6th International Symposium on Andean Geodynamics (ISAG 2005, Barcelona), Extended Abstracts : 770-772

Extension-related magmatism during mid-Cretaceous times in the Eastern

Cordillera, Colombia

M. Vàsquez '. U. Altenberger " R. L. Ramer 2, ft J. M. Moreno 3

1 Institut für Geow issenschaften , Universttat Potsdam, Postfach 601553 , 0-14415 Potsdam , Germany
2 GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, 0-14473 Potsdam, Germany
3 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Oepartamento de Geociencias , Ciudad Universitaria , Bogot à, Colombia

Abstract investigations (Fabre & Delaloye, 19 83; Vasquez et

Th e Eastern Co rd illera of Colombia has been al., 2000 ; Navarrete et al., 2002) neither the
subject to lithospher ic stretching during the
magmatic e vo lutio n of these intru sion s nor its
Cretaceous. Scarce magma tic events during that
time are represented by s mall mafic to intermed iate respon se to geody narn ics are und erstood . The
dikes and s ills. Mid-Cretaceous ( ?) melts intruded
pres ent work focuses on the ge oc hem ical features
at places of maximum Early Cretaceous extens io n.
Although the timin g of emplacem ent and of five locations, distributed on both fJanks of the
geodynamic position of the intrusions seem to be
range .
sim ilar, strong differences in geochemical and
petrological c ha racteris tics occur. We sugges t a
model of a rift-rel ated magmatism in which melt
composition reflect derivation from a highl y
enriched mantle region to the east and a Jess
enriched mantl e to the west, the latter rnelts notably
being metasomatized by f1uids similar to those
resulting from devol atilization of a subducting s la b.

Introduction
The Cretaceou s of the Eastern Cord illera of
Colombia is cha rac terized by its scarcity of
magmatic activity ( Fig. 1). Only few mafic to
intermediate plutonic bodies intruding Cr etaceous
sediments have been identified in the ea stern and
Fig . 1. Location map of the East ern Co rdillera of
western flank s of the co rd illera. These sediments Colomb ia. Mafic intru sions: 1: Rodrigoqu é; 2: Pajarito;
3: Pacho ; 4 : La Coro na ; 5: Caceres-Pu crto Rom ero.
have been dated bio strati graph ically as Berri asian
to Cenomanian in age. Th e stratigra phi e Geochemistry
relationship of the intrusions as weil as their
Major-element composition and trace-elements
geodynamic position during the Mid-Cretaceous, abundances were analyzed by XRF-FllIorescence
permit to assum e that these widespread s rnall-s ized (Geol-orschung'Zentrum Potsdam , G ermany). REE
intru sions record a s ing le partial melting event in concentrat ion s were determined by rCp-OES
different parts of the sub-Andean mantle . The area (Geoc he mic a l Laboratory , Uni ver sity of Potsdam)
that today co rrespo nds to the Eastern Cordillera and rCp-MS (GeoForschungZentrum - Dulsky,
was affe cted by Early Cretaceous rifting (Ca mpbell Pot sdam, Gennany). The samp les from the Eastern
and Bürgl , 1965; Fabre, 1983a; Fabre, 1983b; Cordillera sho w SiO z concentrations that vary from
Colletta, et a l., 1990 ; Sarmiento, 2001 ). Despite the 44 to 6 1 wt % in the mafic sarnples and from 63 to
stratigraphie and so me major element geochemical 73 wt % in the intennediate tonalites.

770
 6th International Symposium on Andean Geodynamics (ISAG 2005, Barcelona), Extended Abstracts: 770-772

The tonalites are well-exposed in the region of La

Corona (Fig. 1), even though there are oc currences

in the other locations . The tonalites are mainly

composed of plagioclase and quartz. Zircon , ......

r5 0
tremolite, and rutile have been ident ified as trace F .1
;l:j

.:
minerais.
The mafic rocks are classified as gabbros and 01 () °tt~
gabbro-diorites after the classificat ion of 8.b • •tnI Gebbto "hllr•• Gebbro

Middlemost (1994) on the basis of total alkali vs. lD1

01 .1 10

siJica. MgO contents are very different depending

on the location. To the west, MgO co nce ntr atio ns Fig. 2. Discrimination diagram showing two well-
differentiated groups. C àceres and Pacho have subalkaline
are the lowest, ranging from 2 to 11 wt %; whereas signature and Rodrigoqué, Pajarito and La Corona belong
to the east, the samples have the highest MgO to the alkaline one.

contents reaching up to 20 wt %. The data indicate

that the most primitive ma fic melts were emplaced

to the east (Pajarito), an interpretation that is in

agreement with the high Ni (>150 ppm) and Cr

(>200 ppm) concentration s (Wilson, 1993) of these

samples. Trace elements suggest a subalkaline

affinity for the rocks from Caceres and Pacho (Fig.

