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The association between Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) and mass extinctions and anoxic events is attributed to the radical climatic changes in Earth. Even though the Early Cretaceous Paraná–Etendeka Igneous Province has a comparable erupted volume (>1 Mkm3) to other LIPs (e.g., Deccan, Emeishan and Siberian Traps), it remains controversial why this LIP did not contribute to a mass extinction and whether it is associated with the Weissert Event. This work presents new 40Ar/39Ar dating over a 425-m vertical stratigraphic profile (out of 1,000 m) that spans three formations of the PE-LIP in southern Brazil (low-Ti Vale do Sol, high-Ti Urubici, and high-Ti Palmas). Our data demonstrate that this mafic lava pile was emplaced in c. 2.0 m.y., from c. 135.5 Ma to c. 133.5 Ma, and endorse the hypothesis that the basaltic and andesitic flows of the Vale do Sol Formation (peak of mafic magmatism) contributed to the Weissert Event.

The sponges may be the oldest group of Metazoa, with a long and successful evolutionary history. Despite their intermittent fossil record quality, the group has been considered reliable for paleoecological and paleobiogeographic analyses because they have inhabited various types of aquatic environments, forming a significant part of benthic communities. We have presented a detailed description of a new species from the genusTeganiella,Teganiella finksinew species, which expands the chronologic range and classifies the genus as endemic to the paleoequatorial regions of Laurentia associated with arid climate conditions linked to hypersaline periods. Combining the paleoecological and paleoenvironmental features of theTeganiellaspecies, our findings also suggest a trend toward more closed-inlet conditions, which may be related to competition and/or specific habitat supplies, for example, heavy metals such as vanadium, zinc, and molybdenum.UUID:http://zoobank.org/12901a63-7cd5-4207-ac7a-0ce12649fcaf

The volcanic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province, in Brazil, are grouped in the Serra Geral Group. The province can be chemically divided into low-TiO 2 , and high-TiO 2 . In southern Brazil, the low-TiO 2 lava pile reaches a thickness of ~ 1 km and is formed of heterogeneous lava packages here divided into four lava formations. Torres Formation (TF) is characterized by chemically more primitive basaltic (> 5 wt% MgO) compound pahoehoe flow fields; these lavas stratigraphically overly aeolian sandstones of Botucatu Formation and represent the onset of the volcanic activity. Vale do Sol Formation (VSF) groups vertically stacked sheet-like rubbly pahoehoe basaltic andesites (SiO 2 > 51 wt%; MgO 2 lava sequence. Sedimentary interbeds are preserved throughout the whole lava pile and were deposited during quiescence periods of volcanic activity, and represent important stratigraphic markers (e.g. TF-VSF contact). The newly proposed stratigraphy provides promptly recognized stratigraphic units in a regional framework of fundamental importance for future correlations and provide vital information in the understanding of how the Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province evolved through time.

In the Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil, the volcanic sequence of the Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province consists of pahoehoe and rubbly pahoehoe lava flows with basaltic and basaltic andesitic composition respectively, overlaid by acidic volcanic rocks. The acidic volcanic rocks of the Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province exhibit textures and structures that can be related to effusive and/or explosive eruptions generating predominantly rheoignimbrites. The huge lava volume related to the emplacement of large igneous provinces implicates on efficient feeder systems that are more commonly observed in continental environments. In the Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province, feeders of basaltic rocks are exposed in several dyke swarms (Ponta Grossa NW trending, Florianopolis/Skeleton Coast (NW Namibia) N-S trending, Serra do Mar NE trending and Henties Bay/Outjo NE trending). In contrast, the only feeder system proposed to the acidic rocks of the Parana-Etendeka Igneous Province is the Messum complex in Namibia (Milner et al. 1995). In the study area, the opening of three quarries for the extraction of dimension stones has exposed impressive structures/textures that show the effusive emplacement and the ductile to fragile-ductile magma transition along the acidic feeder dykes. Besides that, magma mixing/mingling processes between two acidic magmas are observed along the dykes. Here we describe new occurrences of acidic feeder dykes, correlate the dykes with acidic flows and discuss their importance to understand the emplacement of the Palmas type acid units in southern Brazil.

Here, the Lower Permian, post-glacial fossiliferous Lontras black shales from the Parana Basin (southern Brazil) are studied using integrated palynological, geochemical and petrographic methods for the first time in order to decipher the prevalent palaeoenvironmental conditions during their sedimentation. These black shales were deposited in a restricted marine environment. Inorganic geochemical data (U/Th ratios, authigenic uranium, molybdenum), organic geochemical data (total organic carbon, biomarkers) and framboid pyrite size distributions point to predominantly anoxic/euxinic bottom-water conditions. Moreover, the presence of aryl isoprenoids and maleimide biomarkers indicates that euxinia in the water column was intermittently present in the photic zone. The onset of anoxic conditions was caused by elevated productivity in the basin, which was related to deglaciation, marine transgression and the increased delivery of terrestrial nutrients. The presence of a positive organic carbon isotope excursion indicates that the black shale deposition resulted from increased productivity and the expansion of anoxic and nitrogen- and phosphate-enriched waters into the shallow photic zone. The high values of δ 15 N (exceeding 9‰) may be related to the deglaciation-driven sea-level rise and advection of denitrified water mass from the Panthalassic Ocean to the intracratonic Parana Basin. Prolonged periods of sea-floor anoxia/euxinia excluded potential scavengers and bioturbators, thus enhancing the preservation of numerous fossil taxa, including fish, sponges, insects and their larval cases, and conodont apparatuses. The intermittent photic zone euxinia may also have contributed to the mass mortality of fish populations, the fossils of which are very well-preserved in these black shales.

The porosity of volcanic rocks can be strongly affected by secondary processes such as the percolation of water and hydrothermal fluids, thus promoting crystallization of secondary minerals in the pores. With an aim to evaluate the impact of secondary mineral fillings, this paper shows the segmentation of secondary and filled pores based on the micro-CT technique. The mineralogy of the sample was analyzed with optical microscopy. Multiscale analysis was performed to determine the total porosity before and after the processes. The results show the influence on the permeability parameter caused by crystallization.

The Lontras Shale is a fossil site located in Mafra, Santa Catarina, south of Brazil. This Late Paleozoic (Pennsilvanian - Cisularian) stratum holds an important place with great potential for the synthesis of knowledge about paradigmatic events that happened on Gondwana. This marine fossil site, preserved into a 1.1 m black shale, comprises a combination of different kinds of preservation, in broad taphonomical spectra, including hard and/or soft-tissues of aquatic (e.g., fishes, poriferans and ammonoids) and terrestrial biotas (e.g., insect and woods), among other organisms that were well preserved under still unrevealed process and conditions. Considering the prevailing depositional settings and aiming to present fossil diagenetic aspects that led to some special preservation modes, we performed chemical analyses of sponges and insects by means of energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), synchrotron micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) and Raman spectroscopy. To date, we have identified the majority of fossils preserved as carbonaceous compressions or phosphatized forms. The well-preserved fossils have so far permitted new insights into metazoan evolution, especially regarding Insecta, Porifera, and Conodonta. Our findings not only allow suggestions regarding the chemical remains of soft tissues on these specimens but also can provide background data for future analyses of these groups in similar depositional settings.

