O CRÁTON BRASILIANO DO SÃO FRANCISCO - UMA REVISÃO

The Brazilian Paramirim belt divides the So Francisco Craton. At to the west and southwest occurs the So Francisco Craton (sensu strictu), and to the East is present flic Salvador Craton,separated from the Congo-Zaire Craton by the opening of the Atlantic Ocean during Early Mesozoic time. The Archean-Early Proterozoic basement of the Paramirim belt was intruded by subalkaline granites approximately 1,700 Ma old. The Espinhao Supergroup is die most important unit of the Paramirim belt It's made up of detritic metasediments (quartzites, metaconglomerates, phyllites) with acid metamagmatc rocks (rhyolites-rhyodacites) in the lower part. The Espinhao Supergroup was deposited hi a continental rift during the interval 1,700 to 1,100 Ma. The Espinhao Supergroup deformation is roughly dated at 600 Ma (Brazilian Tectonic Cycle). R is characterized by major ductile north-south low-angle shear zones and assymmetric folds with westward vergence. A stretching or/and mineral lineation, transverse to the belt, indicates westward transport of materials. These ductile shear zones continue to the south, affecting the external units of de Aracuaf fold belt and older (Early Proterozoic) units of the Quadriltero Ferrifero (MG).