Metamorphic evolution of the Susunai metabasites in southern Sakhalin, Russian Republic

The Susunai Complex of southeast Sakhalin represents a subduction-related accretionary complex of pelitic and basic rocks. Two stages of metamorphism are recognized: (1) a local, low- P / T  event characterized by Si-poor calcic amphiboles; (2) a regional, high- P / T  event characterized by pumpellyite, actinolite, epidote, sodic amphibole, sodic pyroxene, stilpnomelane and aragonite. The major mineral assemblages of the high- P / T  Susunai metabasites contain pumpellyite+epidote+actinolite+chlorite, epidote+actinolite+chlorite, epidote+Na-amphibole+Na-pyroxene+chlorite+haematite. The Na- amphibole is commonly magnesioriebeckite. The Na-pyroxene is jadeite-poor aegirine to aegirine-augite. Application of empirically and experimentally based thermobarometers suggests peak conditions of T  =250–300 °C, P= 4.7–6 kbar. Textural relationships in Susunai metabasite samples and a petrogenetic grid calculated for the Fe³⁺-rich basaltic system suggest that pressure and temperature increased during prograde metamorphism.     

Metamorphic history of eclogites and country rock gneisses in the Aktyuz area,Northern Tien‐Shan,Kyrgyzstan: a record from initiation of subduction through to oceanic closure by continent–continent collision

Eclogites and related high‐P metamorphic rocks occur in the Zaili Range of the Northern Kyrgyz Tien‐Shan (Tianshan) Mountains, which are located in the south‐western segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Eclogites are preserved in the cores of garnet amphibolites and amphibolites that occur in the Aktyuz area as boudins and layers (up to 2000 m in length) within country rock gneisses. The textures and mineral chemistry of the Aktyuz eclogites, garnet amphibolites and country rock gneisses record three distinct metamorphic events (M1–M3). In the eclogites, the first MP–HT metamorphic event (M1) of amphibolite/epidote‐amphibolite facies conditions (560–650 °C, 4–10 kbar) is established from relict mineral assemblages of polyphase inclusions in the cores and mantles of garnet, i.e. Mg‐taramite + Fe‐staurolite + paragonite ± oligoclase (An_<16) ± hematite. The eclogites also record the second HP‐LT metamorphism (M2) with a prograde stage passing through epidote‐blueschist facies conditions (330–570 °C, 8–16 kbar) to peak metamorphism in the eclogite facies (550–660 °C, 21–23 kbar) and subsequent retrograde metamorphism to epidote‐amphibolite facies conditions (545–565 °C and 10–11 kbar) that defines a clockwise P–T path. thermocalc (average P–T mode) calculations and other geothermobarometers have been applied for the estimation of P–T conditions. M3 is inferred from the garnet amphibolites and country rock gneisses. Garnet amphibolites that underwent this pervasive HP–HT metamorphism after the eclogite facies equilibrium have a peak metamorphic assemblage of garnet and pargasite. The prograde and peak metamorphic conditions of the garnet amphibolites are estimated to be 600–640 °C; 11–12 kbar and 675–735 °C and 14–15 kbar, respectively. Inclusion phases in porphyroblastic plagioclase in the country rock gneisses suggest a prograde stage of the epidote‐amphibolite facies (477 °C and 10 kbar). The peak mineral assemblage of the country rock gneisses of garnet, plagioclase (An_11–16), phengite, biotite, quartz and rutile indicate 635–745 °C and 13–15 kbar. The P–T conditions estimated for the prograde, peak and retrograde stages in garnet amphibolite and country rock are similar, implying that the third metamorphic event in the garnet amphibolites was correlated with the metamorphism in the country rock gneisses. The eclogites also show evidence of the third metamorphic event with development of the prograde mineral assemblage pargasite, oligoclase and biotite after the retrograde epidote‐amphibolite facies metamorphism. The three metamorphic events occurred in distinct tectonic settings: (i) metamorphism along the hot hangingwall at the inception of subduction, (ii) subsequent subduction zone metamorphism of the oceanic plate and exhumation, and (iii) continent–continent collision and exhumation of the entire metamorphic sequences. These tectonic processes document the initial stage of closure of a palaeo‐ocean subduction to its completion by continent–continent collision.     

The pumpellyite-actinolite and contiguous facies in part of the Phyllite-Quartzite Series, central Northern Peloponnesus, Greece

Variations in assemblage and composition of the constituent minerals in basic and intermediate metavolcanics encountered in the Zarouchla Group of the Phyllite-Quartzite Series are consistent with a progressive sequence, corresponding to temperature conditions estimated at 290-380°C (minimum values) under a total pressure greater than 3°5kbar and possibly as high as 5 kbar. In the absence of more critical evidence, the parageneses recorded in the metavolcanic rocks are interpreted as belonging to a prograde facies series from the lawsonite-albitechlorite facies through the pumpellyite-actinolite facies to the greenschist facies. The present distribution of mineral assemblages does not show a simple increase of metamorphic grade in a given direction but is apparently related to the tectonic evolution of the metamorphic sequence.     

Prehnite–pumpellyite to greenschist facies transition, Smartville Complex, near Auburn, California

The Smartville Complex is a late Jurassic, rifted volcanic arc in the northern Sierra Nevada, California. Near Auburn, California, it consists of a lower volcanic unit, dominated by basaltic flows, and an upper volcanic unit of andesitic volcaniclastic rocks, both of which have been intruded by dykes and irregular bodies of diabase. These rocks contain relict igneous minerals, and the metamorphic minerals albite, chlorite, quartz, pumpellyite, prehnite, epidote, amphibole, titanite, garnet, biotite, K-feldspar, white mica, calcite, and sulphide and oxide minerals.
Prehnite–pumpellyite (PrP), prehnite–actinolite (PrA), and greenschist (GS) zones have been identified. The pumpellyite-out isograd separates the PrP and PrA zones, and the prehnite-out isograd separates the PrA and GS zones. The minerals Ab + Qtz + Mt + Tn are common to most assemblages in all three zones. The MgO/(MgO + FeO) ratio of the effective bulk composition has an important and systematic effect on the observed mineral assemblages in the PrP zone. Prehnite-bearing assemblages contain the additional minerals, Pmp + Amp + Ep + Chl in MgO-rich rocks, and either Pmp + Ep + Chl or Amp + Ep + Chl in less magnesian rocks. Subcalcic to calcic amphibole is common in the PrP zone. The mineral assemblage Prh + Act + Ep + Chl, without Pmp, characterizes the PrA zone, and the mineral assemblage Act + Ep + Chl, without Prh or Pmp, characterizes the GS zone. The disappearance of pumpellyite and prehnite occurred by continuous reactions.
The sequence of mineral assemblages was produced by burial metamorphism at P–T conditions of 300° 50°C at approximately 2.5 ± 0.5 kbar. During metamorphism, the composition of the fluid phase was nearly 100% H₂O and the oxygen fugacity was between the hematite–magnetite and quartz–fayalite–magnetite buffers.     

Chloritoid-bearing rocks associated with blueschists and eclogites, northern New Caledonia

Abstract Chloritoid-bearing metasedimentary rocks occur in close proximity to blueschists and eclogites in the Tertiary high-pressure metamorphic belt of northern New Caledonia. The typical assemblage of chloritoid-bearing rocks in the epidote zone is quartzchlorite-muscovite-garnet-chloritoid. In the omphacite zone, epidote is an additional member of the chloritoid-bearing assemblage. Paragonite is rare, plagioclase was not detected, and rutile and ilmenite are the Fe-Ti oxide phases. Chloritoid-glaucophane is not a common assemblage. Chloritoid-bearing rocks have relatively low (Ca+K+Na)/Al ratios and the chloritoids are relatively Mg-rich with Mg/ (Mg+Fe) up to about 0.4. A comparison of the mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry with experimental and computed phase equilibria suggest an upper temperature limit near 560° C in the omphacite zone and a minimum temperature limit near 450° C at 10 kbar. An empirical garnet-chlorite Fe-Mg exchange thermometer does not yield consistent results for the higher-grade rocks, suggesting T s ranging from 390 to 535° C in the omphacite zone and 420–465° C in the epidote zone. The distribution coefficient K _D = (Fe/Mg)_ctd/(Fe/Mg)_chl for chloritoid and chlorite ranges from 3.9 to 6.4, values which are lower than those (=10) from lower greenschist facies rocks, but are near those of upper greenschist facies and albite-epidote amphibolite facies.     

