A Report on a Biotite-Calcic Hornblende Geothermometer

This paper presents a biotite-calcic hornblende geothermometer which was empirically calibrated based on the gamet-biotite geothermometer and the gamet-plagioclase-hornblende-quartz geobarometer, in the ranges of 560-800℃ (T) and 0.26-1.4 GPa (P) using the data of metadolerite, amphibolite, metagabbro, and metapelite collected from the literature. Biotite was treated as symmetric Fe-Mg-AlVI-Ti quaternary solid solution, and calcic hornblende was simplified as symmetric Fe-Mg binary solid solution. The resulting thermometer may rebuild the input garnet-biotite temperatures well within an uncertainty of ±50℃. Errors of ±0.2 GPa for input pressure, along with analytical errors of ?% for the relevant mineral compositions, may lead to a random error of ±16℃ for this thermometer, so that the thermometer is almost independent of pressure estimates. The thermometer may clearly discriminate different rocks of lower amphibolite, upper amphibolite and granulite facies on a high confidence level. It is assume     

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.     

Prograde and retrograde history of eclogites from the Eastern Blue Ridge, North Carolina, USA

Abstract The prograde metamorphism of eclogites is typically obscured by chemical equilibration at peak conditions and by partial requilibration during retrograde metamorphism. Eclogites from the Eastern Blue Ridge of North Carolina retain evidence of their prograde path in the form of inclusions preserved in garnet. These eclogites, from the vicinity of Bakersville, North Carolina, USA are primarily comprised of garnet–clinopyroxene–rutile–hornblende–plagioclase–quartz. Quartz, clinopyroxene, hornblende, rutile, epidote, titanite and biotite are found as inclusions in garnet cores. Included hornblende and clinopyroxene are chemically distinct from their matrix counterparts. Thermobarometry of inclusion sets from different garnets record different conditions. Inclusions of clinozoisite, titanite, rutile and quartz (clinozoisite + titanite = grossular + rutile + quartz + H₂O) yield pressures (6–10 kbar, 400–600 °C and 8–12 kbar 450–680 °C) at or below the minimum peak conditions from matrix phases (10–13 kbar at 600–800 °C). Inclusions of hornblende, biotite and quartz give higher pressures (13–16 kbar and 630–660 °C). Early matrix pyroxene is partially or fully broken down to a diopside–plagioclase symplectite, and both garnet and pyroxene are rimmed with plagioclase and hornblende. Hypersthene is found as a minor phase in some diopside + plagioclase symplectites, which suggests retrogression through the granulite facies. Two‐pyroxene thermometry of this assemblage gives a temperature of c. 750 °C. Pairing the most Mg‐rich garnet composition with the assemblage plagioclase–diopside–hypersthene–quartz gives pressures of 14–16 kbar at this temperature. The hornblende–plagioclase–garnet rim–quartz assemblage yields 9–12 kbar and 500–550 °C. The combined P–T data show a clockwise loop from the amphibolite to eclogite to granulite facies, all of which are overprinted by a texturally late amphibolite facies assemblage. This loop provides an unusually complete P–T history of an eclogite, recording events during and following subduction and continental collision in the early Palaeozoic.     

Constraining the P–T path of a MORB-type eclogite using pseudosections, garnet zoning and garnet-clinopyroxene thermometry: an example from the Bohemian Massif

A mid‐ocean ridge basalt (MORB)‐type eclogite from the Moldanubian domain in the Bohemian Massif retains evidence of its prograde path in the form of inclusions of hornblende, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, titanite, ilmenite and rutile preserved in zoned garnet. Prograde zoning involves a flat grossular core followed by a grossular spike and decrease at the rim, whereas Fe/(Fe + Mg) is also flat in the core and then decreases at the rim. In a pseudosection for H₂O‐saturated conditions, garnet with such a zoning grows along an isothermal burial path at c. 750 °C from 10 kbar in the assemblage plagioclase‐hornblende‐diopsidic clinopyroxene‐quartz, then in hornblende‐diopsidic clinopyroxene‐quartz, and ends its growth at 17–18 kbar. From this point, there is no pseudosection‐based information on further increase in pressure or temperature. Then, with garnet‐clinopyroxene thermometry, the focus is on the dependence on, and the uncertainties stemming from the unknown Fe³⁺ content in clinopyroxene. Assuming no Fe³⁺ in the clinopyroxene gives a serious and unwarranted upward bias to calculated temperatures. A Fe³⁺‐contributed uncertainty of ±40 °C combined with a calibration and other uncertainties gives a peak temperature of 760 ± 90 °C at 18 kbar, consistent with no further heating following burial to eclogite facies conditions. Further pseudosection modelling suggests that decompression to c. 12 kbar occurred essentially isothermally from the metamorphic peak under H₂O‐undersaturated conditions (c. 1.3 mol.% H₂O) that allowed the preservation of the majority of garnet with symplectitic as well as relict clinopyroxene. The modelling also shows that a MORB‐type eclogite decompressed to c. 8 kbar ends as an amphibolite if it is H₂O saturated, but if it is H₂O‐undersaturated it contains assemblages with orthopyroxene. Increasing H₂O undersaturation causes an earlier transition to SiO₂ undersaturation on decompression, leading to the appearance of spinel‐bearing assemblages. Granulite facies‐looking overprints of eclogites may develop at amphibolite facies conditions.     

