Geological-structural mapping and geocronology of shear zones: A methodological proposal

Abstract

The deformation registered in rocks in the field can be characterized based on the structures preserved in outcrops, which can related be to wide discontinuity zones named faults and shear zones. The geological-structural mapping and the geochronology of these tectonic structures are a topic of great interest not only for tectonic modeling but also for reconstruction of the geological evolution of the national territory. The methodology suggest for the analysis of faults and shear zones is based on eight steps, including: 1) definition of the geological context in which the structure was developed; 2) photointerpretation, image geoprocessing, and geological-structural mapping of the structural and lithological characteristics of the faults and shear zones; 3) petrographic analysis of field-oriented samples; 4) quantification of strain orientation and geometry through 3D finite strain analyses and quantification of non-coaxiliaty of deformation through vorticity analyses; 5) SEM-TEM-EBSD microanalysis; 6) quantification of the P-T conditions of deformation through phase-equilibria modeling or conventional geothermobarometry; 7) dating of syn-kinematic minerals phases and mylonitic rocks through Ar-Ar analyses, in order to determine the reactivation and deformation ages of the structure, respectively, as well as the implementation of the U-Pb technique in syn-kinematic calcite crystals developed in the fault planes; and 8) dating of geological elements adjacent to the structure, such as syn-kinematic intrusive bodies associated with the deformation event using zircon U-Pb dating, rocks hydrothermally altered through Ar-Ar method, and zircon and apatite fission-tracks dating of the blocks adjacent to the faults for determining exhumation ages.