Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

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Sedimentary Geology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sedgeo

Sedimentological and paleoenvironmental constraints of the Statherian and Stenian

Espinhao rift system, Brazil
M.N. Santos a,, F. Chemale Jr. b, I.A. Dussin c, d, M. Martins e, T.A.R. Assis e, A.R. Jelinek a,
F. Guadagnin a, f, R. Armstrong g
a

PPGGEO, Instituto de Geocincias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Cx. Postal 15001, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Laboratrio de Geocronologia, Instituto de Geocincias, Universidade de Braslia, 70.904-970 Braslia, DF, Brazil
CPGEO, Instituto de Geocincias, Universidade de So Paulo, Brazil
d
DEGEO-UFOP, Morro do Cruzeiro, CEP 35400-000, Ouro Preto MG, Brazil
e
CGE/CPMTC/IGC-UFMG, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil
f
Universidade Federal do Esprito Santo, Cx. Postal 030, 29500-000 Alegre, ES, Brazil
g
RSES, ANU, Canberra, Australia
b
c

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 31 January 2012
Received in revised form 26 February 2013
Accepted 3 March 2013
Available online 13 March 2013
Editor: J. Knight
Keywords:
UPb zircon geochronology
Statherian
Stenian
Sedimentology
Stratigraphy

a b s t r a c t
The Espinhao Basin in eastern Brazil contains depositional sequences developed in the So Francisco
paleoplate and its margins. Detailed mapping was conducted and combined with UPb detrital zircon dating
to determine the sedimentological-stratigraphic framework, provenance and minimum and maximum ages
of the syn-rift-deposits. The two cycles have minimum ages of 1192 and 923 Ma and maximum ages of
1785 and 1685 Ma. The rst depositional cycle, represented by the Bandeirinha and So Joo da Chapada
formations, is marked by contributions of Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic detrital zircons. The second
cycle, the diamond-bearing Sopa-Brumadinho Formation, also contains Mesoproterozoic zircons formed
between 1300 and 1190 Ma, which suggests an additional external source of Grenvillian age, that was not
previously recorded in the So Francisco Craton. The investigation of such Mesoproterozoic intraplate
sedimentary records, provides clues to understanding the history of the Rodinia active margins and, therefore,
the kinematic reconstruction of its paleoplates.
2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The study of rift basin evolution in a continental context, including
that of the Espinhao Basin in eastern Brazil, has been receiving increasing attention because it enables a better understanding of depositional processes and ll-sedimentation patterns and because of its
consequent predictive value, especially for the oil industry. However,
one of the greatest problems faced when dealing with the stratigraphy
of Precambrian basins is their lack of fossil content, which prevents
major stratigraphic correlations, especially in sequences where only
a sedimentary record exists without intercalated volcanic rocks. This
lack of fossil content has led many authors to assemble models in
stratigraphic sections that are completely timeless (e.g., MartinsNeto, 2009). Despite the large number of published papers regarding
the Espinhao Basin, many questions remain due to a lack of detailed
mapping and quantitative analysis; thus, detailed studies are needed.
The Espinhao Supergroup was described by many authors as the ll
Corresponding author at: Instituto de Geocincias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande
do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonalves Avenue, Porto Alegre 91509-900, RS, Brazil. Tel.: +55 51
3308 6352; fax: +55 51 3308 7302.
E-mail address: marcelodega@hotmail.com (M.N. Santos).
0037-0738/$ see front matter 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2013.03.002

sequence of an intracontinental rift-sag basin system that developed

approximately 1700 Ma in the So Francisco paleoplate and its
margins (Dussin and Dussin, 1995; Brito Neves, 1995; Uhlein et al.,
1998; Martins-Neto, 1998, 2009) and is predominantly characterized
by siliciclastic sedimentation but also includes volcanism and tuffaceous contributions. Martins-Neto (2009 and references therein) proposed a single rst-order sequence with pre-rift, rift, transitional and
marine sag stages for this intracontinental basin. More recently,
Chemale et al. (2012), based on UPb detrital and volcanic zircon
data from the Espinhao Supergroup units, recognized three basinal
cycles for the so-called Espinhao Basin units in the So Francisco
Craton with major sedimentation material sources from the Jequi
(Neoarchean) and Transamazonian (Paleoproterozoic) orogenic
cycles. Moreover, in the southern Espinhao, during the stable period
from 1800 Ma to 910 Ma in the So Francisco Craton, only two major
basinal cycles are represented: the Lower (1680 to 1800 Ma) and
Upper Espinhao (910 to 1190 Ma) basins. Chemale et al. (2012)
distinguished two major basins in the Espinhao depositional locus
that allow models to be developed that include the temporal element
of its evolution.
The present work proposes a sedimentological-stratigraphic model
for the paleogeographic evolution of these two basins in the southern

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

Serra do Espinhao based on detailed structural-stratigraphic mapping

at a scale of 1:3000 and sedimentological and stratigraphic descriptions
of 26 sections. The model is supported by geochronological data
obtained from the southern Serra do Espinhao, Brazil. These data
made it possible to reconstitute the different depositional systems and
tectonic stages beginning from the end of the Paleoproterozoic (ca.
1700 Ma) to the beginning of the Neoproterozoic (~910 Ma) for the
sectors studied in the region.

Francisco Craton and the partial deformation and metamorphism of

low-grade deposits in the Espinhao Basin (I.A. Dussin, 1994; Dussin
and Dussin, 1995). Some of the deformed structures in the basin, such
as thrust faults and folds with vergence to the west, are attributed to
this collision (Dossin et al., 1992; Uhlein et al., 1995; Alkmim et al.,
2007; Pedrosa-Soares et al., 2007).

