Chemical stratigraphy of the Parana basalt succession in western Uruguay: further evidence for the diachronous nature of the Parana magma types

S. P. Turner*, D. W. Peate, C. J. Hawkesworth, M. S. M. Mantovani

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An important issue in the study of continental flood basalt provinces concerns whether chemically defined magma types have chronological significance. Relevant to this debate, we present important findings based on new major and trace element geochemical data on lavas from three drill holes in western Uruguay which intersect up to 718 m of the Parana basalt succession. The lava pile here consists of Paranapanema lavas overlain by widespread Gramado lavas and one rare Esmeralda lava. The occurrence of Paranapanema lavas beneath Gramado lavas is the reverse of the magma type stratigraphy of the Parana flood basalt pile further north in Brazil. This provides evidence, independent of isotopic dating, that in the Parana, magma types are not chronostratigraphic. The simultaneous eruption of different magma types suggests that the spatial and temporal distribution of magma types reflects the sub-crustal distribution of distinct source regions inferred to lie within the lithospheric mantle.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)459-469
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Geodynamics
Volume28
Issue number4-5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 1999
Externally publishedYes

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