Mello 2022 Diques

Journal of South American Earth Sciences 113 (2022) 103650
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Journal of South American Earth Sciences

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jsames
Mesozoic dike swarms in Borborema Province (NE Brazil): A structural

analysis based on airborne geophysical data and field work
Alanny Christiny Costa de Melo a, David Lopes de Castro a, b, *, Diógenes Custódio de Oliveira b,
Maria Helena Bezerra Maia de Hollanda c
a
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário S/N, Lagoa
Nova, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
b
Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário S/N, Lagoa Nova, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
c
Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508–080, Brazil
A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T
Keywords: Mapping and analysis of dike swarms support a detailed understanding of the orientation, geometry, spatial
Airborne geophysical data distribution, geochronology, emplacement mechanism, structural control, and environments at the time of the
Mafic dike swarms magmatic events. Therefore, dike swarms have become a key tool for studying mantle plume activity, large
Structural analysis
igneous provinces, and continental breakup. Before the Pangea breakup, the Neoproterozoic Borborema Province
Borborema province
(NE Brazil) was intensively intruded by sets of dike swarms, whose precise mapping and classification are
essential for understanding the tectonic plate movements and evolution of the South American and African
continents. In this sense, we promoted a regional mapping of dike swarms and their relationships between
orientation, emplacement mechanism and structural control to provide a better understanding of the role of
Mesozoic and Cenozoic large magmatic events in their tectonic evolution. We apply anomaly enhancement
techniques to high-resolution airborne magnetic data to obtain the geometry and estimate the depth of causative
sources. A structural analysis was carried out integrating magnetic patterns, field data and a compilation of
previous geological maps to describe the detailed distribution of dike swarms in Borborema Province. Our study
demonstrated that dike swarms extend over 5.4 × 105 km2. The 1388 mapped mafic dikes are grouped into three
distinct dike swarms (DS): 1135 – Rio Ceará-Mirim DS; 168 – Canindé DS; and 85 – Riacho do Cordeiro DS. The
dike swarms show three preferential trends: NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE. The geometry and structural analysis of the
dikes allowed us to establish the paleostress field active at the time of intrusion. For the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, the
paleostress trajectories represent an N–S extension, rotating to NW-SE in the western portion of the swarm. For
the Canindé DS, the paleostress orientation shows a NW-SE extension rotating to NE-SW. For the Riacho do
Cordeiro DS, the trajectories are similar to those traced for the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, showing a predominant NW-
SE trend.
1. Introduction 1982; Delaney et al., 1986; Ernst and Buchan, 2001; Demarco et al.,
2020). Previous studies have indicated that mapping dikes and their
Mafic dikes constitute an essential key for studies regarding struc grouping into swarms are fundamental for understanding the tectonic
tural geology and geotectonic evolution. Indeed, dike swarms represent context and the driving mechanisms that promote their emplacement
important time markers that provide chronological information about within the crust and plate movements (Reeves, 2000; Ernst and Buchan,
geodynamic processes, rift kinematics, magmatic activity, and the gen 2001; Trumbull et al., 2004; Zaineldeen, 2012; Nasuti et al., 2015). Most
esis of large igneous provinces (e.g., Ernst et al., 1996; Buchan and Ernst, dike swarms are related to mantle plumes and are typically associated
2013). Trends in dike swarms provide evidence regarding paleostresses, with divergent continental margins (Fahrig, 1987), especially large
crustal kinematics and geotectonic regimes (Anderson, 1951; Halls, igneous provinces, and continental breakup (Ernst et al., 1996;
* Corresponding author. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geodinâmica e Geofísica, Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte,
Campus Universitário S/N, Lagoa Nova, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
E-mail address: david.castro@ufrn.br (D. Lopes de Castro).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103650
Received 23 July 2021; Received in revised form 24 November 2021; Accepted 24 November 2021
Available online 29 November 2021
0895-9811/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A.C. Costa de Melo et al. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 113 (2022) 103650
Goldberg, 2010; Kiselev et al., 2012; Ernst, 2014). In NE Brazil, the Precambrian Borborema Province was intensively
Nevertheless, detecting and mapping dike swarms in large areas is intruded by > 1000 km-long arched dike swarms that extend into the
laborious and therefore expensive, particularly in areas of difficult ac neighboring São Francisco Craton and Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin (e.g.,
cess or without outcrops. In these cases, airborne geophysical surveys Gomes et al., 1981; Hollanda et al., 2019; Melo et al., 2021) (Fig. 1). The
provide information on both exposed and buried rocks, which makes it Borborema Province corresponds to a geological-structural domain,
possible to carry out continental-scale studies, revealing the real extent which consists of Archean to Proterozoic inliers amalgamated along
of magmatic events (Trumbull et al., 2004; Jessell et al., 2015; Xiong volcanic-sedimentary belts at the easternmost tip of the South American
et al., 2016; Demarco et al., 2020). In general, basic dikes are very platform (Neves et al., 2000; Brito Neves et al., 2014) (Fig. 1A and B).
expressive on magnetic anomaly maps due to their high contrast of During the Mesozoic-Cenozoic, NE Brazil had several intrusive and
magnetic susceptibility with host rocks. (Reeves, 2000; de Castro et al., extrusive magmatic events with predominance of basic rocks that pre
2018). Most dikes are thin and elongated bodies; therefore, they appear vailed and partially followed the upward rise and evolution of the
as linear features on magnetic maps, enable their identification (Tucker Equatorial and South Atlantic rift systems (Almeida et al., 1988; Matos,
and Boyd, 1987). 1992, 2021). In this area, a series of dolerite mafic dikes, which are
Fig. 1. Schematic reconstruction map of the West Gondwana, showing the main cratonic areas – Amazonian, São Francisco (SF) - Congo, São Luís - West African and
Kalahari, and the Borborema Province (BP) (A); Pre-drift reconstruction of the main geological features of NE Brazil and the West African counterpart, modified from
Ngonge et al. (2016) (B); Simplified geological map of the Borborema Province (C). Main structures and magmatic events were compiled and modified from Oliveira
(1992), Pinéo et al. (2020), Delgado et al. (2003), Angelim et al. (2006), Van Schmus et al. (2008), Oliveira and Medeiros (2012), Hollanda et al. (2019), and Melo
et al. (2021). Dike swarms: CD - Canindé, RCM - Rio Ceará-Mirim and RC - Riacho do Cordeiro.
2
considered to have been the most significant magmatic activity in this basins (e.g., Brito Neves et al., 2014). The study area is composed of
area and with a length of 350 km (Archanjo and Launeau, 2004; Ngonge three distinct geological provinces: Proterozoic Borborema Province, the
et al., 2016), has a dated age of 132.2 ± 1 Ma for amphibole of a diabase northern sector of the São Francisco Craton and the eastern edge of the
dike in the E-W branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim Dike Swarm (DS) south of Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin (Fig. 1).
the Potiguar Basin (Souza et al., 2003).
The Rio Ceará-Mirim DS is the main branch of basic dikes, cross 2.1. Proterozoic Borborema Province
cutting the Precambrian host rocks with a NE-SW trend and bending in
an E-W direction eastwards (Fig. 1C). Gomes et al. (1981) were one of The Borborema Province corresponds to a Precambrian geological-
the first to map ~250 km of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, which is only structural domain located in NE Brazil (Fig. 1), with an area of
one-third of its currently known extension, revealed in this study. Since approximately 380,000 km2 (Almeida et al., 1981). It is a system of
then, the area of occurrence of the dike swarm has expanded over time, diachronous orogens that were consolidated during the amalgamation of
as new field studies have identified more dike outcrops (e.g., Bellieni the West Gondwana continent, comprising Archean to Proterozoic
et al., 1992; Oliveira, 1992; Archanjo et al., 2002; Hollanda et al., 2019). cratonic terranes and volcanic-sedimentary belts, including sedimentary
Recently, Hollanda et al. (2019) integrated the Mesozoic magmatic basins (Brito Neves and Cordani, 1991; Neves et al., 2000). It is bordered
events related to mafic dikes and sills of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS and to the south by the São Francisco Craton, to the west by the Paleozoic
those affecting the Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin to propose a new large Parnaíba Basin and to the north and east by Mesozoic coastal basins
igneous province in South America. They named it the Mesozoic Equa (Potiguar, Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Sergipe Alagoas) (Fig. 1C).
torial Atlantic magmatic province, which was mapped at a regional scale The basement of the Borborema Province is predominantly gneissic-
mainly based on magnetic anomaly enhancement and semiautomatic migmatitic for all tectonic domains, with two Archean nuclei in the
source detection techniques adapted by de Castro et al. (2018). Melo middle of the Proterozoic bands. A set of extensive, NE-SW- and E-W-
et al. (2021) applied this approach to improve the mapping of dike trending shear zones inherited from the overall Precambrian continental
swarms in the Borborema Province, whose results were ground-truthed collisions represents crustal domain boundaries (Fig. 1). This Precam
at field locations using petrological analysis. Pessano et al. (2020) brian geological and structural setting was completed during the final
compiled a map with the mafic dike swarms of Brazil derived from stages of the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogeny in the Neoproterozoic
airborne magnetic data without conducting field validation. Despite (Brito Neves, 1999).
these recent advances in the mapping of magmatic bodies, the tectonic The Borborema Province was segmented into three main tectonic
implications of the expanded areal distribution of dike swarms in the domains (Northern, Central, and Southern subprovinces) during the
Borborema Province and neighboring geological domains in relation to amalgamation of Gondwana. They are bounded by extensive trans
the opening of the South Atlantic remain a matter of debate and will be current, E-W Brasiliano shear zones (Patos and Pernambuco), and they
discussed in the present paper. are subdivided based on lithostratigraphic and structural features,
Thus, the main objectives of this study are the regional mapping of geochronological data, and geophysical signatures (e.g., Delgado et al.,
dike swarms and their relationships between orientation, emplacement 2003). In general, the shear zones are characterized by mylonitic rocks
mechanism and structural control. We combined geophysical interpre derived from granitoids, schists and gneisses. Furthermore, they
tation of airborne data (gamma spectrometric and magnetic), structural controlled the accommodation of several granitoid bodies.
analysis of magnetic maps, satellite images, field work and compilation The Northern Subprovince comprises the portion of the Borborema
of previous geological data to determine the main structural framework Province located to the north of the Patos SZ (PA in Fig. 1B and C). This
of the Borborema Province and to contribute to a better understanding area is composed of Paleoproterozoic migmatitic complexes, which are
of the role of the dike swarms in the tectonic evolution of the study area the basement of supracrustal units of Paleo-, Meso- and Neoproterozoic
in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. ages. During the Brasiliano orogeny, intense tectonic activity occurred
The present mapping of dike swarms has demonstrated their along large N–S and NE-SW shear zones (e.g., Senador Pompeu, Orós)
regional-scale geometry, location, and orientation, providing a mini and gave rise to diverse granitoid plutonism (Almeida et al., 1981; Brito
mum estimate for the total number of dike in the region. Our results Neves et al., 2014). The Central Subprovince corresponds to the E-W
reveal that dike swarms are larger, denser, more widespread, and have a oriented crustal segment, bounded to the north and west by the Patos SZ,
more complex geometry than initially thought. In previous studies (e.g., to the south by the Pernambuco SZ, and to the east by coastal basins. It is
Bellieni et al., 1992; Matos, 1992; Archanjo and Launeau, 2004), dike structurally configured as an anastomosed system of dextral trans
swarms were exclusively related to Atlantic Ocean opening, however current shear zones with an E-W direction and preferentially sinistral in
our results show new extensions and geometry for the dikes that suggest the NE-SW direction. The Central Subprovince was affected by intense
possible plume activity. Nevertheless, the densification of information magmatism associated with final Brasiliano collisional movements (Van
about the dike swarms achieved in this study does not exclude the Schmus et al., 2008). Finally, the Meridional Subprovince represents the
possibility that the magmatic event is also related to the opening of the portion of the Borborema Province located to the south of the Pernam
Atlantic Ocean. In general, the dikes cut faults and shear zones in the buco SZ, which encompasses Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic do
Precambrian basement, except for a few areas, where they took mains (Jardim de Sá et al., 1992; Brito Neves et al., 2014). This region is
advantage of weak zones in the host rock. Moreover, crosscutting re where the Mesozoic Tucano and Jatobá rift basins are located (Fig. 1C).
lationships make dikes valuable stratigraphic and kinematic markers. After a long period of tectonic quiescence (540-135 Ma), the Bor
These results will certainly help future studies that use other geological borema Province was severely modified by Cretaceous extensional tec
tools, such as those in petrology, geochemistry, analog modeling, and tonic activity that culminated in the breakup of Pangea. During the Late
geochronology. Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, a series of brittle reactivations of the
extensive shear zones occurred, forming rift basins across the Borborema
2. Regional-scale lithostructural host domains Province. The NE-SW oriented rift system was aborted when the plate
movements jumped to the east and north, evolving to continental
The northeasternmost region of the South American Platform has breakup and opening of the Equatorial and South Atlantic oceans
been the scene of several igneous activities that characterize the wide (Matos, 1992, 2021). A >850 km wide series of abandoned basins occurs
spread Rio Ceará-Mirim DS. The geological setting is characterized by a along the abandoned rift axis (Fig. 1C).
complex Neoproterozoic orogenic collage of cratonic nuclei amalgam
ated by fold belts along extensive ductile shear zones and partially
covered by Paleozoic intracratonic and Mesozoic marginal sedimentary
3
2.2. São Francisco Craton 2000). In the southernmost regions of the South Atlantic, the basaltic
magmatism started even earlier (~183 Ma), as revealed by several
The São Francisco Craton is located to the south of the Borborema studies in Argentina (Malvinas), Antarctica and South Africa (Karoo
Province, corresponding to older internal portions of the tectonic plates, Basin) (e.g., Storey et al., 2001; Almeida et al., 2013; Reeves, 2020).
which were amalgamated at the end of the Proterozoic, forming the Hollanda et al. (2019) pointed out that mafic dikes and sills of the
West Gondwana Supercontinent (Almeida et al., 1981; Trompette et al., Sardinha Formation and the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS compose a Cretaceous
1992; Hasui, 2012). It is associated with the Mesoproterozoic Congo large igneous province, occupying an area over 700,000 km2 in NE
Craton in West Africa. The São Francisco Craton contains high-grade South America (see Fig. 1 in Hollanda et al., 2019).
metamorphic Archean and Paleoproterozoic terranes, Paleoproterozoic
sedimentary basins and rifts, associated supracrustal sequences and 3. Giant dike swarms in northeastern Brazil
subordinate volcanism, and extensive Neoproterozoic sedimentary
cover. Mafic dikes hosted by Precambrian geological units in the Borbor
According to Dalton de Souza et al. (2003), the São Francisco Craton ema Province (Fig. 1C) have been the subject of several studies, espe
is subdivided into three sectors: the western sector is strongly influenced cially in recent decades. Moraes (1924) was the first to describe the
by the Transamazônico orogenic cycle (2250 to 1900 Ma); the central occurrence of magmatic bodies as dikes close to the southern boundary
sector exhibits Mesoproterozoic units; and the western sector is defined of the Potiguar Basin. Throughout the 1960s and 1980s, cartographic
by Neoproterozoic units. In these three sectors, a large number of surveys were carried out by Brazilian universities and oil companies
geological domains, also referred to as blocks, have been distinguished (Petrobras), expanding the area of dike exposure to the SW border of the
(Delgado et al., 2003). The Rio Ceará-Mirim swarms intrude the Potiguar Basin and identifying discontinuous and isolated dikes to the
Archean-Paleoproterozoic basement from the northwestern sector of the west in the central sector of the Borborema Province (Santos, 1968;
São Francisco Craton, denominated the Sobradinho Block (Fig. 1C). Cavalcante et al., 1983; Sial et al., 1987). The remarkable evolution in
Gneiss-migmatitic, metavolcano-sedimentary, and greenstone se the mapping of dike swarms in Brazil can be observed by comparing the
quences compose the local host rocks of the mafic dikes. first map of mafic dikes of Brazil and Guyana published by Sial et al.
(1987) with the most recent compilation promoted by Pessano et al.
2.3. Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin (2020). More specifically, in the Borborema Province, the papers of
Hollanda et al. (2019) and Melo et al. (2021) are the most recent con
The Parnaíba Basin corresponds to one of the vast Paleozoic- tributions to the intricate spatial distribution of dike swarms in this
Mesozoic cratonic basins of the South American Platform. The basin is Precambrian structural province.
bound to the west by the Amazonian Craton, to the southeast by the São Three main mafic dike swarms affected the Borborema Province in
Francisco Craton, to the north it rests on the São Luiz Craton, and to the the Mesozoic: Rio Ceará-Mirim, Canindé and Riacho do Cordeiro
east it is bound by the Borborema Province (e.g., Cordani et al., 1984; de (Fig. 1C). The Rio Ceará-Mirim DS is the most expressive one, and its
Castro et al., 2014). The basin area is approximately 600,000 km2, and name was given by Gomes et al. (1981) to differentiate it from Cenozoic
the thickness of the tectonic-sedimentary sequence is slightly more than magmatic bodies that also occur in the region. The range of occurrence
3500 m (Zembruscki and Campos, 1988; Góes and Feijó, 1994), which of this dike swarm is approximately 1000 km long and 130 km wide
increases to approximately 5000 m when considering pre-Silurian (Fig. 1). This magmatism has its composition, emplacement mechanism
graben like structures anchored by the Transbrasiliano Lineament (de and structural setting related to the rifting of the Potiguar Basin that
Castro et al., 2016). followed it in the NE Brazil.
Its Precambrian basement is represented by Arche This magmatic activity was synchronous with basalt and rhyolite
an–Paleoproterozoic cratonic blocks, Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan- flows in the Northern Benue Trough (Maluski et al., 1995), which is the
African fold belts and concealed basement inliers (Cordani et al., African counterpart of the Potiguar Rift. In this context, the Rio
1984; de Castro et al., 2014). These geological domains are composed Ceará-Mirim DS was the response to a regime of NW-SE extensional
mainly of a broad assembly of magmatic/metamorphic rocks amal processes at the lithospheric scale, which culminated in the implantation
gamated by collisional tectonics that stabilized at the end of the Brasi of the NE Brazilian rift system and, above all, was related to the for
liano/Pan African orogeny (Góes and Feijó, 1994). mation of the Potiguar Rift (Matos, 1992) from the geodynamic point of
The tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Parnaíba basin involved a view. In general, the E-W branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS crosscuts the
Cambrian-Ordovician aborted rift system buried by a long period of sag Precambrian basement grain at a high angle in the northern sector of the
sedimentation (Oliveira and Mohriak, 2003; de Castro et al., 2016). Its Borborema province (Fig. 1C), while the NE-SW branch of the Rio
long-term sag deposition (Silurian to Cretaceous) was preceded by two Ceará-Mirim is subparallel to the main structural trend, including
pre-Silurian rift systems that did not evolve to continental rupture and mylonitic rocks along NE-SW, and oblique to the E-W shear zones to the
oceanic accretion. The Riachão rift system was restricted to the south. However, Oliveira and Gomes (1996) recognized some local fault
central-western portion of the basin, with an approximate NW-SE di reactivation crosscutting at high angles in E-W dikes, suggesting that the
rection, and the other was more prominent, distributed along the dikes are older or concomitant with the Potiguar Rift, acting as rheo
southern and eastern edges of the basin, oriented along the Trans logical membrane preventing the basin from growing.
brasiliano Lineament (de Castro et al., 2018). Bellieni et al. (1992) positioned the dikes in the Cretaceous using
In the Parnaíba Basin, magmatic events occurred as mafic intrusions lithogeochemical and isotopic data (Sr–Nd) and paleomagnetic signa
(dikes and sills) and extrusions, represented by the Mosquito and Sar tures. Geochronological studies have dated these dikes based on K–Ar at
dinha formations (Góes and Feijó, 1994; Macêdo Filho et al., 2019). 127–134 Ma (Oliveira et al., 2021), and Ar–Ar techniques at 132.2 ± 1
They were partially conditioned by E-W oriented structures related to Ma (Souza et al., 2003) and 126.9 ± 4 Ma (Ngonge et al., 2016). In
the plate movements that culminated in the opening of the Equatorial addition, some paleomagnetic pole studies have demonstrated good
and South Atlantic oceans (Merle et al., 2011; de Castro et al., 2018). correlation with typical poles of South America in the Late Jurassic and
The Mosquito Formation is associated with Early Jurassic basaltic Early Cretaceous (Guerreiro and Schult, 1983; Bückerl et al., 1986;
magmatic events related to the Central Atlantic magmatic province Ernesto et al., 1991; Bellieni et al., 1992). Ernesto et al. (1991) proposed
(CAMP) in the context of the opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean a division of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS into five subswarms, each one with
(Marzoli et al., 1999). The tholeiitic sills in the Sardinha Formation are different magnetization characteristics. Archanjo et al. (2002) used
coeval with the Paraná-Etendeka magmatic province within the context magnetic susceptibility anisotropy techniques to investigate the orien
of the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean (Milani and Thomaz Filho, tation of the magmatic flow, indicating that the magmatic feeder zone
4
was located in the eastern sector of the E-W-trending Rio Ceará-Mirim ternary images to facilitate mapping the contacts between the main
DS with lateral flows. outcrops of geological units in Borborema Province. Due to generally
Based on field evidence and dating, the two other occurrences of low relief and scarce vegetal cover typical of a semiarid climate, all
swarms, Canindé and Riacho do Cordeiro, were related to the same radioelement maps are very similar and clearly reflect the subsurface
magmatic event that culminated in the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS emplace geology, providing good information on the lithological units of the
ment (Hollanda et al., 2019; Oliveira et al., 2021). The Canindé DS oc Borborema Province, as well as structural lineaments in the crystalline
curs in some diffuse directions, comprising curved NW-trending dikes basement. In RGB image, there is a predominance of light colors
exposed in the NW part of the Borborema Province nearly parallel to the (Fig. 3F), while in CMY image, they are represented by dark colors
equatorial Atlantic coastline (Fig. 1C). To the best of our knowledge, (Fig. 3G).
there are no petrological or age data available for these dikes. In In general, the RGB ternary map exhibits high K contents (light red
contrast, the Riacho do Cordeiro DS was mapped on the eastern side of areas in Fig. 3D) related to granitic intrusions that occurred during the
the Recôncavo-Tucano-Jatobá Basin by Silva Filho et al. (1981). It Brasiliano/Pan-African orogeny. The reddish tones of the K-calcic bodies
comprises three dike segments, with 80 km in total length with a NE and the whitish tones of bodies with alkaline petrochemical activity are
trend (Fig. 1C). These dikes were modeled as intrusive bodies at depth enriched equally in K, eTh and eU. The blue and green areas indicate
and dated at 104 Ma by Santos et al. (1988). According to Hollanda et al. high contents of uranium and thorium, respectively. The white areas
(2019), the Riacho do Cordeiro DS, dated at 119 Ma by K–Ar isotopes, represent high concentrations of the three radionuclides, whereas the
was also related to the Gondwana break-up in the Early Cretaceous. black areas reflect the low contents of these variables. White zones are
Marzoli et al. (1999) correlated the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS to the represented by Cenozoic sediments and sedimentary basins that are
Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). Hollanda et al. (2019) delimited by irregular shapes with black color (Fig. 3E). In contrast,
grouped dike swarms in the Borborema Province and tholeiitic Sardinha darker zones are associated with recent sediments, metasedimentary
sills embedded within the sedimentary infill in the neighboring Parnaíba units and mafic bodies, which suggest the presence of magnetite-rich
Basin into a Cretaceous large igneous province, named Equatorial ultramafic rocks.
Atlantic magmatic province. Previously, the mafic dike swarms in The analysis of the ternary images also allowed us to recognize
northeastern Brazil were thought to be related to Gondwana breakup, patterns and trends that define discontinuities of the radiometric re
associated with the clockwise rotation of the Province of Borborema, the sponses, which represent contacts between geological units, and some
nucleation of the Potiguar Rift and preceding the rift phase of the basins are represented as shear zones with a strong link with the structures
(Szatmari et al., 1987; Ernesto et al., 1991; Bellieni et al., 1992; Matos, observed in the field. The Patos and Pernambuco shear zones are well
1992; Oliveira, 1992; Ngonge et al., 2016). However, based on the marked on ternary maps.
definition by Ernst and Bleeker (2010) and according to the plume po
sition shown by Heine et al. (2013), Pessano et al. (2020) and Matos 4.2. Magnetic data processing and analysis
(2021) introduced the possibility that Equatorial Atlantic Magmatic
Province dike swarms originated from the Santa Helena plume. To obtain the total magnetic intensity (TMI) map of the entire Bor
Almost simultaneously with Equatorial Atlantic magmatic province, borema Province (Fig. 4A), each airborne survey was interpolated by
another flood basalt province, which preceded the opening of the South applying the bidirectional method, using half of the distance between
Atlantic Ocean, was formed: The Paraná-Etendeka magmatic province flight lines as the cell size. In some older surveys, it was necessary to
that occurs in southern Brazil (Fig. 1A), east Paraguay, northeastern apply a directional cosine filter to eliminate high-frequency noise along
Argentina and northwestern Uruguay (Bellieni et al., 1986). This the flight direction and remnants from inappropriate leveling.
magmatic province was quickly formatted near the Hauterivian stage The interpretation of magnetic field data at low magnetic latitudes is
(~133 Ma). Recent dates of 135 ± 1 Ma (Renne, 2015) and 134.6 ± 0.6 difficult because the dipolar nature of the magnetic field increases the
Ma (Thiede and Vasconcelos, 2010) indicate that the age of magmatism complexity of the anomalies caused by causative sources. Thus, we
onset predates the beginning of sea floor spreading. applied a reduction to the pole transformation (RTP), attempting to
centralize the magnetic anomaly on its source (Blakely, 1995). The RTP
4. Airborne geophysical database assumes that the remanent magnetism, which eventually occurs in the
rocks of the area, has the same orientation as the present magnetic field,
The geophysical datasets were compiled from fourteen airborne which is a valid premise in most cases of regional-scale magnetic map
surveys provided by the Geological Survey of Brazil and the Brazilian Oil ping. The magnetic inclination and declination of each surveyed area,
Agency (Fig. 2A). The gamma spectrometric data were corrected from given by the IGRF, were used as parameters of the RTP (Table 1).
the nongeological radioactivity background and leveling errors. Each Because the mathematical operation is unstable at low magnetic lati
magnetic dataset was previously corrected for diurnal variations, the tudes (<20◦ ), we adopted a pseudo-inclination factor of 60◦ –85◦ to
International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) and levelling errors. stabilize the results and obtain RTP anomalies without amplified values
The surveys were carried out from 1981 to 2011 with different in the declination direction. Fig. 4B shows the integrated RTP map of the
specifications (Table 1). To obtain better results, each airborne survey study area.
was processed separately to enhance the geophysical pattern of the For the interpretation of the RTP anomalies and their correlation
magmatic structures. The processing workflow (Fig. 2B) was performed with the surface geology, we applied anomaly enhancement techniques
using Oasis Montaj 9.3 software. that highlight specific characteristics of the magnetic sources. In this
study, we used the matched-filter method, which separates the wave
4.1. Gamma spectrometric data processing and analysis length content of the magnetic anomalies into different spectral bands,
using multiple equivalent layers (Phillips, 2001; Sheriff, 2010). The
The gamma spectrometric data were interpolated with a 250-m cell matched-filter applies the concept of multilayered equivalent source
size using a method of minimum curvature (Briggs, 1974) (Fig. 3A–C). models, which iteratively fit multiple straight lines to the radially
Negative values, eventually generated by interpolation, were removed averaged power spectra of magnetic or gravity anomalies (Phillips,
from the grids. The potassium (K) measurement is expressed as a per 2001). This technique provides estimates of causative source depth for
centage (Fig. 3A), while the equivalent uranium (eU) (Fig. 3B) and an equivalent source layer. Depth estimates, amplitudes and Wiener
equivalent thorium (eTh) (Fig. 3C) values are described in ppm. The filters can be designed to emphasize anomalies originating from various
grids of the three radioelements were integrated to compose RGB (red, layers (de Castro et al., 2018). Each depth layer corresponds to the
green and blue) (Fig. 3D) and CMY (cyan, magenta and yellow) (Fig. 3E) maximum average depth of a statistical population of true
5
Fig. 2. Airborne geophysical surveys covering the Borborema Province and adjacent areas of the São Francisco Craton and Parnaíba Basin (A); Data processing
workflow applied to magnetic and gamma-spectrometric datasets (B). Specifications on airborne geophysical surveys in Table 1.
6
Table 1
Airborne geophysical survey specifications. CS - Company Survey; NFH - nominal flight height; FLD - flight-line direction; FLS - flight-line spacing; TLD - tie-line
direction; TLS - tie-line spacing; MFI - magnetic field inclination; MFD - magnetic field declination; CPRM - Geological Survey of Brazil; ANP - Brazilian Oil
Agency. Additional information about the surveys are available in the electronic site of the Geophysical Surveys and Associated Products of the Geological Survey of
Brazil at http://geosgb.cprm.gov.br/geosgb/downloads_en.html.
Code Year CS NFH (m) FLD FLS (m) TDL TLS (m) MFI MFD
1027 1976 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 5.85 − 8.78
1042 1979 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 10.56 − 20.91
1067 2006 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 19.05 − 22.14
1074 2007 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 14.24 − 21.63
1079 2008 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 30.43 − 21.33
1086 2009 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 14.16 − 21.38
1087 2009 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 27.84 − 22.59
1091 2010 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 21.74 − 22.05
1092 2010 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 19.8 − 21.83
1101 2010 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 19.17 − 22.11
1102 2011 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 28.76 − 23.04
1103 2011 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 26.26 − 22.85
1104 2011 CPRM 100 N–S 500 E-W 10,000 − 26.89 − 22.78
BP 1981 ANP 500 N70W 400 N60E 20,000 − 11.89 − 21.80
Fig. 3. Gamma-spectrometric maps of the Borborema Province: K (A), eTh (B), and eU (C) radioelements and RGB (D), and CMY (E) ternary compositions. Zoomed
ternary maps of the Iguatu basin in RGB (F) and CMY (G) compositions.
magnetic/gravity sources (Curto et al., 2014). residual data noise. The intermediate 2 and shallow RTP anomaly maps
The matched-filter provided estimates of four source depths for the more clearly display the structural lineaments and magnetic response of
RTP anomalies of the study area: (1) zone of deep magnetic sources mafic dikes. However, we disregarded the shallow source anomaly map
(DMS - Fig. 4D) at ~11 km depth, related to structures deep in the upper due to the strong high frequency noise content.
crust; (2) zone of intermediate magnetic sources 1 (IMS1 - Fig. 4E) at The DMS (Fig. 4D) corresponds to the deepest equivalent layer
~2.2 km depth, related to upper crust features; (3) zone of intermediate associated with the longest wavelength anomalies, varying from − 1184
magnetic sources 2 (IMS2 - Fig. 4F) at ~0.48 km, related to dikes within to 2247 nT. DMS magnetic anomalies are characterized by an alterna
the Borborema Province; and (4) zone of shallow magnetic sources tion of positive and negative bands associated with causative sources
(SMS) at ~0.11 km depth, related to near-surface magnetic sources and within the upper crust, representing regional-scale Precambrian
7
Fig. 4. Magnetic anomaly maps of the Borborema Province: total magnetic intensity (TMI) (A); TMI reduced to magnetic pole (RTP) (B); analytical signal amplitude
of the RTP anomalies (RTP_ASA) (C). Matched Filter maps for equivalent source layers: DMS - magnetic anomaly of deep sources (D); IMS1 - magnetic anomaly of
intermediate sources 1 (E); IMS2 - magnetic anomaly of intermediate sources 2 (F).
structures such as major tectonic domains bounded by the E-W shear of the magnetic sources, making it possible to infer body lengths. Due to
zones (Patos and Pernambuco) that comprise the three subprovinces of limitations in the spatial resolution of airborne magnetic data, the dike
the Borborema Province (Fig. 1). Free from longer wavelengths, the width was carried out considering only satellite images and direct
IMS1 map more clearly shows the main magnetic lineaments, such as the measurements on the outcropping dikes.
Orós, Jaguaribe, Patos and Pernambuco shear zones (Fig. 4E). This
magnetic pattern highlights the tectonic compartmentalization of the 4.3. Airborne geophysical interpretation
Borborema Province within the large crustal blocks. The IMS2 (Fig. 4F)
map concentrate the smaller wavelength magnetic signal and reveal the The gamma spectrometric and magnetic data used in this study were
more superficial causative sources. These spectral components are the key tools in the identification and cartography of dikes in the Borborema
most suitable for mapping the outcrop structures of the Borborema Province. From geological and geophysical points of view, mafic dikes
Province, such as dikes, other magmatic features, and secondary faults. are presented as linear structures with distinct compositional, structural,
In general, magnetic highs occur in gneissic-migmatitic complexes, and magnetic contrasts in relation to their host rocks. Indeed, magnetic
shear zones, mafic rock complexes and mafic dikes. Metavolcano- anomalies associated with mafic dikes exhibit high values, varying be
sedimentary sequences and inland aborted rift zones, such as the tween − 134 and 198 nT (Fig. 6A), and analytical signal amplitudes of
Tucano/Jatobá and Potiguar rifts, are associated with magnetic lows approximately 28 × 10− 2 nT/m (Fig. 6B). These anomalies are dozens to
(Figs. 1 and 4). hundreds of kilometers long and display short wavelengths (1.5–4.0 km)
In addition, we calculated the analytical signal amplitude of the since they are yielded by shallow to intermediate causative sources
IMS2 magnetic anomalies (Fig. 4F). This mathematical operator pro (0–1900 m deep). However, this typical magnetic pattern could be
duces maxima on the geological contacts and structural features, high misinterpreted as the magnetic contribution of shallower basement
lighting the edges of the magmatic bodies. The analytical signal is sources emplaced within the uppermost crust. In fact, the analytical
symmetrical and occurs directly along the entire length of the edges of signal emphasizes other structures that show magnetic signatures very
the causative bodies, highlighting their boundaries (Nabighian, 1972). similar to the mafic dikes, such as the N–S- and E-W-trending shear
We consider the IMS2-ASA map (Fig. 5) as the most useful dataset for zones. In the Borborema Province, these Precambrian structural features
detecting mafic dikes. This map allows us to characterize magnetic are easily distinguished from the dikes since the mafic dike swarms were
signatures of the dikes, since these bodies, due to their high concen emplaced at high angle in plan, sometimes orthogonally, to the shear
tration of magnetic minerals, typically manifest themselves as elongated zones (Fig. 6).
and straight magnetic ridges with high amplitudes of the analytical Most magnetic anomalies were clearly interpretable as dikes, some of
signal. The magnetic maps provide good indications about the geometry which correspond to the continuation of dikes already mapped.
8
Fig. 5. Analytical signal amplitude of intermediate 2 magnetic anomaly map (IMS2_ASA) of the Borborema Province and surrounding areas, showing magnetic
susceptibility (MS) of outcropping dikes (colored dots).
However, in certain cases, unequivocal differentiation between dikes dikes are normally magnetized, and others have a reversed polarity.
and host rocks or basement structures was not possible based only on Reeves (1989) pointed out that magnetic anomalies with about equal
magnetic anomalies. Therefore, we analyzed the gamma spectrometric positive and negative amplitudes over dikes intruded within a province
signatures of the dikes, which contrasts with the host rocks, as they have of intrusions is a strong evidence of normal and reversed normal
low contents of K, eTh, and eU, thus showing dark colors (black) on the remanently magnetized magmatic bodies. We hypothesize that the
RGB ternary map (Fig. 3D and E). In this way, we inferred as dikes the reverse polarity thermoremanent magnetization is the presumed cause
continuations of the magnetic lineaments superimposed on dikes of magnetic minima in our study area, but further paleomagnetic anal
already mapped in previous studies and checked possible ambiguities in ysis is necessary to validate this assumption. This dual polarity magnetic
loco during field work. pattern can indicate that the dikes along the swarms in the Borborema
Also striking is the observation that 79% of the dikes identified by Province originated from different magmatic pulses at different times.
the typical magnetic pattern (888) have positive anomalous values
(black arrows in Fig. 6), whereas other 237 dikes (21%) are associated 5. Field relationships
with magnetic minima (white arrows in Fig. 6). Reverse polarity mafic
dikes occur when the magmatic event was active during reversed The field work was carried out in five excursions between 2016 and
orientation of the geomagnetic field and the emplaced magma cools 2020, to the areas of occurrence of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS and Canindé
below the Curie temperature of magnetite (~580 ◦ C) (e.g., Reynolds, DS (Fig. 7A). The aim of this activity was to validate the mapping of dike
2011; Petronis et al., 2021). Dagley et al. (1978) identified difference in swarms based on airborne geophysical maps and visual analysis of sat
the polarity of magnetic anomalies associated with dikes in the British ellite images, as well to describe the morphological features of the
Tertiary Igneous Province, which includes a phase of doleritic intrusion magmatic exposures and structural relationships with the host rocks.
that lasted 10 million years and straddled a magnetic reversal. Some Measurements of the magnetic susceptibility of both dikes and
9
Fig. 6. IMS2 (A) and IMS2_ASA (B) magnetic maps of the Iguatu Basin, showing details of the magnetic patterns of sedimentary basins, shear zones and dikes with
direct (black arrows) and reverse (white arrows) polarity. Location in Fig. 5.
surrounding geological units were also conducted to establish the From a petrological point of view, the mafic dikes are light gray to
magnetic contrasts between intrusive and host rocks. very dark gray, with dolerite textures varying from aphanitic (basaltic)
In Google Earth™ satellite images, the dikes resemble very dark and to phaneritic (equivalent to a gabbroic texture) (Fig. 7B and C). In some
elongated features, showing relatively well-defined contacts and, in cases, it was possible to observe the coexistence of two colors (melano-to
general, cutting the structural directions of the embedding rocks. We mesocratic) at a hand-sample scale. In addition, we noticed that fine-
systematically mapped the dikes across the entire Borborema Province, grained dolerites are more resistant to erosion, forming smooth hills.
giving greater attention to the occurrence of dikes previously identified On the other hand, coarse-grained dolerites have shown resistance to
on geophysical and geological maps. erosion similar to host rocks, occurring in topographic lows. In these
Magnetic susceptibility is the physical property that determines the cases, the dike exposures could only be identified in field by their
degree to which a body is magnetized (Telford et al., 1990). Materials characteristic spheroidal weathering (Fig. 7D).
such as rocks and minerals, which have great magnetic susceptibility
when exposed to an external magnetic field, magnetize more strongly 6. Structural characterization of dikes
than materials with low magnetic susceptibility. Mafic dikes have a high
content of magnetic minerals (e.g., magnetite), which causes significant The dike distribution was interpreted from several geophysical maps
magnetic susceptibility contrasts between the magmatic bodies and host (Figs. 3 and 4), mainly the analytical signal map (Fig. 5), geological
rocks and, consequently, high amplitude magnetic anomalies. The maps, satellite images and field work maps. We recognized 1388 dikes,
magnetic mineral content of mafic dikes normally comprises the tita including the dikes already known in the literature, grouped into three
nomagnetite series (Fe3-xTixO4; 0 < x < 1), also known as the spinel mafic dike swarms (Table 2): 1135 from Rio Ceará-Mirim, 168 from
group (Dentith and Mudge, 2014). Canindé and 85 from Riacho do Cordeiro (Fig. 8).
During field work, we collected 90 rock samples of dikes and host Geophysical maps were the most efficient tool for mapping dikes. We
rocks (e.g., sandstones and granites) along the most expressive magnetic correlated magnetic anomalies as dike swarms according to some
anomalies (Fig. 5) and measured their magnetic susceptibility. We used criteria: field work, previous studies, and similarity between magnetic
a portable magnetic susceptibility meter KT-10 v2 (Terraplus Inc.), which signatures of dikes that were recognized in satellite images. Usually,
can provide the magnetic susceptibility with a high sensitivity, 1.0× high-amplitude magnetic anomalies with uniformly linear patterns over
10− 6 SI units. The magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried a substantial length of dozens to hundreds of kilometers, which crosscut
out in each rock sample, touching the circular sensor, 6.5 cm in diam the structural features of the crystalline basement, were recognized as
eter, to a clean and regular surface of the sample. We repeated the dikes; considering that dikes having similar directions were emplaced at
measurement process three times in each sample to validate the ob the same magmatic event and would, therefore, encompass the same
tained magnetic susceptibility values. swarm or swarm set.
The measured magnetic susceptibility of dolerite dikes vary from 8.4 The dike orientations were plotted in rose diagrams (Fig. 9) to reveal
to 105 × 10− 3 SI units, suggesting different magmatic phases. The the main structural trends controlling intrusion emplacement. The NE-
average magnetic susceptibility values are 25.8× 10− 3 SI for mafic SW trend constitutes the major and dominant frequency of dikes in
dikes, 3.2 × 10− 3 SI for crystalline basement rocks, and 0.4 × 10− 3 SI for the Rio Ceará-Mirim and Riacho do Cordeiro DS. In the Rio Ceará-Mirim
sedimentary rocks. In general, dikes are 8–50 times more magnetically SD, two secondary orientations trend to ENE-WSW and E-W in the E-W
susceptible than host rocks in the study area, causing high-amplitude branch of the swarm, and to WNW-ESE between Rio do Peixe and
magnetic anomalies. The dike magnetic susceptibility also varies Potiguar basin, with medium and low frequencies, respectively (Fig. 8).
throughout the dike swarms. Highest magnetic susceptibilities are found These dikes were smaller than the other dikes in the swarm, discontin
in the E-W branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS south of the Potiguar Basin. uous, straight, and there is a great density of dikes in this area. In the NE-
Whereas the lowest magnetic susceptibility values are concentrated SW branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim SD, the dikes show a NE-SW to NNE-
along the NE-SW segment of this swarm. Within the NE-SW branch, SSW direction. This direction concentrated the largest number of dikes,
dikes north of the Patos SZ display the lowest values of magnetic sus with longer and continuous intrusive bodies that extend beyond the
ceptibility, while higher values are concentrated south of this shear Borborema Province boundaries and intrude the eastern edge of the
zone. Parnaíba Basin and the northwestern part of the São Francisco Craton.
10
Fig. 7. Typical exposure of the Rio Ceará-Mirim Dike Swarm (RCM) (A); phaneritic texture (basaltic) in a rock sample (B); aphanitic texture in a rock sample (C);
Outcrop displaying dike with spheroidal weathering (D).
The total length of dikes is more than 5.7 × 103 km, being distributed as
Table 2
follow. The NE-SW oriented dike sets represent over 79.0% of the total
Dike swarm length (in km) mapped in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil). Dike
lengths, followed by the E-W oriented dike set, which comprises 10.6%
swarms: RCM – Rio Ceará-Mirim, CD – Canindé, RC – Riacho do Cordeiro.
of the total lengths. The NW-SE-to WNW-ESE-trending dikes are 8.8% of
Dike Number Min. Mean Max. Total Standard
the length, whereas the N–S-trending dikes display the lowest percent
swarm of dike length length length length deviation
age (1.6%) of the total length. The E-W-trending dikes are shorter in
RCM 1135 0.183 4.736 29.967 5375.791 0.126 length than those with a NW-SE orientation.
CD 168 0.846 5.019 5.236 843.244 5.006
Based on magnetic data, satellite images and field work, the length of
RC 85 1.212 6.694 32.814 575.706 5.938
the 1388 dike segments mapped in this study ranges from 0.18 km to
32.8 km, with an average length of 4.7 km (Table 2). The longest dike
The NW-SE to WNW-ESE trend of dikes is scarcer and concentrated in segment is oriented in a NE-SW direction (~72◦ Az), which is the
the northwestern part of the area along the Canindé SD. These dikes are dominant structural trend of the main dike set. The thickness of the dikes
slightly wider, continuous, and more spaced than the E-W dikes. varies between 7.5 m and 193.3 m, with an average thickness of 69.4 m
The dike swarms mapped in the study area spread over 1000 km, (Table 3). Because of the limited spatial resolution of the Google Earth™
extending from the northern sector of the São Francisco Craton, crossing satellite images, dikes thinner than 7.5 m are difficult to measure
the entire Borborema Province. The NE-SW dike branch borders the accurately and were not considered in this analysis, resulting in only 281
Parnaíba Basin and inflects to E-W south of the Potiguar Basin (Fig. 8). measurements of dike width. Few dikes reach thicknesses greater than
11
Fig. 8. Spatial distribution of dike swarms in the Borborema Province and surrounding areas (NE Brazil), based in our qualitative interpretation. Dotted colored lines
show dikes interpreted from the aeromagnetic maps by Melo et al. (2021). Solid colored lines denote dikes mapped based on magnetic anomalies, but also visible in
satellite images and validated by previous maps and field work.
100 m. The entire linear extension of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS is more than
1000 km, comprising an area of 4.12 × 105 km2, from the northern
6.1. Rio Ceará-Mirim dike swarm border of the São Francisco Craton to the NE Brazilian shoreline. The
lengths of the dikes, identified in the outcrops, range from a few meters
The Rio Ceará-Mirim is the main dike swarm in the Borborema (0.18 km) to more than dozens of kilometers (29 km). Approximately
Province, and it was the first to be reported in the literature (Gomes 80% of the dikes are less than 2.0 km in length. In the whole dike swarm
et al., 1981). However, the actual dimensions and occurrence of the 5375.8 km of dikes were measured on the magnetic maps, while around
dikes were not yet fully known, mainly due to the complex geological 967.6 km were mapped on the outcrops.
setting and lack of outcrops. Despite recent studies revealing a range The Rio Ceará-Mirim DS consists of dikes with 20–125 m in width.
several times greater than that described in the pioneering studies, the Typically, the dikes identified in aeromagnetic maps have a thickness
present paper provides a detailed description of this dike swarm (Fig. 8). above 20 m. Nevertheless, intrusive bodies thinner than 20 m are better
The Rio Ceará-Mirim DS is divided into two major branches of dikes, one recognized in satellite images and/or in field work. However, few dikes,
with a NE-SW direction on the western edge of the Borborema Province mostly with N–S trend, although very well marked in satellite images,
and the other oriented in an E-W direction in the eastern portion of the were not detected on aeromagnetic maps (Fig. 10). In fact, N–S oriented
province. The change in the swarm trend is located at the 39◦ W meridian features generate low amplitude magnetic anomalies or even no
across the Orós-Jaguaribe SZ (OR in Fig. 8). anomaly at all at low magnetic latitudes due to magnetic flux density
12
Fig. 9. Rose diagrams of the dike directions mapped in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil). Dike swarms: Red – Rio Ceará-Mirim, Green – Canindé, and Blue –
Riacho do Cordeiro.
trend. The 0.5–2.5 km wide igneous tabular body is emplaced parallel to

Table 3
the southern boundary of the Potiguar Basin, from Natal near the current
Dike width (in meters) mapped in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil). Dike
coastline to the 39◦ W meridian. This Rio Ceará-Mirim DS segment is
swarms: RCM – Rio Ceará-Mirim, CD – Canindé, RC – Riacho do Cordeiro.
composed of three main parallel stripes of simple isolated bodies or an
Dike Number of Min. Mean Max. Standard array of two or more dike segments separated from each other by gaps of
swarm dike width width width deviation
dozens of meters and steps (Fig. 11A). The dike strips are mostly linear,
RCM 255 7.50 70.01 193.50 37.74 sometimes curved and spread for several kilometers. This type of
CD 8 65.30 68.38 73.20 1.40
arrangement occurs due to the paleostress in the N–S extension, acting
RC 18 42.10 79.88 105.30 4.59
on the Precambrian bedrock with NE-SW to E-W structural setting.
Generally, dikes cut foliations and shear zones in the basement, except
stays within the structure and do not cut its boundary if its strike is for a few cases, when they take advantage of weakness planes within the
parallel with the geomagnetic field in Equatorial areas (e.g., Reynolds, host rock. To the south, two more isolated stripes are parallel to the main
2011). Alternatively, some dikes could be affected by E-W dike branch (Fig. 11B).
self-demagnetization, and have their associated magnetic anomalies The E-W Rio Ceará-Mirim dikes crosscut the NE-SW oriented Pre
reduced. cambrian basement grain at a high angle. The E-W trend of the Rio
The NE-SW branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS is located west of the Ceará-Mirim DS is related to N–S extensional movements according to
Orós-Jaguaribe SZ, bending to the southwest (Fig. 8). This swarm Szatmari et al. (1987) in their model of opening the Brazilian Equatorial
segment extends for more than 400 km and is composed of several series Margin, in which the Brazilian northeastern corner suffered an E-W
of parallels dikes with lengths of 0.2–30 km, defining an ~100 km wide compression, accompanied by an N–S extension due to the clockwise
arched zone for the entire Rio Ceará-Mirim DS. In the southwest, the rotation suffered by the South American Plate in relation to Africa
dikes intruding the Parnaíba Basin are correlated to the Sardinha Suite, (Françolin and Szatmari, 1987). The associated dikes are undulated to
composing the equatorial Atlantic magmatic province proposed by straight, sometimes very curved, showing rounded or tipped ends. Dike
Hollanda et al. (2019). Furthermore, the NE-SW branch displays dikes terminations in steps or jumps are common in all dike segments, and
scattered and apart from each other; however, they are larger and more throughout the E-W swarm, segmentations between dikes reach up to
discontinuous in comparison to the dikes in the E-W segment. The hundreds of meters (Fig. 8). In some places, dike segments are rotated in
NE-SW dikes are the most expressive in the magnetic maps, with widths an en echelon geometry. In these cases, the rotation of the bodies
varying from 12 to 193.5 m (Figs. 5 and 8). They compose the dominant reached a maximum of 20◦ , usually dextral (Fig. 11B).
directional dike set mapped in this study. This direction of dikes agrees Magnetic maps clearly show the dikes crosscutting shear zones at
with the NW-SE extensional regime and presents a regional connotation high angles (Fig. 11), indicating that these structures were not prefer
throughout the Borborema Province in the context of the NW-SE plate entially filled by the Rio Ceará-Mirim dikes. In fact, the Rio Ceará-Mirim
movements during the West Gondwana breakup at Late Jurassic (Matos, DS systematically traverses the main Precambrian basement grain,
1992; Melo et al., 2016). mainly shear zones (e.g., Orós-Jaguaribe, Patos and Pernambuco SZ –
The E-W Rio Ceará-Mirim DS branch is located in the NE portion of Fig. 8), which was confirmed by field work. Furthermore, the dikes
Borborema Province (Fig. 8), where the dike swarm assumes a main E-W border the limits of the rift basins (e.g., Potiguar, Iguatu, and Araripe). In
Fig. 10. Thin dikes identified on Google Earth™ satellite images (A), which are not detected on analytical signal of the IMS2 magnetic anomaly maps (B). Resulting
map of dikes interpreted from satellite images, geophysical maps and field work (C).
13
Fig. 11. Total magnetic intensity (A, A′ ), Analytical signal of the IMS2 magnetic anomaly (B, B′ ), and dikes interpreted from satellite images, geophysical maps, and
field work (C, C′ ) of two areas across the Rio Ceará-Mirim dike swarm, whose locations are shown in Fig. 8.
addition, the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS also spreads out over surrounding 6.4. Spatial distribution of dikes
geological domains, namely, the Parnaíba Basin and São Francisco
Craton (Figs. 5 and 8). The density of dikes varies significantly from one area to the next
The map of dikes (Fig. 8) displays high concentrations of dikes along across the Borborema Province and neighboring regions (Fig. 12). This
the main swarm axes. The major concentration of dikes is coincident spatial distribution may be in part due to the vast diversity of the host
with the central portion of the swarms in the intersection zone between rocks, complex geological setting of several crustal domains amalgam
the NE-SW and E-W branches of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS. The dike ated in the Borborema Province and the different tectonic regimes acting
densities decrease toward the tips of the respective branches. This sug during dike emplacement. The dike swarms in the study area mainly
gests that the emplacement mechanism of the dike swarm should have intruded into Archean to Proterozoic metamorphic units, Precambrian
taken advantage of ancient crustal weakness zones. igneous rocks, and Mesozoic sedimentary basins. In addition, the density
isolines statistically indicate possible occurrences of small dikes that
were not detected in aeromagnetic maps, satellite images, field work or
6.2. Canindé dike swarm even not cited in local unpublished studies. It is evident that more sys
tematic field data acquisition is required to check this interpretation, but
The magnetic anomalies interpreted as the Canindé DS are located in it is already a comprehensive picture of the dike distribution in the
the NW portion of the Borborema Province, north of the Rio Ceará- Borborema Province.
Mirim DS (Figs. 5 and 8). This dike set mainly trends in a NW-SE di The spatial density of dike occurrence was calculated through the
rection and secondarily in a NE-SW direction, forming a curved en number of dikes divided by the host rock area gridded in 50-km wide
echelon dike system. The spatial distribution of these dikes with respect cells. The spatial density of dikes is represented by the number of dikes
to Transbrasiliano and Senador Pompeu SZ (TB and SP in Fig. 8) suggests in each cell. The density map displays high concentrations of dikes along
an origin in dextral movement on these two continental-scale fault the main swarm axes, varying from 5 to 45 dikes per cell (Fig. 12). Along
zones. The Canindé DS can be divided into 2 subgroups: a) an arched E- the NW-SE trending Canindé DS axis, an intermediate density zone of
W dike segment linking the Parnaíba Basin to the Potiguar Basin and b) a 15–20 dike/cell occurs closer to the Senador Pompeu SZ. Dike concen
NW-SE segment at the NW-most edge of the Borborema Province. The trations decrease around 5 dike/cell to the NW, crossing the Trans
length of the entire dike swarm is ~560 km, composed of sets of brasiliano Lineament, which apparently played no important role in the
discontinuous dikes with some tens of kilometers long. The widths of the emplacement of the intrusive bodies.
dikes range from 68.4 to 73.2 m. In general, this swarm is thinner than In contrast, the highest concentration zones of dikes occur in the
the other set of dike swarms. intersections between the swarm axis and the main Precambrian shear
In the Canindé and Riacho do Cordeiro DS, the concentration of dikes zones in both branches of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS (Fig. 12). Along the E-
is not as striking as seen in the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS. In the Canindé DS, W branch, three high-density zones (>35 dike/cell) are located near the
the main density of dikes occurs north of the NE-SW branch of the Rio NNE-SSW oriented shear zones, whereas three other zones occur at the
Ceará-Mirim DS near the Senador Pompeu and Óros-Jaguaribe SZ (SP intersections of the Pernambuco and Patos SZs with the axis of the NE-
and OR in Fig. 8). To the NW and W, the dike density decreases SW branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, at the edge of the Parnaíba Basin.
considerably. The southernmost high-density zone extends into the São Francisco
Craton, indicating that the dike emplacement was not affected by the
tectonic boundary of this crustal domain. Finally, the spatial distribution
6.3. Riacho do cordeiro dike swarm
of the dikes of the Riacho do Cordeiro DS follows similar orientation and
pattern of the E-W branch of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, with a higher
The magnetic anomalies attributed to the Riacho do Cordeiro DS
density of dikes (>10 dikes/cell) appearing at the intersection with the
reveal an ~700 km long set of dikes, spreading from the São Francisco
Pernambuco SZ. Such a pattern suggests that even the dikes cut through
Craton until crossing the Pernambuco SZ to the north (Fig. 8). They
the Precambrian basement grain at high angles, the shear zones partially
represent an isolated dike series with a NE-SW direction in the SE
served as deep-seated crustal pathways for the magma to rise.
portion of the Borborema Province, which splits into short NE-SW
trending dikes north of the Pernambuco SZ. Based on magnetic anom
7. Discussion
alies, satellite images and field work, the Riacho do Cordeiro dikes
exhibit lengths varying from 1.2 to 57.6 km and widths ranging between
7.1. Chronological relationship analysis of dike sets
42.1 and 105.3 m. However, it is possible to be a single dike about 290
km long. The segmentation could be an artifact of what can be seen in
To the best of our knowledge, there are few available geochrono
the investigation methods. Further detailed studies are needed to
logical data of dike swarms in the Borborema Province (e.g., Mizusaki
properly address this issue.
14
Fig. 12. Spatial density of mapped dikes in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil). Contour lines represent the number of dikes for 50 km cells.
et al., 2002; Souza et al., 2003; Ngonge et al., 2016; Oliveira et al., chronological relationship between the different dike trending sets.
2021), and most of them are concentrated on the E-W branch of the Rio Instead, thinner dikes were identified, which have thicknesses between
Ceará-Mirim DS. The Riacho do Cordeiro dikes are not yet properly 7.7 m and 8.9 m and lengths of approximately 1–2 km. They are oriented
dated. Moreover, many dikes recognized in the present study area are in NW-SE and NE-SW directions, crossing each other, and cut the mainly
poorly studied in terms of accurate dating or have not even been pre expressive dikes with E-W orientation (Figs. 10 and 11), indicating that
viously mapped. Thus, it is a very difficult task to establish a chrono there were multiple intrusive events. It is noteworthy that dikes with
logical model of these dike swarms based on sparse radiometric ages. positive magnetic anomalies crosscut dikes with inverted magnetic po
Considering mainly field relations between geological units and struc larity (Figs. 6 and 11A).
tures that host the dikes, the current hypothesis is that the emplacement Although some Cenozoic magmatic events have affected the Potiguar
of mafic dike swarms in the Borborema Province is considered to have Basin (Mizusaki et al., 2002; Souza et al., 2013), no intrusive body
been contemporaneous with the West Gondwana breakup, which associated to dike swarms was observed intruding the Mesozoic sedi
occurred during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. mentary rift basins (Potiguar, Iguatu, Rio do Peixe and Araripe). Indeed,
To contribute to solving this problem, airborne magnetic maps and the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS borders the sedimentary basins, working as a
satellite images with a high spatial resolution were used to understand rheological obstacle, which made it difficult to continue the rifting
the chronological relationships between the different mafic dike swarms process. In this case, magmatism preceded the rifting process or limited
in the Borborema Province. The crosscutting relationship between dikes the growth of the Potiguar rift southward. Therefore, the Rio
is key geometric data that reflects their relative ages. We did not Ceará-Mirim mafic dikes are early or coeval with the oldest sedimentary
recognize significant points of intersection to establish a detailed units of these basins dated from the Hauterivian (Françolin and
15
Szatmari, 1987; Matos, 1992). However, it is possible to observe dike (1973), Halls (1982), Fahrig (1987) and Demarco et al. (2020).