2. Geological setting

Geochronological data suggest dates for the rift opening of 1729

14 Ma and 1770 Ma by Pb/Pb and U/Pb zircon dating methods, respectively, from a granitic emplacement in the basement (Dossin et al.,
1993) and a rhyolitic emplacement in the Conceio do Mato Dentro
(Brito Neves et al., 1979; Fig. 1a), at the base of the basin. The dating
of Pb/Pb on zircons from a hematitic phyllite located near the city of Diamantina provides an age of 1710 Ma (Dossin et al., 1993), indicating
the approximate age for the beginning of sedimentation in the basin.
Machado et al. (1989) obtained an age of 906 2 Ma using the U/Pb
method on mac rocks (Sute Pedro Lessa) that intrude into the
Espinhao Basin, indicating a minimum age for the deposition of its
sediments.
Chemale et al. (2012) obtained an age of 1192 16 Ma in zircons
from a conglomerate with a volcanogenic matrix from the SopaBrumadinho Formation in the Extrao region and proposed dividing
the basin into two sequences (i.e., Lower and Upper Espinhao). Thus,
the Espinhao Supergroup in southern Espinhao, Minas Gerais, contains two unconformable successions that can be interpreted as two
basin ll cycles: (i) a Statherian succession (1780 to 1710 Ma) in an
intracontinental rift and (ii) a StenianTonian succession (1180 to
910 Ma) in an intracontinental rift-sag successor basin.

2.1. The Espinhao Rift System

Geomorphologically the Serra do Espinhao is divided into two
sectors: southern and northern, each characterized by high topographic relief and separated by a SENW low-relief zone (Saadi,
1995). The present paper describes the southern sector, particularly
the region around the city of Diamantina, Minas Gerais (Fig. 1).
The Espinhao Rift is located in the So Francisco Craton (sensu
Almeida et al., 2000) in the Serra do Cabral region and is on the
Araua Fold Belt in the Serra do Espinhao (Uhlein et al., 1995). The
tectonic evolution of the rift is still controversial in the literature.
One commonly held description is that this is an ensialic intracratonic
basin (Dussin and Dussin, 1995; Martins-Neto, 1998). However,
Almeida-Abreu (1993) proposed a rift basin model that evolved into
a passive margin with the generation of oceanic crust.
The depositional systems identied in the rift include uvial, alluvial,
lacustrine, deltaic, marine and eolian systems (Dossin et al., 1987;
Garcia and Uhlein, 1987; Martins-Neto, 1998; Silva, 1998). During the
Brasiliano Orogeny, there would have been a collision with the So

2.2. Dating background

Fig. 1. (a) Localization map of the Espinhao Basin in the southern Espinhao. (b) Simplied geological map of the central portion of the Espinhao Basin indicating the locations of
the four studied areas (modied after Chaves, 1997).

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

2.3. Stratigraphic background

Lithostratigraphy has been widely used in the Espinhao Basin and
still remains a tool in the development of many studies. Pug (1968) divided the Espinhao Basin into eight formations: So Joo da Chapada,
Sopa-Brumadinho, Galho do Miguel, Santa Rita, Crrego dos Borges,
Crrego da Bandeira, Crrego Pereira and Rio Pardo Grande, from base
to top. Dossin et al. (1984) grouped the eight formations into two
higher-ranking units based on depositional systems and in the context
of basin evolution: the Diamantina Group, which includes the rst
three formations, and the Conselheiro Mata Group, which includes the
last ve formations (Fig. 2).
The pink quartzites with metaconglomerates are part of the
Bandeirinha Formation and are the subject of much controversy regarding their stratigraphic position (pre-Espinhao or Espinhao),
which is considered by Almeida-Abreu (1993) and a considerable
number of additional authors to be part of the basin (Silva, 1995;
Alkmim et al., 1996; Martins-Neto, 1998).

49

The grouping of similar lithologies to dene the Espinhao Basin

stratigraphic units was introduced by Schll (1980) and Schll and
Fogaa (1979), who subdivided the So Joo da Chapada Formation
into the informal levels A, B and C and the Sopa-Brumadinho Formation
into the levels D, E and F. The three levels of the Sopa-Brumadinho Formation were given the designation of members and are known as Datas,
Caldeires and Campo Sampaio (Almeida-Abreu, 1993; Fig. 2).
This lithostratigraphic classication is relatively effective locally, but
regionally, the depositional dynamics must be considered. More recent
studies have approached the Espinhao Basin deposits with relatively
new concepts in the use of tectonostratigraphy (Martins-Neto, 1998)
and sequence stratigraphy (Silva, 1998; Martins-Neto, 2009).

3. Methodology
The present work used detailed geological eld mapping and geochronological UPb zircon dating.

Fig. 2. Simplied stratigraphic arrangement of the Espinhao Basin showing the location of the dated samples. The rift is divided into basins, groups, formations and members. Compilation and modication from Pug (1968), Schll and Fogaa (1979) and Dossin et al. (1984). *As proposed by Chemale et al. (2010). **Unit added by Almeida-Abreu (1993). Not
to scale.

