Abstract Mass movements naturally occurring along slopes, especially after heavy rains, cause heavy losses of materials and life and affect highways, pipelines, and bridges, among other structures. Among the most common mass movements, landslides and subsequent mass flows especially stand out. Remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques are useful tools for geological and geotechnical analysis, here applied to characterization of mass movements from the analysis of the influence of slopes, lineaments or fractures, and geological-geotechnical at the junction of the Curral homocline and the Moeda syncline, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Southeast Brazil. The area consists of Archean granitic-gneissic basement and the greenstone belt sequence of the Rio das Velhas Supergroup with Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Minas Supergroup covering these two older successions. Based on satellite images, a preliminary map of lineaments was created, and fractures were grouped according to their direction before being rasterized. Each lineament group was associated with a previously known geological and/or structural feature. Geological units mapped in the area were numerically classified according to their mass movement susceptibility and related geotechnical units. Using a Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) image, a terrain slope raster was generated. The objective was to obtain a raster indicating low and high probabilities of mass movements. Four sets of lineaments were identified: the first set associated with the northeast strike stratification of the rocks of the Moeda Formation; the second set related to eastward-trending warp axis lineations; the third set related to the southeast trend of stretch lineaments or mafic dykes directions; and the fourth set evidently associated with the watershed pattern of the Curral Range crest, perpendicular to the strike of the rocks in the area. Simulations with different combinations of parameters produced eight scenarios were generated were constructed to classify the area as to its susceptibility to rupture through changes in slope, lithotype, and lineament density; the first four (1 to 4) were classified by using the slope percentage raster without interval reclassification, so its values in the cartographic algebra were not grouped. The last for (5 to 8), consider the slope percentage classified. This methodology successfully combines mathematical models for predicting mass movements and determining areas in the urban landscape most susceptible to these phenomena. As such, it comprises a useful tool for government planning of preventative actions for areas of high risk.

Abstract The Rio dos Remédios Group comprises a supracrustal sequence that occupies the base of the Espinhaço Supergroup, São Francisco Craton, Brazil. Its basal formation, Novo Horizonte, crops out in the Paramirim region mainly as metavolcanic rocks that represent one of the fewer occurrences of blue quartz phenocrysts in South America. Their mineralogy consists of quartz and K-feldspar phenocrysts, whereas biotite, muscovite, fluorite, allanite, chlorite, sericite, zircon, and opaque phases occur immersed in a quartz-feldspar-rich groundmass. Such heterogeneous composition is also supported by x-ray diffraction and chemical data. Electron probe microanalysis in some samples revealed the presence of two distinct groups of biotite (magmatic and neoformed), in addition to the presence of iron-rich white mica and almost pure orthoclase feldspar. Our data suggest that the studied metavolcanic rocks have maintained their magmatic characteristics, which were progressively overprinted by hydrothermal fluids and ductile-to-brittle deformation. The magmatic mineralogy is akin to strongly peraluminous and alkaline magmas, common in anorogenic settings – a fertile site for the origin of blue quartz-bearing rocks worldwide.

Abstract The organic geochemistry of organic-rich facies including shales, marls, and carbonates (Assistência Member) of the Irati Formation, Paraná Basin, Brazil, were analyzed to evaluate the thermal effects of igneous intrusions upon the kerogen present in these facies. Total organic carbon (TOC) content and hydrocarbon source potential (S2) of the Irati source rocks range from 0.03 to 20.4% and 0.01 to 112.1 mg HC/g rock, respectively, indicating excellent potential as a source for hydrocarbon generation. Hydrogen index (HI) values reveal that the kerogen is predominantly type I (HI: up to 892.6 mg HC/g TOC) and, therefore, an oil source, except for samples having low TOC content due to severe maturation caused by the heat from diabase intrusions. The thickness of igneous intrusions in the 64 wells investigated in this study ranged from 2 to 231 m. They clearly had a major impact on TOC, HI, and S2 values, which decrease in the vicinity of intrusions, indicating a gradual increase in maturation toward the igneous body. In wells without the influence of igneous intrusions, Tmax values of Rock-Eval pyrolysis and %Ro indicate that the organic matter is immature for the generation of hydrocarbons.

