Pernambuco Fault

Geologic fault in Brazil

The Pernambuco Fault or Pernambuco Shear Zone in northeastern Brazil is a fault radiating from the Trans Brazilian Lineament eastwards to the coast, a major geological feature.[1]

## Description

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The Pernambuco-Alagoas domain, part of the Borborema Province, is primarily made of rocks aged between 1,600 and 1,000 million years, significantly younger than the areas to the north and south.[2]

The Pernambuco Fault in this domain is a continuation of the Foumban Shear Zone in Cameroon, itself the western end of the Central African Shear Zone.[1] To the west, the fault splays into numerous faults along a distance of about 50 kilometres (31 mi), suggesting that the crust was weak at this point, which is on the line where South America separated from Africa around 115 million years ago.[3]

## References

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1. ^ a b J D Fairhead, Nasreddine Bournas and M Chaker Raddadi (2007). "The Role of Gravity and Aeromagnetic Data in Mapping Mega Gondwana Crustal Lineaments: the Argentina - Brazil – Algeria (ABA) Lineament" (PDF). SEG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
2. ^ Robert J. Pankhurst (2008). West Gondwana: pre-Cenozoic correlations across the South Atlantic Region. Geological Society. p. 91\. ISBN 978-1-86239-247-2.
3. ^ Alain Vauchez and Marcos Egydio da Silva (November 1992). "Termination of a continental-scale strike-slip fault in partially melted crust: The West Pernambuco shear zone, northeast Brazil". Geology. 20 (11): 1007–1010\. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<1007:TOACSS>2.3.CO;2. Retrieved 2011-02-03.

7°50′S 38°15′W﻿ / ﻿7.833°S 38.250°W﻿ / -7.833; -38.250

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Major South American geological features

Tectonic plates|

* Antarctic
* Caribbean
* Cocos
* Coiba
* Malpelo
* Nazca
* North Andes
* Scotia
* South American

Cratons and shields|

* Amazonian Craton
* Arequipa-Antofalla Craton
* Atlantic Shield
* Central Brazilian Shield
* Guiana Shield
* Paranapanema Block
* Río Apa Craton
* Río de la Plata Craton
* São Francisco Craton
* Uruguayan Shield

Structures undergoing subduction|

* Antarctic plate
* Carnegie Ridge
* Chile Rise
* Juan Fernández Ridge
* Malpelo Ridge
* Nazca plate
* Nazca Ridge

Faults and shear zones|

* Atacama
* Boconó
* Bucaramanga-Santa Marta
* Cochabamba
* Cordillera Blanca
* Córdoba
* Dolores-Guayaquil
* Domeyko
* Eastern Frontal
* Gastre
* Huincul
* Liquiñe-Ofqui
* Magallanes-Fagnano
* Meta
* Morón
* Oca-Ancón
* Pernambuco
* El Pilar
* Romeral
* San Ramón
* Sarandí del Yí
* Sierra Ballena
* Sobral
* El Tigre
* Trans-Brazilian

Rifts and grabens|

* Aguapeí
* Amazon Rift
* Asunción Rift
* Cuyo Rift
* Espino
* Neuquén Rifts
* Paramirim
* Salta Rifts

Sedimentary basins|

* Altiplano
* Amazon
* Andean foreland
* Central Brazil
* Chaco
* Colorado
* Cuyo
* Eastern Venezuela
* Golfo San Jorge
* Magallanes
* Malvinas
* Neuquén
* Pantanal
* Paraíba
* Paraná
* Salta
* Solimões

Orogenies|

* Andean
* Brasiliano
* Cariri Velhos
* Chonide
* Famatinian
* Gondwanide
* Juruá
* Pampean
* San Rafael
* Sunsás
* Terra Australis
* Tilcarian

Metallogenetic provinces|

* Andean copper belts
* Bolivian Tin Belt
* Chilean Iron Belt
* Deseado Massif
* El Indio Gold Belt
* El Mutún
* Iron Quadrangle
* Lithium Triangle
* Maricunga Gold Belt
* Pampean Pegmatite Province

Volcanism|

| Volcanic provinces|

* Andean
* North
* Central
* South
* Austral
* Caribbean
* Central Atlantic
* Paraná and Etendeka

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Hotspots|

* Ascension
* Noronha hotspot
* Galápagos
* Juan Fernández
* San Felix
* Trindade

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