The Estrela Gneiss is an Archaean gneiss-granitic body that outcrops to the east of the Serra dos Carajas. Detailed microscopic studies of these gneisses and deformed pegmatoid rocks revealed several microstructures in grains of quartz, feldspars and mafic minerals, indicating plastic flow during deformation. The microstructural features appear firstly in quartz, afterwards they are observed in K-feldspars and finally in plagioclase. The evolution of these microstructures follows the sequence: 1. wavy extinction; 2. kink bands; 3. sub-grains; 4. new grains; 5. wavy extinction in new grains; and 6. cyclic recrystallization. During the stages 1 and 2 recovery mechanisms are more important, however, when dynamic recrystallization is present, mechanisms of sub-grain rotation and grain boundary migration start to act. The interaction of these processes account for a global plastic behavior and the rheological contrasts between quartz and feldspars become negligible. The ductile behavior of feldspars suggests that shear zones developed under temperatures higher than 500°C.
The Pedra Branca suite (2.75 Ga) is located in the Canãa dos Carajás domain in the southeastern Amazonia Craton. It diverges from typical TTG in mineralogical and geochemical terms, by the presence of hornblende and clinopyroxene and because it has a high content of HFSE (Zr, Y, Ti, and Nb). It belongs to the low-K subalkaline series, which varies from metaluminous to peraluminous, and are mostly calc and ferroan granitoids. Amphibole is calcic and classified as ferroan-edenite, and hastingsite. Plagioclase is mainly oligoclase. The Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios found in the amphiboles indicate that these granitoids were formed under high to moderate fO2 conditions. Geobarometric calculations suggest pressures between 9.3 and 71 Kbar for the origin and 4.8-53.4 Kbar for the emplacement. Geothermometric calculations suggest initial crystallization temperatures between 945 and 862°C, and the water content in the magma is estimated to be higher than 4 wt%. The magma source was defined as tholeiitic continental gabbro melted in an extensional setting (Carajás Rift) with geochemical features similar to diabase from Nova Canadá (PA). The Pedra Branca magma was originated by partial melting (~28%), leaving a residue with plagioclase (An40), hornblende, clinopyroxene, and may or may not have magnetite.
Musa and Jamon granites represent Lower Proterozoic anorogenic magmatism of the Central Amazonian Province. Magnetite (Mt), ilmenite (Ilm), hematite (Ht) and goethite (Gt) are the opaque oxide minerals observed. Pyrite (Py) is the only sulfide described. Three Em types are distinguished: individual (I) Ilm - isolated crystals, composite (C) Ilm - crystals joinned to Mt, and trellis (T) Ilm - lamellae developped into the Mt. Titanomagnetite (TMt), I and C Ilm were the first crystallizing opaque minerals. Later, I Ilm was partially destabilized by titanite. During the subsolidus stage the oxidation-exsolution of TMt occurred, transforming this oxide into Mt+T Ilm. Partial hematitization of Mt and oxyhydration (Gt formation) had also occurred during this stage. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) values of the granites are high, and decrease with magmatic differentiation (amphibole facies → biotite facies → leucogranites). The high Mt contents justify the high MS values. Positive correlations among MS and modal contents of opaques, amphibole and the total of mafic minerals show that the earliest facies have the highest contents of the mentioned minerals, as well as of Mt. On the other hand, negative correlation is observed between chlorite (deuteric phase) and MS. Chlorite is enriched in the later facies in which the transformations are very important and the Mt is partially destabilized to Ht. Positive correlations are also observed among MS and Fe 2 O 3 , FeO, MgO and TiO 2 contents. The above characteristics and the Fe 2 O 3 /FeO ratios, generally high or near to one, allows to classify these granites into the Mt series. The titanite+Mt+quartz association and Fe 2 O 3 /FeO ratios indicate that relatively oxidizing conditions, probably, fO 2 conditions near to Ni-NiO buffer, prevailed during the evolution of Musa and Jamon granites.
The A-type Paleoproterozoic Bannach Granite belongs to the Jamon Suíte and cross-cut the Archean units of the Rio Maria Domain in the Carajás Province. It comprises eight facies with varied mafic content and texture: even-grained cumulate granite (CG), even coarse-grained biotite-amphibole monzogranite (cBAMz), even coarse-grained amphibole-biotite monzogranite (cABMz), porphyritic biotite monzogranite (pBMz), even coarse-grained leucomonzogranite (cLMz), early even medium-grained leucomonzogranite (EmLMz), late even medium-grained leucomonzogranite (LmLMz) and even fine-grained leucomonzogranite (fLMz). In the less evolved facies, the dominant amphibole is Fe-hornblende passing to Fe-edenite or hastingsite, with associated cummingtonite/grunerite originated from the destabilization of clinopyroxene. Biotite has ferroan composition and approaches annite in the late-emplaced leucomonzogranite. Plagioclase varies from andesine to oligoclase or from oligoclase to albite. Titanite, magnetite, and ilmenite are found in all granite facies showing magmatic origin. The near liquidus temperatures vary between 943ºC and 795ºC and the estimated emplacement pressure is 300 ± 50 MPa (~11.1 ± 1.9 km). Amphibole Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios together with magmatic magnetite and titanite indicate that these granites crystallized at moderately oxidizing conditions, similar to those admitted for the Jamon granite and magnetite series granites of Laurentia. However, the composition of biotite suggests a more reduced character close to NNO to NNO -0.5. The late leucomonzogranite facies is an exception because it displays high Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios in biotite and approaches to the reduced granites of Carajás, Laurentia and Fennoscandia in this regard. It derived from a more reduced source than the other facies of Bannach Granite.