Abstract The Geological Strength Index (GSI) system is the basis of parameters used in the Hoek-Brown failure criterion for rock mass strength estimation. The author tested this system and here suggests a modified GSI called Geological Strength Index-slope (GSIslope). The modified system combines two different existing approaches: the GSI system and Slope Mass Rating (SMR). The purpose of GSIslope is to allow engineering geologists to quickly evaluate the stability of natural and excavated slopes or open-pit mining in the field. GSIslope is computed by subtracting a constant value of 10 and the multiplication of adjustment factors for discontinuity orientation and slope (F1, F2, and F3, based on the parallelism of discontinuity and slope, discontinuity dip angle, and the difference between the inclination angle of discontinuity and slope) from GSI, and adding field groundwater rating to it. Modified curves are also proposed in this work to determine the accurate ratings of the adjustment factors. The results of this work are compared to the values obtained from equations of continuous-SMR and SMR-value itself for both the adjustment factors and GSIslope values. The comparison showed that the proposed curves and GSIslope equation are valid and easy to use for estimating the adjustment factors’ ratings and GSIslope value.

Abstract Sinter overlying the first quartz andesite flow at the base of the Serra Geral Group is a surface manifestation of intense hydrothermal processes operating in the Paraná Basin during the Early Cretaceous. The coarse quartz sinter from western Rio Grande do Sul state was studied in satellite images, field surveying, optical petrography, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalyses, including backscattered electron images and chemical analyses of rocks. Quartz forms large crystals (10 cm) because it was either deposited in a dilute aqueous solution or recrystallized from fine-grained sinter. Well-crystallized chamosite — an iron aluminosilicate (Fe-chlorite) — occurs in quartz crystals, partly associated with fractures. The composition of chamosite is akin to that in ore deposit associations. Noble metals in two sinter samples are present in concentrations of 0.1 ppm Ag and 15 ppb Au. The contents of Ba, Bi, Cu, Mo, S, and W are low but are significant. The present description of sinter quartz signals the presence of a major paleo-hotspring field in the Fronteira Oeste Rift, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, that mertis further study to fully characterize the extent and metallogenetic endowment (Au-Ag-Cu) of the epithermal province.

Abstract Central Brazil hosts Paleo-Mesoproterozoic A-type granitic suites related to the Goiás Tin Province (GTP) that contain Sn (±W, Nb-Ta, REE) mineralization associated with greisen, veins, and small pegmatite bodies. The Pedra Branca granite massif (1.77–1.74 Ga) is the main representative of GTP, marked by important cassiterite (±wolframite) contents. The cassiterite contains SnO2= 96–100 wt. %, with the sum FeOtotal, TiO2, WO3, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, In2O3, and UO2 content below 4 wt.%, while wolframite contains WO3= 71.5–74.5 wt.%, FeOtotal= 14.3–17.4 wt.% and MnO = 6.3–9.9 wt.%, as well as Sn, Ca, Ti, Ta, Nb, Pb, In, and U as trace elements. The δ18O data on the quartz-cassiterite pair (quartz = 9.4–10.4‰, cassiterite = 2.6–2.9 ‰) from greisen reveal a magmatic-hydrothermal signature with calculated crystallization temperatures between 410 and 485°C. However, during the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan-African Orogeny (800–500 Ma), all lithologies and ore sites were subjected to flattening, fragmentation, and mylonitic deformation. Fluid inclusion data revealed the presence of low-salinity aqueous solutions with homogenization temperatures between 215 and 100°C related to Neoproterozoic deformation. Finally, during the Phanerozoic, prolonged erosive produced Sn (±W)-rich alluvium around the Pedra Branca granitic massif.

