40Ar/39Ar data for Resende-Ilha Grande Tholeiitic Dike Swarm point to early extensional episode ca. 156-144 Ma.
The event precedes the onset of Paraná LIP and the Gondwana break-up.
Three high-TiO2 magmatic suites identified using geochemistry and Nd and Sr isotopic data.
TDM ages suggest basement contamination and are similar to mafic rocks interlayered with Neoproterozoic basement.
The swarm represents the precise onshore projection of Pelotas-Santos rift propagator, in the N–S direction.