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

3.1. Stratigraphic-sedimentological mapping

To acquire data in the eld, the present work utilized detailed geological mapping, at a scale of 1:3000, of the three sectors adjacent to
the city of Diamantina (the Guinda district, the Altitude Mxima
and the Serra da Mida, from north to south; Fig. 3) and two in the
Extrao region (Serrinha and Cavalo Morto). Although the Espinhao
units were affected by the Brasiliano Orogeny, these sectors were
chosen because their stratigraphic sections are well preserved without major internal structural deformation. The mapping, at a scale
of 1:100, is based on a systematic survey of twenty-six sections, that
was conducted at six sections in the Guinda sector, with ten sections
in the Altitude Mxima, ve in the Serra da Mida, three in Serrinha
and two in the Cavalo Morto.
The mapping work was conducted with the aid of satellite imagery
(QuickBird sensor) with a resolution of 0.6 m, which provided a high
degree of detail for the units and greatly improved the mapping accuracy, as most previous studies were based on aerial photographs at a
1:25,000 scale.
For the correlation of the sections, two datum horizons were used.
One datum was the sedimentary breccia of the So Joo da Chapada
Formation occurring in the Altitude Mxima and Serra da Mida sectors. The other datum was the transgressive surface of the base of the
Galho do Miguel Formation that occurs in the Guinda sector and in
the northern part of the Altitude Mxima sector.
Several thin sections were made from rocks collected along the
measured sections to provide a more detailed description of the
facies. To simplify the present work, the metasedimentary facies are
described with sedimentary nomenclature, because of the low-grade

metamorphism from the Brasiliano Orogeny (Caby and Arthaud,

1987; Trompette et al., 1992; Dussin and Dussin, 1995; Uhlein et al.,
1998; Uhlein and Chaves, 2001).

3.2. UPb zircon dating

The present geochronological studies are based on the dating of
Espinhao Supergroup continental sedimentary units exposed in the
central segment of the southern Espinhao range near the town of
Diamantina, Minas Gerais, in the localities of Guinda, Sopa, Altitude
Mxima and Extrao (Fig. 1b). Our studies complement those carried
out by Chemale et al. (2012) by focusing on the metasedimentary
rocks of the Bandeirinha, So Joo da Chapada and Sopa-Brumadinho
formations.
All samples were crushed and milled using a jaw crusher. The
zircon populations were separated by conventional procedures
using heavy liquids and a magnetic separator after concentration by
hand-panning. The zircons were photographed in transmitted and
reected light, imaged using BSE (backscattered electron) and CL
(cathodoluminescence), and dated using a laser-ablation microprobe
(New Wave UP213) coupled to an MC-ICP-MS (Neptune) at the isotope laboratories of the universities of Braslia and Rio Grande do
Sul (Brazil) and with a SHRIMP RG at the Research School of Earth
Sciences, Canberra, Australia (ANU). Detailed analytical procedures
were provided by Chemale et al. (2012), and the data are shown in
the Supplementary Data Files. The histograms were prepared with
Isoplot/Ex (Ludwig, 2003). For the detrital zircon histogram, we
used the zircon data with discordance equal to or lesser than 10%.

Fig. 3. Geological maps of the studied area in the Diamantina region showing the locations of stratigraphic sections, formations and unconformities. (a) Guinda sector, (b) Altitude
Mxima sector, and (c) Serra da Mida sector. AMF Altitude Mxima Farm; U unconformities; TS transgressive surface.

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

4. Results
The full results can be found at the library of the Instituto de
Geocincias da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Santos,
2011).
Twenty-six stratigraphically measured sections were correlated
(Figs. 3, 4), and the results obtained are described below.
In the areas studied, relatively few faults are present. In the
Guinda sector, there is a northsouth thrust fault that places the
Bandeirinha Formation on the So Joo da Chapada Formation. In
the Serra da Mida sector, part of the basement is positioned on the
So Joo da Chapada Formation by a northsouth thrust fault
(Fig. 1b). However, the measured sections do not include major internal structural deformation.
4.1. Unconformities identied
Most of the unconformities that were identied are already
known in the Espinhao Basin (Silva, 1995; Martins-Neto, 1998;
Silva, 1998; Martins-Neto, 2009). With some changes, they include
the following, from base to top:
(a) Unconformity 1 (U.1) a subtle disconformity that occurs on the
basement composed of mylonitized sandstone. Above the unconformity are pink sandstones and conglomerates (Fig. 4). Unconformity 1 occurs in the Altitude Mxima sector as a thrust fault.

51

(b) Unconformity 2 (U.2) an angular unconformity (markedly

erosive) that separates pink sandstones from the overlying
white sandstones and sedimentary breccia with excellent exposure in the Altitude Mxima sector (Figs. 4, 5a, 6a).
(c) Unconformity 3 (U.3) an angular unconformity separating
sandstones and phyllite from sandstone with good exposure in
the Serra da Mida sector (Figs. 4, 5b, c, 6a).
(d) Transgressive Surface 1 (TS 1) with good exposure to the west
of Morro da Gota in the Guinda sector, TS 1 is marked by a surface on which there is evidence of an abrupt increase in water
depth and that separates the sandstones of uvial origin from
marine sandstones (Fig. 4).
(e) Transgressive Surface 2 (TS 2) the surface of TS 2 marks a large
transgression of the basin, separating eolian quartzite from the
overlying phyllite. This surface occurs along the road from
Diamantina to Conselheiro Mata.
(f) Unconformity 4 (U.4) an angular unconformity separating the
rotated deposits of the Espinhao Basin from those of the So
Francisco Basin. Unconformity 4 is practically horizontalized
(Alkmim et al., 1996), with good exposure in the Serra do Cabral
region (Fig. 1a).
4.2. Units identied
(a) Unit between U.1 and U.2 characterized by pink sandstones
with ne to medium grain size, sparse granules and rare pebbles

Fig. 4. Correlation of stratigraphic sections. Gmm matrix-supported massive gravel; Gcm clast-supported gravel; St trough cross-bedded sandstone; Sh sandstone with
horizontal bedding; Sm massive sandstone; Fl nely laminated siltstones and mudstones (Miall, 1977); U unconformities; TS transgressive surface; and S sections.

