Diagenetic products, settings and evolution of the pre-salt succession in the Northern Campos Basin, Brazil

Despite all the effort made towards an understanding of the sedimentary, tectonic and diagenetic evolution of the pre-salt sequence and the Pre-Salt reservoirs of the Northern Campos Basin (East Brazil), two knowledge gaps have yet to be filled: (1) a detailed study of diagenesis in the crystalline basement and rift phases; and (2) the timing of diagenetic events that affected the pre-salt succession. In this study, samples from these geologic units were analysed for mineral composition and paragenetic evolution, fluid temperature and salinity, stable isotope compositions and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer derived U–Pb ages of carbonate phases. The U–Pb ages of replacive and vein-filling cements reveal three tectono-diagenetic events, named the Barremian–Aptian (BADE, 125–117 Ma), the Albo–Cenomanian (ACDE, 103–98 Ma) and the Campanian–Maastrichtian (CMDE, 83–70 Ma). Each phase is characterized by distinct minerals, precipitation temperatures and burial conditions. The hydrothermal qualifier, identified by the temperature contrast between fluid and host rock, was initially high during BADE, then diminished over time (through ACDE) until it achieved equilibrium with the host rocks during CMDE. Diagenetic events are not coeval with magmatism but do coincide with known regional tectonic events described in the literature and are interpreted to be the result of increasing intraplate stresses. Multidisciplinary studies that include diagenetic events constrained by geochronological data will certainly lead to more robust conceptual geologic models, and, therefore, to a more reliable management of resources and strategies such as enhanced oil recovery, carbon capture, utilization and storage, and drinking water.