Estudo Istópico dos Arenitos da Formação Ipú e Serrote Santana, noroeste do Ceará.

Abstract

The Ipú Formation composes the basal portion of the Serra Grande Group, Parnaíba Basin, and consists of sandstones and conglomerates deposited by interlaced fluvial systems during the Silurian. In the state of Ceará, these rocks appear in the Serra da Ibiapaba, presenting great expositions, forming hills and plateaus, on the northeast and east edges of the basin. The Morrote de Santana has an extension of approximately 30 km, is elongated in the NE-SW direction and consists of conglomeratic sandstones and sandstones. This silicystic sequence is aligned in the same direction as the rocks of the Ipú Formation. Although it is frequently correlated with the Ipú Formation, the rocks that make up the Morrote Santana are separated from the same in about 70 km, by expositions of epochal rocks (Jaibaras Group) and pre- Cambrian. In this context, the objective of the present study is to test the hypothesis that the Santana de Acaraú mound represents a testimonial hill of the Ipú Formation. The methodology used in the research involved geological reconnaissance techniques for the description of lithotypes and sample collection and Sm-Nd petrographic and isotopic analysis. The selected areas are located in the vicinity of Santana de Acaraú and Guaraciaba do Norte municipalities, north-west of Ceará, in the transition between the Middle Coreaú and Ceará Central Domains along the Sobral-Pedro II Line. These regions are bordered by rocks of the basement (Ceará Group) and lithotypes of the Jaibaras Basin, in addition to a siliciclastic sequence consisting of conglomerates, sandstone conglomerates, both with polymetallic characteristics, conglomerate sandstones with criss-cross and icnofossils, and medium sandstones Thick with ribbed cross laminations. The collected samples are representative of the more homogeneous portions of the sedimentary rocks recognized in the field, which were analyzed microscopically and isotopically, to determine their isotopic signatures. The petrographic study verified mature rocks and sub - sills, with a framework consisting of quartz grains and matrix occurring in a small amount (between 3-6%), of arenitic and sometimes clayey composition. These characteristics allow to classify these rocks as quatzo-sandstones. The isotopic signatures obtained showed little variation in the amounts of εNd (18.41 - 20.15) and TDM model ages varying between 3.21-2 Ga and 3.43-1.73 Ga, for the sediments present in the regions near Santana de Acaraú and Guaraciaba do North, respectively. The TDM ages indicate paleoproterozoic sources and archives for both areas and the low variation in εNd values reinforce the idea of the same source, evidencing evidence that the arenitic body of Santana de Acaraú represents a testimonial hill of the Ipú Formation. Key Words: Isotopic Geology, Sm-Nd Isotopes, Parnaíba Basin, Serrote Santana, Ipu Formation