Contrasting mineral isograd sequences in metabasites of the Cape Smith Belt, northern Québec, Canada: three new bathograds for mafic rocks

Regional-scale mapping of index-mineral isograds in mafic units of the early Proterozoic Cape Smith Thrust Belt (northern Québec) has revealed contrasting pressure-temperature regimes associated with two distinct structural domains. In the southern domain, crustal thickening was accomplished by early, piggy-back thrust faults. Isograds cross-cut the thrusts, indicating that thermal-peak mineral growth outlasted deformation associated with early imbrication. Mineral zones are: (1) actinolite (Act) + albite (Alb); (2) hornblende (Hbl) + Act + Alb; (3) Hbl + Act + oligoclase (Oli); (4) Hbl + Oli; and (5) garnet (Grt) or clinopyroxene + Hbl + Oli-andesine. The oligoclase isograd occurs at higher grade than the hornblende isograd, a sequence typical of medium-pressure terranes (5–7 kbar). An Hbl-Alb bathograd. calibrated from mixed-volatile equilibria in the NCMASH-CO₂ model system, suggests minimum pressures of about 5.4 kbar. Metamorphism in the northern domain was a consequence of re-imbrication, by means of out-of-sequence thrust faults active during and after peak metamorphic conditions. Mineral growth was coeval with thrusting, as documented by the syn-kinematic garnet porphyroblasts. Compared to the southern domain, a different sequence of isograds in mafic rocks shows that the albite-oligoclase transition takes place in the garnet zone. Based on thermobarometry in garnet-hornblende rocks, the oligoclase isograd occurs in a temperature range of 525–600°C, typical of high-pressure terranes (7–10 kbar). Calibrated bathograds for the Hbl-Ms-Alb and Grt-Alb bathozonal assemblages, respectively in the KNCMASH-CO₂ and NCMASH model systems, indicate minimum pressures in the northern domain of 6.7 and 8.5 kbar. Higher-pressure series for this domain are explained by out-of-sequence thrusts exposing deeper crustal levels. For similar structural levels, only minor amounts of syn-deformational uplift (1–2 kbar and 50–75°C) are recorded in metabasites of this domain, compared to results in adjacent metapelites of the area (essentially isothermal uplift of 3–5 kbar). RESUME La bande du Cap Smith (nord du Québec) est une ceinture de chevauchement d'ǎge protérozoique inférieur, dominée par des roches mafiques. La cartographie d'isogrades à minéraux indicateurs dans les unités mafiques de la ceinture a révelé deux régimes contrastes de pression–température, chacun associéà des épisodes distincts d'épaississement crustal. Dans le domaine sud, des failles de chevauchement en-série sont responsables pour l'empilement tectonique. Les isogrades recoupent les failles, indiquant que l'apogée thermale a suivi l'emplacement initial des nappes de charriage. Les zones minérales sont: (1) actinote (Act) + albite (Alb); 2) hornblende (Hbl) + Act + Alb; (3) Hbl + Act + oligoclase (Oli); 4) Hbl + Oli; et (5) grenat (Grt) où clinopyroxene + Hbl + Oli-andésine. L'isograde d'oligoclase apparaǐt à plus haute température que l'isograde d'hornblende, une séquence typique des terrains de pressions moyennes. Un bathograde Hbl–Alb, calibréà partir d'équilibre mixte de volatiles dans le système NCMASH–CO₂, suggère des pressions minimales d'environ 5.4 kbar. Le métamorphisme dans le domaine nord de la ceinture a été le résultat d'une réimbrication, causé par des chevauchements hors-série actifs pendant et après l'apogée thermale. La croissance minérale fǔt synchrone au chevauchement, documentée par des porphyroblastes de grenat syn-cinénatique. Comparé au domaine sud, une différente séquence d'isogrades dans les métabasaltes montre que la transition albite–oligoclase se situé dans la zone à grenat. Par la thermobarométrie dans les roches à grenat–hornblende l'isograde d'oligoclase se situe dans un écart de température de 525–600°C, typique des terrains de hautes pressions (7–10 kbar). Des bathogrades calibrés pour les assemblages bathozonales Hbl–Ms–Alb et Grt–Alb, rcspectivement dans les systèmes KNCMASH–CO₂ et NCMASH, indique des pression minimales pour le domaine nord de 6.7 et 8.5 kbar. Une zonégraphie à plus haute pression pour ce domaine est expliquée par des chevauchements hors-série exposant des niveaux plus inférieurs de la croǔte imbriqué. Pour des niveaux structuraux similaries, des soulèvements syn-métamorphiques mineurs sont enregistrés dans les métabasaltes (1–2 kbar et 50–75°C), comparés aux métapélites adjacentes avec un soulèvement (essentially isothermal uplift of 3–5 kbar.     

