Generation and metamorphism of new crust in magmatic arcs: a case study from northern Chile

In a deep section of the Jurassic Andean arc, coastal Cordillera of northern Chile, south of Antofagasta, basic magmas from a mantle source accreted large masses of crust in an early stage of arc development. These gabbroic intrusions were isochemically metamorphosed at moderate pressures (≤ 5 kbar) and high temperatures (∼ 800°C) into uniform garnet-absent dino+ortho-pyroxene gneisses (granulites). Subsequently they were partly transformed into amphibolites ( T ≤ 700°C) during tectonically controlled access of fluid without major changes in whole rock chemistry. Locally migmatization occurs in the amphibolites. The metamorphic unit was diversified by enduring magmatic activity in the form of chemically distinct gabbroic and quartz dioritic intrusions. Formation and composition of continental crust might be a typical example for the deeper plutonic sections of this continental magmatic arc.