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Revista de la Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad Central de Venezuela

Print version ISSN 0798-4065

Abstract

GRANDE, Sebastián. Petrograhy of crustal and mantle xenoliths present in the lava of cerro atravesado, central falcón, venezuela. Rev. Fac. Ing. UCV [online]. 2009, vol.24, n.1, pp.11-30. ISSN 0798-4065.

Samples of basanitic lava were collected from North Cerro Atravesado breccia pipe, one of the oldest alkali-mafic subvolcanic bodies intrusive in the Miocene in Central Falcon Basin (Ar-Ar age: 23-21 Ma). These rocks contain abundant xenoliths which have been petrographically grouped as follows: lherzolite (or harzburgite) mantle nodules, serpentinized orthopyroxene xenocrysts, grenvillian high grade basament (marble with diopside and phlogopite, mafic granulite and anorthosite); low grade quartzite and mica-quartzite; limestone containing Cretaceous planctic foraminifera, black chert and other sedimentary clastic rocks of uncertain origin. The xenoliths show intense carbonate-chlorite hydrothermal alteration since the rapid magma ascent did not allow for pyrometamorphism, but being intruded in water-saturated pelitic sediments unleashed an intense hydrothermal circulation which affected all the rock units. In this work, we prove the presence of a basement of probable Late Proterozoic and Grenvillian affinity, of Late Paleozoic or Mesozoic orogens, and of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks from the Venezuelan Western Basin present in the underlying Lara Nappes. It can be concluded that the basement of the Central Falcon Basin is probably formed by imbricated nappes that involve rocks pertaining to al least four tectonic cycles or events: high grade (Grenvillian), low grade (Caledonian-Appalachian or cordillera del Caribe), proto-Caribbean (Cretaceous passive margin in Northern South America), and Falconian (back-arc basin with intraplate igneous activity).

Keywords : Breccia pipe; Diatreme; Basanite; Grenvillian; Mantle nodules; Foraminifera; Cretaceous.

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