Reply to Comment by Heilbron and Valeriano on “Tectono Metamorphic Evolution of the Central Ribeira Belt, Brazil: A Case of Late Neoproterozoic Intracontinental Orogeny and Flow of Partially Molten Deep Crust During the Assembly of West Gondwana”

Abstract

The exercise of paleogeographic/tectonic reconstruction of past orogenic belts is a complex task that includes the interpretation and integration of multi-technique approaches such as basin tectonics, structural geology, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, and geodynamics. Proterozoic geologic records are fragmented and incomplete, which make efforts to reconstruct paleogeography and orogenic processes even more challenging. Therefore, for our understanding of the tectonic evolution of past orogenic systems to advance, it is essential that any existing model, including the ones proposed by Heilbron and Valeriano (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019tc005897), are repeatedly exposed to debate and testing. In this reply we address the points raised by Heilbron and Valeriano in order to clarify the scientific foundations of our tectonic interpretation for one of the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan-African orogens in South America (the Central Ribeira Belt), presented in Meira, Garcia-Casco, Hyppolito, et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018TC004959). We also evaluate the proposed paleogeographic reconstructions for this part of West Gondwana and conclude that an intracontinental model better explains the currently available data and observations, including the space problem pointed out in recent publications, and that existing geochemical and geochronologic data by themselves are not conclusive with respect to an unequivocal tectonic environment.This research was financially supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP Grants, #2012/154627 and #2016/061146), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq Gran t, #404767/20168), and CIC (University of Granada). Renato Paes de Almeida, Haakon Fossen, Carolina Cavalcante, Renata Schmitt, Carlos Ganade, and Guiseppe de Toni are fully acknowledge for fruitful discussion