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

Fig. 5. (a) Angular unconformity between the Bandeirinha and So Joo da Chapada formations, Altitude Mxima sector; (b) and (c) angular unconformity between the So Joo da
Chapada and Sopa-Brumadinho formations, Serra da Mida sector; the square in (c) represents (b); note the person for scale circled in yellow; (d) sedimentary breccia of So Joo
da Chapada Formation aligned in the eastwest direction; (e) clast-supported and matrix-supported conglomerates of the Bandeirinha Formation; (f) sedimentary breccia with
boulders, So Joo da Chapada Formation; and (g) uvial channels with geometry preserved, Sopa-Brumadinho Formation.

and, in some places, contains kyanite and exhibits a dominance

of plane-parallel and trough cross-bedding stratication. Locally,
in the southern Altitude Mxima sector, there are massive conglomerates that are both clast-supported and matrix-supported
(Fig. 5e). The total thickness may reach 200 m, as in section 9.
The unit corresponds to the Bandeirinha Formation and is
bounded by a disconformity at the base and an angular unconformity/erosive at the top (U.1 and U.2, Fig. 4). The angular character can be easily observed in the eld, where the Bandeirinha
Formation dips to the eastnortheast and plunges at an angle

of approximately 35, which is quite distinct from the overlying

unit that has a dip direction to the east and a plunge angle of approximately 30 (Fig. 6a). The erosive character is clearly marked
by the sedimentary breccia of the overlying unit (Fig. 5f), which
contains clasts of pink sandstones of the Bandeirinha Formation.
The sedimentary facies are located west of highway BR-367 near
the Altitude Mxima farm (Fig. 3).
(b) Unit between U.2 and U.3 corresponds, in part, to the So Joo
da Chapada Formation described by Pug (1968). This formation
reaches thicknesses of up to 300 m in the Altitude Mxima

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

53

Fig. 6. Field measurements taken in the Diamantina region. (a) bedding inclination data plotted on stereonet diagrams, and (b) paleocurrent data plotted on rose diagrams.

sector, with a decrease in grain size at the top of the formation.

This unit is mainly located along highway BR-259, which connects the city of Gouveia to Datas (Fig. 1a), and consists of four
facies. The rst is a massive sedimentary breccia with angular
clasts of sandstones of varied sizes ranging from cobble to boulder and grading laterally into sandstones. This facies has an
average thickness of 10 m with outcrops aligned in the north
south direction in the Altitude Mxima sector, west of highway
BR-367. However, there are a few outcrops of sedimentary breccia aligned in the eastwest direction (Fig. 5d).
Over the sedimentary breccia is a common occurrence of a hematitic phyllite (composed mainly of sericite and hematite),
which is the second facies. This facies reaches thicknesses of approximately 10 to 20 m in the Serra da Mida sector west of
highway BR-367. In the third facies, white sandstones occur
that are composed essentially of quartz and are micaceous in
some places, with medium sand grain size, horizons of coarse
sand with granules and pebbles and exhibiting primarily trough
cross-bedding and plane-parallel stratication. The fourth facies
consists of pelites previously assigned to the base of the
Sopa-Brumadinho Formation by Pug (1968). This facies has
good exposure in the regions of Guinda and Serra da Mida
but is often hidden by vegetation or by a soil prole. The thickness in the measured sections does not exceed 20 m.
(c) Unit between U.3 and TS 1 corresponds partially to the
Sopa-Brumadinho Formation. Exposures occur in the Guinda
and Extraction regions in the district of Diamantina, where the
unit can be easily observed in the mines of Diamante Vermelho,
Lavrinha and Brumadinho, and consists primarily of sandstones
with plane-parallel stratications that pass vertically and laterally into pelites and conglomerates with diamonds. In Guinda,
the total thickness of the unit reaches approximately 150 m.
The sandstones are of medium to coarse grain size with pebbles
and, in some areas, exhibit oxidation and trough cross-bedding
stratication that represents the record of a uvial channel
(Fig. 5g). Conglomeratic lenses typically reach a 5 m thickness

(locally reaching 8 m) and have clasts of varied composition,

including various sandstones, conglomerates and mudstones.
The conglomerate matrix is predominantly sandy toward the
north in the Brumadinho Mine, however, and is also pelitic.
(d) Unit between TS 1 and TS 2 corresponds to the Galho do
Miguel Formation and consists of two sedimentary facies. The
rst consists of ne sandstones with wave ripples. This facies
is well represented in the western Morro da Gota, Guinda sector.
The second facies is located on the road from Campo Sampaio to
the Santa Rita region, comprising sandstones with large trough
cross-bedding stratication with medium grain size and restricted occurrences of pebbles. This unit has a thickness of between
2000 and 3000 m (Pug, 1968).
(e) Unit between TS 2 and U.4 corresponds to the Conselheiro
Mata Group and comprises ve sedimentary facies, which are
described below according to Pug (1968). The rst facies consists of mudstones with outcrops south of the Santa Rita village
that are approximately 250 m thick. The second facies is composed of quartz sandstones that occur in the southwest and
northeast of Santa Rita and are 250 m thick. The third facies is
composed of mudstones with sandy lenses and reaches a thickness of 200 m in southern Santa Rita. The fourth facies has a
thickness from 700 to 1000 m, as inferred from aerial photos,
and marks the return of quartz sandstone. The fth facies outcrops south of Ribeiro do Batatal and is composed of mudstones with a thickness of approximately 1000 m.
4.3. Geochronological results
The UPb results are from three main detailed sedimentary units
collected from the section where the Brasiliano (Neoproterozoic to
Eopaleozoic) deformation did not affect the stratigraphic order.
The basal unit, represented by the Bandeirinha Formation, contains detrital zircons of Archean and Paleoproterozoic ages, where
only 98 out of 182 dated zircons meet the necessary concordance
(between 90 and 110%; Fig. 7). The zircons formed in the Neoarchean

