Geochemistry and 207Pb/206Pb zircon ages of granitoids from the southern portion of the Tamboril–Santa Quitéria granitic–migmatitic complex, Ceará Central Domain, Borborema Province (NE Brazil)

The Tamboril–Santa Quitéria Complex is an important Neoproterozoic granitic–migmatitic unit from the Ceará Central Domain that developed from ca. 650 to 610 Ma. In general the granitoids range in composition from diorite to granite with predominance (up to 85%) of granitic to monzogranitic composition with biotite as the main mafic AFM phase. Geochemical and 207Pb/206Pb evaporation zircon geochronology studies were applied in a group of these abundant monzogranitic rocks from the region of Novo Oriente in the southern portion of the Ceará Central Domain. In this area the granitoids are weakly peraluminous biotite granitoids and deformed biotite granitoids of high-K calc-alkaline and ferroan composition, which we interpreted as primary magmas (segregated diatexites) derived from the partial melting of crustal material. The close temporal relation of this magmatism with local eclogitic and regional high temperature metamorphism in Ceará Central Domain point out to an orogenic setting, arguably emplaced during the collisional stage. Subordinate coeval juvenile mantle incursions are also present. This crustally derived magmatism is the primary product of the continental thickening that resulted from the collision between the rocks represented by the Amazonian-West African craton (São Luiz cratonic fragment) to the northwest and the Paleoproterozoic–Archean basement of the Borborema Province to the southeast along the Transbrasiliano tectonic corridor.

► Continental collision and thickening of continental crust are responsible by voluminous crustal magmatism.
► Tamboril–Santa Quitéria complex is marked by emplacement abundant crustally derived magmas with minor mantle participation.
► We suggest a collisional setting for the origin of this complex.