Transformation of garnet epidote amphibolite to eclogite, western Dabie Mountains, China

Omphacite and garnet coronas around amphibole occur in amphibolites in the Hong'an area, western Dabie Mountains, China. These amphibolites consist of an epidote–amphibolite facies assemblage of amphibole, garnet, albite, clinozoisite, paragonite, ilmenite and quartz, which is incompletely overprinted by an eclogite facies assemblage of garnet, omphacite and rutile. Coronas around amphibole can be divided into three types: an omphacite corona; a garnet–omphacite–rutile corona; and, a garnet–omphacite corona with less rutile. Chemographic analysis for local reaction domains in combination with petrographical observations show that reactions Amp + Ab + Pg = Omp +Czo + Qtz + H₂O, and Amp + Ab = Omp ± Czo + Qtz + H₂O may lead to the development of omphacite coronas. The garnet–omphacite–rutile corona was formed from the reaction Amp + Ab + Czo + Ilm ± Qtz = Omp + Grt + Rt + H₂O. In garnet–omphacite coronas, the garnet corona grew during an early stage of epidote amphibolite facies metamorphism, whereas omphacite probably formed by the reactions forming the omphacite corona during the eclogite facies stage. It is estimated that these reactions occurred at 0.8–1.4 GPa and 480–610 °C using the garnet–clinopyroxene thermometer and omphacite barometer in the presence of albite.     

Comparison of garnet-biotite, calcite-graphite, and calcite-dolomite thermometry in the Grenville Orogen; Ontario, Canada

The Elzevir Terrane of the Grenville Orogen in southern Ontario contains metapelites and abundant graphitic marbles that were regionally metamorphosed from the upper greenschist to upper amphibolite facies. Comparative thermometry was undertaken with widely used calibrations for the systems garnet-biotite, calcite-dolomite, and calcite-graphite. Temperatures that are obtained from matrix biotites paired with prograde garnet near-rim analyses are usually consistent with those determined using calcite-graphite thermometry. However, calcite-graphite thermometry occasionally yields low temperatures due to lack of equilibration of anomalously light graphite. Application of calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite systems may yield temperatures up to 70 °C higher than calcite-dolomite in amphibolite facies rocks. Calcite-dolomite temperatures most closely approach those from calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite when the samples contain a single generation of dolomite and calcite grains contain no visible dolomite exsolution lamellae. However, some of these samples yield temperatures considerably lower than temperatures calculated from calcite-graphite and garnet-biotite thermometry, indicating that the calcite-dolomite thermometer may have been partially reset during retrogression. Estimated peak metamorphic temperatures of regional metamorphism between Madoc (upper greenschist facies) and Bancroft (upper amphibolite facies) range from 500 to 650 °C. These results place the chlorite-staurolite isograd at 540 °C, the kyanite-sillimanite isograd at 590 °C, and the sillimanite-K-feldspar isograd at 650 °C. Although each thermometer may have an absolute uncertainty of as much as ±50 °C, the 50 to 60 °C temperature differences between the isograds are probably accurate to 10 to 20 °C. An incomplete picture of the thermal gradients can result from the application of only one thermometer in a given area. Simultaneous application of several systems allows one to recognize and overcome the inherent limitations of each thermometer. Received: 26 March 1997 / Accepted: 15 April 1998     

