Amphibolites from Panama: anticlockwise P-T paths from a Pre-upper Cretaceous metamorphic basement in Isthmian Central America

Rocks from the metamorphic basement of the Azuero and Sona peninsulas, Panama, consist of schistose amphibolites and minor amounts of metasediment. In the Sona peninsula, strongly zoned amphiboles indicate that the amphibolites followed a progressive anticlockwsie P-T path prograde from low T /low P to medium T /high P , and are retrograded into the greenschist facies. In contrast, the amphibolites of the Azuero peninsula are affected by a low to medium T /low P metamorphism.
The metamorphic events of the Sona amphibolites occurred prior to the intra-Senonian tectonic phase which affects the Mesozoic formations along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama. The regional significance of such a basement in Isthmian Central America is discussed.