Abstract Disarticulated shells of three bivalve mollusk species (Anomalocardia brasiliana, Codakia orbicularis, and Divaricella quadrisulcata) were experimentally tested in laboratory flumes to determine the threshold of motion and final orientation of the valves. A total of 150 current flow experiments were conducted on single shells resting on a fixed sand bed. This study demonstrated that shells in the convex-up position are more resistant to flow when the umbo is pointing downstream rather than upstream. Moreover, species with higher frontal areas were more likely to be entrained at lower flow velocities. Results of dimensionless shear stress exhibited values far below the threshold of grains movement for beds of uniform roughness (Shields curve). It was observed that circular shells in convex-up positions were mostly orientated with the umbo pointing downstream. Conversely, elliptical shells in convex-up position tended to align their longer axis parallel to the flow with the posterior side of the valve pointing downstream. These results are not only directly applicable in interpretations of incipient shell motions and in paleocurrent analyses from field and sample data, but also support construction of accurate geological models.

Abstract Benthic foraminifera, ostracods and pteropods are reliable paleoenvironmental indicators in Quaternary deposits. However, in the Ceará Basin, on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, these microfossils are poorly studied. This paper investigates environmental changes during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in the Icaraí subbasin based on micropaleontological analysis of the core ANP 1011. Seventy-four taxa of benthic foraminifera, represented predominantly by Globocassidulina, Uvigerina, Pyrgo and Melonis, have been identified. The ostracod assemblages are composed mainly by the families Macrocyprididae, Cytheruridae, Trachyleberididae, Pontocyprididae and Krithidae, of which the genus Krithe was the most abundant. The composition of the ostracod assemblages identified in this study area differs somewhat from other regions of the Brazilian Margin. The assemblages of foraminifera and ostracod characterize a typical bathyal paleoenvironment. The occurrence of pteropods and dominance of epifaunal foraminifera taxa, mainly Pyrgo sp. and Miliolinella sp. in the lower portion of the core (Pleistocene), indicates higher phytodetritus input and oxygen concentration. A conspicuous environmental change was observed in the upper portion of the core, which corresponds to the Holocene, where the increase of infaunal foraminifera (e.g., Uvigerina, Globocassidulina and Melonis) suggests reduction in the organic matter input and, probably, increased bacterial density and depletion in dissolved oxygen in the sediment.

Abstract Alkaline dikes from the Santos-Rio de Janeiro coast, SE Brazil, mainly from São Sebastião and Búzios islands, yielded a Late Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole (SR) located at 319.7°E 81.2°S (N = 44, A95 = 3.0°, k = 44). This pole includes some sites of alkaline stocks from São Sebastião Island of the same age and supersedes the previous pole for this island. To match the available radiometric ages and the prevailing normal polarity remanence of the rocks with the geomagnetic polarity time scale, the SR pole is placed at 84 Myr. Another group of alkaline rocks, dikes located mainly in Rio de Janeiro, was assigned an age of less than 70 Myr. The ages of the Poços de Caldas, Itatiaia, and Passa Quatro paleomagnetic poles are also discussed based on available radiometric data. Assuming a rigid plate, the SR pole indicates the southward movement of about 7° with virtually no rotation between 100 and 84 Myr. From approximately 84 to 70 Myr, a clockwise rotation of 8° is postulated, with slight variation in latitude.

Abstract The Bacajá domain, southeastern Amazonian craton, comprises Mesoarchaean and Siderian terrains reworked during the Transamazonian cycle. Combined analyses of zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb and Lu-Hf with whole-rock Sm-Nd from the northeast portion of this domain made it possible to propose an evolutionary sequence between ca. 2.60 and 2.06 Ga. Gneisses with an igneous protolith age of 2630±15 Ma show negative signatures (ɛHft = -0.3 to -1.7 and ɛNdt = -3.08 to -2.98) and a Mesoarchaean formation (Hf-TDMC and Nd-TDM model ages range from 3.0 to 3.2 Ga). Rhyacian granite genesis lasted about 40 million years (2.10–2.06 Ga) and was divided into two magmatic periods. The first is represented by deformed granitoids with zircons yielding crystallization ages between 2.10 and 2.09 Ga and model ages (Hf-Nd) at about 2.5 Ga. The second event is represented by granitoids with preserved magmatic texture, crystallization ages of 2.06 Ga, and Siderian model ages (Hf-Nd) of around 2.3 Ga. The overall Hf isotopic analyses of this Rhyacian granite genesis exhibit a spread of ɛHft values between 1.8 and -2.9, which show a probably underestimated mantle-derived contribution in this period.

