Abstract
Precambrian mafic–ultramafic igneous rocks of South America are diverse in composition, age and origin. They include greenstone belts, layered complexes, and anorogenic volcanics and dyke swarms, exposed on the three main cratonic regions: the Amazonian Craton, the São Francisco Craton and the Goiá Massif (Figure 17.1). The geology of these regions has been reviewed in Almeida et al (1981), Gibbs and Barron (1983), Almeida and Hasui (1984), Hasui and Almeida (1985) and Cordani et al. (1988). The geology has been interpreted in terms of a number of orogenic cycles, notably the Guriense (> 3 Ga), Jequié (2.7Ga), Transamazonian (2.0Ga), Uruaçuano–Espinhago (1.5–1.1 Ga) and Brasiliano (1.1–0.5 Ga) Cycles (see Wernick, 1981), during which the Precambrian crust progressively accreted. It has been estimated that 80% of the Precambrian of South America had formed by the end of the Transamazonian (Cordani et al, 1988).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Blackie & Son Ltd
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wirth, K.R., Oliveira, E.P., Sá, J.H.S., Tarney, J. (1990). Early Precambrian basic rocks of South America. In: Hall, R.P., Hughes, D.J. (eds) Early Precambrian Basic Magmatism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0399-9_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0399-9_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6666-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0399-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive