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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:47:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-01-01 Deeply eroded collisional orogens show complex structural and inverted stratigraphic relations with juxtaposition of rock stacks from distinct crustal levels, origins and ages, hence with contrasting P-T-t paths during convergent tectonics. This paper presents petrochronological data on Paleoproterozoic (basement) and Ediacaran (cover) gneisses tectonically interleaved during the Ediacaran-Cambrian Búzios Orogeny, in southeastern Brazil. U-Pb in zircon and EPMA U-Th-Pb in monazite data, coupled with geothermobarometric data, plus Zr-in-rutile, reveal that at a first orogenic stage (ca. 530–520 Ma), these units were at distinct crustal levels. Samples within the Paleoproterozoic basement show metamorphic near-peak conditions of ∼800 °C and 10 kbar, at a depth of c.37 km. Contrastingly, Ediacaran kyanite-orthoclase-garnet-biotite granulite with retrometamorphic sillimanite (cover) reached near-peak conditions of 15 kbar and 818 °C–785 °C at depths of c. 55 km, in high-pressure granulite facies. This deep burial of Ediacaran sediments in less than 20 m.y. would be compatible with a low angle subduction zone active from ca. 550 to 530 Ma. Intrusion of ca. 550 Ma tholeiitic dykes in the Paleoproterozoic gneiss indicates a high geothermal gradient for this subduction setting, which is consistent with a low subduction rate. In a second orogenic stage (ca. 520–500 Ma), these distinct stratigraphic units were placed tectonically side by side during a fast exhumation, preserving an inverted metamorphic stack. The cover underwent retrometamorphic conditions of 800 °C and 10 kbar on a clockwise return path due to decompression. It is proposed here that the contact between reworked units within a Paleoproterozoic continental crust and Ediacaran magmatic and sedimentary units represent the suture of an Ediacaran NW-subduction of the Angola continental paleomargin below the Oriental Terrane of the Ribeira belt. This paper reports the highest pressure recorded in Ediacaran-Cambrian metamorphic rocks from the Brasiliano belts along the actual South Atlantic continental margins. The suture we propose here is aligned along strike, with a medium to high-pressure Ediacaran metamorphic occurrence 700 km to the SW, in the Curitiba Terrane. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia – PPGL – IGEO Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro UFRJ, Athos da Silveira Ramos Avenue, 274, block G – Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão Departamento de Geologia – IGEO Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Departamento de Mineralogia e Geotectônica Instituto de Geociências Universidade de São Paulo Departamento de Geologia Universidade Estadual Paulista Departamento de Geologia Universidade Estadual Paulista

The Juiz de Fora Complex (JFC) is one of the basement units of the Occidental Terrane, Central Ribeira belt, in the Neoproterozoic framework of Western Gondwana, regarded as part of the reworked border of the Sao Francisco Paleocontinent. The JFC comprises Paleoproterozoic granitoid rocks with TTG, calc-alkaline, sanukitoid, and tholeiite-type geochemical compositions. They exhibit complex deformational fabrics associated with two episodes of granulite-facies metamorphism, occuring in the early Orosirian and the Ediacaran. The new U-Pb (SHRIMP) isotopic ages and Lu-Hf (LA-MC-ICPMS) data combined with available lithogeochemical, whole-rock Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic data constrain the tectonic evolution of the JFC to a Siderian-Rhyacian evolved arc system. Five samples were selected for U-Pb geochronology and Lu-Hf analysis on zircon grains: a low-K tholeiite, one TTG, two sanukitoids, and a mafic tholeiite. Combined whole-rock Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr isotopes, and zircon Lu-Hf isotopic data suggest the following evolution: an initial moderately juvenile (2445 Ma) low-K tholeiitic magmatism (eNd(t) of − 0.1; eHf(t) from − 8 to + 3), followed by a moderately juvenile to evolved (2200–2182 Ma) coeval TTG-sanukitoid pulse (eNd(t) from − 0.6 to − 4.8; eHf(t) from − 11.7 to + 2.5), and eventually by a moderately juvenile (2130 Ma) tholeiitic magmatism (eNd(t) = − 0.05). The integrated information provides preliminary petrogenetic insights for these magmatic episodes, such as interaction between mantle sources and supracrustal subducted material, melting of the oceanic slab, and crustal assimilation. A ca. 2035 Ma collisional granulite event recorded in metamorphic rims and neoformed zircon grains in leucosomes, possibly marks the amalgamation of the JFC onto the Mantiqueira Complex. Geochronological and isotopic correlations with coeval terranes of the Minas-Bahia Orogen in the Brazilian and African counterparts are addressed for tectonic implications at a broader scale.

We appreciate the Brazilian funding through the agencies FAPESP – Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo –, CAPES – Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior –, and CNPq – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – (project numbers 2010/03537-7 and BEX 4190/11-4 to CC, 404767/2016-8 to VTM and 2010/50475-7 to MHBMH). The orogenic evolution of the hot Araçuaí belt is characterized by continuous magmatic activity, with magmas of different compositions recording a long-lived (∼630 to ∼530 Ma) tectono-thermal evolution in response to convergence between the Congo and São Francisco continents during the West Gondwana amalgamation. Geochemical data from the Carlos Chagas domain (CCD) and the Nova Venécia Complex (NVC), in the hinterland of this belt, show that these rocks contain high amounts of heat producing elements – HPEs – (Th, U, and K) and have a dominant peraluminous signature, suggesting that they result from partial melting of continental crust. The CCD is intruded by post-collisional charnockites that have a dominant shoshonitic signature, interpreted as representing magmas from an enriched mantle reservoir with a variable amount of crustal contamination. Detailed morphological investigations at the macro- and micro-scales show that the CCD contains remnants of residuum material from metamorphic reactions associated with textures that attest to melt crystallization. This reinforces the interpretation that the CCD is locally derived, i.e., it represents an in-source subhorizontal rheologically weak layer of migmatites and parauthoctonous granites that formed during the orogenic thickening. The CCD likely triggered the formation of an orogenic plateau and a geological setting in which high temperature conditions could be sustained for tens of millions of years. In such a setting, continuous heat supply from radiogenic decay might have been the main heat source for the compositionally diverse magmatism during most of the orogenic evolution of the Araçuaí belt. Postprint