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

The zircon populations formed at 2702, 2835 and 3338 Ma occur subordinately. A small population of zircon that crystallized at 1713 Ma is
recognized; this age is very close to the age of the K-alkaline intrusions
in the basal units of the So Joo da Chapada Formation, which was
dated at 1703 12 Ma by Chemale et al. (2012).
Out of the 574 detrital zircons dated from the Sopa-Brumadinho
Formation in the Guinda-Sopa and Extrao sectors, 468 grains are
concordant. The cumulative probability histogram (Fig. 7) shows similar distributions of Paleoproterozoic and Archean detrital zircon ages.
However, as discussed by Chemale et al. (2012), a population is also
recognized at 11801190 Ma, which is the maximum depositional
age for this formation.
5. Discussion
5.1. Stratigraphic position of the Datas Member
The most signicant change in the stratigraphic sedimentary
facies unit position is at the pelitic horizon of the Datas Member
(Almeida-Abreu, 1993), which was previously assigned to the SopaBrumadinho Formation by Pug (1968). The pelitic horizon was
displaced in the present work to the top of the So Joo da Chapada
Formation because there is a gradation and intercalation of the sandstones of this unit with the pelites. Moreover, it becomes possible to
observe the angular nature of the unconformity 3 (U.3) above the
pelites/quartzites of the Datas Member.
5.2. Northsouth and eastwest faults and their sedimentological control

Fig. 7. Relative probability histograms for the studied samples from southern Espinhao
and corresponding to Bandeirinha, So Joo da Chapada and Sopa-Brumadinho formations. Detrital zircons data with discordance equal or lesser then 10%.

are dominant (peak at 2664 Ma) and are related to the basement
rocks formed during the Jequi Cycle. A subordinate contribution of
zircon formed at peaks of 2838, 3076 and 3272 Ma (Archean) and
2468, 2155 and 1785 Ma (Paleoproterozoic). The youngest zircon
population dates to 1785 Ma, which is interpreted here as the maximum depositional age for the Banderinha Formation.
The So Joo da Chapada Formation in the Serra da Mida sector,
which overlies the Bandeirinha Formation in an angular unconformity,
contains dominant Paleoproterozoic zircons formed at 2138 Ma (Fig. 7).

The volume available for sediment deposition (i.e., accommodation) depends on the relationship between subsidence and relative
sea-level changes (Emery and Myers, 1996). Given the importance
of fault-controlled subsidence for the generation of accommodation
in rift basins, Morley (1999) proposed that regions close to the centers of faults exhibit the greatest displacement, with the displacement
decreasing toward the edges (Fig. 8). These assumptions directly inuence sedimentary deposit thickness estimates, which tend to be
higher in the middle and lower in the edges of these faults.
The propagation of northsouth-oriented normal faults during the
deposition of the So Joo da Chapada Formation explains why the
breccias in the Altitude Mxima sector have thicknesses that increase
towards their northern and southern edges and decrease in the central portions. The deposition of the breccia would have started from
individual faults, each with its own depocenter, and, with the propagation of the faults, the breccia would have been deposited in small
amounts in the center of a new fault generated by the union of two
older faults. The shift of the depocenter in the So Joo da Chapada
Formation also explains why the greatest thickness of the sandstone
packages deposited after the breccia is now located in the central portion of the Altitude Mxima sector.
The Sopa-Brumadinho Formation reaches its greatest thickness in
the Guinda, Serrinha and Cavalo Morto sectors and has most likely undergone major subsidence in this region. This subsidence may explain
the probable formation of a lacustrine system (Sopa-Brumadinho Formation) in these sectors, which experienced a more pronounced subsidence than the surrounding sectors, and the subsequent marine
transgression of the Galho do Miguel Formation in the Guinda sector.
The eastwest faults were denoted as F.1 to F.4 (Fig. 4) and were
characterized as transfer faults with greater or lesser degrees of magnitude. These faults exerted a substantial inuence on the sedimentation, as few sedimentary breccias formed along them (Fig. 5d), and
limited the compartments of different subsidence intensity.
Because the fault-controlled subsidence had a greater inuence on
the generating accommodation and more effectively controlled the
sedimentation than relative sea-level changes in the Lower Espinhao
Basin and the early stages of Upper Espinhao Basin, this subsidence

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

55

Fig. 9. Variations of the temporal positioning of the Espinhao Basin.

5.4. Lower Espinhao Basin

Fig. 8. Variation of the thickness of the So Joo da Chapada Formation that was the result of fault propagation. Modied from Morley (1999).

pattern is an important consideration in stratigraphically characterizing tectonic system tracts with respect to the spatial and temporal
distribution of depositional systems. The importance of this characterization is that studies of similar basins may use the information
regarding the evolutionary behavior of the depositional system described here to determine tectonic system tracts and, hence, the
stage of evolution reached by the basin. The nomenclature of the system tracts used was from Prosser (1993), whose method of describing rift basin stratigraphies is based on identifying distinct rift
evolution stages, each with linked characteristic depositional systems. Unlike models of sequence stratigraphy applied to passive continental margin settings (Catuneanu et al., 2009), the model proposed
by Prosser (1993) allows for the observation of a consistent pattern in
the evolution of depositional systems in active-fault-bounded basins,
where sedimentation is not essentially controlled by the change in
relative sea level but is tectonic.

