Tectonic Setting of the Late Proterozoic Lavalleja Group (Dom Feliciano Belt), Uruguay

The Lavalleja Group exposed along the Dom Feliciano orogenic belt is located in the southeast of Uruguay. This group consists of volcano-sedimentary rocks, developed during the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano cycle. The geochemical signature of the igneous rocks of the Lavalleja Group, mainly metagabbros and basic and acidic metavolcanic rocks, indicates a back-arc basin tectonic setting. The metamorphic grade increases to the southeast, from very low grade, lower green-schist facies, in the Minas Formation, to a medium grade, amphibolite facies, in Fuente del Puma and Zanja del Tigre Formations. The metamorphic mineral assemblages correspond to a low-pressure regional metamorphism associated with a high thermal gradient. A compressive deformational event that probably corresponds to the closure of the Lavalleja basin during a continental collision, was recognized. The petrology, geochemistry, metamorphic grade, and tectonic setting are consistent with a back-arc basin setting for the Lavalleja Group.