Pernambuco Fault
Encyclopedia
The Pernambuco fault or Pernambuco Shear Zone in northeastern Brazil
is a splay fault radiating from the Transbrasiliano lineament eastwards to the coast, a major geological feature.
The Pernambuco-Alagoas domain, part of the Borborema Province, is primarily made of rocks aged between 1,600 and 1,000 million years, significantly younger than the areas to the north and south.
The Pernambuco fault in this domain is a continuation of the Foumban Shear Zone
in Cameroon
, itself the western end of the Central African Shear Zone
.
To the west, the fault splays into numerous faults along a distance of about 50 km, suggesting that the crust was weak at this point, which is on the line where South America
separated from Africa
around 115 million years ago.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
is a splay fault radiating from the Transbrasiliano lineament eastwards to the coast, a major geological feature.
The Pernambuco-Alagoas domain, part of the Borborema Province, is primarily made of rocks aged between 1,600 and 1,000 million years, significantly younger than the areas to the north and south.
The Pernambuco fault in this domain is a continuation of the Foumban Shear Zone
Foumban Shear Zone
The Foumban Shear Zone, or Central Cameroon Shear Zone , is a fault zone in Cameroon that has been identified with the Pernambuco fault in northeastern Brazil, which splays from the Trans-Brazilian Lineament....
in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, itself the western end of the Central African Shear Zone
Central African Shear Zone
The Central African Shear Zone is a wrench fault system extending in an ENE direction from the Gulf of Guinea through Cameroon into Sudan.The structure is not well understood....
.
To the west, the fault splays into numerous faults along a distance of about 50 km, suggesting that the crust was weak at this point, which is on the line where South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
separated from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
around 115 million years ago.