5.3. Tectonic evolution, stratigraphy and paleogeography

The subsidence duration can vary greatly in basins formed in an extensional context. According to Allen and Allen (2005), the subsidence
in continental rifts with normal crust thickness occurs over long periods
of time which may even exceed 30 My. The So Francisco Craton has a
crustal thickness of approximately 37 to 40 km (Assumpo et al.,
2002), which is consistent with the normal thickness of the continental
crust (35 km on average, Allen and Allen, 2005). Given the assumptions
described above and the fact that the two depositional sequences of the
Espinhao Rift System are separated by an unconformity that represents
500 Ma (Chemale et al., 2010; Fig. 9), it is reasonable to consider that
these depositional sequences constitute two distinct basins that occupy
the same deposition locus because the large gap in question indicates
two distinct tectonothermal events.
The Altitude Maxima sector is an important area for stratigraphic
study because the superposition of all units that represent the different stages of fault-controlled subsidence are found within it.
The nomenclature used in this study for both basins (i.e., Lower
and Upper Espinhao) is that proposed by Chemale et al. (2010).

The Lower Espinhao Basin sedimentation evolved through two

distinct stages of rifting. The rst stage conditioned the deposition
of the Bandeirinha Formation, whereas the So Joo da Chapada Formation represents the second stage (Almeida-Abreu, 1993, 1995).
During the rst phase of mechanical extension responsible for the
opening of the basin, small, normal faults resulted in the deployment
of relatively poorly developed depositional systems occupying small
and disconnected areas. During the second phase of rift evolution
(i.e., with the increase in the extension and subsidence rates), magmatic activity would have been generated by asthenospheric decompression (Dussin and Dussin, 1995), as would the propagation of
faults, which is very important in increasing the area of sedimentation and the full development of depositional systems.
5.4.1. Bandeirinha Formation
According to Silva (1998), the surveying and integration of stratigraphic sections in the Altitude Mxima sector enable the recognition
of three depositional systems for the unit: dominant braided uvial
fans, alluvial fans and subordinate eolian sediments. The two horizons
of alluvial conglomerates identied are of local character, with their depositions associated with normal faults in a northsouth orientation
and, eventually, with eastwest transfer faults that border the southern
part of the unit (F.2, Fig. 4). The subdivision of the Bandeirinha Formation into depositional sequences (i.e., Olaria and Natureza) according
to Martins-Neto (1998) and Silva (1998) was not adopted in this
work because the local character of conglomeratic levels was identied;
these levels represent erosional diastems representing minor breaks in
the geologic record (Barrel, 1917) and reect dynamic depositional environments rather than unconformities.
The following are all consistent with the rift initiation system tract
described by Prosser (1993): the disconnection of the Bandeirinha
Formation outcrop regions, the small area of deposition, the subaerial
character of the basin with sufcient water to supply the uvial systems during their development, the dominantly longitudinal drainage
systems (or parallel axes, Fig. 6b) and paleorelief marked by small
fault scarps and local areas with axial topographic highs. The reddish
color of the sandstone is not diagnostic for the climatic conditions at
the time of deposition (Sheldon, 2005).
5.4.2. So Joo da Chapada Formation
This unit represents the initial development of alluvial deposits in
the Altitude Mxima region and is characterized by the presence of a
breccia followed by the formation of an extensive braided uvial

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

system (Garcia and Uhlein, 1987) and the subsequent formation of

oodplains, most likely during a major ood event. Braided river
oodplains are usually associated with large, wide rivers (Nanson
and Croke, 1992) in a manner analogous to the modern upstream
segment of the Tagliamento River in northeastern Italy (van der
Nat et al., 2002). Occurring contemporaneously with sedimentation,
hematite phyllite of volcanic origin with chemical alteration by
metamorphism (T.M. Dussin, 1994) or weathering (Knauer and
Schrank, 1994) is an indicator of igneous activity resulting from
the distentional process active in the basin (Dussin and Dussin,
1995).
The paleocurrent pattern of the So Joo da Chapada Formation
uvial systems (mean vector of 103) is clearly distinct from that of
the Bandeirinha Formation (mean vector of 081) and seems to indicate a readjustment of the uvial channel direction as a direct consequence of the rotation of the hanging wall because both bedding and
paleocurrent have a difference of 20 for the two units (Fig. 6a, b). The
rotation of the hanging wall changed the predominantly NNE longitudinal drainage pattern to an exclusively ESE transverse drainage
pattern (axis perpendicular), which predominated during the later
stages of rift sedimentation.
Fordham et al. (2010) mapped and calculated the proportion of the
surcial facies distribution in the Great Basin region (i.e., a series of rift
basins in arid and semi-arid settings in the USA that are referred to as
drylands) and showed that the basin ll is largely dominated by the
deposits of transverse catchments at different stages of rift evolution.