Mineral assemblages and phase equilibria of metabasites from the prehnite–pumpellyite to amphibolite facies,with the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt (Manitoba) as a type example

An exceptionally well-exposed part of the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt (Manitoba/Saskatchewan) is used to characterize the mineral assemblage evolution associated with prehnite–pumpellyite through amphibolite facies metamorphism of basalts. Data from these rocks are combined with a large literature data set to assess the ability of current thermodynamic models to reproduce natural patterns, evaluate the use of metabasic rocks at these grades to estimate pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions of metamorphism, and to comment on the metamorphic devolatilization that occurs. At Flin Flon, five major isograds (actinolite-in, prehnite- and pumpellyite-out, hornblende-in, oligoclase-in, and actinolite-out) collectively represent passage from prehnite–pumpellyite to lower amphibolite facies conditions. The evolution in mineral assemblages occurs in two narrow (~1,000 m) zones: the prehnite–pumpellyite to greenschist facies (PP-GS) transition and greenschist to amphibolite facies (GS-AM) transition. Across the GS-AM transition, significant increases in the hornblende and oligoclase proportions occur at the expense of actinolite, albite, chlorite, and titanite, whereas there is little change in the proportions of epidote. The majority of this mineral transformation occurs above the oligoclase-in isograd within the hornblende–actinolite–oligoclase zone. Comparison with thermodynamic modelling results suggests data set 5 (DS5) of Holland and Powell (1998, Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 16 (3):309–343) and associated activity–composition (a–x) models is generally successful in reproducing natural observations, whereas data set 6 (DS6) (Holland & Powell, 2011, Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 29 (3):333–383) and associated a–x models fail to reproduce the observed mineral isograds and compositions. When the data from Flin Flon are combined with data from the literature, two main pressure-sensitive facies series for metabasites are revealed, based on prograde passage below or above a hornblende–albite bathograd at ~3.3 kbar: a low-pressure ‘actinolite–oligoclase type’ facies series, characterized by the appearance of oligoclase before hornblende, and a moderate- to high-pressure ‘hornblende–albite type’ facies series, characterized by the appearance of hornblende before oligoclase. Concerning the PP-GS transition, the mineral assemblage evolution in Flin Flon suggests it occurs over a small zone (<1,000 m), in which assemblages containing true transitional assemblages (prehnite and/or pumpellyite coexisting with actinolite) are rare. This contrasts with thermodynamic modelling, using either DS5 or DS6, which predicts a wide PP-GS transition involving the progressive appearance of epidote and actinolite and disappearance of pumpellyite and prehnite. Patterns of mineral assemblages and thermodynamic modelling suggest a useful bathograd (‘CHEPPAQ bathograd’), separating prehnite–pumpellyite-bearing assemblages at low pressures and pumpellyite–actinolite-bearing assemblages at higher pressures, occurs at ~2.3 to 2.6 kbar. Observations from the Flin Flon sequence suggests devolatilization across the GS-AM transition (average: ~1.8 wt% H₂O) occurs over a very narrow interval within the actinolite–hornblende–oligoclase zone, associated with the loss of >75% of the total chlorite. By contrast, modelling of the GS-AM transition zone predicts more progressive dehydration of ~2 wt% H₂O over a >50°C interval. Observations from the field suggest devolatilization across the PP-GS transition occurs over a very narrow interval given the rarity of transitional assemblages. Modelling suggests fluid release of 1.0–1.4 wt% resulting from prehnite breakdown over a ~10°C interval. This fluid may not be entirely lost from the rock package due to involvement in the hydration of igneous mineralogy across the PP-GS transition as observed in the Flin Flon sequence.     

Metamorphic evolution of calcsilicate granulites near Battye Glacier, northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica

Calcsilicate granulites of probable Middle Proterozoic age ( c .1000–1100  Ma) in the vicinity of Battye Glacier, northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica, contain prograde metamorphic assemblages comprising various combinations of wollastonite, scapolite, clinopyroxene, An-rich plagioclase, calcite, quartz, titanite and, rarely, orthoclase, ilmenite, phlogopite and graphite. Comparison of the prograde assemblages with calculated and experimentally determined phase relations in the simple CaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–CO₂–H₂O system suggests peak metamorphism at ≥835 °C in the presence (in wollastonite-bearing assemblages at least) of a CO₂-bearing fluid ( X _CO≥0.3) at a probable pressure of 6–7  kbar.
Well-preserved retrograde reaction textures represent: (1) breakdown of scapolite to anorthite+calcite±quartz; (2) formation of grossular–andradite garnet and, locally, (3) epidote, both principally by reactions involving scapolite breakdown products and clinopyroxene; (4) local coupled replacement of clinopyroxene and ilmenite by hornblende and titanite, respectively; and finally (5) local sericitization of prograde and retrograde plagioclase. These retrograde reactions are interpreted to be the result of cooling and variable infiltration by H₂O-rich fluids, possibly derived from crystallizing pegmatitic intrusions and segregations that may be partial melts, which are common throughout the area.     

Glaucophane-bearing assemblage overprinted by greenschist-facies metamorphism in the Variscan Kaczawa complex, Sudetes, Poland

An Early Palaeozoic (Ordovician ?) metamudstone sequence near Wojcieszow, Kaczawa Mts, Western Sudetes, Poland, contains numerous metabasite sills, up to 50 m thick. These subvolcanic rocks are of within-plate alkali basalt type. Primary igneous phases in the metabasites, clinopyroxene (salite) and kaersutite, are veined and partly replaced by complex metamorphic mineral assemblages. Particularly, the kaersutite is corroded and rimmed by zoned sodic, sodic–calcic and calcic amphiboles. The matrix is composed of actinolite, pycnochlorite, albite (An ≤ 0.5%), epidote (Ps 27–33), titanite, calcite, opaques and, occasionally, biotite, phengite and stilpnomelane. The sodic amphiboles are glaucophane to crossite in composition with Na^B from 1.9 to 1.6. They are rimmed successively by sodic–calcic and calcic amphiboles with compositions ranging from magnesioferri-winchite to actinolite. No compositions between Na^B= 0.92 and Na^B= 1.56 have been ascertained. The textures may be interpreted as representing a greenschist facies overprint on an earlier blueschist (or blueschist–greenschist transitional) assemblage. The presence of glaucophane and no traces of a jadeitic pyroxene + quartz association indicate pressures between 6 and 12 kbar during the high-pressure episode. Temperature is difficult to assess in this metamorphic event. The replacement of glaucophane by actinolite + chlorite + albite, with associated epidote, allows restriction of the upper pressure limit of the greenschist recrystallization to <8 kbar, between 350 and 450°C. The mineral assemblage representing the greenschist episode suggests the P–T conditions of the high-pressure part of the chlorite or lower biotite zone. The latest metamorphic recrystallization, under the greenschist facies, may have taken place in the Viséan.     

Petrology of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain, Japan: phase equilibria in the highest grade zone of a high-pressure intermediate type of metamorphic belt

The oligoclase-biotite zone of the Bessi area, central Shikoku is characterized by sodic plagioclase (X_Ca= 0.10–0.28)-bearing assemblages in pelitic schists, and represents the highest-grade zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain. Mineral assemblages in pelitic schists of this zone, all with quartz, sodic plagioclase, muscovite and clinozoisite (or zoisite), are garnet + biotite + chlorite + paragonite, garnet + biotite + hornblende + chlorite, and partial assemblages of these two types. Correlations between mineral compositions, mineral assemblages and mineral stability data assuming PH₂O = P_solid suggests that metamorphic conditions of this zone are about 610 ± 25°C and 10 ± 1 kbar.
Based upon a comparative study of mineralogy and chemistry of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa terrain with those in the New Caledonia omphacite zone as an example of a typical high-pressure type of metamorphic belt and with those in a generalized'upper staurolite zone'as an example of a medium-pressure type of metamorphic belt, progressive assemblages within these three zones can be related by reactions such as:     

Phase equilibria in the hornblende-bearing basic gneisses of the Uvete area, central Kenya

Abstract The hornblende-bearing basic gneisses in the Uvete area, central Kenya, were metamorphosed under a narrow range of P and T (6.5 ± 0.5kbar and 530 ± 40°C) of the staurolitekyanite zone in the Mozambique metamorphic belt. They show a wide variety of divariant and trivariant mineral assemblages consisting of hornblende, cumminatonite, gedrite, anthophyllite, chlorite, garnet, epidote, clinopyroxene, plagio-clase and quartz. The bulk and mineral chemistries and the graphical representation of phase relations show that each mineral assemblage approaches chemical equilibrium and defines a unique composition volume in the A'(Al + Fe³⁺− (13/7)Na)-F(Fe²⁺)-M'(Mg)-C'(Ca-(3/7)Na) tetrahedron. The composition volumes are distributed quite regularly and do not overlap each other.
The phase relations in the Uvete area are in contrast with those in the staurolite-kyanite zone amphibolites in the Mt. Cube quadrangle, Vermont. The amphibolites there contain low-variance mineral assemblages formed under different values of μ_H2O and μ_CO2. These assemblages define overlapping composition volumes in the A'-F'-M'-C'tetrahedron.
The mineral assemblages in the Uvete area are interpreted as having formed in equilibrium with fluid at a high and nearly constant μH₂O value. Such a fluid composition was externally controlled by the supply of H₂O-rich fluid expelled from the surrounding pelitic and psammitic rocks. The body size of the basic gneisses in the Uvete area (less than 400m in thickness) was small enough for the fluid to migrate completely.     

Prograde amphiboles in hematite-bearing basic and quartz schists in the Sanbagawa belt, central Shikoku: relationship between metamorphic field gradient and P-T paths of individual rocks

The prograde amphibole that coexists with chlorite, epidote, muscovite, albite, quartz and hematite in Sanbagawa schists was examined to investigate the relationship between the prograde P-T paths of individual rocks and the metamorphic field gradient in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, central Shikoku. The amphibole changes from actinolite, through ferri-winchite and crossite, to barroisite and hornblende with increasing grade along the metamorphic field gradient. However, the sequence of prograde amphibole compositions in each sample varies in different mineral zones. The general scheme can be summarized as: magnesioriebeckite-riebeckite crossite in the upper chlorite zone of lower-grade rocks; crossite or glaucophane barroisite in the garnet zone of medium-grade rocks; and actinolite or winchite barroisite hornblende in the albite-biotite zone of higher-grade rocks. Changes of amphibole composition indicate that the prograde P-T path recorded in the higher-grade rocks was situated on the higher-temperature side of that of the lower-grade rocks and on the lower-pressure side of the metamorphic field gradient. The systematic change of P-T paths implies an increasing d P /d T during continuous subduction. These features can be interpreted as documenting prograde metamorphism within a young subduction zone that has a non-steady-state geotherm.     

Phase petrology and P-T conditions of mafic blueschists from the Meliata unit, West Carpathians, Slovakia

Abstract Blueschists occurring as layers in calcite marbles of the Meliata unit occur along the so-called Roznava tectonic line situated in the southern part of the Gemericum, Slovakia. Mineral assemblages and compositions from seven blueschists localities and one occurrence of amphibolite facies rocks overprinted by blueschist metamorphism were investigated. The most common minerals in the blueschists are blue amphibole, epidote and albite. Some Fe²⁺- and Al-rich rocks also contain garnet and chloritoid, respectively. Na-pyroxene with a maximum 50% jadeite component was also found. The blue amphiboles correspond mostly to crossite and also to glaucophane and ferroglaucophane in some samples. Almandine- and spessartine-rich garnet has very low MgO content (<3 wt%). The Si content in phengite ranges between 3.3 and 3.5 pfu calculated on the basis of 11 oxygens. The zoning patterns of blue amphibole, garnet and chloritoid suggest their formation during a prograde stage of metamorphism. The P-T conditions of metamorphism are estimated to be about 380–460° C and 10–13 kbar. Pressures of 7.5–8.5 kbar and temperatures of 350–370° C were obtained for some actinolite- and aegirine-rich rocks. Apart from chlorite, other mafic minerals formed during retrograde metamorphism are biotite and occasionally also actinolite.     

Hydrothermal Alteration and Fluid Geochemistry of the Tongonan Geothermal Field, Philippines

Abstract: The alteration mineralogy, the present-day fluid chemistry, and some fluid inclusion data are used to make inferences on the chemical changes that have occurred in the fluids during the history of the Tongonan Geothermal Field. Thermal activity in the Tongonan area began in the Miocene when emplacement of many plutons forming a batholith contact metamorphosed the overlying volcanics to hornblende hornfels assemblages. In the early Pliocene, when tectonic uplift occurred along the Philippine Fault, about 2 mole % of mainly carbon dioxide and sulfur gas was released to a geothermal fluid and condensed in groundwater with geothermal steam. The condensate intensely altered the reservoir rock and formed an acid mineral assemblage, which was overprinted by a later, lower temperature, neutral-pH assemblage. Some chlorite, epidote and illite in the reservoir rock formed at temperatures up to 100°C lower than present-day temperatures possibly during the Plio-Pleistocene uplift period, i.e., the system was heating up. The assemblage garnet-anhydrite formed in fractures from a condensate after the gas had nearly completely separated from the deep, CO₂-rich fluid during vigorous boiling possibly during hydrothermal eruptions. The output of gas to the geothermal fluid decreased, while the salinity (10,000 mg/kg or - 2 wt% NaCl) and the temperature of the geothermal fluid remained nearly constant throughout the Quaternary. When this neutral-pH, alkali chloride fluid boiled, it initially precipitated albite or epidote on the rims then anhydrite at the center of fractures at high temperatures (-250–300°C). At lower temperatures (-150–250°C), adularia or wairakite and later calcite were deposited as the proportion of gas in the steam condensate increased. The origin of solutes is also discussed.     

