花岗质超糜棱岩的微观构造与变形机制

花岗质岩石的变形方式和过程决定大陆地壳的流变学特性。本文聚焦藏南拆离系超糜棱岩化的花岗质岩石，借助传统显微构造分析方法和扫描电镜、阴极发光、矿相自动分析系统和电子背散射衍射等新技术手段，开展微观组分、结构、组构定量化观测和分析。超糜棱岩主要造岩矿物为钾长石、斜长石、石英、黑云母等，显微构造呈现为单矿物相域与多相矿物混合域交织结构。相平衡模拟与斜长石钙含量等值线变形温度估算结果为390～410℃。单相域的矿物集合体条带主要分为钾长石条带与石英条带，其中钾长石条带内变形颗粒呈现典型的核 幔构造。组构分析表明钾长石颗粒具有强烈的晶格优选定向，残斑与动态重结晶的钾长石颗粒具有相似的晶格优选方位(CPOs)特征。施密特因子法分析揭示钾长石残斑变形过程中主要活动的滑移系为(100)\[010\]、(010)\[001\]和(001)\[100\]，基质钾长石颗粒形成机制主要为位错蠕变驱动的亚颗粒旋转重结晶。在混合相域，矿物颗粒发生强烈细粒化而只含有少量残斑，基质颗粒主要为斜长石，斜长石颗粒间广泛分布微米级黑云母颗粒。斜长石无组构或弱组构，主导变形机制为颗粒边界滑动。在单相域条带与混合相域基质内，石英颗粒均发生强烈细粒化，颗粒表面发育溶蚀结构以及细小的新晶晶核，石英＜c＞轴晶格优选定向及形态学长轴优选定向皆平行于线理X方向，变形机制为溶解 沉淀蠕变。这显示在由单相域向混合相域的演化过程中，流体作用至关重要，流体与单相域钾长石进行交代使其分解为细粒的斜长石与石英，并导致花岗质岩石变形机制由位错蠕变向非位错蠕变转换，并诱发岩石的流变弱化。     

中澳Woodroffe逆冲糜棱岩带内斜长石和钾长石在变形和重结晶过程中的变形分异作用

在中澳Woodroffe逆冲糜棱岩带内,斜长石及钾长石的重结晶作用涉及到亚颗粒的旋转和相关的颗粒边界或扭折带边界的膨胀,而与主颗粒至新颗粒之间的化学成分变化无关。亚颗粒和新颗粒的粒度沿糜棱岩带横向变化,明显是岩石应变速率和岩石含水量的函数。糜棱岩化过程中,渐进剪切作用和渐进缩短作用带内的变形分异控制了长石恢复和重结晶的位置。在发育完好的糜棱岩中,长石残斑的粒度受糜棱岩化早期阶段,也就是在大量能调节渐进剪切变形组分的细粒基质形成之前,就受到变形分异程度的控制。由于格子状双晶的长石新颗粒通常靠近格子状双晶的长石主颗粒,重结晶作用就发生在微斜长石中,明显地没有涉及到向单斜结构的转变。由XRD轨道计算出来的钾长石三针度从糜棱岩带边缘向内部增加,与变形强度相对应。斜长石主颗粒局部具有正长石或不具双晶的微斜长石核,核周围环绕具双晶的微斜长石慢,说明了格子状双晶的存在与钾长石三斜度之间的关系。     

长乐-南澳韧性剪切带中糜棱岩变形微构造研究

 长乐-南澳韧性剪切带糜棱岩的显微变形机制有粒间滑动、粒内滑动、位错及其滑移和蠕变、应变的局部恢复等。石英丰富的韧性变形和位错特征以及长石的脆一弹性变形说明糜棱岩形成于绿片岩相条件,变形时的温度约为300-350℃。石英塑性变形处于重结晶一软化阶段和热加工一恢复阶段。由位错密度和动态重结晶颗粒粒径计算了差异应力和应变速率,分别为56.8-99.7MPa,(0.35-1.61)×10^-13s^-1和175.8-406.9MPa,(0.7-7.2)×10^-12s^-1,二者较大的差值表明糜棱岩是缓慢上升至地表的,这一结论与应变局部恢复现象一致。该韧性剪切带是闽粤沿海早白垩世末碰撞造山的产物。     

秦岭洛栾断裂带糜棱岩的变形特征及形成环境分析

洛栾断裂带是华北板块南缘与秦岭北缘的分界线,其变形作用细节可以恢复板块碰撞过程中板缘的变形作用。洛栾断裂带走向为290°,倾向NNE,倾角多为67°~80°,由多条近平行的韧性剪切带组成,单个剪切带宽度由几米至上百米不等,西部较窄,东部较宽。洛栾断裂带主要构造活动有四期,第二期强烈的塑性变形形成了大规模的糜棱岩。糜棱岩中的线理倾伏向、矿物σ、δ残斑和石英脉形态等运动学特征均指示断裂带具有由南向北俯冲兼有左行平移的运动学特征。糜棱岩的变形特征显示洛栾断裂带东部的变形机制为晶质塑性变形,西部为低温扩散蠕变、颗粒边界滑移以及晶质塑性变形机制。糜棱岩中的矿物塑性变形序列为:方解石黑云母石英斜长石钾长石。洛栾断裂带长英质糜棱岩的变形相自东向西依次为二长石变形相、石英斜长石变形相和石英变形相。糜棱岩的形成温度为300~550℃,其中东部的温度高于西部。角闪石全铝压力计获得的压力为:0.75~0.95GPa,多硅白云母压力计得出的压力为0.27~0.87 GPa。差异应力为0.32~0.41GPa,应变速率值为3.92917×10~(-11)~3.17713×10~(-16)。雪茄状应变椭球体和大于0.75的涡度显示断裂带为强烈剪切拉伸变形,且西段强于东段。上述特征显示洛栾断裂带是发育于中-中深层次的韧性变形,糜棱岩的变形条件总体属于中温、中压环境下的中等应变条件,但东部温度高于西部,西部差异应力大于东部。相当于东部位于中地壳偏深环境,西部位于上地壳下部-中地壳上部环境,说明洛栾断裂带在后期的抬升过程中东部高于西部。这期糜棱岩的变形是对洛栾断裂带第二期构造活动的响应,真实地反映了洛栾断裂带这期构造活动的构造物理作用过程和形成环境,对解读洛栾断裂带的形成环境有着重要意义。     

矿物反应与变形关系研究——以糜棱岩高温高压实验为例

矿物反应和变形局部化在中下地壳普遍存在,两者相互影响和促进。实验研究表明,矿物反应与变形关系非常复杂。本文在糜棱岩高温高压流变实验的基础上,分析了实验变形样品中的矿物反应分布特征以及矿物反应引起的化学成分变化,讨论了矿物反应与变形的相互影响。微观结构分析表明,实验变形后的糜棱岩样品在温度800~890℃时,角闪石和黑云母出现脱水反应,生成微晶角闪石和黑云母,并伴有局部熔融。受应变局部化控制,脱水反应产物主要出现在黑云母、角闪石条带边缘。微晶和熔体的成分分析表明,不仅脱水反应形成的微晶与熔体的SiO 2含量非常低,而且黑云母周围的反应产物和熔体主要来自于黑云母的脱水,角闪石边缘的反应产物和熔体主要来自于角闪石脱水,石英、钾长石和斜长石没有参与反应与熔融。本研究中的脱水反应产物中,没有发现辉石和石榴石,这种脱水反应与文献中报道的无局部化的均匀样品在静高压和高熔融比例条件的脱水反应产物和熔体的成分有很大差别。黑云母和角闪石的局部化分布和脱水程度低,可能是造成脱水反应产物有差别的巨大原因。在本实验结果中,脱水反应对变形的影响主要体现为,脱水反应产生了细粒混合矿物相,使得在局部化的剪切带内变形机制从位错蠕变转变为扩散蠕变,导致样品出现应变弱化。另外脱水反应还引起了局部脆性破裂。变形引起晶体塑性变形,增加了位错密度和矿物细粒化,促进了晶体内部成核和黑云母与角闪石的脱水分解;差应力作用增加了局部的正应力和平均应力,增加了黑云母和角闪石能够稳定存在的压力范围,这可能是反应产物以微晶黑云母和角闪石为主,而没有转化为辉石的原因。     