Peristerite compositions in quartzofeldspathic schists, Franz Josef-Fox Glacier Area, New Zealand

Plagioclase compositions vary from An_0.1–2.5 to An₃₂ with increasing grade in chlorite zone to oligoclase zone quartzofeldspathic schists, Franz Josef-Fox Glacier area, Southern Alps, New Zealand. This change is interrupted by the peristerite composition gap in rocks transitional between greenschist and amphibolite facies grade. Oligoclase (An_20-24) and albite (An_0.1–0.5) are found in biotite zone schists below the garnet isograd. With increasing grade, the plagioclase compositions outline the peristerite gap, which is asymmetric and narrows to compositions of An₁₂ and An₆ near the top of the garnet zone. In any one sample, oligoclase is the stable mineral in mica-rich layers above the garnet isograd, whereas albite and oligoclase exist in apparent textural equilibrium in adjacent quartz-plagioclase layers. The initial appearance of oligoclase in both layers results from the breakdown of epidote and possibly sphene. Carbonate is restricted to the quartz-plagioclase rich layers and probably accounts for the more sodic composition of oligoclase in these layers. The formation of more Ca-rich albite and more Na-rich oligoclase near the upper limit of the garnet zone coincides with the disappearance of carbonate and closure of the peristerite gap. Garnet appears to have only a localized effect on Ca-enrichment of plagioclase in mica-rich layers within the garnet zone. The Na-content of white mica increases sympathetically with increasing Ca-content of oligoclase and metamorphic grade. Comparison of the peristerite gap in the Franz Josef-Fox Glacier schists and schists of the same bulk composition in the Haast River area, 80 km to the S, indicates that oligoclase appears and epidote disappears at lower temperatures, and that the composition gap between coexisting albite and oligoclase is narrower in the Franz Josef-Fox Glacier area. It is suggested that a higher thermal gradient (38-40°C/km) and variations in Si/Al ordering during growth of the plagioclases between the two areas may account for these differences. In the Alpine schists the peristerite gap exists over a temperature and pressure interval of about 370-515°C and 5.5-7 kbar (550-700 MPa) P_H2O.     

Assessment of the Garnet-Clinopyroxene Thermometer

A thermometer based on the MgFe_?1 exchange equilibrium between garnet and clinopyroxene is formulated by using new experimental data measured at 600° to 950°C, 0.8 to 3.0 GPa, and f(O₂) defined by the fayalite-quartz-magnetite buffer in the basalt-H₂O system. The new formulation is T = 3820 / 1.828 + lnK_D (1 + a(2.2 ? p)), where T is temperature (K), P is pressure (GPa), KD is the Fe-Mg partition coefficient between garnet and clino-pyroxene, defined as KD = (Fe²+/Mg)garnet/(Fe²+/Mg) clinopyroxene, and a = 132/T. Application of the thermometer to rocks in amphibolite, granulite, and eclogite terranes yields temperatures that are in reasonable agreement with other well-calibrated thermometers and the experimental calibrations by Ellis and Green (1979) and Pattison and Newton (1989).     

Internally consistent geothermometers for garnet peridotites and pyroxenites

Mutual relationships among temperatures estimated with the most widely used geothermometers for garnet peridotites and pyroxenites demonstrate that the methods are not internally consistent and may diverge by over 200°C even in well-equilibrated mantle xenoliths. The Taylor (N Jb Min Abh 172:381–408, 1998) two-pyroxene (TA98) and the Nimis and Taylor (Contrib Mineral Petrol 139:541–554, 2000) single-clinopyroxene thermometers are shown to provide the most reliable estimates, as they reproduce the temperatures of experiments in a variety of simple and natural peridotitic systems. Discrepancies between these two thermometers are negligible in applications to a wide variety of natural samples (≤30°C). The Brey and Köhler (J Petrol 31:1353–1378, 1990) Ca-in-Opx thermometer shows good agreement with TA98 in the range 1,000–1,400°C and a positive bias at lower T (up to +90°C, on average, at T _TA98 = 700°C). The popular Brey and Köhler (J Petrol 31:1353–1378, 1990) two-pyroxene thermometer performs well on clinopyroxene with Na contents of ~0.05 atoms per 6-oxygen formula, but shows a systematic positive bias with increasing Na_Cpx (+150°C at Na_Cpx = 0.25). Among Fe–Mg exchange thermometers, the Harley (Contrib Mineral Petrol 86:359–373, 1984) orthopyroxene–garnet and the recent Wu and Zhao (J Metamorphic Geol 25:497–505, 2007) olivine–garnet formulations show the highest precision, but systematically diverge (up to ca. 150°C, on average) from TA98 estimates at T far from 1,100°C and at T < 1,200°C, respectively; these systematic errors are also evident by comparison with experimental data for natural peridotite systems. The older O’Neill and Wood (Contrib Mineral Petrol 70:59–70, 1979) version of the olivine–garnet Fe–Mg thermometer and all popular versions of the clinopyroxene–garnet Fe–Mg thermometer show unacceptably low precision, with discrepancies exceeding 200°C when compared to TA98 results for well-equilibrated xenoliths. Empirical correction to the Brey and Köhler (J Petrol 31:1353–1378, 1990) Ca-in-Opx thermometer and recalibration of the orthopyroxene–garnet thermometer, using well-equilibrated mantle xenoliths and TA98 temperatures as calibrants, are provided in this study to ensure consistency with TA98 estimates in the range 700–1,400°C. Observed discrepancies between the new orthopyroxene–garnet thermometer and TA98 for some localities can be interpreted in the light of orthopyroxene–garnet Fe³⁺ partitioning systematics and suggest localized and lateral variations in mantle redox conditions, in broad agreement with existing oxybarometric data. Kinetic decoupling of Ca–Mg and Fe–Mg exchange equilibria caused by transient heating appears to be common, but not ubiquitous, near the base of the lithosphere.     

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.     

Petrogenesis of a high-temperature metamorphic terrane: a new tectonic interpretation for the north Dabieshan, central China

ABSTRACT The northern Dabie terrane consists of a variety of metamorphic rocks with minor mafic-ultramafic blocks, and abundant Jurassic-Cretaceous granitic plutons. The metamorphic rocks include orthogneisses, amphibolite, migmatitic gneiss with minor granulite and metasediments; no eclogite or other high-pressure metamorphic rocks have been found. Granulites of various compositions occur either as lenses, blocks or layers within clinopyroxene-bearing amphibolite or gneiss. The palaeosomes of most migmatitic gneisses contain clinopyroxene; melanosomes and leucosomes are intimately intermingled, tightly folded and may have formed in situ. The granulites formed at about 800–830 °C and 10–14 kbar and display near-isothermal decompression P–T paths that may have resulted from crust thickened by collision. Plagioclase-amphibole coronae around garnets and matrix PI + Hbl assemblages from mafic and ultramafic granulites formed at about 750–800 °C. Partial replacement of clinopyroxene by amphibole in gneiss marks amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism. Amphibolite facies orthogneisses and interlayered amphibolites formed at 680–750 °C and c. 6 kbar. Formation of oligoclase + orthoclase antiperthite after plagioclase took place in migmatitic gneisses at T ≤ 490°C in response to a final stage of retrograde recrystallization. These P–T estimates indicate that the northern Dabie metamorphic granulite-amphibolite facies terrane formed in a metamorphic field gradient of 20–35 °C km^-1 at intermediate to low pressures, and may represent the Sino-Korean hangingwall during Triassic subduction for formation of the ultrahigh- and high-P units to the south. Post-collisional intrusion of a mafic-ultramafic cumulate complex occurred due to breakoff of the subducting slab.     

Establishing the P–T path for Alpine Schist, Southern Alps near Hokitika, New Zealand

Pressure–temperature pseudosections for ‘greyschist’ (metamorphosed greywacke and argillite) from the Alpine Schist (Haast Schist group) near Hokitika (Southern Alps, New Zealand) are used to gain new insights into its metamorphic history. The rocks were metamorphosed at relatively low‐grade conditions associated with the first appearance and initial growth of garnet in the stability field of albite. The measured and predicted garnet compositional zoning data are used to construct an overall P–T path by combining P–T path results from nearby rocks that have a range of MnO contents. The P–T path obtained is steep from ～380 °C/2.5 kbar up to ～490 °C/8.5 kbar, then recurves sharply with garnet growth continuing during early decompression to ～500 °C/6.5 kbar. Most garnet growth in the study area took place in the stability field of albite, with oligoclase appearing only during decompression, when the peristerite gap was entered. On appearance of oligoclase, there is a marked decrease in the CaO content of garnet. The preservation of mineral assemblages from near‐peak temperature conditions can be understood in terms of the P–T path subsequently becoming tangential to water content contours, during cooling with further decompression.     

Transformation of Fe–Ti gabbro to coronite, eclogite and amphibolite in the Baie du Nord segment, Manicouagan Imbricate Zone, eastern Grenville Province

Fe–Ti gabbros from the Baie du Nord Segment of the Manicouagan Imbricate Zone, metamorphosed under high P–T conditions during the Grenvillian orogeny, have been the focus of a detailed micropetrological study. Textures and mineral chemistry suggest that the mineral assemblages represent progressive stages of metamorphic transformation resulting in the formation of coronas, pseudomorphs after igneous phases (transitional) and true, granoblastic eclogites. The transitional and eclogitic samples also have coronas which are developed locally around igneous xenocrysts of plagioclase and olivine. The deformed margins of coronitic Fe–Ti gabbros are transformed to amphibolite and contain clinopyroxene-bearing leucosomes with garnet poikiloblasts that are indicative of high-P–T dehydration melting. Interpretation of garnet zoning and thermobarometry suggest that the highest P–T conditions are recorded by coronas around xenocrysts (c. 720–800 °C at 14–17 kbar) and garnet–clinopyroxene cores in granoblastic assemblages (c. 740–820 °C at 13–17 kbar) in the eclogitic samples. Re-equilibration during the early stages of exhumation at high-T conditions (>700 °C) affected all samples, and is evidenced by the widespread development of pargasite-bearing plagioclase collars in the coronitic and transitional metagabbros and by widespread re-equilibration of the eclogites giving lower P–T estimates at grain boundaries. However, the difference in calculated pressure conditions between coronite and eclogite samples is consistent with increasing pressure (depth) from the coronites (11–13 kbar) to the eclogites (13–17 kbar). The P–T conditions recorded by these rocks define a metamorphic field gradient which suggests high heat flow through the lower crust during the Grenvillian orogeny.     

A new formulation of garnet–clinopyroxene geothermometer based on accumulation and statistical analysis of a large experimental data set

Published experimental data including garnet and clinopyroxene as run products were used to develop a new formulation of the garnet–clinopyroxene geothermometer based on 333 garnet–clinopyroxene pairs. Only experiments with graphite capsules were selected because of difficulty in estimating the Fe³⁺ content of clinopyroxene. For the calibration, a published subregular‐solution model was adopted to express the non‐ideality of garnet. The magnitude of the Fe–Mg excess interaction parameter for clinopyroxene (W_FeMg^Cpx), and differences in enthalpy and entropy of the Fe–Mg exchange reaction were regressed from the accumulated experimental data set. As a result, a markedly negative value was obtained for the Fe–Mg excess interaction parameter of clinopyroxene (W_FeMg^Cpx = ? 3843 J mol^?1). The pressure correction is simply treated as linear, and the difference in volume of the Fe–Mg exchange reaction was calculated from a published thermodynamic data set and fixed to be ?120.72 (J kbar^?1 mol^?1). The regressed and obtained thermometer formulation is as follows: where T = temperature, P = pressure (kbar), A = 0.5 X_grs (X_prp ? X_alm ? X_sps), B = 0.5 X_grs (X_prp ? X_alm + X_sps), C = 0.5 (X_grs + X_sps) (X_prp ? X_alm), X_prp = Mg/(Fe²⁺ + Mn + Mg + Ca)^Grt, X_alm = Fe/(Fe²⁺ + Mn + Mg + Ca)^Grt, X_sps = Mn/(Fe²⁺ + Mn + Mg + Ca)^Grt, X_grs = Ca/(Fe²⁺ + Mn + Mg + Ca)^Grt, X_Mg^Cpx = Mg/(Al + Fe^total + Mg)^Cpx, X_Fe^Cpx = Fe²⁺/(Al + Fe^total + Mg)^Cpx, K_D = (Fe²⁺/Mg)^Grt/(Fe²⁺/Mg)^Cpx, Grt = garnet, Cpx = clinopyroxene. A test of this new formulation to the accumulated data gave results that are concordant with the experimental temperatures over the whole range of the experimental temperatures (800–1820 °C), with a standard deviation (1 sigma) of 74 °C. Previous formulations of the thermometer are inconsistent with the accumulated data set; they underestimate temperatures by about 100 °C at >1300 °C and overestimate by 100–200 °C at <1300 °C. In addition, they tend to overestimate temperatures for high‐Ca garnet (X_grs ≈ 0.30–0.50). This new formulation has been tested against previous formulations of the thermometer by application to natural eclogites. This gave temperatures some 20–100 °C lower than previous formulations.     