This thesis presents new insights into Alpine Fault structures at the drill site of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP)-2B at Whataroa in New Zealand. Despite the challenging conditions for seismic imaging within a glacial valley filled with sediments and steeply dipping valley flanks, several structures related to the valley itself as well as the tectonic fault system are imaged. The Alpine Fault at the West Coast in New Zealand is a major plate boundary forming a significant geohazard as large earthquakes (magnitude 7-8) occur regularly and the next earthquake is expected relatively soon. A major effort has been made to study the fault characteristics through scientific drilling in the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) Alpine Fault with the deepest DFDP-2B borehole located in the Whataroa Valley. A great variety of seismic data are newly acquired. First, the WhataDUSIE (Whataroa Detailed University Seismic Imaging Experiment) data set is a ~5 km long 2D profile acquired in 2011 prior to the drilling. As the 2D profile could not fully explain the 3D structures in the Whataroa Valley, an extended surface and borehole data set was acquired in 2016 after the drilling. This data set consists of shorter 2D lines (< 3 km), a dense 3D-array, and vertical seismic profiling (VSP) using the DFDP-2B borehole including the fibre-optic cable. 3D seismic data proved to be essential to understand the complex 3D structures of the glacial valley and the major fault. First-arrival travel time tomography and prestack depth migration (PSDM) are applied to obtain a P-wave velocity model and seismic images of the subsurface (

O Cinturão Dom Feliciano, setor sul da Província Mantiqueira, se estende desde Punta del Este, no Uruguai, até o leste de Santa Catarina. Essa faixa móvel representa o registro da colisão entre diversos crátons, microplacas e blocos e o encerramento de pelo menos duas bacias oceânicas durante a amalgamação do paleocontinente Gondwana Ocidental no ciclo orogênico Brasiliano-Panafricano, o que reflete a sua complexa história geológica durante sua evolução geotectônica. Essa evolução está comumente relacionada a três estágios principais: Brasiliano I (clímax em torno de 900-700 Ma, correspondendo às Orogenias Passinho e São Gabriel e ao encerramento do paleo-oceano Charrua-São Gabriel); Brasiliano II (clímax em torno de 640-620 Ma, correspondendo à Orogenia Dom Feliciano nos domínios Central e Oriental, representado por intenso magmatismo continental e retrabalhamento crustal); Brasiliano III (em torno de 595-560 Ma, com geração de magmatismo granítico pré- a sintectônico, relacionado aos eventos colisionais finais do ciclo orogênico Brasiliano-Panafricano e encerramento do paleo-oceano Adamastor). O presente trabalho retoma a hipótese de uma orogenia em torno de 780 Ma registrada na porção centro-leste do Cinturão Dom Feliciano, denominada como Orogenia Piratini. Essa orogenia estaria relacionada ao encerramento do paleo-oceano Charrua e à convergência entre terrenos paleo-sulamericanos e paleo-africanos, este último representado por uma microplaca ou fragmentos do Cráton Kalahari durante a fragmentação do paleocontinente Rodínia, gerando um arco magmático continental neoproterozoico denominado de Arco Piratini. O Arco Piratini é caracterizado como um arco do tipo andino com atividade magmática entre 780-680 Ma, representado pelos ortognaisses Cerro Borri, no Uruguai, e Piratini, Várzea do Capivarita, Chácara das Pedras e Arroio Pedrado no Brasil. O presente trabalho propõe que a Orogenia Piratini culminou com a amalgamação entre o Arco Piratini e a margem leste do Cráton Rio de La Plata em torno de 660 Ma, idade do metamorfismo de alto grau registrado tanto nos ortognaisses que compõe o Arco Piratini quanto nas rochas supracrustais associadas (e.g. Suíte Metamórfica Chafalote, Uruguai). O evento colisional é seguido por um evento de descompressão em torno de 640-605 Ma, gerando a fusão parcial das rochas relacionadas à Orogenia Piratini. Esse evento estaria relacionado à nucleação de zonas de cisalhamento dúcteis em zonas de sutura (por exemplo, a Zona de Cisalhamento Transcorrente Dorsal de Canguçu, possivelmente relacionada à Sutura de Porto Alegre) e granitogênese associada, culminando no retrabalhamento das rochas relacionadas ao Arco Piratini dando origem em partes aos granitoides peraluminosos que ocorrem na porção centro-leste do Cinturão Dom Feliciano. The Dom Feliciano Belt, southernmost Mantiqueira Province, extends from Southernmost Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states) to Punta del Este, in Uruguay. This belt is interpreted as the result of the collision between cratons, minor blocks/microplates and the closure of at least two oceanic basins during the assembly of the Western Gondwana paleocontinent in the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic cycle, which reflects its complex geological history during its geotectonic evolution. This evolution is related to three main stages: Brasiliano I (climax at around 900-700 Ma, corresponding to the Passinho and São Gabriel Orogenies and the closure of the Charrua-São Gabriel paleo-ocean); Brasiliano II (climax at around 640-620 Ma, corresponding to the Dom Feliciano Orogeny in the Central and Eastern domains, represented by intense continental magmatism and crustal reworking); Brasiliano III (at around 595-560 Ma, with generation of pre- to syntectonic granitic magmatism, related to the final collisional events of the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic cycle and the closure of the Adamastor paleo-ocean). The present work revives the hypothesis of an orogenic event at around 780 Ma recorded in the central-eastern portion of the Dom Feliciano Belt, called Piratini Orogeny. This orogeny is related to the closure of the Charrua paleo-ocean and the convergence between paleo-South American and paleo-African terranes, the latter represented by a microplate or fragments of the Kalahari Craton during the fragmentation of the Rodinia paleocontinent, generating a Neoproterozoic continental magmatic arc: the Piratini Arc. The Piratini Arc is characterized as an Andean type arc with magmatic activity between 780-680 Ma, represented by the Cerro Borri orthogneisses in Uruguay, and Piratini, Várzea do Capivarita, Chácara das Pedras, and Arroio Pedrado orthogneisses in Brazil. The present work suggests that the Piratini Orogeny culminated in the amalgamation of the Piratini Arc and the eastern margin of the Rio de La Plata Craton at around 660 Ma. The latter age represents the high-grade metamorphism peak recorded both in the orthogneisses of the Piratini Arc and in associated supracrustal rocks (e.g. Chafalote Metamorphic Suite, Uruguay). The collisional event is followed by isothermal decompression stage at around 640-605 Ma, generating partial melting of the Piratini Orogeny-related rocks. This stage would be related to nucleation of ductile shear zones in suture zones (e.g. Dorsal de Canguçu Transcurrent Shear Zone, possibly related to the Porto Alegre Suture) and associated granitogenesis, culminating in the reworking of the Piratini Arc-related rocks and generation of part of the peraluminous granitoids that occur in the central-eastern portion of the Dom Feliciano Belt.

Combining U-Pb geochronology and trace element characteristics of accessory minerals more reactive during metamorphism and deformation than zircon, such as titanite (CaTiSiO5), is a powerful tool for elucidating pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) evolution of orogenic basement complexes. This study reports in-situ titanite U-Pb and trace element data from upper-amphibolite facies metatexitic orthogneisses of the Pouso Alegre Complex in the basement of the Neoproterozoic southern Brasilia Orogen, SE Brazil. The titanite data is combined with thermodynamic modeling, major phase compositions and U-Pb zircon dating and used to constrain the P-T-t path of the complex during the Neoproterozoic orogenesis. The investigated garnet amphibole gneisses record peak metamorphic conditions of 750–775 °C and 10.5–12.5 kbar, associated with partial melting and dated at ca. 630–620 Ma based on U-Pb analyses of HREE+Y depleted titanite cores, inferred to have crystallized in the presence of garnet near the peak P-T conditions. Extensive melt crystallization at ca. 616 Ma is constrained by U-Pb dating of leucosome zircons. The exhumation of the complex and re-equilibration to ca. 550–625 °C at 6–9 kbar led to widespread generation of biotite + epidote/clinozoisite, partially replacing amphibole + garnet along the main foliation. Trace element signatures of these retrograde net-transfer reactions are recorded in the titanite rims which are HREE+Y enriched, strontium depleted and were dated at 605.7 ± 6.2 Ma. The average zirconium contents of the titanite rims are higher than cores suggesting disequilibrium partitioning of zirconium into titanite during the retrograde path resulting in overestimated Zr-in-titanite temperatures for the rims. The exhumation of the complex was concomitant with the intrusion of folded and recrystallized leucogranite dykes dated at 607.0 ± 5.7 Ma, attesting the persistence of deformation after their intrusion. Assuming that the Pouso Alegre Complex is part of the Sao Francisco paleocontinent reworked during the Brasilia orogeny, the data constrain the minimum age for the collision between the Sao Francisco paleocontinent and the Paranapanema block at ca. 620–630 Ma and agree with the idea of long-lived metamorphism and deformation in the southern Brasilia Orogen.

Palinspastic reconstructions suggest that the late Proterozoic–Cambrian Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic belt in southeast Brazil and west Congo terminated northwards into an embayment within the São Francisco-Congo cratonic unit. The orogenic shortening that created the Araçuaí-West Congo orogen in this embayment has been explained by tightening of the horseshoe-shaped São Francisco-Congo craton in a fashion referred to as “nutcracker tectonics”. We show that this model is incompatible with the general orogenic evolution proposed in recent literature, which involves (1) ∼50 m.y. of subduction of oceanic crust and associated arc formation, followed by (2) collisional orogeny and crustal thickening. Quantitative considerations show that the original nutcracker model is too rigid to explain even the second, crustal thickening part, let alone any long pre-collisional history. To soften the model, we suggest that the so-called São Francisco – Congo bridge was broken by a ∼150 km wide orogenic corridor along the current African Atlantic margin. This corridor adds sufficient mobility to the system to explain the orogenic thickening of the crust to 60–65 km. However, even with this additional softening the confined nature of this orogen is incompatible with prolonged arc development. We therefore suggest that oceanic crust was nonexistent or very limited in the Macaúbas basin, and reject the widely published model involving ∼50 m.y. of subduction of oceanic crust and related arc development. Instead, we find strong support for a hot intracontinental orogen model in the currently available P-T, geochronologic, petrographic and structural data. In this model, extensive melting and flow of the middle crust is likely to have caused spreading of the upper crust in an orogenic setting that was created by collisions along the N, W and S margins of the São Francisco craton from ∼630 Ma. acceptedVersion

The Plate Tectonics Theory completed 50 years of enrichment and intense and intercropped use. It was considered a revolution in Earth Sciences, due to the merits of the stipulated links between composition and structure of the Earth's interior and orogenic processes. This has always been done with respect of the geological knowledge and its support on the fields of Geochemistry and Geophysics. Such revolution, despite its successful applications, was followed since the early beginning by contests and valuable suggestions, called scientific addenda, which complement and supplement the model. Some geologists still today make restrictions to the theory because they are unaware of the remarkable volume of data, observations and scientific improvements incorporated into the original framework. This article aims to retrieve and discuss the addenda, as an attempt to update knowledge. Additionally, we discuss a series of supplementary concepts and consortium theories, both by link and by consequence, generated in the last 25 years.

International audience; Whether the Araçuaí and the Ribeira Neoproterozoic belts in southeast Brazil represent a continuous or two distinct orogenic belts is still a debated question. We compile existing geologic and geophysical data and argue that the two belts, in spite of differences in tectonic style and kinematics, should be considered as part of an orogenic continuity that formed during the mostly Late Proterozoic Brasiliano orogenic evolution. Structural mapping supported by Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility data shows that the transition between the two belts is gradual, with a progressive change from a NE-trending subvertical foliation and subhorizontal stretching lineation in the Ribeira belt to gently dipping and less pronounced fabrics in the Araçuaí belt. The lineation progressively changes northward from NE to E-W, suggesting a transition from overall transcurrent to thrust kinematics, and the solid-state finite strain seems to get progressively higher into the Ribeira belt. Differences in tectonic style are explained by the southward termination of the rigid São Francisco craton, which caused oblique collision and lateral escape, as supported by numerical modeling. Shear-wave splitting measurements suggest that the transcurrent deformation in the Ribeira belt affected the entire lithosphere. In the transitional zone, the seismic anisotropy pattern is more complex and the delay time between the fast and slow shear-waves is smaller. These observations, together with a similar record of magmatism and timing of orogenic events and P-T conditions during peak metamorphism strongly support continuity between the Araçuaí and the Ribeira belts. This model is a "quasi-facsimile" of the Paleoproterozoic deformation that occurred in the Great Slave Lake area in Canada.

The Frontal Cordillera in northern Chile is located over the flat-slab subduction segment of the Central Andes. This tectonic province is characterized by a thick-skinned structural style showing evidence of tectonic inversion and basement-involved compressive structures. Field data, U-Pb geochronological and apatite fission track data were used to unravel partially the tectonic history of the area. Previous U-Pb ages of synorogenic deposits exposed on the flanks of basement-core anticlines indicate that Andean deformation started probably during Late Cretaceous with the tectonic inversion of Triassic and Jurassic half-grabens. New U-Pb ages of the synorogenic Quebrada Seca Formation suggest that this deformation continued during Paleocene (66-60 Ma) with the reverse faulting of pre-rift basement blocks. The analysis of new apatite fission-track data shows that a rapid and coeval cooling related to exhumation of the pre-rift basement blocks occurred during Eocene times. This exhumation event is interpreted for first time in the Chilean Frontal Cordillera and it could have occurred simultaneously with the propagation of basement-involved structures. The age of this exhumation event coincides with the Incaic orogenic phase, which is interpreted as the most important to the Central Andes in terms of shortening, uplift and exhumation.