The Parana-Etendeka Volcanic Province records the volcanism of the Early Cretaceous that precedes the fragmentation of the South-Gondwana supercontinent. Traditionally, investigations of these rocks prioritized the acquisition of geochemical and isotopic data, considering the volcanic stack as a monotonous succession of tabular flows. Torres Syncline is a tectonic structure located in southern Brazil and where the Parana-Etendeka basalts are well preserved. This work provides a detailed analysis of lithofacies and facies architecture, integrated to petrographic and geochemical data. We identified seven distinct lithofacies grouped into four facies associations related to different flow morphologies. The basaltic lava flows in the area can be divided into two contrasting units: Unit I - pahoehoe flow fields; and Unit II - simple rubbly flows. The first unit is build up by innumerous pahoehoe lava flows that cover the sandstones of Botucatu Formation. These flows occur as sheet pahoehoe, compound pahoehoe, and ponded lavas morphologies. Compound lavas are olivine-phyric basalts with intergranular pyroxenes. In ponded lavas and cores of sheet flows coarse plagioclase-phyric basalts are common. The first pahoehoe lavas are more primitive with higher contents of MgO. The emplacement of compound pahoehoe flows is related to low volume eruptions, while sheet lavas were emplaced during sustained eruptions. In contrast, Unit II is formed by thick simple rubbly lavas, characterized by a massive core and a brecciated/rubbly top. Petrographically these flows are characterized by plagioclase-phyric to aphyric basalts with high density of plagioclase crystals in the matrix. Chemically they are more differentiated lavas, and the emplacement is related to sustained high effusion rate eruptions. Both units are low TiO2 and have geochemical characteristics of Gramado magma type. The Torres Syncline main valley has a similar evolution when compared to other Large Igneous Provinces, with compound flows at the base and simple flows in the upper portions. The detailed field work allied with petrography and geochemical data are extremely important to identify heterogeneities inside the volcanic pile and allows the construction of a detailed lithostratigraphical framework.

The Cambirela Silicic Volcanic Sequence is the only Neoproterozoic volcanic manifestation in the Florianopolis Batholith. The sequence is associated with the late stages of the post-collisional magmatism emplaced in the Dom Feliciano Belt during the Brazilian/Pan-African Orogenic Cycle that was responsible for the amalgamation of the West Gondwana supercontinent. Distinct from other ignimbrite occurrence, that are generally associated with caldera and sedimentary sequences, the Cambirela Silicic Volcanic Sequence is associated with shallow granitic bodies in a plutono-volcanic system. The sequence is arranged along a high geomorphological feature with NNE-SSW orientation, distributed in a total area of 88 km2, and is constituted by effusive and pyroclastic units. The pyroclastic unit is dominant in the sequence and characterized by ignimbrites with 15–50% of quartz, K-feldspar and plagioclase crystals, crystal and lithic fragments immersed in a tuffaceous matrix, presenting incipient eutaxitic to parataxitic structure. Due to its geotectonic structure and the absence of associated caldera and sedimentary sequences, these ignimbrites were classified as fissure ignimbrites. The effusive unit is composed by rhyolites with 3% of quartz, K-feldspar and plagioclase phenocrysts immersed in an equigranular fine matrix. These units were divided into five lithofaceis: porphyritic rhyolite (pR), lapilli-tuff with low-crystal content and eutaxitic structure (lceLT), lapilli-tuff with high-crystal content and eutaxitic structure (hceLT), lapilli-tuff with parataxitic structure (pLT) and crystal-rich lapilli-tuff (crLT). Based on geochemical data, these were classified as high-silica rhyolites, related to the high-K calc-alkaline series, close to the shoshonitic series. The sequence has a slightly metaluminous to peraluminous character and high contents of alkalis, FeOt/(FeOt + MgO) and agpaitic indexes. These characteristics are associated to the A-type magmatism in post-collisional settings in southern Brazil. Regarding to the rheology, the sequence present glass transition temperatures ranging from 731 to 781 °C, liquidus temperatures from 940 to 968 °C and viscosities from 7.72 to 8.90 log Pa.s. These values are similar to the chronocorrelated Ilha Granite, but slightly different from the Ana Dias Rhyolite. The rheological and geochronological similarities between the Cambirela Silicic Volcanic Sequence and the Ilha Granite, together with the contact relationships and interaction observed in the field between these units, indicate that these melts probably belonged to the same magma chamber constituting a magma mush located in the shallow portion of the crust.