Geothermobarometry of UHP and HP eclogites and schists – an evaluation of equilibria among garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–coesite/quartz

Geothermometry of eclogites and other high pressure (HP)/ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) rocks has been a challenge, due to severe problems related to the reliability of the garnet–clinopyroxene Fe–Mg exchange thermometer to omphacite‐bearing assemblages. Likewise, reliable geobarometers for eclogites and related HP/UHP rocks are scarce. In this paper, a set of internally consistent geothermobarometric expressions have been formulated for reactions between the UHP assemblage garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–coesite, and the corresponding HP assemblage garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–quartz. In the system KCMASH, the end members grossular (Grs) and pyrope (Prp) in garnet, diopside (Di) in clinopyroxene, muscovite (Ms) and celadonite (Cel) in phengite together with kyanite and coesite or quartz define invariant points in the coesite and quartz stability field, respectively, depending on which SiO₂ polymorph is stable. Thus, a set of net transfer reactions including these end members will uniquely define equilibrium temperatures and pressures for phengite–kyanite–SiO₂‐bearing eclogites. Application to relevant eclogites from various localities worldwide show good consistency with petrographic evidence. Eclogites containing either coesite or polycrystalline quartz after coesite all plot within the coesite stability field, while typical quartz‐bearing eclogites with no evidence of former coesite fall within the quartz stability field. Diamondiferous coesite–kyanite eclogite and grospydite xenoliths in kimberlites all fall into the diamond stability field. The present method also yields consistent values as compared with the garnet–clinopyroxene Fe–Mg geothermometer for these kinds of rocks, but also indicates some unsystematic scatter of the latter thermometer. The net transfer geothermobarometric method presented in this paper is suggested to be less affected by later thermal re‐equilibration than common cation exchange thermometers.     

Phase relationships in grunerite–garnet-bearing amphibolites in the system CFMASH, with applications to metamorphic rocks from the Central Zone of the Limpopo Belt, South Africa

A petrogenetic grid in the model system CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O is presented, illustrating the phase relationships among the minerals grunerite, hornblende, garnet, clinopyroxene, chlorite, olivine, anorthite, zoisite and aluminosilicates, with quartz and H₂O in excess. The grid was calculated with the computer software thermocalc , using an upgraded version of the internally consistent thermodynamic dataset HP98 and non‐ideal mixing activity models for all solid solutions. From this grid, quantitative phase diagrams (P–T pseudosections) are derived and employed to infer a P–T path for grunerite–garnet‐bearing amphibolites from the Endora Klippe, part of the Venetia Klippen Complex within the Central Zone of the Limpopo Belt. Agreement between calculated and observed mineral assemblages and garnet zonation indicates that this part of the Central Zone underwent a prograde temperature and pressure increase from c. 540 °C/4.5 kbar to 650 °C/6.5 kbar, followed by a post‐peak metamorphic pressure decrease. The inferred P–T path supports a geotectonic model suggesting that the area surrounding the Venetia kimberlite pipes represents the amphibolite‐facies roof zone of migmatitic gneisses and granulites that occur widely within the Central Zone. In addition, the P–T path conforms to an interpretation that the Proterozoic evolution of the Central Zone was controlled by horizontal tectonics, causing stacking and differential heating at c. 2.0 Ga.     