岩石扩散蠕变及其地质意义

总结了近十年来岩石扩散蠕变显微构造鉴别特征，研究方法的最新进展，矿物颗粒大小和流体（包括熔体和水）等是影响扩散蠕变的重要因素。扩散蠕变与位错蠕变和超塑性变形有密切关系，它的研究对大陆裂谷化过程，大陆碰撞带中岩石圈地幔强度弱化，中下地壳韧性剪切应变局限化以及与相变有关的矿物粒度细小化作用的分布有重要应用意义。     

应变软化在甘肃红柳河辉长质糜棱岩形成中的作用

本文论述的辉长质糜棱岩发现于甘肃北山红柳河蛇绿岩套中。在简单说明了糜棱岩的地质背景及特征、描述了变形岩石的显微构造特征之后，重点对糜棱岩形成过程中的应变软化机制作了论述。探讨了软化岩的存在、组构调整、粒度缩小，长石的动态重结晶，水以及主导变形机制的不断调整与转化等应变软化机制，在应力作用下使岩石逐步软化过程中所起的作用，得出这种糜棱岩是在拆离剪切作用下，应力在蛇绿岩中的软化岩石辉长岩中集中，从而形     

糜棱岩形成机制的显微构造证据

糜棱岩是一种空间上呈带状分布的、颗粒度强烈缩减了的叶理状岩石。它是在变形作用、恢复作用和重结晶作用等品质塑性流变过程形成的。产生于韧—隐性条件下的糜棱岩一般都由巨晶和基质两个部分组成,其内保存着丰富的显微构造现象。糜棱岩的光学显微构造现象是其形成机制的证据,同时也是岩石变形环境和条件的判据。本文在描述各类显微构造现象的技础上,从微观变形机制方面对糜棱岩给以必要解释。     

舒兰韧性剪切带应变分析及石英动态重结晶颗粒分形特征与流变参数估算

舒兰北东向韧性剪切带位于佳木斯-伊通断裂带(佳-伊断裂带)中南段, 剪切带内糜棱岩具有明显左行走滑特征, 片麻理产状近NNE向.糜棱岩中长石有限应变Flinn图解判别岩石类型为L-S型构造岩, 属拉长型应变.石英C轴EBSD组构分析表明, 石英组构以中低温菱面为主, 滑移系为{0001} < 110>.剪切带内糜棱岩的剪应变为0.44, 不同方法计算所得运动学涡度值均大于0.95, 指示剪切变形以简单剪切为主.综合矿物变形温度计、石英C轴EBSD组构、石英的粒度-频数图及Kruhl温度计综合估计该韧性剪切带变形机制以位错蠕变机制为主, 变质相为低绿片岩相, 发生韧性变形和糜棱岩化温度范围在400~500 ℃之间.糜棱岩内石英动态重结晶新晶粒边界普遍具有锯齿状或港湾状结构, 利用分形方法对其重结晶新晶边界研究表明, 这些晶粒边界具有自相似性, 表现出分形特征, 分形维数值为1.195~1.220.根据石英重结晶粒径估算差应力值为24.35~27.59 MPa, 代表了舒兰韧性剪切带糜棱岩化作用过程的差异应力下限.使用不同实验方法估算、比较和分析了该剪切带古应变速率, 认为该速率应为10-12.00~10-13.18 s-1, 与区域性应变速率10-13.00~10-15.00 s-1对比, 说明舒兰韧性剪切带的应变速率与世界上大多数韧性剪切带中的糜棱岩应变速率一致, 是缓慢变形的结果, 其形成可能与早白垩世伊泽纳崎板块向欧亚大陆俯冲发生转向有关.      

桂北元宝山韧性剪切带糜棱岩矿物化学特征及变质条件

桂北元宝山花岗岩岩体内发育一条长约25～30 km,宽约8～10 km,呈NNE向延伸的韧性剪切带,代表性的构造岩类型为长英质糜棱岩,其主要矿物都发生了不同程度的脆性–韧性变形。本文对韧性剪切带中代表性糜棱岩样品进行了细致的显微观察,同时利用电子探针技术对糜棱岩中不同产状的黑云母、白云母和绿泥石进行了详细的成分分析。在此基础上采用绿泥石成分地质温度计、白云母–绿泥石地质温度计、白云母/黑云母Ti温度计,结合多硅白云母Si压力计展开变质–变形温压研究,以期合理解译糜棱岩化过程中变形作用对云母类矿物中放射性成因氩(⁴⁰Ar^*)保存能力的影响以及这些云母矿物的⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar定年结果是代表冷却年龄还是变形年龄,为进一步探讨该地区在加里东期及其后的构造–热演化历史打下良好基础。显微镜下观察显示,糜棱岩中的云母类矿物主要以大颗粒残斑和细粒基质两种形式存在,其产状和粒径存在着较大的区别。电子探针成分分析结果显示,残斑云母与基质中新生或重结晶云母在化学成分上具有较大差异:与基质中的新生或重结晶白云母相比,残斑白...     