Axial uvial systems were restricted to a narrow corridor by the

progradation of lateral systems occupying a small to negligible proportion of surcial lithofacies. The sedimentation in the lower and
middle parts of the So Joo da Chapada Formation seems to have
evolved in a context similar to that of the drylands because, in addition
to the limited presence of any lake or axial uvial systems, transverse
uvial systems predominated over time. The mudstones and ne
sandstones present in the top of the So Joo da Chapada Formation
mark a gradual ooding of the uvial channels with the consequent
formation of a broad oodplain or the eventual generation of a lake
system. Although they have a signicant areal distribution, the vertical
deposits of this ooding are not notable in comparison to those
exhibited by other rifts (e.g., Tanganyika and Malawi; Scholz et al.,
1998; Chorowicz, 2005).
The increase in the depositional area of the So Joo da Chapada
Formation, the paleorelief marked by highs (as evidenced by breccia
deposition) and the tendency of individual faults to change to a single
dominant fault resulted in the early rift climax system tract described
by Prosser (1993). This system tract can be clearly separated from the
rift initiation system tract by a possible onlap over a discontinuity,
Unconformity 2 in this case, which is erosive and related to the
basin area expansion.
A ning upward pattern is present in So Joo da Chapada and
may indicate a decrease in fault-controlled subsidence and the consequent decrease in sediment supply, which was the result of the erosion of Lower Espinhao Basin source areas.

Fig. 10. Geological map of the studied area in the Extrao region showing the location of stratigraphic sections, formations and transgressive surface 1 (TS 1).

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

5.5. Upper Espinhao Basin

The Sopa-Brumadinho Formation sedimentary deposits represent
a record of a new basin opening and occupy the same depositional
locus of the Lower Espinhao Basin. The boundary between the So
Joo da Chapada/Sopa-Brumadinho formations is marked by an angular unconformity with a difference of approximately 10 in dip angle
but with the same dip direction (Fig. 6a). Considering the gap of approximately 500 Ma between the two sedimentary units (Chemale
et al., 2010) and the coincidence in the dip direction, the new
rifting (1180 Ma) most likely reactivated the faults of the rst rift
(ca. 1.7 Ga).

5.5.1. Sopa-Brumadinho Formation

The deposition in a braided uvial system associated with alluvial
fans (Dossin et al., 1990), including lacustrine fan deltas (MartinsNeto, 1996, 1998), that occur in the northern Guinda sector is consistent
with the observed facies associations. There is evidence of the
reworking of pelites in the Sopa-Brumadinho Formation oodplain or
the top of the So Joo da Chapada Formation.

57

The extensional process, acting more dramatically in the SopaBrumadinho Formation, favored the development of alluvial fans that
have prograded mainly to the east but are sometimes channeled toward
the northeast with high erosive power. The alluvial fans pass vertically
and laterally into uvial channels and into oodplain deposits. Unlike
the paucity of lacustrine systems in the Lower Espinhao Basin, at the
time of the Sopa-Brumadinho deposition, these lacustrine systems appear to have exerted a great inuence on sedimentation. In the Extrao
region, lacustrine fan deltas overlap sediments of uvial origin, and both
are directed to the east.
As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the Cavalo Morto sector (sections 25
and 26) has a more distal character because the layers of conglomerate
are thinner, with a higher contribution of sand than is found in the
Serrinha sector (sections 22, 23 and 24). The transition from one conglomerate horizon to another (i.e., a conglomerate with a green clay
matrix to a conglomerate with a sandy matrix) indicates an end to the
tuffaceous contribution (Fig. 11). In the Serrinha sector, the absence of
the second conglomerate horizon is the result of erosion caused by an
uplift in antiform folds (Fig. 10). Given the presence of large boulders
and diamonds in this region, which demonstrates a possible proximity
of sedimentation to the fault, it is likely that subsidence occurred

Fig. 11. Depositional evolution of the Extrao region. (a) Localization of the Extrao region (red box) in a rift system (b) tuffaceous contribution during deposition in a lacustrine
fan delta system, (c) end of the tuffaceous contribution, and (d) uvial sedimentation and deposition of the eolian Galho do Miguel Formation. Gmm tuffaceous matrix-supported
massive gravel; Gcm clast-supported gravel; St trough cross-bedded sandstone.

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M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

