Geochemistry of Paraná-Etendeka basalts from Misiones, Argentina: Some new insights into the petrogenesis of high-Ti continental flood basalts

Abstract The Early Cretaceous (∼135–131 Ma) Parana-Etendeka continental flood basalts, preserved in bulk in the Parana basin of southern Brazil and vicinity, have been divided into low-Ti and high-Ti types that govern the southern and northern halves of the basin, respectively. We have examined a new sample set from the southern margin of the northern high-Ti segment of Parana basalts in Misiones, northeastern Argentina. These basalts are strongly to moderately enriched in TiO 2 (2–4 wt.%), have relatively high Ti/Y (300–500), low MgO (3.5–6.5 wt.%), and high Fe (FeO(tot) 12–14 wt.%) and belong to the Pitanga and Paranapanema magma types of Peate et al. (1992). Nd and Sr isotope compositions are quite unvarying with e Nd (at 133 Ma) values of −4.6 to −3.6 and initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of 0.7054–0.7059 and show no variation with fractionation. Compared to high-Ti lavas in the central and northern parts of the Parana high-Ti basalt segment, the lavas from Misiones are similar to those in the northeastern magin of the basin but less radiogenic in initial Nd isotope composition than those in the central part. This variation probably reflects mixed EM1-EM2 source components in the sublithospheric mantle. A polybaric melt model of a sublithospheric mantle source at the garnet lherzolite-spinel lherzolite transition is compatible with the observed Ti budget of the Pitanga and Paranapanema lavas, regardless of the Nd isotope composition of their purported source.