The Ediacaran Rio Doce magmatic arc in the Araçuaí – ribeira boundary sector, southeast Brazil : lithochemistry and isotopic (Sm–Nd and Sr) signatures.

Abstract

The Rio Doce magmatic arc, developed from ca. 630 to ca. 580 Ma on an active continental margin, linking the Araçuaí and Ribeira orogens in southeastern Brazil. The arc plutonic portion comprises the G1 supersuite, a calcalkaline, magnesian, I-type pre-collisional rock-assemblage, mostly composed of tonalite to granodiorite, frequently containing dioritic to mafic enclaves, and their metamorphosed equivalents. We carried out field, petrographic, lithochemical and isotopic (Sm–Nd and Sr) studies on a segment of the Rio Doce arc located in the transition region between the Araçuaí and Ribeira orogens. The studied samples include metamorphozed granitic rocks (referred to by their igneous names in the QAP diagram), consisting of syenogranite, monzogranite, granodiorite, tonalite, quartz diorite, orthopyroxene-bearing tonalite and orthopyroxene-bearing quartz diorite. This rock assemblage defines an I-type, magnesian, metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, medium-to high-K, expanded calc-alkaline series. The numerous mafic to dioritic enclaves and related features indicate magma mixing processes. Isotopic data show moderately to strongly negative εNd(t) values (− 2.9 to − 13.6) and intermediate to high 86Sr/87Sr ratios (0.7067–0.7165) suggests assimilation of older crustal material (i.e., the Juiz de Fora and Pocrane complexes, enclosing paragneisses), which is also indicated by Nd TDM model ages from 1.19 Ga to 2.13 Ga. Magmatic orthopyroxene and high content of CaO in garnet suggest magma crystallization in the deep crust. Together, our data point out to a combination of partial melting of mantle wedge in the subduction zone, deep crustal anatexis, host rock assimilation, and crystal fractionation for magma genesis in the southeastern Rio Doce arc.