Late Tonian explosive volcanism and hyaloclastites in northern Paraguay Belt, Central Brazil: A record of Rodinia break-up in western Gondwana

•Evidence of extensive and long-lived Neoproterozoic explosive volcanism.•New U-Pb ages of 771–734 Ma for oceanic crust formation in the Paraguay Belt.•Surtseyan eruption represented by hyaloclastites and incorporated bombs of scoria.•Subaerial volcanism environment represented by acidic tuffs and ignimbrites. Explosive volcanism and oceanic crust generation are key aspects to understanding the break-up history of the Rodinia. Its impact on the extreme glaciations of the Cryogenian was marked by ocean chemistry fluctuations in these times, which are still poorly known and preserved in western Gondwana. Here we describe in detail and provide a series of U-Pb ages for the Nova Xavantina Metavolcanosedimentary Sequence, where extrusive rocks, such as hyaloclastite and metabasalts, as well as mafic and ultramafic intrusive rocks and ignimbrites, are associated with diamictites, limestones, and iron formations in the Paraguay belt, Central Brazil. Two styles of pyroclastic eruptions were identified in the studied area. Basic-ultrabasic Surtseyan eruption was enhanced by magma-water interaction and is represented by hyaloclastites and incorporated bombs of scoria. Felsic Plinian eruption, in its turn, was formed by violent explosions in a subaerial environment and is represented by widely exposed acidic tuffs and ignimbrites. Shallow subaqueous environments, such as lakes, salt lakes, and possibly proto-oceans, developed in this precursor basin concomitant with bimodal volcanism. High resolution U-Pb geochronology results indicate they were formed in at least three magmatic events, starting with the formation of ca. 745 Ma seafloor metabasalts and felsic volcanics dated at ca. 735 Ma, and intrusive gabbros at ca. 714 Ma. Alkaline ultramafic rocks of ca. 577 Ma intrude the region and may be associated with similar rocks that crop out regionally as the Planalto da Serra Alkaline Complex. Our results from Nova Xavantina volcanism explain the main Neoproterozoic source until now unrecognized and previous recorded in detrital zircons from the Paraguay belt sediment provenance.