糜棱岩的重结晶作用及其显微组构

重结晶作用在糜棱岩中广泛存在,是与应变硬化相反的一种软化作用。依据形成机制和过程可以划分为动态重结晶和静态重结晶作用。动态重结晶发生在韧必菜过程中,消除晶粒内应力,并改变其大小和形态。其作用方式有颗粒边界迁移重结晶和亚晶粒旋转重结晶两种。静态重结晶发生在韧必菜晚期或期后温度升高环境中,消除晶内变形组构减少颗粒边界区域,形成稳定多边形大粒晶体。     

Microstructural evidence for the transition from dislocation creep to dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding in naturally deformed plagioclase

We use quantitative microstructural analysis including misorientation analysis based on electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data to investigate deformation mechanisms of naturally deformed plagioclase in an amphibolite gabbro mylonite. The sample is from lower oceanic crust exposed near the Southwest Indian Ridge, and it has a high ratio of recrystallized matrix grains to porphyroclasts. Microstructures preserved in porphyroclasts suggest that early deformation was achieved principally by dislocation creep with subgrain rotation recrystallization; recrystallized grain (average diameter ∼8 μm) microstructures indicate that subsequent grain boundary sliding (GBS) was active in the continued deformation of the recrystallized matrix. The recrystallized matrix shows four-grain junctions, randomized misorientation axes, and a shift towards higher angles for neighbor-pair misorientations, all indicative of GBS. The matrix grains also exhibit a shape preferred orientation, a weak lattice preferred orientation consistent with slip on multiple slip systems, and intragrain microstructures indicative of dislocation movement. The combination of these microstructures suggest deformation by dislocation-accommodated GBS (DisGBS). Strain localization within the recrystallized matrix was promoted by a transition from grain size insensitive dislocation creep to grain size sensitive GBS, and sustained by the maintenance of a small grain size during superplasticity.     

Transition from fracturing to viscous flow in granulite facies perthitic feldspar (Lofoten,Norway)

Recrystallization of perthites in granulite facies (T = 700–730 °C, P = 0.65–0.8 GPa) shear zones in mangerite-charnockite rocks from Lofoten (Norway) is localized along intracrystalline bands parallel to fractures. Fracturing preferentially occurred along the cleavage planes (010) and (001). EBSD analysis of perthite porphyroclasts indicates a very low degree of internal misorientation (within 5°) and the lack of recovery features. Recrystallized grains show coarsening with increasing width of the bands, and chemical changes with respect to the host grains. Crystallographic orientation of the new grains does not show a host-control relation to the parent perthite grains. In summary, the microstructure and CPO data consistently indicate intragranular recrystallization by nucleation and growth from fractured grains. Perthite porphyroclasts are surrounded by a matrix of recrystallized plagioclase + K-feldspar ± amphibole ± biotite. There is extensive evidence of syndeformational nucleation of new phases and of phase boundary migration in the matrix, with plagioclase grains forming bulges and protrusions towards K-feldspar. The spatial distribution of K-feldspar and plagioclase in the recrystallized matrix is characterized by the predominance of phase boundaries over grain boundaries. All these observations are consistent with diffusion creep as the dominant deformation mechanism in the matrix, associated with grain boundary sliding. Accordingly, recrystallized plagioclase and K-feldspar show a very weak crystallographic preferred orientation, which is interpreted in terms of oriented growth during diffusion creep. Fracturing of perthites promoted extensive grain size reduction, recrystallization, fluid infiltration, and operation of grain-size sensitive creep, resulting in strain localization.     

