A geochronological review of magmatism along the external margin of Columbia and in the Grenville-age orogens forming the core of Rodinia

A total of 4344 magmatic U-Pb ages in the range 2300 to 800 Ma have been compiled from the Great Proterozoic Accretionary Orogen along the margin of the Columbia / Nuna supercontinent and from the subsequent Grenvillian collisional orogens forming the core of Rodinia. The age data are derived from Laurentia (North America and Greenland, n = 1212), Baltica (NE Europe, n = 1922), Amazonia (central South America, n = 625), Kalahari (southern Africa and Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica, n = 386), and western Australia (n = 199). Laurentia, Baltica, and Amazonia (and possibly other cratons) most likely formed a ca. 10 000-km-long external active continental margin of Columbia from its assembly at ca. 1800 Ma until its dispersal at ca. 1260 Ma, after which all cratons studied were involved in the Rodinia-forming Grenvillian orogeny. However, the magmatic record is not smooth and even but highly irregular, with marked peaks and troughs, both for individual cratons and the combined data set. Magmatic peaks typically range in duration from a few tens of million years up to around hundred million years, with intervening troughs of comparable length. Some magmatic peaks are observed on multiple cratons, either by coincidence or because of paleogeographic proximity and common tectonic setting, while others are not. The best overall correlation, 0.617, is observed between Baltica and Amazonia, consistent with (but not definitive proof of) their being close neighbours in a SAMBA-like configuration at least in Columbia, and perhaps having shared the same peri-Columbian subduction system for a considerable time. Correlation factors between Laurentia and Baltica, or Laurentia and Amazonia, are below 0.14. Comparison between the Grenville Province in northeastern Laurentia and the Sveconorwegian Province in southwestern Fennoscandia (Baltica) shows some striking similarities, especially in the Mesoproterozoic, but also exhibits differences in the timing of events, especially during the final Grenville-Sveconorwegian collision, when the Sveconorwegian evolution seems to lag behind by some tens of million years. Between the other cratons, the evolution before and during the final Grenvillian collision is also largely diachronous. After 900 Ma, magmatic activity had ceased in all areas investigated, attesting to the position of most of them within the stable interior of Rodinia.publishedVersio

U-Pb baddeleyite ages of key dyke swarms in the Amazonian Craton (Carajás/Rio Maria and Rio Apa areas): Tectonic implications for events at 1880, 1110 Ma, 535 Ma and 200 Ma

Abstract U-Pb baddeleyite ages for key mafic dykes of the Amazonian Craton reveal four significant intraplate episodes that allow connections with global igneous activity through time and supercontinent cycles. The oldest dykes (Carajas-Rio Maria region) are diabases with ages of 1880.2 ± 1.5 Ma and 1884.6 ± 1.6 Ma, respectively, corresponding with the Tucuma swarm which crops out to the west and is age-equivalent. The magmatic activity has a genetic link with the ca. 1.88 Ga Uatuma Silicic Large Igneous Province (SLIP), characterized by felsic plutonic-volcanic rocks. There is an age correlation with LIP events (ca. 1880 Ma) in the Superior, Slave, Indian and other cratons. This magmatism could be derived from significant perturbations of the upper mantle during the partial assembly of Columbia. Gabbronorite of the Rio Perdido Suite (Rio Apa Terrane) crystallized at 1110.7 ± 1.4 Ma, and is identical to that of the Rincon del Tigre-Huanchaca LIP event of the Amazonian Craton. This event was synchronous with the initiation of Keweenawan magmatism of central Laurentia (Midcontinent Rift) and also with coeval units in the Kalahari, Congo and India cratons. The two youngest U-Pb dates (535 and 200 Ma) occur in the Carajas region. Diabase of the Paraupebas swarm yields an age of 535.1 ± 1.1 Ma, which may be correlative with the giant Piranhas swarm located ca. 900 km apart to the west. The Paraupebas swarm is correlative with post-collisional plutonism within the Araguaia marginal belt. Therefore, the Cambrian dykes may reflect reactivation of cooled lithosphere, due to crustal extension/transtension active along the craton’s margin during assembly of West Gondwana. This magmatism is also contemporaneous with the 539–530 Ma Wichita LIP of southern Laurentia. The youngest studied Carajas region dyke was emplaced at ca. 200 Ma, corresponding with 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages for the Periquito dykes west of Carajas and with most K-Ar ages of the giant Cassipore swarm, located north of the study area. The newly dated ca. 200 Ma dyke fits well into the known, brief span of ages for the CAMP Large Igneous Province event, around the present central and northern Atlantic Ocean

Ediacaran high-pressure collision metamorphism and tectonics of the southern Ribeira Belt (SE Brazil): Evidence for terrane accretion and dispersion during Gondwana assembly

