Prograde pressure–temperature paths in the pelitic schists of the Sambagawa metamorphic belt, SW Japan

Prograde P–T paths recorded by the chemistry of minerals of subduction‐related metamorphic rocks allow inference of tectonic processes at convergent margins. This paper elucidates the changing P–T conditions during garnet growth in pelitic schists of the Sambagawa metamorphic belt, which is a subduction related metamorphic belt in the south‐western part of Japan. Three types of chemical zoning patterns were observed in garnet: Ca‐rich normal zoning, Ca‐poor normal zoning and intrasectoral zoning. Petrological studies indicate that normally‐zoned garnet grains grew keeping surface chemical equilibrium with the matrix, in the stable mineral assemblage of garnet + muscovite + chlorite + plagioclase + paragonite + epidote + quartz ± biotite. Pressure and temperature histories were inversely calculated from the normally‐zoned garnet in this assemblage, applying the differential thermodynamic method (Gibbs' method) with the latest available thermodynamic data set for minerals. The deduced P–T paths indicate slight increase of temperature with increasing pressure throughout garnet growth, having an average dP/dT of 0.4–0.5 GPa/100 °C. Garnet started growing at around 470 °C and 0.6 GPa to achieve the thermal and baric peak condition near the rim (520 °C, 0.9 GPa). The high‐temperature condition at relatively low pressure (for subduction related metamorphism) suggests that heating occurred before or simultaneously with subduction.