2). Conversely, the rocks from Rodrigoqué,
Pajarito, and La Corona exhibit a well-defined

alkaline affin ity.

Fig. 3. Rock/Chondrite normalization patterns (after

ln arder to evaluate melt-generating and melt- Evensen, 1978). The higher degrees of partial melting are
found in the western flank.
modifying processe s in a qualitative or semi -

quantitative way, the composition of the mafic

Most samples of C âceres and some of Pacho and La
rocks is normalized to chondrite (Evensen et al.,
Corona have high concentrations of Ba , suggesting
1978). Chondrite normalized element
a metasomatized mantle source . Ba-enriched fluids
concentrations show distinctive patterns far every
are known from reaction-enhanced release during
locality (Fig. 3). The Mid-Cretaceous gabbros of
subduction. High BalLa values are common for the
the Eastern Cordillera roughly exhibit an increase
rocks of Caceres (22-216) suggesting that sediment
in LREE concentration from west to east. Tonalites
contamination may have been affected the mantle
show slight enrichment in LREE and Eu anomaly
source by slab derived fluids or by crustal melts.
as result of plagioclase fractionation.

Pb-Sr-Nd isotopes
The Pb-Nd-Sr isotopie data show the samples to
have high 87S r/86S r values (Fig . 4) and to follow a

trend toward the EMIl field . This observation

771
 6th International Symposium on Andean Geodynamics (ISAG 2005, Barcelona) , Extended Abstracts: 770-772

suggests that these melts became extensiv ely affected the area that today co rres po nds to the
contaminated by continental crust during the asc ent. Eastern CordilJ era . The chernistry of the Mid-
Moreover, the rocks have high Pb/La and Cs/Rb Cretaceous ma gmatism point to a continuous
relative to MORB and OIB suggesting that evolution of mantle-derived melts . This magmatism
sediments have influenced the melts . Tonalites in shows a tran siti on from a low to a high de gree of
La Corona show mantle signatu res and an influen ce partial melting as weil as fro m alkaline to
of crustal contamination. subalkaline aff inity (Fig. 2 and 3). The tholeiitic

0 . 709 -
d
EMil
0_
0_
x_
-
affinity of the sampJes of Ca ceres and Pacho
indicate that in this region the stretching of the cru st
was maximal and magmas sampled the uppermost
- -
r.
0 .708
• LoConro part of the m antle (Wilson , 1993 ). The high
0 .707 1-
. ......
_Lo
0 -
- 87S r/86S r values indicate that rock s from each
<li 0 .706 1- )t~
""""" -
."''"" 0 .705 1- EJOSSE~ . ~ 0 -
location show contamination der ived from

0 a sediments, se awater and/or metasomatic fluids.

0 .704 1- -
The geochemical and petrological variation of the

~ ~-
0 .703 1- MORS
intrusions lead s to the followin g mod el: The sub-
0 .102
1- c:::::J ""'"' Q.OMa
-
0 .701
co ntine ntal mantle to the west (be neath Ca ceres)
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
:DptJD'Pb was meta somatized by fluid s derived from an older
Fig. 4. B7Sr/B6Sr vs. 206Pbf ll-'p b isotope correlation subducted slab. In this case, the mantle acted as a
diagram. The plutonic rocks of the Eastern CordilJera
show a trend toward the EMil field. recorder of past processes, as the devolatilization of
the subducted slab was happened prior to melt
Evolution of the maflc magmatism in the generation . The maximum stretching took place
Eastern Cordillera when the subd uc tio n zon e was situated far awa y to
During Cretaceous extens io n, relatively sm all the west (Pindell and Tabbutt, 1995).
volumes of mafic alkaline and tholeiitic magm ati sm

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