Structural control and geochronology of Cretaceous carbonate breccia pipes, Crato Formation, Araripe Basin, NE Brazil

Abstract The laminated limestones of the Crato Formation, Araripe Basin (NE of Brazil) have been investigated, as they are analogous to facies of the carbonate reservoirs of the pre-salt sequence of the Brazilian marginal basins. The Early Cretaceous Crato laminites comprise a complex range of structures that may play an important role in the porosity and permeability distribution in carbonate reservoirs. This work aims to (1) understand the control of a boundary fault zone (the Triunfo Fault, Lower Cretaceous) on the development in carbonate breccia pipes of the Crato Formation, and (2) constrain the timing of brittle deformation, based on field observations, microstructural investigation and U–Pb carbonate geochronology. The breccia pipes are observed surrounding both normal and strike-slip faults. The brittle deformation superimposed on the pipes is characterized by brecciation and veining that show multiples phases of mineralization. Our results propose the circulation of fluid along the pre-existing faults and pipes, these fluids are responsible for polyphasic deformation in the pipes. We report two U–Pb ages from carbonate-vein mineralization of 94.9 ± 3.8 Ma (Cenomanian to Turonian) and 80.2 ± 3.0 Ma (2σ) (Campanian), which provide time constraints on the brittle reactivations of the Triunfo Fault Zone, during the post-rift phase of the Araripe Basin.