O registro de vertebrados fosseis da Formacao Guabirotuba, Bacia de Curitiba (Cenozoico), no sul do Brasil, restringia-se a um dente de crocodiliforme e fragmentos osseos indeterminados. Novos especimes, coletados em afl oramento localizado na cidade de Curitiba, no Estado do Parana, sao aqui descritos e correspondem ao primeiro registro de Pleurodira (Testudines) para a bacia. A presenca de Testudines aquaticos, associadas a Crocodyliformes corrobora a interpretacao de um paleoambiente fluvio-lacustre para os depositos da Formacao Guabirotuba e indica um clima mais umido do que previamente proposto.Palavras-chave: Testudines, Pleurodira, Bacia de Curitiba, Formacao Guabirotuba, Cenozoico.

Na região entre São Marcos (RS) e Antônio Prado (RS), a Formação Serra Geral expõe na base uma sucessão de basaltos do tipo pahoehoe sotopostos a derrames ´a´ā. Os primeiros foram gerados por um volume de erupção baixo em um regime de fluxo fechado e colocado em uma paleotopografia plana (< 5° de declividade). A lenta perda de calor deste sistema permite que os fluxos atinjam distâncias da fonte > 100 km. Os tipos ´a´ā foram gerados por descargas dos fluxos superiores às das pahoehoe e transportados em canais abertos, em que o rápido resfriamento limita o deslocamento dos fluxos por longas distâncias da fonte. Ambos são toleíticos de baixo TiO2 e a morfologia dos derrames não pode ser explicada por variações geoquímicas. Acima destes afloram vulcanitos ácidos quimicamente compatíveis com o Grupo Palmas e Subgrupo Caxias. Recentemente, a extração de rochas ornamentais na região expôs as porções internas dos diques de alimentação deste vulcanismo. Observam-se estruturas magmáticas subverticais e verticais que em superfície abasteceram domos de lavas com características exógenas. Propõe-se um modelo para a geração destes envolvendo a ascensão diapírica de magmas ácidos que se tornam vesiculados, viscosos e estacionários em subsuperfície. Posteriormente, maiores volumes de recargas magmáticas ascendem rapidamente e extraem "pedaços" da fração vesiculada gerando no conduto autobrechas e estruturas verticalizadas que se expandem lateralmente em direção à superfície organizando os domos de lavas com vitrófiros na base e no topo e um núcleo maciço fanerítico fino. A ciclicidade e homogeneidade textural dos domos são típicas de efusivas e a identificação das zonas subvulcânicas de alimentação permite compreender o modo de colocação destes fluxos na Formação Serra Geral.

The Torres Syncline is a large structure that constitutes the eastmost outcrop of the Parana–Etendeka CFB in South American side, and this work focuses the stratigraphy and facies architecture of the volcanic pile in the syncline. The volcanic sequence along the study area permits the division of three regions: main valley, intermediate zone and south hinge, each of them with distinct stratigraphy, which probably reflects the structural evolution of the syncline. The stratigraphy of the Torres Syncline is composed by: 1 — Botucatu palaeoerg; 2 — Basic volcanic episode I; 3 — Basic volcanic episode II, 4 — Acidic volcanic I, 5 — Basic volcanic episode III and 6 — Acidic volcanic episode II. The five volcanic episodes recognized in study area can be related to five volcanic facies architecture: compound-braided, tabular-classic, tabular/lobate escoriaceous, dome-field (acidic lavas) and tabular flows (acidic lavas). The basic episode I is composed by pahoehoe flows with a compound-braided facies architecture that covered the Botucatu palaeoerg. The basic episode II is a tabular-classic facies architecture predominantly composed by simple flows (10–20 m thick) reaching the total thickness of ~ 500 m in main valley. The acidic episode I is exposed in main valley and south hinge, and is composed by acidic lavas forming lava dome-field facies architecture with a thickness of ~ 150 m. The basic episode III is predominantly constituted by ‘ a ’ ā flows with tabular/lobate escoriaceous facies architecture. The acidic episode II is constituted by tabular flow volcanic facies (acidic flows) and outcrops all along the study area. The Torres Syncline constitute the eastmost on-shore exposures of the Parana–Etendeka CFB in South American side and detailed stratigraphic, volcanological and structural studies in these area, coupled with correlation with Huab Basin (NW Namibia, Africa) will aim the understanding of the Gondwana breakup process and the early stages of the South Atlantic margin opening.