Evolution of H2O content in a polymetamorphic terrane: the Plattengneiss Shear Zone (Koralpe, Austria)

The Koralpe of the Eastern European Alps experienced high-temperature/low-pressure metamorphism (∼650 °C and 6.5 kbar) during the Permian and eclogite facies metamorphism (∼700 °C and 14 kbar) during the Eo-Alpine (Cretaceous) metamorphic event. In the metapelitic Plattengneiss shear zone that constitutes much of the Koralpe, the second metamorphism caused only partial re-equilibration of the assemblages formed during the first metamorphism. It is shown here that the Eo-Alpine mineral assemblage, garnet + biotite + muscovite + plagioclase + quartz (with or without kyanite), formed under low water activity conditions that are consistent with the level of dehydration that occurred during the Permian event. This implies that the rocks were essentially closed-system from the peak of the Permian metamorphism through the Eo-Alpine event. The evolution of water content of the rocks is traced through time: that prograde dewatering during the Permian metamorphic event terminated at the metamorphic peak with a water content around 3–4 mol.%. The water content remained then constant and led to water-undersaturation during the subsequent Eo-Alpine metamorphism. From the water content and activity evolution a post-peak isothermal decompression path close to the solidus is inferred for the Eo-Alpine event.     

A new petrogenetic grid for low-grade metabasites

Abstract We have used internally-consistent thermodynamic data to present calculated phase equilibria for the system Na₂O-CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (NCMASH), in the range 0–500° C and 0.1–10 kbar, involving the phases anorthite, glaucophane, grossular, heulandite, jadeite, laumontite, lawsonite, paragonite, prehnite, pumpellyite, stilbite, tremolite, wairakite, zoisite with excess albite, clinochlore, quartz and pure water. Average activity terms derived from published mineral chemical data were included for clinochlore, glaucophane, prehnite, pumpellyite, tremolite, and zoisite. The new petrogenetic grid delineates stability fields and parageneses of common index minerals in zeolite, prehniteactinolite, prehnite-pumpellyite, pumpellyite-actinolite, blueschist and greenschist facies metabasites. The stability fields of mineral assemblages containing prehnite, pumpellyite, epidote, actinolite (+ albite + chlorite + quartz) were analysed in some detail, using activity data calculated from five specific samples. For example, the prehnite-actinolite facies covers a P-T field ranging from about 220 to 320° C at pressures below 4.5 kbar. The transition from the prehnite-actinolite and pumpellyite-actinolite to greenschist facies occurs at about 250–300° C at 1–3 kbar and at about 250–350° C at 3–8 kbar. P-T fields of individual facies overlap considerably due to variations in chemical composition.     

Metamorphic phase relations in orthopyroxene-bearing granitoids: implication for high-pressure metamorphism and prograde melting in the continental crust

In this work, the factors controlling the formation and preservation of high-pressure mineral assemblages in the metamorphosed orthopyroxene-bearing metagranitoids of the Sandmata Complex, Aravalli-Delhi Mobile Belt (ADMB), northwestern India have been modelled. The rocks range in composition from farsundite through quartz mangerite to opdalite, and with varying K₂O, Ca/(Ca + Na)_rock and FeO_tot + MgO contents. A two stage metamorphic evolution has been recorded in these rocks.
An early hydration event stabilized biotite with or without epidote at the expense of magmatic orthopyroxene and plagioclase. Subsequent high-pressure granulite facies metamorphism (∼15 kbar, ∼800 °C) of these hydrated rocks produced two rock types with contrasting mineralogy and textures. In the non-migmatitic metagranitoids, spectacular garnet ± K-feldspar ± quartz corona was formed around reacting biotite, plagioclase, quartz and/or pyroxene. In contrast, biotite ± epidote melting produced migmatites, containing porphyroblastic garnet incongruent solids and leucosomes.
Applying NCKFMASHTO T–M (H₂O) and P–T pseudosection modelling techniques, it is demonstrated that the differential response of these magmatic rocks to high-pressure metamorphism is primarily controlled by the scale of initial hydration. Rocks, which were pervasively hydrated, produced garnetiferous migmatites, while for limited hydration, the same metamorphism formed sub-solidus garnet-bearing coronae. Based on the sequence of mineral assemblage evolution and the mineral compositional zoning features in the two metagranitoids, a clockwise metamorphic P–T path is constrained for the high-pressure metamorphic event. The finding has major implications in formulating geodynamic model of crustal amalgamation in the ADMB.     