The Rio Preto fold belt borders the northwestern São Francisco craton and shows an exquisite kilometric doubly-vergent asymmetric fan structure, of polyphasic structural evolution attributed exclusively to the Brasiliano Orogeny (∼600-540 Ma). The fold belt can be subdivided into three structural compartments: The Northern and Southern compartments showing a general NE-SW trend, separated by the Central Compartment which shows a roughly E-W trend. The change of dip of S2, a tight crenulation foliation which is the main structure of the fold belt, between the three compartments, characterizes the fan structure. The Central Compartment is characterized by sub-vertical mylonitic quartzites, which materialize a system of low-T strike slip shear zones (Malhadinha – Rio Preto Shear Zone) crosscutting the central portion of the fold belt. In comparison to published analog models, we consider that the unique structure of the Rio Preto fold belt was generated by the oblique, dextral-sense interaction between the Cristalândia do Piauí block to the north and the São Francisco craton to the south.

The Dom Feliciano Belt is an important Neoproterozoic to Cambrian orogenic complex, extending from eastern Uruguay to southern Brazil. It comprises a collage of oceanic domains and continental fragments developed between 900 and 540 Ma between the Rio de La Plata, Congo and Kalahari cratons. The integration of field and structural data with recent isotopic results has introduced new insights on the sources of the magmatism and sedimentary processes. This paper presents a review of the geochronological results combined with stratigraphic, structural and geochemical data. The evolution of the Dom Feliciano Belt involved three orogenic events known as the Passinho (0.89 - 0.86 Ga), São Gabriel (0.77 - 0.68 Ga) and Dom Feliciano (0.65 - 0.54 Ga). The first two events involved the closure of the Charrua Ocean generating an intra-oceanic arc (Passinho) and, subsequently, an active continental margin arc (São Gabriel). This ocean separated the continental areas represented by the Rio de la Plata Craton and the Nico Perez continental microplate. Closure of the Adamastor ocean resulted in an important collisional event between the Nico Perez Microplate/Rio de La Plata Craton and Kalahari and Congo cratons between 650 and 620 Ma, involving high T/intermediate P metamorphism. At this time of crustal thickening, the partition of the deformation controled the final evolution of the belt with important escape tectonics, responsible for nucleating crustal-scale transcurrent shear zones. These structures were deep and promoted the rise of mafic magmas, which, associated with high regional thermal gradient, lead to an important event of crustal reworking, responsible for the formation of the Pelotas Batholith. The orogenic collapse is represented by late magmatism of Pelotas Batholith and deposition of upper section of the Camaquã Basin. RESUMO: O Cinturão Dom Feliciano, que se estende desde o leste do Uruguai até o sul do Brasil, representa um importante orógeno Neoproterozoico formado pela colagem de domínios oceânicos e fragmentos continentais entre os crátons Rio de La Plata, Congo e Kalahari. A integração de dados de mapeamento geológico e estrutural com resultados isotópicos permitu estabelecer uma melhor compreensão sobre as fontes de magmatismo e os processos de sedimentação. A evolução do Cinturão Dom Feliciano envolveu a superposição de três eventos orogênicos denominados Passinho (0.89 - 0.86 Ga), São Gabriel (0.77 - 0.68 Ga) e Dom Feliciano (0.65 - 0.54 Ga). Os dois primeiros eventos envolvem o fechamento do oceano Charrua com a geração inicial de um arco intra-oceânico (Passinho) e, posteriormente, de um arco continental (São Gabriel). Esse oceano separava as áreas continentais representadas pelo cráton Rio de La Plata e a microplaca continental Nico Perez. No terceiro evento ocorreu fechamento do oceano Adamastor em decorrência da colisão entre os crátons Rio de La Plata e Kalahari entre 650 - 620 Ma, envolvendo condições metamórficas de alta temperatura e pressão intermediária. Neste momento de grande espessamento crustal, a partição da deformação no cinturão controla a sua evolução final com a passagem para uma tectônica de escape, responsável pela nucleação de zonas de cisalhamento transcorrentes de escala crustal. Essas estruturas são profundas e promoveram a geração e a ascenção de magmas máficos, que, associados ao elevado gradiente térmico regional, induziram um extenso evento de retrabalhamento crustal, responsável pela formação do Batólito Pelotas. O colapso do orógeno é representado pelo magmatismo tardio do batólito e pela formação das sequências superiores da Bacia do Camaquã.

O relevo brasileiro so pode ser entendido a partir dos processos geomorfologicos que afetaram o continente sul-americano. Os processos morfogeneticos do Brasil estao relacionados com a abertura do Oceano Atlântico e a formacao da Cadeia Orogenetica dos Andes. A epirogenese meso-cenozoica desencadeou os processos desnudacionais e estabeleceram a compartimentacao do relevo. As macroformas associam-se as megaestruturas dos Cratons, Cinturoes Orogeneticos e Bacias Sedimentares herdadas do Gondwana, produzidas pelas fases erosivas pre e pos-Cretaceo. As variacoes altimetricas do Planalto Brasileiro decorrem da tectonica que soergueu desigualmente as estruturas que sustentam as macroformas a partir do Cretaceo com vinculos a tectonica Andina. No oeste do continente orogenia e no centro-leste arqueamentos e falhamentos que criaram desniveis de antigas superficies de erosao, acompanhadas de processos erosivos e deposicionais Terciarios e Quaternarios, tanto em climas secos como quentes e umidos que possivelmente geraram rebaixamento geoquimico.

The presence of melt during deformation produces a drastic change in the rheological behavior of the continental crust; rock strength is decreased even for melt fractions as low as ∼7%. At pressure/temperature conditions typical of the middle to lower crust, melt-bearing systems may play a critical role in the process of strain localization and in the overall strength of the continental lithosphere. In this contribution we focus on the role and dynamics of melt flow in two different mid-crustal settings formed during the Brasiliano orogeny: (i) a large-scale anatectic layer in an orthogonal collision belt, represented by the Carlos Chagas anatexite in southeastern Brazil, and (ii) a strike-slip setting, in which the Espinho Branco anatexite in the Patos shear zone (northeast Brazil) serves as an analogue. Both settings, located in eastern Brazil, are part of the Neoproterozoic tectonics that resulted in widespread partial melting, shear zone development and the exhumation of middle to lower crustal layers. These layers consist of compositionally heterogeneous anatexites, with variable former melt fractions and leucosome structures. The leucosomes usually form thick interconnected networks of magma that reflect a high melt content (>30%) during deformation. From a comparison of previous work based on detailed petrostructural and AMS studies of the anatexites exposed in these areas, we discuss the rheological implications caused by the accumulation of a large volume of melt “trapped” in mid-crustal levels, and by the efficient melt extraction along steep shear zones. Our analyses suggest that rocks undergoing partial melting along shear settings exhibit layers with contrasting competence, implying successive periods of weakening and strengthening. In contrast, regions where a large amount of magma accumulates lack clear evidence of competence contrast between layers, indicating that they experienced only one major stage of dramatic strength drop. This comparative analysis also suggests that the middle part of both belts contained large volumes of migmatites, attesting that the orogenic root was partially molten and encompassed more than 30% of granitic melt at the time of deformation.

