Two granitoid plutons or facies variation of the same pluton? The case of the Bezerros Stock, Northeast Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51359/1980-8208.2025.266483Keywords:
shoshontic affinity, northeastern Brazil, Bezerros stockAbstract
The Borborema Province (NE Brazil) experienced intense potassic magmatism between approximately 590–550 Ma, during the syn- to post-collisional stage of the Brasiliano/Pan
African orogeny. This magmatism generated several granitoid plutons with high-K calcalkaline to shoshonitic affinity, notably forming large batholiths such as the Caruaru
Arcoverde, which includes the Bezerros stock. The Bezerros stock has a NE–SW-oriented teardrop shape, clearly identified in satellite and aerogeophysical imagery. This igneous body intruded Paleoproterozoic dioritic to granodioritic orthogneisses, represented by the Salgadinho Complex, Bezerros Orthogneiss, and the Neoproterozoic Surubim-Caroalina Complex. In the field, two inequigranular lithotypes were identified: a coarse-grained syenogranite to monzogranite and a porphyritic variety of similar composition. Monzodioritic
enclaves are commonly observed; they are also inequigranular, finer-grained, and rich in mafic minerals, especially biotite, amphibole, and allanite. Magnetic and gamma
spectrometry data were used in this study. Magnetometric maps helped delineate and characterize the structural framework of the area, while ternary radiometric (K, Th, U) maps allowed subdivision of the stock into two domains: a Th-enriched northern sector and a K
enriched southern sector. Whole-rock geochemistry indicates a metaluminous composition
(A/CNK < 1.2), classifying the Bezerros stock as an I-type granite. This interpretation is supported by the observed mineralogy. In AFM diagrams, samples follow a calc-alkaline trend, suggesting derivation from a parent magma with high oxygen fugacity. The stock displays shoshonitic affinity based on K₂O vs. SiO₂ plots. In the region, shoshonitic granites are typically related to fractional crystallization and intermediate–felsic magma mixing
processes, a scenario supported by field evidence. Microstructural analysis reveals dynamic recrystallization, characterized by grain boundary migration and subgrain rotation, indicative
of solid-state deformation under medium- to high-temperature conditions (450 °C < T < 600 °C). Exsolution textures, such as myrmekites and flame perthites, are also common. Field evidence indicates that the Bezerros stock comprises two granitic plutons emplaced through multiple magmatic pulses during a syn-kinematic intrusion associated with regional shear zone activity, including the East Pernambuco Shear Zone located south of the stock. Furthermore, the presence of solid-state deformation suggests that the shear zones remained active after the crystallization of the plutons.
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