辽东湾周边河流沉积物碎屑矿物组成及其物源意义

对辽东湾周边七条河流下游段河漫滩沉积物的碎屑矿物进行了鉴定,分析了轻重矿物组分的差异、流域基岩类型和沉积物粒度对碎屑矿物组成的影响。轻矿物组成以石英和长石占绝对优势。由于辽东湾西侧河流（六股河、小凌河和大凌河）和东侧河流（双台子河、大辽河、复州河）位于两个构造块体之上,不同的基岩类型导致重矿物组合差别很大。湾西河流普通角闪石含量低、金属矿物含量高,湾东河流则相反,这两种组分能有效区分辽东湾东西两侧的河流,同时也可将滦河与上述河流区分开。石榴子石和普通辉石含量特征可区分湾西三条河流,特征为大凌河前者含量高,小凌河后者含量高,六股河两者含量都很低。绿帘石和阳起石的含量在湾东河流沉积物中差别较大,特征为双台子河前者含量高,大辽河后者含量高,复州河两者含量都很低。七条河流片状矿物和碳酸盐矿物含量低的特征有别于黄河沉积物。     

Separate or shared metamorphic histories of eclogites and surrounding rocks? An example from the Bohemian Massif

Eclogite boudins occur within an orthogneiss sheet enclosed in a Barrovian metapelite‐dominated volcano‐sedimentary sequence within the Velké Vrbno unit, NE Bohemian Massif. A metamorphic and lithological break defines the base of the eclogite‐bearing orthogneiss nappe, with a structurally lower sequence without eclogite exposed in a tectonic window. The typical assemblage of the structurally upper metapelites is garnet–staurolite–kyanite–biotite–plagioclase–muscovite–quartz–ilmenite ± rutile ± silli‐manite and prograde‐zoned garnet includes chloritoid–chlorite–paragonite–margarite, staurolite–chlorite–paragonite–margarite and kyanite–chlorite–rutile. In pseudosection modelling in the system Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (NCKFMASH) using THERMOCALC, the prograde path crosses the discontinuous reaction chloritoid + margarite = chlorite + garnet + staurolite + paragonite (with muscovite + quartz + H₂O) at 9.5 kbar and 570 °C and the metamorphic peak is reached at 11 kbar and 640 °C. Decompression through about 7 kbar is indicated by sillimanite and biotite growing at the expense of garnet. In the tectonic window, the structurally lower metapelites (garnet–staurolite–biotite–muscovite–quartz ± plagioclase ± sillimanite ± kyanite) and amphibolites (garnet–amphibole–plagioclase ± epidote) indicate a metamorphic peak of 10 kbar at 620 °C and 11 kbar and 610–660 °C, respectively, that is consistent with the other metapelites. The eclogites are composed of garnet, omphacite relicts (jadeite = 33%) within plagioclase–clinopyroxene symplectites, epidote and late amphibole–plagioclase domains. Garnet commonly includes rutile–quartz–epidote ± clinopyroxene (jadeite = 43%) ± magnetite ± amphibole and its growth zoning is compatible in the pseudosection with burial under H₂O‐undersaturated conditions to 18 kbar and 680 °C. Plagioclase + amphibole replaces garnet within foliated boudin margins and results in the assemblage epidote–amphibole–plagioclase indicating that decompression occurred under decreasing temperature into garnet‐free epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. The prograde path of eclogites and metapelites up to the metamorphic peak cannot be shared, being along different geothermal gradients, of about 11 and 17 °C km^?1, respectively, to metamorphic pressure peaks that are 6–7 kbar apart. The eclogite–orthogneiss sheet docked with metapelites at about 11 kbar and 650 °C, and from this depth the exhumation of the pile is shared.     

