one proposed by Françolin et al. (1994);
(B) post-rift I with basin uplift; (C) post-rift II, the present-day stage of the basin's evolution with the erosion of the uplifted layers in the basin.
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