Cenozoic folding in the Cumuruxatiba basin, Brazil: An approach to the deformation trigger by the Abrolhos magmatism

• The Cumuruxatiba basin shows a singular folding controlled by the Abrolhos magmatism.
• The maximum strain peak of the contraction occurred during the Eocene.
• The Cenozoic fold trends show as a nearby fringe related to magmatic highs.
• The fault-related folds present a complex interference pattern trough time.

The Cumuruxatiba basin is located in the central portion of the eastern Brazilian margin surrounded by Cenozoic magmatic highs that belong to the Abrolhos Magmatic Complex. This basin was formed by rifting, in the Neocomian followed by thermal subsidence during late Cretaceous like other basins along the Eastern Brazilian margin. In the Cenozoic, the Abrolhos magmatism took place as sills and dykes intruded the sedimentary section, primarily during the Paleogene. In that time, there was a strong NS contractional deformation in the basin represented by folds related to reverse faults coeval with Abrolhos magmatism activity. The structural restorations of regional 2D seismic sections revealed that most of the contractional deformation was concentrated at the beginning of the Cenozoic with maximum peak at the Eocene (up to 33% of total shortening and rate of 6 km/Ma). The Post-Eocene period was marked by a decrease in the strain rate that continues to the present day (around 4 km/Ma to less than 1). 3D structural modelling exhibited a major, well-developed E–W to NE–SW fold belt that accommodated most of the contractional Cenozoic deformation between Royal Charlotte and Sulphur Minerva magmatic highs. Volcanic eruptions and magmatic flows from the Abrolhos complex resulted in differential overburden on edge of the basin, acting as a trigger for halokinesis and the subsequent formation of fault-related folds. In general, such structures were developed close to adjacent magmatic highs, commonly exhibiting vergence towards the centre of the basin. Some magmatic features formed coeval with Cenozoic syn-deformation sediments clearly indicate that Abrolhos magmatism activity and contractional deformation development were associated. The study of the thickness variation of the syn-deformation section in relation to fault-related folds on deformation maps and maximum strain diagrams revealed that most folds were activated and re-activated several times during the Cenozoic without a systematic kinematic pattern. This lack of systematic deformation might be related to the variation of the magmatic pulse activity of adjacent magmatic highs resulting in a complex interference pattern of Cenozoic folds. These structural interpretations of the timing of fault-related folds that are potential Cenozoic traps in the Cumuruxatiba basin play a fundamental role in petroleum systems and exploration of low-risk hydrocarbon prospects.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide