Arquitetura crustal da bacia de Almada no contexto das bacias da margem lesste da América do Sul

Abstract

The Almada Basin, located in the Bahia State, shares similar characteristics with other eastern Brazilian basins when analyzed in terms of major sedimentation process and dominant stress regime. However, a remarkably different composition of the transitional crust is observed when this basin is compared with the other eastern Brazilian basins. A large 3D survey, acquired with cable length of 6 km and 9.2 seconds resulted in good seismic images of the rift deep structure. A detailed gravity survey and 2D forward modeling were integrated with the seismic analysis to corroborate the geological model. The Almada Basin is part of the continental rift system that developed during the Berriasian to Aptian times, heralding the Gondwana break up. Subsequently the basin evolved into a passive divergent margin. The rifting process results in five NNE-SSW striking half-graben sub-basins, from onshore to deep water, producing a complex structural framework. Deep seismic profiles reveal the progressive thinning of the continental crust down to 5 km below the easternmost half-graben with a crustal β factor of 7 before the ocean crust developed. The good-quality seismic images also allowed the recognition of major listric faults systems that cut the upper crust, linking the half-grabens and detaching along the layered lower crust. The basin shows an asymmetrical crustal profile compatible with a simple shear rifting mechanism. Volcanic Margins (VM) and Non Volcanic Margins (NVM) are the end members of the crustal compositional analysis of divergent continental margins. The key architectural elements of the VM, such as large igneous provinces, seaward dipping reflectors and the basinal synrift magmatism, are not recognized in the Almada Basin. Even though the South Atlantic divergent margin is traditionally interpreted as a VM, particularly in the rift segment south of Bahia State, the lack of these key elements, as well as drilling results, indicate a non volcanic character for the Almada segment. Regionally, the South American divergent margin is mostly volcanic, but the amount and the influence of the magmatism during the rift phase is variable from the southernmost Austral Basin in south Argentina up to the Pernambuco Basin in northeast Brazil. Along the whole continental margin different segments of strong , medium and non volcanic character can be recognized. In the classical NVM, the transitional crust is highly stretched and, in some cases, it shows evidence of exhumed sub continental mantle (e.g., Iberian margin). In the Almada Basin, the transitional crust indicates a considerable thinning, but there is no clear evidence of mantle exhumation. The mechanisms responsible for the generation and emplacement of the large amounts of magma recorded in the divergent margins are still subject to discussions. Along the South American segments, both the lithospheric thinning and mantle plume models have been proposed. Alternatively, a combination of these two mechanisms may have played an important role in the margin evolution.