Propõe-se neste trabalho a formalização da Formação Gorutuba, unidade que engloba os únicos registros remanescentes de ambientes litorâneos e continentais da margem leste da Bacia Bambuí, desenvolvida durante a Orogênese Brasiliana. As rochas da Formação Gorutuba são reconhecíveis em três áreas principais. Nas serras da Jaíba e Colonial, a unidade apresenta um pacote basal de brecha composta por clastos de calcário imersos em matriz arcoseana, que indicam o retrabalhamento do calcário da Formação Jaíba, subjacente. Arcósio ocorre na forma de lentes e camadas intercaladas na brecha, tornando-se predominante em direção ao topo da unidade, onde ocorrem corpos isolados de ortoconglomerado. Na Serra do Gorutuba, a unidade apresenta o mesmo arranjo estratigráfico, porém assenta-se diretamente sobre siltito da Formação Serra da Saudade. No Sinclinal de Buenópolis, por sua vez, arenitos arcoseanos com estratificações cruzadas acanaladas e eventuais lentes de conglomerado e pelito assentam-se sobre siltito da Formação Serra da Saudade, não ocorrendo a brecha basal. A Formação Gorutuba registra um período de soerguimento, exposição e erosão da extensa plataforma marinha representada pelo Grupo Bambuí. A brecha basal, que ocorre nas áreas mais a norte, registra importante discordância erosiva, associada ao retrabalhamento por ondas da plataforma carbonática Jaíba, cujo soerguimento se relaciona à intensa atividade tectônica do período. O aumento da contribuição siliciclástica para o topo está associado à progressiva instalação de um sistema fluvial de alta energia, que marca a fase de colmatação da bacia. A composição dos sedimentos siliciclásticos presentes na matriz da brecha e no restante da unidade sugere a exumação de fontes graníticas no Orógeno Araçuaí.

This work is a review of Boris Choubert’s paper (1935), which was published in French under the rather devalorizing title: “Research on the Genesis of Palaeozoic and Precambrian Belts.” Despite its innovative content, this article had no impact either at the time of its publication or even later. It begins with the construction of a remarkable fit of the circum-Atlantic continents. This was based on the −1.000 meters isobath instead of the shoreline. Thirty years before Bullard et al. (1965), it demonstrated in an indisputable way the reality of the continents motion on the surface of the Earth. Therefore, Choubert designated Wegener’s “continental drift” as the main cause of tectonics. Even going beyond Wegener’s theory, he argued that this mechanism was efficient well before the formation of the Triassic Pangæa, during the whole Palaeozoic to result in the building of the Caledonian and Hercynian mountains. Although he was still encumbered by the vocabulary of the time regarding geosynclines, Boris Choubert described tectonics based on the horizontal mobility of the Precambrian continental blocks. Oddly enough, he did not apply this model to the Precambrian structures, which he attributed to the effects of the Earth’s rotation on the continental crust during its solidification. At the time of its publication, this paper was a very important step towards understanding global tectonics. Unfortunately, Choubert’s contemporaries did not generally recognize its significance. Ce travail est une analyse de l’article de Boris Choubert (1935) paru en français sous le titre un peu réducteur: « Recherches sur la genèse des chaînes paléozoïques et antécambriennes. » Malgré son contenu novateur, cet article n’a eu aucun retentissement à l’époque de sa publication, ni même plus tard. Il débute par la construction d’un remarquable assemblage des continents péri-atlantiques fondé sur l’isobathe −1.000 mètres et non pas sur la ligne de rivage. Trente ans avant Bullard et al. (1965), il démontre de façon indiscutable la réalité du déplacement des masses continentales à la surface de la Terre. Dès lors, Choubert privilégie totalement la « dérive des continents » comme moteur de la tectonique. Allant au-delà même de la vision de Wegener, il fait jouer ce mécanisme bien avant la formation de la Pangée triasique, pendant toute la durée de l’ère primaire, au cours de l’érection des chaînes calédonienne et hercynienne. Bien que restant prisonnier du vocabulaire de l’époque sur les géosynclinaux, Boris Choubert décrit une tectonique fondée sur la mobilité des blocs continentaux précambriens. Curieusement, il n’applique pas ce modèle aux déformations précambriennes qu’il attribue aux effets de la rotation de la Terre sur une croûte continentale en voie de solidification. Lors de sa parution, cet article représentait un pas très important vers la compréhension de la tectonique globale et il est regrettable qu’il n’ait pas été mieux reçu par ses contemporains. ISSN:0037-9409 ISSN:1777-5817

A mineralogical study was carried out in mafic and felsic volcanic rocks of the Acampamento Velho Alloformation at Cerro do Bugio, Perau and Serra de Santa Bárbara areas (Camaquã Basin) in southern Brazil. The Acampamento Velho bimodal event consists of two associations: lower mafic at the base and upper felsic at the top. Plagioclase and alkali-feldspar were studied using an electronic microprobe, and magnetite, ilmenite, rutile, illite and alkali-feldspar were investigated through scanning electron microscopy. The rocks were affected by a process of late sodic autometasomatism. In mafic rocks, Ca-plagioclase was transformed to albite and pyroxenes were altered. In felsic rocks, sanidine was partially pseudomorphosed, generating heterogeneous alkali-feldspar. In this association, unstable Ti-rich magnetite was replaced by rutile and ilmenite. In mafic rocks, the crystallization sequence was: (1) Ti-rich magnetite (?), (2) pyroxene and Ca-plagioclase, (3) albite (alteration to Ca-plagioclase), (4) sericite, chlorite and calcite (alteration to pyroxene), and kaolinite (alteration to plagioclase/albite). In felsic rocks: (1) zircon, (2) Ti-rich magnetite, (3) sanidine, (4) quartz. The introduction of late Na-rich fluids, generated the formation of (5) heterogeneous alkali-feldspar, (6) ilmenite and rutile from the Ti-rich magnetite, (7) albite in the spherulites. Finally, alteration of sanidine, vitroclasts and pumice to (8) illite.Um estudo mineralógico de detalhe foi realizado nas rochas vulcânicas da Aloformação Acampamento Velho nos Cerros do Bugio, Perau e Serra de Santa Bárbara (Bacia do Camaquã), sudeste do Brasil. Este evento bimodal é constituído por duas associações: máfica inferior na base e félsica superior no topo. Foram estudados grãos de plagioclásio e feldspato alcalino com o uso de microssonda eletrônica, sendo que, magnetita,ilmenita, rutilo e ilita além de feldspato alcalino foram pesquisados através do microscópio eletrônico de varredura. Todas as rochas foram afetadas por um processo de autometassomatismo sódico tardio. Nas rochas máficas, o plagioclásio cálcico foi transformado em albita e os piroxênios foram alterados. Nas rochas félsicas, a sanidina foi parcialmente pseudomorfoseada, transformando-se em feldspato alcalino heterogêneo. Nesta mesma associação, as magnetitas ricas em Ti se desestabilizam sendo parcialmente substituídas por ilmenita e rutilo. Para a associação máfica inferior, a seqüência de cristalização foi: (1) magnetita rica em titânio (?), (2) piroxênio e plagioclásio cálcico, (3) albita (alteração do plagioclásio cálcico),(4) sericita, clorita e calcita (alteração de piroxênio) e caolinita (alteração de plagioclásio/albita). Nas rochas da seqüência félsica superior: (1) zircão, (2) magnetita rica em Ti, (3) sanidina, (4) quartzo. A introdução de fluidos tardios ricos em Na promoveu a formação de (5) feldspato alcalino heterogêneo,(6) ilmenita e rutilo a partir de magnetita rica em Ti e (7) albita nas esferulitas. Por último, alteração da sanidina, vitroclastos e/ou shard e púmice em (8) ilita.