Diffusion creep and partial melting in high temperature mylonitic gneisses, Hope Valley shear zone, New England Appalachians, USA

Field, petrographic, microstructural and isotopic studies of mylonitic gneisses and associated pegmatites along the Hope Valley shear zone in southern Rhode Island indicate that late Palaeozoic deformation (c. 275 Ma) in this zone occurred at very high temperatures (>650 °C). High‐energy cuspate/lobate phase boundary microstructures, a predominance of equant to sub‐equant grains with low internal lattice strain, and mixed phase distributions indicate that diffusion creep was an important and possibly predominant deformation mechanism. Field and petrographic evidence are consistent with the presence of an intergranular melt phase during deformation, some of which collected into syntectonic pegmatites. Rb/Sr isotopic analyses of tightly sampled pegmatites and wall rocks confirm that the pegmatites were derived as partial melts of the immediately adjacent, isotopically heterogeneous mylonitic gneisses. The presence of syntectonic interstitial melts is inferred to have permitted a switch from dislocation creep to melt‐enhanced diffusion creep as the dominant mechanism in these relatively coarse‐grained mylonitic gneisses (200–500 µm syn‐deformational grain size). A switch to diffusion creep would lead to significant weakening, and may explain why the Hope Valley shear zone evolved into a major regional tectonic boundary. This work identifies conditions under which diffusion creep operates in naturally deformed granitic rocks and illuminates the deformation processes involved in the development of a tectonic boundary between two distinct Late Proterozoic (Avalonian) basement terranes.     

Dislocation microstructure and phase distribution in a lower crustal shear zone – an example from the Ivrea-Zone, Italy

The analysis of fabric and microstructure across an amphibolite facies shear zone of mafic composition reveals that the strain-dependent change from grain size insensitive to grain size sensitive creep is associated with a fundamental reorganization of the mylonitic fabric. At moderate strain a banded mylonite evolves from a metagabbro, which displays a mechanically-induced compositional layering. Strain is concentrated in monomineralic layers of dynamically recrystallized plagioclase. At higher strain and decreasing grain size (10-30 µm) the phase segregation is progressively destroyed and replaced by a phase mixture of amphibole and plagioclase. Phase mixing in these ultramylonites is developed and stabilized by heterogeneous nucleation processes of amphibole and plagioclase within unlike phases and at dilatant sites. Nucleation appears to be controlled by grain-scale gradients in stress. A dispersed phase distribution in fine-grained ultramylonites indicates (water-assisted) diffusion processes that accommodate grain boundary sliding. Although diffusion-controlled creep plays a dominant role in these ultramylonites, the dislocation densities remain high (2.0-4.0᎒⁹ cm^-2) and indicate that two competing mechanisms (dislocation and diffusion creep) accommodate grain boundary sliding. Commonly accepted criteria for superplastic or granular flow derived from monomineralic aggregates must be applied with caution to polymineralic rocks of mafic composition.     

糜棱岩化过程中锆石的稳定性——以西南三江高黎贡、西盟地区花岗质糜棱岩为例

自然条件下锆石的稳定性对于合理解释锆石年龄及深入理解锆石同位素年代学有重要意义。本文对西南三江造山带高黎贡山和西盟地区的花岗质糜棱岩进行了显微构造和锆石U-Pb年代学研究。高黎贡山和西盟糜棱岩中主要造岩矿物长石、石英、云母发生了明显的变形和重结晶,而锆石则以独立晶体或以残留核的形式保存了原始的岩浆结构。高黎贡山和西盟糜棱岩锆石U-Pb年龄分别为513±8 Ma和459±2 Ma,代表花岗质原岩的时代。受新生代构造变质影响,锆石边部发育有窄的海绵状结构和溶蚀结构,指示变质重结晶作用发生在有少量流体参与条件下。石英变质机制为颗粒边界迁移重结晶,指示变形温度为500~700°C。石英C组构EBSD分析表明,糜棱岩经历了早期550~650°C和晚期400~550°C的递进变形作用。岩石显微构造、锆石结构及年代学研究结果表明,岩石糜棱岩化过程中,还有少量流体参与的情况下,温度在550~650°C时锆石晶体结构就受到破坏,发生变质重结晶作用。这为解释自然界复杂条件下锆石年龄提供了重要约束。     

Fluid-assisted fracturing,cataclasis, and resulting plastic flow in mylonites from the Moresby Seamount detachment,Woodlark Basin

