Origin and evolution of a migmatite

The development of a stromatic migmatite exposed east and southeast of Arvika (Western Sweden) is described in four stages beginning with the country rock and following evolution through three areas characterized by low, medium and high amounts of leucosomes (areas L, M, and H, respectively).The country rock is a paragneiss composed of thin, alternating fine- and coarse-grained layers. Composition of the layers varies from granitic (fine) to tonalitic (coarse layers).The bulk of the stromatic migmatite is composed of leucocratic layers of magmatic appearance (leucosomes) and darker layers of gneissic aspect (mesosomes). Petrographical and chemical data (given in the form of Niggli values and K₂O/SiO₂ diagrams) show a close relationship between the fine-grained paragneiss layers and the leucosomes on the one hand and between the coarse-grained layers and the mesosomes on the other.At relatively low temperatures only those gneiss layers with a suitable (granitic) composition are transformed into leucosomes. This process is interpreted to be due to recrystallization of the felsic minerals via partial melting and to the separation of biotite.With increasing metamorphism, leucosomes become broader and more frequent due to partial melting of layers with less suitable composition. Contacts between different generations of leucosome can be recognized in the form of relict melanosomes.These observations favour essentially isochemical melting, followed by later in-situ crystallization. This model of an isochemical layer-by-layer transformation is supported by the preferential formation of hornblende in leucosomes and relict melanosomes, as well as by almost identical compositions of migmatite and country-rock plagioclase.