The contribution of landslides to the Quaternary evolution of relief is poorly documented in arid contexts. In southern Peru and northern Chile, several massive landslides disrupt the arid western Andean front. The Chuquibamba landslide, located in southern Peru, belongs to this set of large landslides. In this area, the Incapuquio fault system captures the intermittent drainage network and localizes rotational landslides. Seismic activity is significant in this region with recurrent Mw 9 subduction earthquakes; however, none of the latest seismic events have triggered a major landslide. New terrestrial cosmogenic dating of the Chuquibamba landslide provides evidence that the last major gravitational mobilization of these rotational landslide deposits occurred at ~ 102 ka, during the Ouki wet climatic event identified on the Altiplano between 120 and 98 ka. Our results suggest that wet events in the arid and fractured context of the Andean forearc induced these giant debris flows. Finally, our study highlights the role of tectonics and climate on (i) the localization of large Andean landslides in the Western Cordillera and on (ii) the long-term mass transfer to the trench along the arid Andean front.

Le bassin du lac Tchad est un vaste bassin endoréique de 2 380 000 km2 entouré par des reliefs datés du Précambrien au Cénozoïque (regroupant les ères tertiaire et quaternaire) : massif du Hoggar, plateau du Djado, massif du Tibesti, plateau des Erdis au nord, Aïr, Seuil du Damergou, massif du Damagaram, plateau de Jos, monts Mandara, plateaux de l'Adamaoua et de Ndélé, massifs du Guéra, du Ouaddaï et de l'Ennedi. Le lac Tchad se situe sur un palier du flanc sud-ouest du bassin. Ce palier correspond à l'intersection de deux accidents majeurs liés à l'orogenèse panafricaine affectant le socle précambrien et réactivés au Crétacé. Le comblement de cette vaste cuvette d'origine tectonique a été alimenté par des matériaux détritiques issus du démantèlement des massifs périphériques, puis transportés vers le centre du bassin par des écoulements de surface lors des périodes humides, et/ou poussés vers le sud-ouest par les vents dominants lors des périodes arides. La morphologie actuelle au centre de la cuvette (plane et sableuse) est donc essentiellement contrôlée par les structures profondes du bassin et par la dynamique éolienne. Ainsi, le réseau hydrographique, actuel comme fossile, est généralement guidé par des failles, masquées par la couverture superficielle sableuse. C'est dans ce cadre structural et éolien que s'inscrivent les dépôts aquatiques fluviatiles, palustres, lacustres ou évaporitiques. Les reliefs et les dynamiques morpho-climatiques du bassin du lac Tchad définissent ainsi une morphologie très particulière résultant de l'impact conjugué de la tectonique et de la dynamique éolienne qui dessinent le cadre de la sédimentation aquatique. (Résumé auteur)

International audience; Analysis of the spatial distribution of seismicity beneath central Ecuador from a temporary network gives new insights on two main points of the Ecuadorian tectonics. Major structures in the Ecuadorian Andes are East-dipping Late Jurassic to Paleogene sutures reactivated by present-day compression. The oceanic plate is plunging continuously down to a depth of about 200 km with a dip of 25°-35°. We also show that the coastal plain acts as a buttress transmitting stresses to the Andes, beneath which deformation is concentrated.

The present-day crustal structure of the Andean chain results from deformation processes and magmatic activity since the onset of subduction. One line of investigation to resolve questions about the mechanism of crustal thickening is to get information about the composition of the crust and upper-mantle by imaging the structures in velocity and Poisson's ratio (or Vp/Vs). A high density seismic network was operated during six months in 1994 across the whole Andean chain. The P and S travel times of the best located local earthquakes, mainly situated in the subduction zone, have been inverted for Vp and Vp/Vs using Thurber's 3D iterative simultaneous inversion method. The resulting models, giving short-scale information about the crustal and upper-mantle composition, provide new limits on the respective involvement of crustal shortening and magmatism in the thickening of the Andean crust. Beneath the Western Cordillera, the seismic properties are well explained by typical active volcanic arc processes, and the thickening of the crust is explained by magmatic addition. Conversely, beneath the Central Altiplano Basin and the Eastern Cordillera, our results preclude significant volume of magmatic addition from the mantle and reinforce crustal shortening as the main thickening process. Moreover, cratonic lower crust and subcontinental lithospheric upper-mantle are observed under the Eastern Cordillera up to 67°W, evidence of the underthrusting of the Brazilian craton, which drives the crustal shortening. Beneath the Central Altiplano Basin, a thin lithospheric mantle is observed above a well marked asthenospheric wedge which extends in depth below the western part of the Eastern Cordillera. Thus partial melt is observed in the shallow mantle west of the Western Cordillera up to the Brazilian craton.