Abstract The Paramirim Aulacogen was filled by the Espinhaço and São Francisco supergroups in the period from 1.75 to 0.69 Ga, and suffered partial inversion during the Ediacaran. In the northern sector of the intracontinental domain of the Araçuaí-WestCongo Orogen, six compressive deformational phases were interpreted and associated with the frontal inversion of the Paramirim Aulacogen. Three structural domains were identified: Jacaraci Fold-Thrust Belt, Caetité Nappe, and Transpressive Domain. The nucleation of deformational structures is related to a maximum stress field with general WSW-ENE orientation. The first deformational phase (D1), found in the Jacaraci Fold-Thrust Belt and the Transpressional Domain, is related to the evolution of the Rio Pardo Salient. A dextral transpressional system nucleated the Caetité Nappe. This system also juxtaposed amphibolite facies rocks over lower temperature facies, as well as Statherian over Tonian rocks. Furthermore, this system was responsible for deformation in the transpressional domains and late deformation in the Jacaraci Fold-Thrust Belt. The region presents a variety of structures and is, therefore, an excellent natural laboratory for studying positive inversion in aulacogens.

Abstract Santonian-Campanian tuffaceous siltstone, epiclastic siltstone, arkose, and fossiliferous mudstone occur in a 45-m-thick section of well 1-BRSA-37-RJS drilled in the southern Campos Basin, offshore SE Brazil. Well log data and petrographic and lithogeochemical data obtained from cutting samples were used to propose a schematic model of the volcano's sedimentary paleoenvironment. The volcaniclasts in the tuffaceous siltstone and epiclastic siltstone are scoria basalts, typical of spatter cones associated with monogenetic fields worldwide. The combination of these features with the petrographic ones of the arkoses found in the same well interval is likely to be related to volcaniclastic processes taking place on the continental shelf. Ratios between the immobile trace elements of the volcaniclastic rocks can be explained by mixing between sources in the upper continental crust adjacent to southern Campos and the scoria basalts extruded in the monogenetic fields. The little differentiated, olivine-rich basalts extruded from the scoria and spatter cones suggest a rising asthenosphere mantle extending from hundreds of kilometers eastwards till southern Campos in the Santonian-Campanian. This may have resulted in regional discordances in the Santonian, both in the Campos and Santos basins, and also places the petroleum systems in the southern Campos Basin under the thermal influence of such a rising asthenosphere in the Santonian-Campanian.

Abstract This article discusses the geochemical and petrological evolution of the São José do Campestre granite complex (SJCgr), the last Neoarchean plutonic event so far described in the São José do Campestre massif in NE Brazil. We report field, petrographic, zircon U-Pb dating, and whole rock and mineral chemistry for representative SJCgr samples. Laser ablation zircon U-Pb data indicate that the granite emplacement took place at 2664 ± 13 Ma. The rocks comprising the SJCgr have relatively well-preserved primary textures and fabrics and compositions varying from gabbro to syenogranite. Major and trace element contents reveal a metaluminous, calc-alkaline through transitional to alkaline signature, and LILE- and LREE-enriched series analogous to late Archean sanukitoid and modern arc granitoid. The evolution of the SJCgr is envisaged as follows: (1st) partial melting of a metasomatized mantle (2.5–3.0 GPa, ~85–102 km, 1,000–1,200°C), generating a basaltic to basaltic andesitic magma; (2nd) fractional crystallization (FC) of olivine at mantle or lower crustal depth, leading to the parental magmas of the magmatic series; and (3rd) 40–15% FC of olivine gabbro-norite and olivine monzonite cumulates (400–600 MPa, 15–23 km). The SJCgr shares similarities with post-collisional granitoids and, thus, would represent the last Neoarchean episode of mantle-derived magma in Northeastern Brazil.

