Subaqueous basaltic rocks of the Boa Vista Basin (Paraíba,Brazil): A petrographic and morphological characterization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70369/cqadjn85Keywords:
lavas de almofada, hialoclastito, brecha de almofada, delta de lavaAbstract
This study provides a morphological and petrographic characterization of subaqueous volcanic rocks from the upper unit of the Boa Vista Basin, a volcano-sedimentary local minibasin in northeastern Brazil. Located within the Borborema Province, the basin is defined by the NE-SW Serra do Monte shear zone (SMSZ) and the NW-SE main fault (MF). The upper unit, which overlies an intermediate unit with deposits of bentonite and fossiliferous sandstone, consists of massive olivine basalt flows that grade into pillow lavas and pillow breccias. Detailed analysis of the pillow lavas reveals features characteristic of subaqueous eruption, including glassy rims, multiple crusts, radial cooling joints, vesicles, and amygdales. Petrographically, these pillows exhibit a distinct crystallinity gradient, from a vitreous crust to a hypohyaline core. Additionally, the presence of palagonite supports the interpretation of significant supercooling during formation of these lavas. Hyaloclastites are present in interpillow spaces and as the matrix for pillow breccias, which separate elongated and inclined (averaging 28.4°) pillow lava tubes. The combination of these features, including paleochannels filled by volcanic deposits and the transition from pillow lavas to massive flows, supports a depositional model of a lava delta prograding into a lacustrine environment. Evidence of invasive lavas also suggests direct interaction between the basalt lava flows and the unconsolidated to partially consolidated siliciclastic sediments of the underlying intermediate unit. Given the scarcity of such well-preserved outcrops in Brazil, this study provides a crucial analogue for understanding non-outcropping volcanic sequences, such as those encountered during hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins.
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