Arrival-times of local events recorded in northern Chile and southern Bolivia were used to determine the P velocity structure above the subducted Nazca plate. The data were recorded between June and November 1994 by the French “Lithoscope” network: 41 vertical and 14 three-component short-period seismic stations were installed along a 700 km long profile crossing the main structures of the Andean chain, from the Coastal Cordillera to the Subandean Zone. The inversion method used is a modified version of Thurber’s 3D iterative simultaneous inversion code. The results were compared with a model obtained from previous German nearby refraction seismic studies and supplemented by field geological observations. The relocated seismicity is consistent with an ∼30° dipping slab between 0 and 170 km depth. We found a variation of about 30 km of the Moho depth along the profile. The crustal thickness is about 47 km under the Coastal Cordillera, 70 km under the Western Cordillera and the western part of the Eastern Cordillera, and 60–65 km beneath the Altiplano. Close to the surface, a good agreement between the velocity model and the geological structures is observed. Generally, in the upper crust, high velocities coincide with zones where basement is present near the surface. Low velocities are well correlated with the presence of very thick sedimentary basins or volcanic material. At greater depth, the trend of the velocity model is consistent with the existence of asymmetrical west-dipping imbricated blocks, overthrusting toward the east, which explain the asymmetrical pattern of the sedimentary basins. Beneath the Western Cordillera, the active volcanic arc, a large zone of low velocity is observed and interpreted to be due to partially molten material. A clear velocity contrast appears between the western and eastern parts of the upper mantle beneath the Andes; this geometry suggests the existence of a low velocity wedge in the mantle above the slab and the presence of a thick old lithosphere in the eastern part of the Andes.

The Hoggar region is known as one of the most important swells in the African continent. Its altitude culminates at 2908 m in the Tahat hill (Atakor). The Hoggar and other massifs of central Africa (Air, Eghei, Tibesti, Darfur, Cameroon mount, …) form a system of domal uplifts with similar scale, morphology and volcanic activity. The knowledge of the structure beneath the Hoggar swell will help us to understand the origin of continental swells. In order to get an image of the lithosphere in this region, we have performed a teleseismic field experiment. The 33 short-period seismic stations have been maintained for 2 1/2 month along a 700-km long NNW–SSW profile. This experiment crossed the Central Hoggar and extended northward into the In-Salah Sahara basin which is characterized by high heat flow values of deep origin. The high quality of the data recorded during this experiment allows us to perform a velocity inversion. The Hoggar appears to be characterized by lower mantle velocities. The anomalous zone extends from the upper lithosphere to the mantle. The weak velocity contrast is interpreted in agreement with gravity, geothermal and petrological data as due to extensive mantle modifications inherited from Cenozoic volcanic activity. It confirms that the Hoggar swell is not due to a large-scale uplift of hot asthenospheric materials but corresponds to a now cooled-off modified mantle. On the contrary, local low-velocity zones associated with the Atakor and Tahalra volcanic districts show that hot materials still exist at depths in relation with recent basaltic volcanism.

Accès restreint aux membres de l'Université de Lorraine jusqu'au 2017-12-11; The chronology of continental crust formation is debated but most models converge on the fact that much of the continental crust on the surface of the Earth is present since the Proterozoic (2.5 - 0, 54 Ga) and has essentially undergoes reworking during orogenesises. Uranium which is an incompatible element is a tracer of this crustal evolution, since its initial fractionation by partial melting of the mantle to its reworking in higher crustal levels. Neoproterozoic Pan-African (0.5 ± 0.1 Ga) orogenic belt of the Damara in Namibia is a good geological target to test the relationship between crustal growth and evolution and metallogeny of uranium. It was formed after the collision of the Archean cratons of Congo and Kalahari (subducting plate). This thesis shows that the evolution of the continental crust during the Neoproterozoic Damara Orogen is by reworking of Archaean to Neoproterozoic crustal domains and partial melting of rocks is the predominant mechanism for primary uranium mineralization associated with crystallization of intrusive granites derived from anatexis of paleo- to mesoproterozoic basement fragments. The intrusive granites issued from partial melting of sediments in the upper crustal levels are low or not favorable to high concentrations of uranium because of 1) the low preconcentration of their protoliths and 2) their relatively limited migration. The mineralized intrusive granites correspond to late- to post-collision injections (ca. 520-480 Ma in the central area) and are related to thermal relaxation phases and gravitational collapse subsequent to thickening in crustal orogen in a context of plates convergence; La chronologie de la formation de la croûte continentale est débattue mais la plupart des modèles convergent sur le fait qu'une bonne partie de la croûte continentale présente à la surface de la Terre aujourd'hui est présente depuis le Protérozoïque (2,5 - 0, 54 Ga) et qu'elle a essentiellement subit un remaniement au cours d'orogénèses. L'uranium, qui est un élément incompatible, est un traceur de cette évolution depuis son fractionnement initial par fusion partielle du manteau jusqu'à son remaniement dans les niveaux crustaux supérieurs. La ceinture orogénique Néoprotérozoïque Pan-africaine (0,5 ± 0,1 Ga) du Damara en Namibie constitue une cible géologique pour tester les relations entre croissance / évolution crustale et métallogénie de l'uranium. Elle s'est formée suite à la collision des cratons archéens du Congo et du Kalahari (plaque subductante). Ce travail de thèse montre que l'évolution de la croute continentale de la ceinture du Damara durant l'orogènese Pan-africaine au Néoprotérozoïque se fait par remaniement de roches ayant été extraites du manteau depuis l'Archéen et que leur fusion partielle est le mécanisme prépondérant pour la minéralisation uranifère primaire associée à la cristallisation de granites intrusifs. Les granites in-situ issus de la fusion partielle des sédiments dans les niveaux crustaux supérieurs sont peu ou pas propices à de fortes concentrations d'uranium du fait 1) de la faible préconcentration de leur protolithes et 2) de leur migration relativement limitée. Les granites intrusifs minéralisés correspondent à des injections tardi- à post-collision (ca. 520 - 480 Ma dans la zone centrale) et sont liés aux phases de relaxation thermique et d'effondrement gravitaire subséquentes à l'épaississement crustal de l'orogène dans un contexte de convergence de plaques

Fernand de Montessus de Ballore (1851-1923) est considéré comme un des précurseurs de la sismologie moderne. On lui doit une importante production scientifique dans ce domaine : il a notamment établi, par des relevés rigoureux et nombreux, que les tremblements de terre étaient en relation avec la géologie et non avec les phases de la lune ou les volcans souterrains comme on le supposait au début du XXe siècle. Officier de l'armée française, alors en garnison à Nîmes, il écrit en 1886 au scientifique genevois Louis Soret (1827-1890), qui fait partie de la commission suisse chargée d'étudier les séismes dans ce pays. C'est l'analyse de cette lettre à Soret qui fait l'objet de notre article.