Amphibole-derived evidence of medium <Emphasis Type="Italic">P/T</Emphasis> metamorphic ratio in Alpujárride and Federico “H<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>” units (Western Betic-Northern Rif,Spain and Morocco): possible interpretations

The significance of zoned Ca-amphibole found in metapelites, quartzites, and synfolial veins of the Internal Zone of the Betic-Rif range (Federico units from Northern Rif and Alpujárride units from Western Betic) in the Alpine tectono-metamorphic evolution of these units is discussed for first time. Typical Al-rich metapelites from both areas show assemblages consisting of white mica and chlorite, with sporadic kyanite and chloritoid. Nevertheless, in the Rif zone, phyllites and synfolial veins of Permo-Triassic units show the assemblage pumpellyite + epidote + actinolite. In the Jubrique area (Betic zone), Ca-rich phyllites, fine-grained quartzites, and quartz veins show assemblages consisting of Ca-amphibole, plagioclase, epidote, titanite, chlorite, and quartz. The Al-in-amphibole thermobarometer defines clockwise pressure–temperature paths with a range of prograde temperatures and pressures between 272°C-1.2 kbar and 484°C-3.2 kbar for the Federico unit and between 274°C-1.1 kbar and 620°C-6.1 kbar in the Jubrique unit. Amphiboles from both areas define prograde pressure–temperature paths typical of Barrovian-type metamorphism. This finding contrasts with previous estimates, which deduced high-pressure conditions in both areas. The described amphiboles indicate metamorphic conditions similar to those found in the tectonically deepest complex (Veleta complex) of the Betic Internal Zone and suggest formation during a medium P/T Alpine event, which has not been previously identified in the Alpujárride complex.     

P–T–t evolution of garnet amphibolites in the Wutai–Hengshan area,North China Craton: insights from phase equilibria and geochronology

Garnet amphibolites can provide valuable insights into geological processes of orogenic belts, but their metamorphic evolution is still poorly constrained. Garnet amphibolites from the Wutai–Hengshan area of the North China Craton mainly consist of garnet, hornblende, plagioclase, quartz, rutile and ilmenite, with or without titanite and epidote. Four samples selected in a south–north profile were studied by the pseudosection approach in order to elucidate the characteristics of their metamorphic evolution, and to better reveal the northwards prograde change in P–T conditions as established previously. For the sample from the lower Wutai Subgroup, garnet exhibits obvious two‐substage growth zoning characteristic of pyrope (X_py) increasing but grossular (X_gr) decreasing outwards in the core, and both X_py and X_gr increasing outwards in the rim. Phase modelling using thermocalc suggests that the garnet cores were formed by chlorite breakdown over 7–9 kbar at 530–600 °C, and rims grew from hornblende and epidote breakdown over 9.5–11.5 kbar at 600–670 °C. The isopleths of the minimum An in plagioclase and maximum X_py in garnet were used to constrain the peak P–T conditions of ~11.5 kbar/670 °C. The modelled peak assemblage garnet + hornblende + epidote+ plagioclase + rutile + quartz matches well the observed one. Plagioclase–hornblende coronae around garnet indicate post‐peak decompression and fluid ingress. For the samples from the south Hengshan Complex, the garnet zoning weaken gradually, reflecting modifications during decompression of the rocks. Using the same approach, the rocks are inferred to have suprasolidus peak conditions, increasing northwards from 11.5 kbar/745 °C, 12.5 kbar/780 °C to 13 kbar/800 °C. Their modelled peak assemblages involve diopside, garnet, hornblende, plagioclase, rutile and quartz, yet diopside is not observed petrographically. The post‐peak decompression is characterized by diopside + garnet + quartz + melt = hornblende + plagioclase, causing the diopside consumption and garnet compositions to be largely modified. Thus, the pesudosection approach is expected to provide better pressure results than conventional thermobarometry, because the later approach cannot be applied with confidence to rocks with multi‐generation assemblages. U–Pb dating of zircon in the Wutai sample records a protolith age of c. 2.50 Ga, and a metamorphic age of c. 1.95 Ga, while zircon in the Hengshan samples records metamorphic ages of c. 1.92 Ga. The c. 1.95 Ga is interpreted to represent the pre‐peak or peak metamorphic stages, and the ages of c. 1.92 Ga are assigned to represent the cooling stages. All rocks in the Wutai–Hengshan area share similar clockwise P–T morphologies. They may represent metamorphic products at different crustal depths in one orogenic event, which included a main thickening stage at c. 1.95 Ga followed by a prolonged uplift and cooling after 1.92 Ga.