Aeromagnetometry and aerogammaspectrometry integrated with U-Pb zircon geochronology of northern Bossoroca ophiolite, Brasiliano Orogen

Abstract Age delimitation integrated with aeromagnetometric and aerogammaspectrometric survey advances the understanding of ophiolite evolution in the Brasiliano Orogen. We focused on the Bossoroca ophiolite, because oceanic crustal and mantle rocks contain zircon in metasomatic chloritite. A metadiorite and a metavolcanoclastic rock were also studied to delimit relationship between ophiolite and island-arc infrastructure and superstructure. Zircon crystals were dated by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. Ages of zircon from Campestre metavolcanoclastic rock are 920-840 (peak 842) Ma, Bossoroca chloritite 900-800 (peak 868 Ma) and Capivaras metadiorite 698 Ma. Ages 920-800 Ma correspond to processes in the oceanic crust, whereas 698 Ma was a late magmatic intrusion (Capivaras metadiorite) into the island-arc infrastructure. Aeromagnetometric and aerogammaspectrometric data delimit the occurrence and structure of the ophiolite. These are major multiproxy markers of geotectonic processes early in the Brasiliano Orogen.