heterogeneously, with independent faults between Diamantina and

Extrao. In the Guinda region, three conglomeratic lobes were identied, and the third lobe, a pelitic matrix in its most northern portion in
Brumadinho Mine, would also provide a fan delta on a lake system,
although without a tuffaceous contribution. Regardless of the faults'
geographical separation, which is expected in rift evolution models
(Prosser, 1993; Gawthorpe and Leeder, 2000; Allen and Allen, 2005),
both regions are considered to belong to the Sopa-Brumadinho Formation because they have depositional systems with similar characteristics
that reect the stage of their tectonic evolution, they have diamonds
associated with them and they are beneath the Galho do Miguel
Formation.
The concept of unconformities depends on the premise that they
must have a regional character because on the basin margins (i.e.,
adjacent to border faults), unconformities can develop at many levels
in a section. This premise limits the internal subdivision of the SopaBrumadinho Formation into other units in which conglomerates have
lenticular geometry and are of local scale.
The rift initiation system tract has not developed in the Upper
Espinhao Basin because during its opening, it was inherently subject
to the reactivation of the Lower Espinhao Basin faults. The deposition
of the uvial sediments, alluvial fan and deltaic lobes of the SopaBrumadinho Formation composes the early rift climax systems tract
described by Prosser (1993). This system tract records the large displacement of normal faults and gives the fault footwalls great importance as sediment sources.
5.5.2. Galho do Miguel Formation
Pug et al. (1980) attributed the entire Galho do Miguel Formation
to deposition in marine conditions; however, only the rst sedimentary
facies unit seems to have been deposited under such conditions.
The high subsidence rates in the Guinda sector that favored the
development of the lake system in the Sopa-Brumadinho Formation
also inuenced the marine transgression at the base of the Galho do
Miguel Formation. The record of marine transgression is quite evident
in this region, which may be regarded as one of the rift depocenters at
the time of deposition of the Sopa-Brumadinho and Galho do Miguel
formations (post-1180 Ma).
The facies association characterizes sedimentation in a coastal
environment, with a change both laterally and vertically from marine
to wind conditions (Dossin et al., 1987; Garcia and Uhlein, 1987),
indicating the advancement of contemporary back-beach eolian
dunes on the marine sediments.
The deposit extrapolation of the Galho do Miguel Formation over the
possible limits of the rift represents the transition from fault-controlled
to thermal subsidence, as proposed by Martins-Neto (1998), for the
Upper Espinhao Basin. Therefore, this change in tectonic regime in
the Galho do Miguel Formation congures the immediate post-rift system tract of Prosser (1993).
5.5.3. Conselheiro Mata Group
The deposition of this unit is marked by a period of tectonic stability and a general trend of marine transgression, in which sedimentation and accommodation was related to thermal subsidence by
lithospheric cooling (Dussin and Dussin, 1995; Martins-Neto, 1998).
The depositional systems alternate between marine and coastal
in response to three successive marine transgressions followed by
progradation (Dupont, 1995; Martins-Neto, 2009). The transgressive
stage of the Conselheiro Mata Group may be correlated to the marine
transgression of the Caboclo Formation that overlies the alluvial, uvial and eolian sediments of the Tombador Formation in Chapada
Diamantina. The transgressive surface in Chapada Diamantina represents an expansion, erosion and deposition in marine conditions
over the units beneath and provides a regional surface for dening
the base of the Conselheiro Mata Group.

The erosion of source areas most likely contributed to the decrease

in the sediment grain size and the peneplanation of the topography during the Conselheiro Mata Group deposition, creating conditions for the
installation of a marine/coastal system in which climatic and relative
sea-level changes were the principal factors of deposition. The unit is
consistent with the late post-rift system tract of Prosser (1993).
6. Conclusions
Based on detailed eldwork at a scale of 1:3000, four unconformities and two transgressive surfaces were identied in the stratigraphic interval of the Lower and Upper Espinhao Basins. From
bottom to top, the unconformities include the following: U.1, which
represents a disconformity, and U.2, U.3 and U.4, which represent angular unconformities. The available geochronological data up to U.3
illustrate a gap of 500 Ma and separate the basin into two sequences,
as described by Chemale et al. (2010).
The detrital zircon grains of the Lower Espinhao Basin (1780 to
1680 Ma) indicate that the major contributions were Archean (peaks
at 3300, 3000 and 2700 Ma) and Paleoproterozoic (peaks at 2400,
21002200 and 1700 Ma), which are the main tectonic cycles of the
So Francisco Craton basement rocks. The Upper Espinhao (1200 to
900 Ma) contains a dominant population of Paleoproterozoic and subordinate populations at 2800, 2700, 1800 and 1200 Ma. The population
at 1200 Ma is interpreted as a material linked to the Grenvillian cycle in
the So Francisco Craton.
The Lower Espinhao Basin comprises the Bandeirinha Formation
(limited by U.1 and U.2) and the So Joo da Chapada Formation (limited by U.2 and U.3). The Datas Member, composed mainly of pelites,
was incorporated into the So Joo da Chapada Formation. The Upper
Espinhao Basin comprises the formations Sopa-Brumadinho, Galho
do Miguel and Conselheiro Mata.
The model of Morley (1999) was used to determine that the development of the So Joo da Chapada Formation was inuenced by the
propagation of northsouth faults. The westeast faults were characterized as transfer faults and had an important role in controlling the deposition and delimitation of the different rift compartments.
The lower rift (ca. 1700 Ma) underwent two fault-controlled subsidence events, each causing unconformities that limit the base of the
Bandeirinha Formation and the base of the So Joo da Chapada Formation. The opening of the upper rift (ca. 1200 Ma) reactivated the
faults of the lower rift and set into motion a new fault-controlled subsidence event that created the unconformity at the base of the
Sopa-Brumadinho Formation. The creation of this syn-rift deposit
was followed by a thermal subsidence (Martins-Neto, 1998) that generated the transgressive surface at the base of the Galho do Miguel
Formation, assigning the relative sea-level changes a greater importance to the Conselheiro Mata Group.
Additionally, some units represent system tracts according to the
Prosser (1993) model, which reects the evolutionary stage of each
basin. In the Lower Espinhao Basin, the rift initiation system tract
and the early rift climax system tract were identied. In the Upper
Espinhao Basin, the early rift climax system tract and immediate
post-rift system tract were identied.
Future works should carry out detailed sedimentologicstratigraphic
studies combined with dating methods (UPb detrital zircons,
ArAr, etc.) in the sedimentary sequences in the Paleoproterozoic to
Mesoproterozoic paleoplates that formed the Rodinia Supercontinent
(e.g., the Congo, Sahara, North China and Siberia paleoplates; Li et al.,
2008) to track the agglutination of these crustal segments and the
formation of Rodinia.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the ANP and PETROBRAS for
the nancial support of eld work and analysis. We gratefully thank

M.N. Santos et al. / Sedimentary Geology 290 (2013) 4759

Fernando F. de Alkmim for his comments and suggestions. We also

thank P. G. Eriksson, an anonymous reviewer and the Editor Jasper
Knight, for improving the quality of the manuscript.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2013.03.002.
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