The structural geology of the of quarries of dimension stones in the mining district of Santo Antônio de Pádua, SE Brazil

Abstract

The mining district of Santo Antonio de Pádua is responsible for the greatest concentration of mining activity (except for oil offshore exploration) in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Two different lithotypes of dimension stones are quarried along two particular fault zones that are part of major splay of faults which branch off Rio Paraíba do Sul Shear Zone. The quarried dimension stones are two homogeneous orthogneisses that were emplaced in a transcurrent transpressive regime. We present here a possible explanation for the genesis of those rocks.