The Late Cretaceous Impact of the Trindade Mantle Plume: Evidence from Large-volume, Mafic, Potassic Magmatism in SE Brazil

When the subcontinental lithospheric mantle undergoes heating and/or extension, some of the earliest mafic melts to be generated are those rich in volatUes and potassium. In some cases, e.g. when a plume impinges on thick cratonic lithosphere or when the amount of extension is very small, K-rich mafic igneous rocks may be the only surface expression of mantle melting. The Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province, in SE Brazil, is one of the world's most …