The Cenozoic evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian mountain belt was driven by both internal andexternal processes, such as tectonics, erosion and deposition. This alpine belt is made up by thePyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, and is characterized by significant lateral variations intotal shortening, structural styles and topography. This thesis aims to better constrain the controlson exhumation and topography development during syn- to post-orogenic times, from the Eoceneto the Pliocene, by focusing on two characteristic parts of the belt: the Southern Central Pyreneesand the Central Cantabrian Mountains. To this purpose, a multi-disciplinary approach isdeveloped, combining low-temperature thermochronology with different numerical modelingtools. To better understand lateral variations in exhumation of the belt, a new low-temperaturethermochronology dataset is presented for the Cantabrian domain. The first part of this thesispresents new apatite fission-track data and (U-Th)/He analysis on zircons, constraining the timingand amount of exhumation along the central Cantabrian cross-section. In particular, the Eocene toOligocene ages obtained from the different thermochronometers allow us to infer a more importantamount of burial and, consequently, a thicker Mesozoic sedimentary section than previouslyconsidered, thereby also refining the structural style of the section at the upper crustal scale.The extensive thermochronological dataset existing in the central Pyrenees is then used toreconstruct the late-stage evolution of the South Central Axial Zone by thermo-kinematic inversemodeling. The model predicts rapid exhumation of the area during late Eocene (late syn-orogenic)times, followed by a post-orogenic evolution that is strongly controlled by base-level changes. Asa consequence of the establishment of endorheic conditions in the adjacent Ebro foreland basin,together with the strong erosion of the Axial Zone, the southern foreland area was infilled by animportant amount of erosional deposits in late Eocene to early Oligocene times. The models allowus to constrain the level of infilling at ~2.6 km and to date the excavation of these sediments at~10 Ma, following opening of the Ebro basin toward the Mediterranean Sea. The thickness ofsediments draping the foreland fold-and thrust belt was verified using fission-track analysis and(U-Th)/He measurements on apatites from foreland sediments. Thermal modeling of the dataprovides an estimate of 2 to 3 km of sediments on top of the foreland and confirms its incision inLate Miocene times. The effect of syn-orogenic deposition on the building and late evolution ofthe southern Pyrenean fold-and-thrust belt has been modeled in the last chapter of this thesis usinga 2D thermo-mechanical numerical modeling approach. The models highlight the potential effectof syn-tectonic sedimentation on thrust kinematics at several stages of wedge building. Ourmodeling also shows that the addition of an Oligocene sediment blanket perturbs the thrustingsequence by stabilizing the central part of the external wedge and enhancing both frontal andinternal accretion; a pattern that reproduces the observed deformation in the Southern CentralPyrenees.; The Cenozoic evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian mountain belt was driven by both internal andexternal processes, such as tectonics, erosion and deposition. This alpine belt is made up by thePyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, and is characterized by significant lateral variations intotal shortening, structural styles and topography. This thesis aims to better constrain the controlson exhumation and topography development during syn- to post-orogenic times, from the Eoceneto the Pliocene, by focusing on two characteristic parts of the belt: the Southern Central Pyreneesand the Central Cantabrian Mountains. To this purpose, a multi-disciplinary approach isdeveloped, combining low-temperature thermochronology with different numerical modelingtools. To better understand lateral variations in exhumation of the belt, a new low-temperaturethermochronology dataset is presented for the Cantabrian domain. The first part of this thesispresents new apatite fission-track data and (U-Th)/He analysis on zircons, constraining the timingand amount of exhumation along the central Cantabrian cross-section. In particular, the Eocene toOligocene ages obtained from the different thermochronometers allow us to infer a more importantamount of burial and, consequently, a thicker Mesozoic sedimentary section than previouslyconsidered, thereby also refining the structural style of the section at the upper crustal scale.The extensive thermochronological dataset existing in the central Pyrenees is then used toreconstruct the late-stage evolution of the South Central Axial Zone by thermo-kinematic inversemodeling. The model predicts rapid exhumation of the area during late Eocene (late syn-orogenic)times, followed by a post-orogenic evolution that is strongly controlled by base-level changes. Asa consequence of the establishment of endorheic conditions in the adjacent Ebro foreland basin,together with the strong erosion of the Axial Zone, the southern foreland area was infilled by animportant amount of erosional deposits in late Eocene to early Oligocene times. The models allowus to constrain the level of infilling at ~2.6 km and to date the excavation of these sediments at~10 Ma, following opening of the Ebro basin toward the Mediterranean Sea. The thickness ofsediments draping the foreland fold-and thrust belt was verified using fission-track analysis and(U-Th)/He measurements on apatites from foreland sediments. Thermal modeling of the dataprovides an estimate of 2 to 3 km of sediments on top of the foreland and confirms its incision inLate Miocene times. The effect of syn-orogenic deposition on the building and late evolution ofthe southern Pyrenean fold-and-thrust belt has been modeled in the last chapter of this thesis usinga 2D thermo-mechanical numerical modeling approach. The models highlight the potential effectof syn-tectonic sedimentation on thrust kinematics at several stages of wedge building. Ourmodeling also shows that the addition of an Oligocene sediment blanket perturbs the thrustingsequence by stabilizing the central part of the external wedge and enhancing both frontal andinternal accretion; a pattern that reproduces the observed deformation in the Southern CentralPyrenees.

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

The southern Brasilia Orogen is organized in a pile of nappes that records the Neoproterozoic history of the subduction and collision between passive and active margins, respectively belonging to the Sao Francisco and Paranapanema Plates. The whole pile of allochthons comprises the rootless Andrelândia Nappe System (the upper kyanite-bearing granulite of Tres Pontas-Varginha Nappe, the intermediate high-pressure amphibolite-to eclogite facies of Liberdade Nappe and the lower Andrelândia Nappe) that is located below an Andean-type magmatic arc (Socorro-Guaxupe Nappe) and overrides the Lima Duarte Nappe and the Carrancas Nappe System. The tectonic units of the Andrelândia Nappe System seem to be exotic to the Sao Francisco Plate. The retroeclogite of the Liberdade Nappe yielded a 670 Ma SHRIMP U–Pb age in zircon, that is interpreted as the age of N-MORB-type basic magmatism. Detrital zircon grains of proximal flysh deposits of wackes in the Andrelândia Nappe present similar ages that reflect the crystallization in its source area. Both, rocks present Nd isotopic juvenile signatures with TDM in the range of 1.4 to 1.1 Ga. Rhyacian orthogneisses occur as slices in the Liberdade Nappe and have Nd isotope signature of juvenile source. The building of the collision pile of the whole system of nappes was diachronic and records a continuous outward migration of the orogen. The main structure is a middle crust-level duplex. The propagation of the structure and the metamorphism advanced progressively from the upper to the lower nappes, as is shown by U–Pb monazite ages in the range of 618–595 Ma for the Andrelândia Nappe System and 590–575 Ma for the Carrancas and Lima Duarte nappes.

International audience; Not Available