The Curitiba Terrane represents a major segment of the southern Ribeira Belt (SE Brazil), which was derived from the collision between the São Francisco, Congo, Paranapanema and Luís Alves Cratons during the Neoproterozoic (Brasiliano/Pan-African Orogeny). The tectonic setting and the metamorphic records of two major juxtaposed units from the Curitiba Terrane, a Neoproterozoic shallow continental-shelf metasedimentary assemblage (Turvo-Cajati Formation) and an Archaean to Paleoproterozoic TTG-type orthogneiss assemblage (Atuba Complex), were investigated. Migmatitic paragneisses from the Turvo-Cajati Formation underwent a deep collision metamorphism. Conventional geothermobarometry and petrological modelling in the system NCKFMASHTi indicate peak metamorphic conditions between 670 and 810°C at 9.5-12kbar. Metamorphic paths calculated from zoned garnet and plagioclase using the Gibbs method of differential thermodynamics indicate distinct evolution for two major groups of migmatites from the Turvo-Cajati Formation: (i) kyanite migmatites evolved from low-temperature eclogite to high-pressure granulite facies conditions following near isobaric heating; (ii) sillimanite migmatites underwent near isothermal decompression and apparently evolved from high-temperature eclogite facies conditions. Chemical dating of monazite indicates that the peak metamorphism of the Turvo-Cajati Formation occurred at 589±12Ma, followed by a greenschist facies metamorphic overprint at 579±8Ma related with late transcurrent shear zones. Ar-Ar biotite ages indicate that the Turvo-Cajati Formation cooled below 250-300°C at 555±4Ma. P-T data and petrological evidence of rocks from the Atuba Complex suggest a retrograde metamorphic path with cooling from 730 to 630-650°C at 6-7kbar. Available K-Ar and Ar-Ar data indicate that the Atuba Complex had cooled to below 300-500°C between ca. 590 and 580Ma. Geochronological data indicate that the main metamorphism of the Turvo-Cajati Formation and the Atuba Complex are coeval, but very contrasting metamorphic signatures reflect formation in different parts of a collisional suture. The integration of structural and petrological data indicates that the structural pattern of the Curitiba Terrane is related to Ediacaran westward directioned nappes during the late- to postmetamorphic period. This is concomitant with a main, crustal-scale, strike-slip regime, dominant throughout the Ribeira Belt. The nappe stack was later deformed by cylindrical folds with E-W trending sub-horizontal axes parallel to the synthrusting stretching lineation and was dismembered and dispersed by late sinistral strike-slip shear zones. The late tectonic assembly of the Ribeira Belt was controlled by significant postcollision terrane dispersion along major strike-slip shear zones

Histologic and inflammatory lamellar changes in horses with oligofructose-induced laminitis treated with a CXCR1/2 antagonist

Abstract: With the hypothesis that blocking chemokine signaling can ameliorate acute laminitis, the aim was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of intravenous DF1681B, a selective antagonist for CXCR1 and CXCR2 (chemokine receptors), in an oligofructose equine laminitis model. To twelve mixed breed clinically healthy hoses with no previous history of hoof-related lameness was administered oligofructose (10g/kg given by nasogastric tube) and divided into two groups: treated (intravenous DF1681B at 30mg/kg 6, 12, 18, and 24h after oligofructose) and non-treated groups. Laminar biopsies were performed before and 12, 36, and 72h after administering oligofructose. Samples were stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and scored from 0 to 6 according to epidermal cell and basal membrane changes. The IL-1β, IL-6, and CXCL1 RNA expressions were determined by RT-PCR. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to compare times within each group (P<0.05). The PAS grades and IL-1β and IL-6 RNA expression increased in the non-treated group, but remained constant in the treated horses. In conclusion, DF1681B therapy reduced laminar inflammation and epidermal deterioration in treated horses. CXCR1/2 blockage should be considered therapeutically for equine acute laminitis

From microanalysis to supercontinents: insights from the Rio Apa Terrane into the Mesoproterozoic SW Amazonian Craton evolution during Rodinia assembly