Abstract Gold mining has profound ties to the history of Brazilian colonization and still takes place with many communities involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The most relevant gold deposits in the Southern Espinhaço Range are related to the occurrence of shear zones in the region between the cities of Diamantina and Gouveia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Former colonial-dated gold mines were depleted; however, the use of newer prospecting practices has brought new interest in these areas. In this context, this study assesses the efficiency, environmental impacts, and economic viability of time-domain electromagnetic induction as a gold exploration method for small-scale prospecting in Gouveia county. Additionally, this study provides a characterization of the local gold mineralization and brings awareness to the prospecting community regarding environmental and legal aspects of gold mining. This article presents the results of a field campaign of prospecting efforts in which 114 metallic targets were located, 35 of which were identified as native gold. The gold samples have specific morphology, depth, and weight that suggest a hypogenic origin with a low degree of transport at eluvial levels. From an environmental perspective, the time-domain electromagnetic induction method has presented fewer impacts, related mostly to site-specific remobilization of the soil.

Abstract The Parauapebas Formation and Igarapé Cigarra Formation constitute two Neoarchean extrusive units inserted in the metavolcanosedimentary sequence (~2.76 Ga) of the Grão Pará Group, Itacaiúnas Supergroup, being represented by basaltic seeps underlain and overlain by jaspillites, rhyolites, volcanoclastic rocks, and gabbro dikes/sills, thus being inserted in the Serra Sul district in the Mineral Province of Carajás, Pará. This study aimed to understand the igneous processes involved in the genesis of these basalts from both geological formations, supported by field, petrographic, and geochemical data. Inserted in the metavolcanosedimentary sequence of the Grão Pará Group (Carajás Domain), the basalts and basalt andesites, the most abundant types of the Parauapebas and Igarapé Cigarra Formations, occur as successions of massive and amygdaloidal lava flows. The study of core samples from nine stratigraphic holes that intersected basaltic rocks of the two geological formations in body S11D (Serra Sul) showed that these rocks reach thick layers with different characteristics, ranging from aphanitic to phaneritic. The basalts are dark green, aphanitic, phaneritic, thin to medium, and hypocrystalline. They show preserved igneous texture being commonly seriated as inequigranular, intersertal, ophitic, subophytic, intergranular, branching, and swallow tail. Its essential primary constituents are plagioclase, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene, and its accessory constituents are titanite and apatite. Chlorite, epidote, quartz, and calcite occur as secondary phases and are interpreted as the products of ocean-bottom hydrothermal alteration and/or incipient metamorphism. In general, the studied volcanic rocks stand out for SiO2 content between 47.00 and 56.04%, high alkali contents (4.70–7.50%), K2O contents between 0.40 and 3.97%, TiO2 (< 1.0%), and MgO between 4.90 and 8.16%. In the classification diagrams, the samples are situated in the fields of basalts, basalt andesites, trachyandesite, and trachybasalt basalts, in the transition of the toleitic and calc-alkaline series. The basalts of the Parauapebas and Igarapé Cigarra Formations were probably formed in an intraplate continental environment influenced by subduction zones. Therefore, the Grão-Pará Basin was probably formed in a convergent regime related to a subduction-type environment. The geochemical data indicate that the studied rocks of the Parauapebas Formation and the Igarapé Cigarra Formation correspond to basalts of calc-alkaline affinity. Two facies were identified in the Parauapebas Formation, namely, the Amendoim and Violão facies. In the Igarapé Cigarra Formation as well, the following facies were identified: Jacaré and Três Marias. Based on the geochemical interpretation, it is assumed that the rocks studied are arc-like continental basalts, which are formed in a subduction environment with influence from a possible asthenospheric source and modified by crustal contamination.