P–T conditions of metabasites within regional metapelites in far-eastern Nepal Himalaya and its tectonic meaning

Metabasites exposed in far-eastern Nepal provide an important insight into the metamorphic evolution of the Himalayan orogen independent from data obtained on metapelites. The P–T conditions and formation process of mafic granulite intercalated within Early Oligocene migmatites and two amphibolites surrounded by Early Miocene metapelites were inferred from pseudosection modeling and conventional geothermobarometry combined with the occurrences of field and microstructures. A mafic granulite in the Higher Himalaya Crystalline Sequence (HHCS) yields P–T conditions of 6.5–8 kbar, 730–750 °C. The similar peak P–T condition and retrograde path with low P/T gradient of mafic granulite and surrounding migmatite indicate that both rocks were simultaneously metamorphosed and exhumed together along the tectonic discontinuities in the HHCS. In contrast, the P–T conditions (2–5 kbar, 500–600 °C) of highly-deformed amphibolite block above the Main Central Thrust (MCT) records significantly lower pressure than garnet-mica gneisses in the country rock, suggesting that the amphibolite block derived from upper unit of the MCT zone and became tectonically mixed with the gneisses of hanging wall near the surface. An amphibolite lense below the MCT preserves the prograde P–T conditions (6–7.5 kbar, 550–590 °C) of Early Miocene syn-tectonic metamorphism that occurred in the MCT zone. This study indicates the top-to-the south movement of the MCT zone results in the tectonic assembly of rocks with different P–T–t conditions near the MCT.     

Ultra-high-pressure metamorphism of carbonate rocks in the Dabie Mountains, central China

Abstract Widespread ultra-high-P assemblages including coesite, quartz pseudomorphs after coesite, aragonite, and calcite pseudomorphs after aragonite in marble, gneiss and phengite schist are present in the Dabie Mountains eclogite terrane. These assemblages indicate that the ultra-high-P metamorphic event occurred on a regional scale during Triassic collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons. Marble in the Dabie Mountains is interlayered with coesite-bearing eclogite and gneiss and as blocks of various size within gneiss. Discontinuous boudins of eclogite occur within marble layers. Marble contains an ultra-high-P assemblage of calcite/aragonite, dolomite, clinopyroxene, garnet, phengite, epidote, rutile and quartz/coesite. Coesite, quartz pseudomorphs after coesite, aragonite and calcite pseudomorphs after aragonite occur as fine-grained inclusions in garnet and omphacite. Phengites contain about 3.6 Si atoms per formula unit (based on 11 oxygens). Similar to the coesite-bearing eclogite, marble exhibits retrograde recrystallization under amphibolite–greenschist facies conditions generated during uplift of the ultra-high-P metamorphic terrane. Retrograde minerals are fine grained and replace coarse-grained peak metamorphic phases. The most typical replacements are: symplectic pargasitic hornblende + epidote after garnet, diopside + plagioclase (An₁₈) after omphacite, and fibrous phlogopite after phengite. Ferroan pargasite + plagioclase, and actinolite formed along grain boundaries between garnet and calcite, and calcite and quartz, respectively. The estimated peak P–T conditions for marble are comparable to those for eclogite: garnet–clinopyroxene geothermometry yields temperatures of 630–760°C; the garnet–phengite thermometer gives somewhat lower temperatures. The minimum pressure of peak metamorphism is 27 kbar based on the occurrence of coesite. Such estimates of ultra-high-P conditions are consistent with the coexistence of grossular-rich garnet + rutile, and the high jadeite content of omphacite in marble. The fluid for the peak metamorphism was calculated to have a very low X_CO2 (<0.03). The P–T conditions for retrograde metamorphism were estimated to be 475–550°C at <7 kbar.     

Empirical garnet–muscovite geothermometry in low-grade metapelites, Selwyn Range (Canadian Rockies)

Abstract Partitioning of Fe and Mg between garnet and phengitic muscovite was calibrated as a geothermometer by Green & Hellman (1982) using experimental data at 25–30 kbar. When the thermometer is applied to pelites regionally metamorphosed at pressures of between 3 and 7 kbar it yields temperatures much higher than those from the garnet–biotite thermometer. A new empirical calibration is proposed for use with such rocks, with particular application where garnet occurs at lower grades than biotite. The new calibration is where K is given by: In K = In K _d and X _ii are mole fractions in the garnets.
The calibration was derived from comparison with the garnet–biotite thermometer of Ferry & Spear (1978), assuming no pressure-dependence for the partitioning between garnet and muscovite, no ferric iron partitioning, ideal mixing in muscovite, and the garnet mixing model of Ganguly & Saxena (1984) modified for a non-linear Ca effect. This latter garnet mixing model was selected because it gave the geologically most reasonable results. It has not proved possible to distinguish a pressure effect from a ferric-iron effect.
Despite the simplifying assumptions used to derive the calibration, it yields temperatures generally within 15°C of those given by the garnet–biotite thermometer, and has been used to supply thermometric data in a low-grade region of the Canadian Rockies.