Deciphering the tectono-metamorphic evolution of Precambrian terranes can be difficult due to reworking by later superimposed events. Whole-rock elemental and isotopic geochemistry and zircon U–Pb geochronology are often employed in those studies, but these approaches are often not sensitive to the presence of multiple events and medium-grade metamorphic episodes. The Rio Apa Terrane (RAT), an allochthonous fragment of the Amazonian Craton, is a crustal block with a well-characterized crustal evolution but with no detailed thermal constraints for its tectono-metamorphic evolution. In contrast to previous studies, we show the existence of four tectono-metamorphic events at c. 1,780, c. 1,625, c. 1,420–1,340, and c. 1,300–1,200 Ma on the basis of apatite, titanite, and rutile U–Pb, in situ white-mica Rb–Sr, and in situ garnet Lu–Hf geochronology combined with mineral chemistry and phase-equilibria modelling. The c. 1,780 Ma event is recorded in the basement of the Western domain, representing an extensional event coeval with the development of its Eastern domain in response to the retreat stage of the accretionary system. This is followed by juxtaposition of the Western and Eastern domains along a major crustal boundary at c. 1,625 Ma, which is defined by the magnetic profiles and zircon U–Pb–Hf data across the boundary. The third and fourth events correspond to progressive high-pressure/medium-temperature (HP/MT) metamorphism, characterized by an anticlockwise P–T path, suggesting a convergent-to-collisional tectonic setting. The RAT was accreted to the adjoining Paraguá Terrane at c. 1,420–1,340 Ma under an isobaric P–T evolution spanning ~530°C to 600°C and ~10.0 kbar. Subsequently, the combined Rio Apa and Paraguá terranes collided with the SW Amazonian Craton at c. 1,300–1,200 Ma, reaching P–T conditions of ~560–580°C and ~10.9–11.7 kbar during crustal thickening. This study reveals for the first time the existence of a HP/MT metamorphic evolution related to the growth of the SW Amazonian Craton as part of an accretionary orogenic system during Rodinia assembly in the Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic

Strain localization and fluid-assisted deformation in apatite and its influence on trace elements and U?Pb systematics.

This paper presents electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), trace element and U?Pb data of apatite grains from a granitic mylonite from the Taxaquara Shear Zone (SE Brazil). The mylonite recrystallized under upper-greenschist facies and presents two types of apatite with distinct microstructures. Type1 apatite appears in quartz-rich layers and does not exhibit any microstructural, crystallographic, or chemical evidence of deformation/recrystallization, and resembles the original igneous apatite. Type2 apatite appears in mica-rich layers and exhibits core-and-mantle microstructures, and intragranular subgrain development, suggesting that they have undergone dynamic recrystallization. Recrystallized tails of type-2 apatite grains exhibit a strong c-axis crystallographic preferred orientation parallel to the X-direction (stretching lineation), and lack evidence of dislocation density. This evidence from type-2 apatite grains, combined with REE depletion, high La and a negative Ce anomaly compared to type-1 grains, suggests that type-2 apatite tails underwent recrystallization via dissolution-precipitation creep, whereas parental grains underwent crystal-plastic deformation and subgrain formation through dynamic recrystallization. Phase-equilibrium modelling and quartz CPO opening-angle thermometry are consistent with recrystallization at ?480 ? 530?C and 2.2 ? 5.0 kbar. We were not able to determine precise deformation ages from type-2 apatite because fluid-assisted recrystallization appears to have substantially decreased the U/Pb ratio. We find that preferential fluid flow along high-strain, biotite-rich layers in the mylonite caused type-2 apatite to recrystallise, whereas type-1 apatite in low strain layers was unaffected and retained the characteristics of the protolith

Growing the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic margin of the SW Amazonia and the transition from an accretionary to a collisional system

Despite a general consensus of a petrogenetic link in Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic times between the Rio Apa Terrane (RAT) and the Ventuari-Tapajós and Rio Negro-Juruena provinces of the SW Amazonian Craton, their connection with the adjoining Paraguá Terrane is still tentative. Here, we test the connection between SW Amazonia, Rio Apa and Paraguá terranes by comparing an extensive dataset of new and published zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopic data. A locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) curve based on a near continuous zircon εHfT time series (∼1400 data) indicates that the Western domain of the RAT, the San Diablo domain (southern Paraguá Terrane), and the Ventuari-Tapajós Province are characterized by a crustal reworking array associated with the recycling of the Amazonian Archean crust. Change-point statistical analysis indicates the time of a switch from this reworking array to an episode of juvenile input into the magmatic sources at 1809–1805 Ma (95 % confidence), giving rise to the juvenile Eastern domain of the RAT, the Paraguá Terrane and the Rio Negro-Juruena Province. This secular zircon εHfT evolution is interpreted to represent a switch from advancing (crustal reworking) to retreating (juvenile input and crustal growth) episodes in the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic accretionary orogen of SW Amazonia. Similar temporal isotopic patterns are recorded in modern accretionary orogens such as the Andes. This data supports a petrogenetic link between the RAT, the Paraguá Terrane, and the SW Amazonian Craton. We postulate that the Mesoproterozoic Alto Guaporé orogeny (ca. 1470–1430 Ma, accretionary phase) eventually juxtaposed the high-pressure/medium-temperature (amphibolite facies) RAT and the high-temperature (granulite facies) Paraguá Terrane along the SW margin of Amazonia, establishing a paired metamorphic belt during Rodinia assembly. The newly formed RAT-Paraguá-Amazonia connection lasted until at least ca. 1110 Ma based on the expression of the Rincon del Tigre-Huanchaca large igneous province that crosscut the Amazonia-Paraguá and RAT. The timing of fragmentation and drift of the RAT and the Paraguá Terrane from the SW Amazonia is still unknown