ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1665965
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Near-Surface Geophysics and Tectonics: From Conventional Modeling to AI SolutionsView all articles
New insights into the evolution of Hybrid Rifted Margins: from crustal hyperextension to mantle exhumation at the Santos Basin (Brazil)
Provisionally accepted
Natasha Stanton1,2*
Andres C Gordon1- 1Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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This study investigates the tectonic, magmatic and sedimentary architecture of the outer Santos Basin, using new ultra-deep high-resolution 3D seismic, gravimetric and magnetic data. We document a major crustal discontinuity that corresponds to a negative magnetic anomaly named Aquarius Lineament (AL). This is associated with N-S striking east-dipping detachment faults - the Aquarius Detachment System (ADS), that extends for more than 270 km. The ADS originated abrupt crustal necking, a core-complex and supradetachment basins. Its location and orientation coincide with major changes in continental lithosphere thickness, Moho depth, and stratigraphy. Seawards from the ADS the ductile lower crust disappears, and there is a transition to a hyperextended domain with deeply incising detachment faults reaching the mantle. The hyperextended domain lies adjacent to a thick magmatic crust that transitions into a domain where the Moho shallows reaching the base of the sediments. Altogether, these contrasting architectural elements reveal a complex lithosphere breakup during the Cretaceous that distinguishes the Santos Basin as a hybrid margin.
Keywords: Necking, Detachment faults, Tectonostratigraphy, hyperextension, Mantle exhumation, magmatism, Rifting evolution
Received: 14 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Stanton and Gordon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Natasha Stanton, natasha.stanton@uerj.br
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