intrusions in the eastern Parnaíba Basin, which is a Paleozoic basin, and The paleostress trajectories are defined by the position of the stress
in the northwestern São Francisco Craton. This indicates that the tensors (Anderson, 1951), maximum main vector axis (σ1) and minimum
emplacement of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS was later than the onset of the main vector axis (σ3) across systems of faults, veins and dikes. In general,
Parnaíba Basin and the more recent geological domains of the São the tensors are approximately horizontal or sub-horizontal, and their
Francisco Craton. directions have been orthogonally mapped, according to Moore and
Shanti (1973), Moore (1975) and Tokarski (1990). Paleostress maps
7.2. Geodynamic analysis represent all local combinations of stress tensors, showing the behavior
of paleostress tensors at a shallow crustal level. According to what was
The geodynamic analysis of the geometrical pattern of the dikes and established by Roberts (1970), from the analysis of the spatial distri
the structures genetically linked to them made it possible to establish the bution homogeneity, it was also possible to establish the paleostress
ancient stress field acting during the time of the intrusion of the dike directions at the lithospheric level, since they reflect the same extension
swarms in the study area. In our research, the paleostress trajectories for of the trajectories at an uppermost crustal level. The interpretation of a
the mafic dikes are valid because these swarms do not intrude pre- fracture system is also subordinated to the type of lithospheric stress
existing structures (e.g., faults, shear zones, etc.) in the basement field that was performed. For example, if it is an oblique extension or a
(Figs. 1, 8 and 11). This configuration was based on the spatial distri transtension, the regional stress field can be oblique and not orthogonal
bution of the mapped dikes (Fig. 8). In these cases, the paleostress ori to the dike segments.
entations were preserved with the same geometric relationship For the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, the paleostress trajectories denote an
throughout the magmatic event, as demonstrated by Moore and Shanti extension approximately N–S, rotating to NW-SE in the western part of
Fig. 13. Paleostress trajectories of dikes in the Borborema Province (NE Brazil) derived from dike spatial distribution.
16
the swarm, extending in the same direction throughout the entire swarm magmatism that preceded the Early Cretaceous rift phase emplaced a
(Fig. 13). In general, the stress field for the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, as a considerable volume of intrusive rock, increasing the lithospheric
whole, is represented by the paleostress trajectories. It is possible to resistance of the Borborema Province, preventing crustal rupture and
notice that the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS has two extensional opening di leaving behind a series of aborted rift basins. Therefore, the crust
rections: a NW-SE direction for the NE-SW swarm branch westwards and rheologically reinforced by mafic dikes acted as a barrier to the devel
a N–S direction for the E-W swarm branch in the NE portion of the opment of the rift basins, precluding them from expanding and evolving
Borborema Province. The N–S extension agree with the model proposed into continental breakup.
by Matos (1992) to the opening of the Atlantic equatorial margin, in The geodynamic analysis of the geometric pattern of the dikes
which the NW-SE extension rotated E-W, if the lithospheric extension allowed us to establish the stress field active at the time of the intrusion.
was oblique. In this case, Oliveira (1992) argued that the E-W dikes For the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, the paleostress trajectories represent a NW-
reflect an N–S extension located in the extreme northeastern Borborema SE extension, rotating to N–S in the eastern portion of the swarm. For the
Province, since its western portion tends to show a NW-SE opening. Canindé DS, paleostress orientation shows a NW-SE extensional move
It is observed in Fig. 8 that throughout the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS, these ment, rotating to NE-SW. For the Riacho do Cordeiro, the trajectories
trajectories are homogeneous (Fig. 13), which suggests a response, with were similar to those traced for the Rio Ceará-Mirim, showing a pre
the same direction of extension, at deep crustal or lithospheric levels. dominant NW-SE extension. Due to the homogeneity shown by these
Locally, the effects of a sudden change in the elastic properties of the trajectories, we assumed that it represents the pattern of stress at the
crust were verified at the shallow crustal level. This is clearly noticed lithospheric level. Finally, considering that this paper is a descriptive
when there is the development of en echelon geometry. This structural study, it intends to assist further geoscience studies focused on petro
pattern is interpreted as a variation of the stress field due to rheological logical, geochemical, analog modeling, and geochronological aspects of
changes within the host rocks that did not contribute to the regional the Mesozoic dike swarm on the South American Platform.
paleostress trajectories. From the 39◦ meridian to the east, the Rio
Ceará-Mirim dikes change their orientation (rotating from NE-SW to E- CRediT authorship contribution statement
W). At this position, it is possible to perceive a superposition of different
stress fields, which demonstrates a change in the stress field at a deep Alanny Christiny Costa de Melo: Conceptualization, Methodology,
crustal or lithospheric level. The change in orientation of the dikes Data curation, Writing - original draft, Investigation, Writing - review &
configures a semiarch geometry to the dikes of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS. editing. David Lopes de Castro: Supervision, Conceptualization,
Oliveira (1992) analyzed several criteria and scenarios inherent to Methodology, Data curation, Writing - original draft, Investigation,
the strict relationship of the Rio Ceará-Mirim DS with the occurrence of a Writing - review & editing. Diógenes Custódio de Oliveira: Validation,
mantle plume on the its E-W branch, concluding the plausibility of the Writing - review & editing. Maria Helena Bezerra Maia de Hollanda:
association between the two tectonic entities. Such a swarm geometry Validation, Writing - review & editing.
and regional-scale extension of more than 1,000 km indicate a magmatic
origin related to a mantle plume according to Ernst and Buchan (1997, Declaration of competing interest
2001). In fact, Heine et al. (2013) proposed an active mantle plume
beneath the Borborema Province before and during the rifting. This The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
could have helped the Atlantic rifting to find its way west through the interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
Equatorial Atlantic rather than north through the Sahara where there the work reported in this paper.
was also rifting at this time. The plume that could be Saint Helena,
which originated the EQUAMP (Hollanda et al., 2019), as mentioned Acknowledgments
recently by Pessano et al. (2020) and Matos et al. (2021), probably
remained active during the first motions of the South American plate The authors thanks Colin Reeves and two anonymous reviewer for
after breakup. suggestion that improved previous version of this paper. ACCM thanks
Programa de Formação de Recursos Humanos PRH-PB 229 (FUNPEC /
8. Conclusions UFRN / PETROBRAS) (Process N. 6000.0081826.13.4) and the Coor
denação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes)
Airborne geophysical (gamma spectrometric and magnetic) data, scholarship (Process N. 88882.461729/2019–01) for her PhD and for
Google Earth™ satellite images, magnetic susceptibility measurements supporting a sandwich PhD scholarship at the Australian Common
and field work were used to map Mesozoic dike swarms in Borborema wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and
Province and adjacent geological domains, NE Brazil. A more exhaustive University of Queensland (UQ) (Process N. 88881.188664/2018–01).
catalogue of dikes has been made, new dikes are identified in the Pre DLC thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tec
cambrian basement and neighboring Paleozoic Basin using geophysical nológico (CNPq) for his PQ grants. We also thank the Geological Survey
and structural criteria. The integrated maps reveal more than 5.4 × 105 of Brazil (SGB) for providing the geophysical data; Carlos Archanjo from
km2 in the areal extension of 1388 mafic dikes that compose three USP for all the support during the field work and general discussions.
distinct dike swarms in the Borborema Province: Rio Ceará-Mirim, This work is part of the ACCM PhD dissertation, the Instituto Nacional de
Canindé, and Riacho do Cordeiro. The dike swarms show three prefer Ciência e Tecnologia em Estudos Tectônicos (INCT-ET) and corresponds
ential orientations, NE-SW, E-W and NW-SE, which constitute the major to the contribution no. 5 of the EQUAMP LIP Project (grant 2017/
and dominant trends. In some cases, the dikes cross each other, 08423–9).
demonstrating that different intrusive events occurred in the period
before or at the onset of the rifting in Early Cretaceous. In addition, References
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Journal of South American Earth Sciences 113 (2022) 103650

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Journal of South American Earth Sciences

Mesozoic dike swarms in Borborema Province (NE Brazil): A structural

trend. The 0.5–2.5 km wide igneous tabular body is emplaced parallel to

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