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Proterozoic Basement, Paleozoic Tectonics of NW South America, and Implications for Paleocontinental Reconstruction of the Americas

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Geology and Tectonics of Northwestern South America

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Earth Sciences ((FRONTIERS))

Abstract

This paper summarizes geological data from the basement massifs of the northern Andes, which constrains their evolution since Late Proterozoic time. Regional associations, age, and tracer isotopic data suggest that two orogenic episodes—Orinoquiense-Grenvillian (~1.0 Ga) and Quetame-Caparonensis (~0.47 Ga)—consolidated the basement of the northern Andes, here referred to as the Chicamocha terrane. The Paleozoic paleogeography has been refined by establishing connections between provincial fauna. Faunal constraints indicate a Gondwanan affinity in the Cambro-Ordovician and an Appalachian character for the Siluro-Devonian assemblages. In a broader context, the proto Andean Grenvillian-Orinoquiense (~1.0 Ga) and Quetame-Caparonensis-Famatinian (~0.5–0.43 Ga) orogens may be traced from the Andes of Venezuela down to Argentina. A fragment of the Chicamocha terrane and its Cambro-Ordovician cover was “transferred” to southern Mexico in Late Paleozoic time. Permian magmatic belts running along active margins in Mexico and northern South America place a time limit for this connection at the onset of the assemblage of Pangea.

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Abbreviations

CCB:

Cauarane-Coeroeni belt

CGMW:

Commission for the Geological Map of the World

COGEMA:

Compagnie Générale des Matières nucléaires

CPRM:

Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais, (Serviço Geológico do Brasil)

Ga:

Giga-annum, billion (109) years

ITD:

Isothermal decompression

LA-(MC)-ICP-MS:

Laser ablation (multicCollector) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Ma:

Mega-annum, million (106) years

PRORADAM:

Proyecto Radargramétrico del Amazonas

REE:

Rare earth elements

RNJ:

Rio Negro-Juruena (geological province)

SHRIMP:

Sensitive high-resolution ion micro probe

TDM:

Depleted mantle age

TTG:

Tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite

UHT:

Ultrahigh temperature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oilsearch Limited, Bligh Street- level 23, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Pedro A. Restrepo-Pace

  2. Consulting Geologist, Department of Geology University EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia

    Fabio Cediel

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  1. Pedro A. Restrepo-Pace
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  2. Fabio Cediel
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Correspondence to Pedro A. Restrepo-Pace .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Consulting Geologist, Department of Geology, University EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia

    Fabio Cediel

  2. Consulting Geologist, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Robert Peter Shaw

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Restrepo-Pace, P.A., Cediel, F. (2019). Proterozoic Basement, Paleozoic Tectonics of NW South America, and Implications for Paleocontinental Reconstruction of the Americas. In: Cediel, F., Shaw, R.P. (eds) Geology and Tectonics of Northwestern South America. Frontiers in Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76132-9_2

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