Volcanic rocks that make up Faial Island, Central Azores, consist of four volcano-stratigraphic units, with ages between 730 ka and the present. Lavas range from alkali basalts to trachyandesites and belong to the alkaline-sodic series. The oldest unit is the Ribeirinha Volcanic Complex, generally characterized by low MgO contents. The Cedros Volcanic Complex is composed of basalts to benmoreites with low MgO contents. The Almoxarife Formation represents fissure flows, containing MgO contents similar to to slightly higher than those of the underlying Cedros Volcanic Complex. The youngest unit, the Capelo Formation, consists of mafic rocks with MgO values higher than those of the other units. Bulk-rock major and trace element trends suggest that differentiation of the three earliest units were dominated by fractional crystallization of plagioclase ± clinopyroxene ± olivine ± titanomagnetite. Capelo bulk-rock compositions are the most primitive, and are related to a period when volcanic activity was fed by ...

Burial of active aeolian dunes by lava flows can preserve the morphology of the dunes and generate diverse features related to interaction between unconsolidated sediments and lavas. In the study area, located in southern Brazil, burial of aeolian deposits by Cretaceous basaltic lava flows completely preserved dunes, and generate sand-deformation features, sand diapirs and peperite-like breccia. The preserved dunes are crescentic and linear at the main contact with basalts, and smaller crescentic where interlayered with lavas. The various feature types formed on sediment surfaces by the advance of the flows reflect the emplacement style of the lavas which are compound pahoehoe type. Four feature types can be recognized: (a) type 1 features are related to the advance of sheet flows in dune–interdune areas with slopes > 5°, (b) type 2 is formed where the lava flows advance in lobes and climb the stoss slope of crescentic dunes (slopes 8–12°), (c) type 3 is generated by toes that descend the face of linear dunes (slopes 17–23°) and (d) type 4 occurs when lava lobes descend the stoss slope of crescentic dunes (slopes 10–15°). The direction of the flows, the disposition and morphology of the dunes and the ground slope are the main factors controlling formation of the features. The injection of unconsolidated sand in lava lobes forms diapirs and peperite-like breccias. Sand diapirs occur at the basal portion of lobes where the lava was more solidified. Peperite-like breccias occur in the inner portion where lava was more plastic, favoring the mingling of the components. The generation of both features is related to a mechanical process: the weight of the lava causes the injection of sand into the lava and the warming of the air in the pores of the sand facilitates this process. The lava–sediment interaction features presented here are consistent with previous reports of basalt lavas with unconsolidated arid sediments, and additional new sand-deformation features formed by lava breakouts and sand diapir injections are presented.

Pahoehoe flows interbedded with sediments have been identified in the superior portion of Parana Continental Flood Basalts (PCFB), west portion of Parana State, southern Brazil. In the study area peperites are generated by the interaction between lava flows and wet lacustrine sediments (silt and clay). Evidence that the sediments were unconsolidated or poorly consolidated and wet when the lava flowed over them includes vesiculated sediment, sediment in vesicles and fractures in lava flow and in juvenile clasts in the peperite and soft sediment deformation. Hydrodynamic mingling of lava and wet sediments (coarse mingling) is predominant and volcanic rocks and textures related to explosive phase of Molten Fuel Coolant Interaction (MFCI) are not observed in study area. Locally centimeter-sized areas display direct contact between ash-sized juvenile clasts and sediments formed by the collapse of a vapor film. The textures of fluidal peperites in the central PCFB indicate that the relevant factors that led to a coarse mingling between lava/sediment are (1) lava properties (low viscosity); (2) fine grained, unconsolidated or poorly consolidated wet sediment; and (3) a single episode of interaction between lava flows and sediment.

