LREE

The trace and Rare Earth Element (REE) characteristics of igneous rocks provide significant evidence of the origin and evolution of magmas and are useful to investigate the tectono-magmatic origin of Precambrian terranes. A simple assumption is that magmas that are generated by similar geological processes possess the same geochemical attributes. These attributes facilitate a comparison through tectonic discriminatory diagrams (e.g. Floyd and Winchester, 1975; Pearce and Cann, 1973; Pearce et al., 1984; Winchester et al., 1995). Although the interpretation of geochemical data for magmatic processes and the interaction of magmas with crustal materials are sometimes complex (e.g. Castro et al., 1991; Chappell, 1996; Frost and Mahood, 1987; Neves and Vauchez, 1995), geochemical data in combination with other geological evidence have proved essential for the interpretation of the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of crustal igneous provinces.

The trace and Rare Earth Element (REE) characteristics of igneous rocks provide significant evidence of the origin and evolution of magmas and are useful to investigate the tectono-magmatic origin of Precambrian terranes. A simple assumption is that magmas that are generated by similar geological processes possess the same geochemical attributes. These attributes facilitate a comparison through tectonic discriminatory diagrams (e.g. Floyd and Winchester, 1975; Pearce and Cann, 1973; Pearce et al., 1984; Winchester et al., 1995). Although the interpretation of geochemical data for magmatic processes and the interaction of magmas with crustal materials are sometimes complex (e.g. Castro et al., 1991; Chappell, 1996; Frost and Mahood, 1987; Neves and Vauchez, 1995), geochemical data in combination with other geological evidence have proved essential for the interpretation of the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of crustal igneous provinces.