Pliocene-Quaternary fault control of sedimentation and coastal plain morphology in NE Brazil

Although the last major tectonic event in the Brazilian passive margin was the South America-Africa breakup during the Mesozoic, there is pervasive ev idence in northeastern Brazil for pronounced faulting since the late Tertia ry. The faulting was partitioned between strike-slip and normal-slip and it reactivated Precambrian shear zones as well as generating new structures. A 040-060 degrees -trending fault set and a 300-320 degrees -trending set h ave strongly influenced both the deposition of alluvial and aeolian sedimen ts and coastal evolution. Vertical throws have attained 360 In since the Pl iocene, and topographic breaks resulting from cumulative late Tertiary to Q uaternary slip have attained 30-40 m. Fault control of sediment deposition and coastal morphology may have affected the entire South American passive margin. (C) 2001 Elsevier science Ltd. All rights reserved.