Abstract Studies involving the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of rocks are becoming increasingly frequent in geological surveys, mainly in those with petrogenetic approaches and in mineral prospecting. Portable devices have become a good alternative for data acquisition because of their practicality and low cost when compared to laboratory analyses. To assess the efficiency of data acquisition with such devices, 291 soil samples were measured with a Terra Plus KT-5 portable device in the field and with a double frequency Bartington MS2B sensor, with mass correction, in the laboratory. The data obtained allowed the characterization of four distinct populations, ranging from high to very low MS values. Statistical analysis showed good correlation between measurements with mass correction in the laboratory and those made with portable devices, resulting in a correlation coefficient (r) = 0.98. All samples obtained in the field and laboratory were utilized in this correlation. The populations identified by both means are in agreement, with subtle discrepancies, thereby demonstrating the efficiency of portable equipment for acquisition of MS data in geological studies.

Abstract The nature of the extensive silicic units of the Paraná Igneous Province is still heavily debated. The silicic rocks that outcrop in the Palmas plateau (Southwestern Parana State) show aphyric texture and TiO2 < 0.86%, being classified as Palmas-type rhyolites. Physical volcanology criteria are used here to constrain their origin. Textural and structural variations are observed in these rocks, resulting in the description of nine lithofacies: pitchstone; banded vitreous rhyolite; aphanitic rhyolite; rhyolite with planar disjunctions; massive rhyolite; compositionally banded rhyolite; amygdaloid rhyolite, rhyolite with quartz levels, and altered rhyolite. Folded compositional banding associated with volcanic conduits, well-defined lobes and basal autobreccias attest to an effusive origin for most lithofacies. They occur as domes or extensive tabular bodies, fed by volcanic conduits. For both domes and tabular units, the faciological sequence involves (from bottom to top): altered rhyolite; aphanitic rhyolite or rhyolite with tightly-spaced planar disjunctions; monotonous rhyolite with decimetric-spaced planar disjunctions; and top portions with fast cooling features. Only banded vitreous rhyolite differs due to the presence of shards and gas-escape pipes, aspects that imply in a pyroclastic nature. Therefore, a secondary pyroclastic flow created by lava collapse is suggested as its origin, although further studies are required.

ABSTRACT: The impetus for this research was the enigma regarding the origin of the extensive silicic volcanic units in the Paraná-Etendeka Igneous Province. Are they rheoignimbrites, lava flows, or a combination of both? The São Joaquim silicic eruptive sequence is comprised of Palmas-Type aphyric dacites and is located in the northern segment of Torres Trough, a dissected mountainous region in southern Brazil. These dacite outcrops form plateaus and remnant hills that are scattered above a basaltic andesitic landscape. The original morphology of the silicic volcanic flows was constrained based on the internal architecture, geometry, and cyclicity of the lithofacies, in conjunction with petrographic and geochemical information. The data suggests the presence of ancient large tabular and lobate silicic lava flows (~100 m thick and ~10-40 km extents). No pyroclastic features were found. Eight interdigitating units were mapped. These large aspect ratios are similar to ones for basaltic flows and those of Snake River-type rhyolites, and they suggest high effusion rates and high temperatures as well as the presence of well-insulated cooled crusts. Lavas would have overflowed from long fissure vents that had created an extensive volcanic silicic surface body composed of conjugated and interdigitated flows above the north segment of the Torres Trough region.

Resumo: A porosidade contida nas rochas é objeto de estudo de geocientistas devido a diversas implicações genéticas destas feições. Porém, o que vem motivando a busca por novas técnicas analíticas para estudo dos poros são as análises petrofísicas. As técnicas experimentais de análise de porosidade, como injeção de mercúrio ou gás, possibilitam uma aproximação quantitativa, mas não permitem a visualização do arcabouço poroso. A análise petrográfica por microscopia óptica permite a visualização e quantificação dos poros intergranulares, porém, está restrita ao espaço bidimensional, sendo as quantificações menos representativas. O avanço tecnológico na microtomografia computadorizada de raios X (micro-CT) permite a análise tridimensional dos poros em microescala, além de quantificações automatizadas no volume. As análises em mármore, quartzito, arenito e brecha carbonática representadas neste trabalho, executadas no âmbito do PROJETO FALHAS/PETROBRAS/UFPR, mostram a forma, tamanho, conectividade, tortuosidade, distribuição e volume dos poros nestes litotipos, demonstrando as diferenças nos arcabouços porosos das rochas. A integração da microCT à petrografia possibilita a identificação de fases minerais com atenuação de raios X contrastantes, situando a incidência de porosidade no contexto mineralógico em três dimensões, além de contribuir para a consistência do método. Embora a resolução seja limitada no microtomógrafo de raios X utilizado (modelo 1172 da Skyscan), que não atinge o menor tamanho de poro de alguns litotipos, a integração das duas técnicas fornece informações inéditas e de extrema importância para investigação de microfeições relacionadas aos poros em rocha, auxiliando em interpretações genéticas e contribuindo significativamente para análise de reservatórios.

Abstract: The porosity contained in rocks is object of study by geoscientists due to the various genetic implications of these features. However, what have been motivating the search for new analytical techniques to study pores are the petrophysical analyses. The experimental techniques for porosity analysis, such as mercury or gas injection, allow a quantitative approach, but do not allow the visualization of the porous framework. Petrographic analysis by optical microscopy allows the visualization and quantification of intergranular pores, but it is restricted to the two-dimensional space and quantifications are less representative. Technological advances in X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT) allowed three-dimensional analysis of pore geometry in microscale, in addition to automated volume measurements. The analyses of marble, quartzite, sandstone and dolomite breccia represented in this work and performed under the Project Falhas/PETROBRAS/UFPR, show the shape, size, connectivity, tortuosity, pore volume and distribution in these rocks, demonstrating the differences in the rocks’ porous frameworks. The integration of micro-CT to petrography allows the identification of mineral phases with attenuation of contrasting X-rays, placing the incidence of porosity in the mineralogical context in three dimensions, in addition to the contribution to the consistency of the method. Although the resolution is limited in the X-ray microtomograph that was used (the Skyscan model 1172), which does not reach the smallest pore size of some rocks, the integration of both techniques provides new information, of extreme importance for the research about micro-features related to the pores in rocks, helping in genetic interpretations and significantly contributing for the analyses of reservoirs.