Inflated and compound pahoehoe flows have been identified within the central Parana Continental Flood Basalts based upon their morphology, surface features, and internal zonation. Pahoehoe flow features have been studied at five localities in the western portion of Parana State, Brazil: Ponte Queimada, Toledo, Rio Quiteria, Matelândia and Cascavel. We have interpreted the newly recognized flow features using concepts of Hawaiian pahoehoe formation and emplacement that have been previously applied to the Columbia River Basalt and Deccan Plateau. Surface features and/or internal structure typical from pahoehoe lavas are observed in all studied areas and features like inflation clefts, squeeze-ups, breakouts, and P-type lobes with two levels of pipe vesicles are indicative of inflation in these flows. The thinner, compound pahoehoe flows are predominantly composed of P-type lobes and probably emerged at the end of large inflated flows on shallow slopes. The presence of vesicular cores in the majority of compound lobes and the common occurrence of segregation structures suggests high water content in the pahoehoe lavas from the central PCFB. More volcanological studies are necessary to determinate the rheology of lavas and refine emplacement models.

Neoproterozoic magmatism in southern Brazil is associated with translithospheric shear belts and strike-slip basins in a post-collisional setting related to the last stages of the Brasiliano—Pan African orogenic cycle. It evolved from an association of high-K calc-alkaline, leucocratic peraluminous and continental tholeiitic magmas, to shoshonitic, and eventually to sodic mildly alkaline series. Bimodal volcanism in the last group was coeval with subaerial siliciclastic sedimentation in all post-collisional basins preserved in the region. Three magmatic associations were identified in the bimodal volcanism: (1) low-Ti basalts and rhyolites; (2) high-Ti basalts and rhyolites; and (3) high-Nb rhyolites and basalts. Basic parental magmas were produced from sources related to EM1-type mantle previously modified by Brasiliano subduction, whereas silicic high- and low-Ti rocks were probably produced through fractional crystallization. Significant crustal contamination was recognized only in some slightly peralu...

The Serra Geral Formation volcanic sequence in Torres Syncline (Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil) may be divided into main valley, intermediate zone, and southern hinge. The first volcanic episode along the syncline is characterized by low eruption rates ( ; 5 - 10 m³/s). The formation of 'a'ā flows occurred on a plain relief. Pahoehoe and 'a'ā flows have similar chemistry, and the difference in the flow type is related to an increase in eruption rates. The 'a'ā lavas are plagioclase and clinopyroxene phyric, or glomeroporphyritic. All present an intergranular or intersertal microcrystalline groundmass of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and opaque minerals (<< 0.1 mm in diameter). The pahoehoe lavas differ from the 'a'ā ones in that they have a coarser-grained microcrystalline groundmass. The pahoehoe flows are microcrystalline with glomeroporphyritic and diktytaxitic textures and a plagioclase-poor matrix when compared to 'a'ā lava flows. The higher content of microlites in the 'a'ā flows is attributed to undercooling, higher rate of eruption, and degassing before and during emplacement. When it comes to regional stratigraphic correlation between the Serra Geral Formation flows, the morphological type of the lavas should be taken into account since 'a'ā flows, unlike pahoehoe, do not reach longer distances from the source.

Studies focusing the flow morphology and structures of the basalts of Serra Geral Formation (west of Paraná State, Brazil) make possible the identification of pahoehoe and 'a'a flows, with predominance of simple and compound pahoehoe. This terminology was created in the Hawaiian Archipelago and was previously applied to the Columbia River Basalts and Deccan Plateau, and can also be used in the investigation of the Serra Geral Formation. The compound pahoehoe flows are formed by Ptype (pipe) and S-type (spongy) lobes. Surface features related with the pahoehoe and aa flows are well preserved in Serra Geral Formation. The flows have lateral extension of up to 50 km and can be divided in three portions in relation to the conduit: proximal, medium and distal. In the proximal portion the flows are thick (40-70 m) and the contact between the superior crust and the massive core is sharp. In the medium portion predominate simple pahoehoe flows with thickness between 20 and 30 m; locally occur compound pahoehoe. The distal portion is formed by compound flows (up to 5 m thick) with a few lobes. The emplacement of the pahoehoe inflated flows in the studied area suggests low eruption rates.