O método radiométrico RB-Sr aplicado em rochas sedimentares o exemplo da bacia do Paraná, Brasil

Abstract

The Rb-Sr method has been successfully applied to argillaceous sedimentary rocks in order to supply parameters for the definition of their depositional ages. In many studied cases, despite the geologically significant results, there are doubts concerning the interpretation of the obtained data and their limitations. This happens because sedimentary rocks are considered to be the mixture of detrital fragments of diverse sources, and therefore is the possibility of contain an isotopic record of their source rocks. The Rb-Sr method, when applied to mudrocks, allows constraining absolute depositional ages, owing to the resetting of the isotopic Rb/Sr system during deposition. This process is called isotopic homogenization in the depositional environment. Some special care must be taken with respect to sampling, sample grain size, depositional setting, and mineralogical composition. Nevertheless, questions still remain when concerning this methodology, particularly on the real occurrence and extent of the isotopic homogenization in the sedimentary environments. In the present work, the Rb-Sr method has been applied to samples of sedimentary rocks collected from different units representing several depositional settings from the Paraná Basin. The parameters responsible by the isotopic homogenization of Sr have been evaluated. The obtained results allowed the improvement of the application of the Rb-Sr method to sedimentary rocks, and significant results concerning depositional ages were obtained.