The Moresby Seamount detachment (MSD) in the Woodlark Basin (offshore Papua New Guinea) is a large active low-angle detachment excellently exposed at the seafloor, and cutting through mafic metamorphic rocks. Hydrothermal infiltration of quartz followed by that of calcite occurred during cataclastic deformation. Subsequent deformation of these a priori softer minerals leads to mylonite formation in the MSD. This study aims at a better understanding of the deformation mechanism switch from cataclastic to plastic flow. Deformation fabrics of the fault rocks were analyzed by light-optical microscopy. Rheologically critical phases were mapped to determine distributions and area proportions, and EBSD was used to measure crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Strong calcite CPOs indicate dominant dislocation creep. Quartz CPOs, however, are weak and more difficult to interpret, suggesting at least some strain accommodation by diffusion creep mechanisms. When quartz aggregates are intermixed with the polymineralic mylonite matrix diffusion creep grain boundary sliding may be dominant. The syntectonic conversion from mafic cataclasites to more siliceous and carbonaceous mylonites induced by hydrothermal processes is a critical weakening mechanism enabling the MSD to at least intermittently plastic flow at low shear stresses. This is probably a crucial process for the operation of low-angle detachments in hydrated and dominantly mafic crust.     

Subsolidus physical and chemical mixing of granite and gabbro during mylonitization, South Victoria Land, Antarctica

At Dromedary Massif, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, a suite of coarse-grained granite dykes cross-cuts a gabbro pluton which has been partially metamorphosed at amphibolite facies. During regional deformation, strain has been inhomogeneously distributed through the gabbro pluton and has been concentrated in granite dykes. In zones of relatively high strain, the granite dykes have developed a mylonitic fabric. A high strain gradient between granitic mylonite and metagabbroic host rock has induced isochemical mylonitization of the margin of the host. This grain size reduction allowed chemical diffusion between granitic and metagabbroic mylonites, resulting in a marginal zone of biotite-rich mylonite with intermediate composition. Biotite-rich mylonite decoupled from metagabbroic mylonite and flowed with granitic mylonite. Continued folding and transposition of granitic mylonite and biotite-rich mylonite has produced compositionally banded mylonite zones through thorough and irreversible mixing of the two lithologies.     

Grain-size reduction of feldspars by fracturing and neocrystallization in a low-grade granitic mylonite and its rheological effect

Feldspar grain-size reduction occurred due to the fracturing of plagioclase and K-feldspar, myrmekite formation and neocrystallization of albitic plagioclase along shear fractures of K-feldspar porphyroclasts in the leucocratic granitic rocks from the Yecheon shear zone of South Korea that was deformed under a middle greenschist-facies condition. The neocrystallization of albitic plagioclase was induced by strain energy adjacent to the shear fractures and by chemical free energy due to the compositional disequilibrium between infiltrating Na-rich fluid and host K-feldspar. With increasing deformation from protomylonite to mylonite, alternating layers of feldspar, quartz and muscovite developed. The fine-grained feldspar-rich layers were deformed dominantly by granular flow, while quartz ribbons were deformed by dislocation creep. With layer development and a more distributed strain in the mylonite, lower stresses in the quartz-rich layers resulted in a larger size of dynamically recrystallized quartz grains than that of the protomylonite.     

Grain and sub-grain size variations across a mylonite zone

The results are reported of a combined optical and electron microscopy study of microstructural variations across a quartz mylonite zone with increasing shear strain. The mylonite developed by recrystallization of the deformed quartz grains with increasing shear strain. It was found in a given specimen that the size of recrystallized grains and of sub-grains were always smaller in electron micrographs. The possible reasons for this are discussed. The size of both features decreased with increasing shear strain irrespective of the microscope used. However the density of unbound dislocations remained constant. A marked grain size reduction occurred in phyllosilicate rich layers. Variations in sub-grain size were observed within the relict old grains which remained at low shear strains. These are thought to reflect stress intensification adjacent to grain boundaries during deformation. The relict grains recrystallized at higher strains. Stresses were estimated from grain and sub-grain sizes and from the dislocation density. The results indicate that estimates based on grain size are unreliable if phyllosilicates inhibit the growth of grains during recrystallization, and that the dislocation densities are altered during uplift and are unlikely to give meaningful estimates. It is also concluded that the microstructures reflect stress gradients present during the formation of the mylonite, that is the initiation and propagation of the shear zone and that these were subsequently replaced by strain rate gradients.