Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Dehydration Melting Reactions and Melt Compositions in the Lower Crust and the Origin of Alkaline Rocks

Dehydration melting experiments of alkali basalt associatedwith the Kenya Rift were performed at 0·7 and 1·0GPa, 850–1100°C, 3–5 wt % H₂O, and f_O2 nearnickel–nickel oxide. Carbon dioxide [X_CO2 = molar CO₂/(H₂O+ CO₂) = 0·2–0·9] was added to experimentsat 1025 and 1050°C. Dehydration melting in the system alkalibasalt–H₂O produces quartz- and corundum-normative trachyandesite(6–7·5 wt % total alkalis) at 1000 and 1025°Cby the incongruent melting of amphibole (pargasite–magnesiohastingsite).Dehydration melting in the system alkali basalt–H₂O–CO₂produces nepheline-normative tephriphonolite, trachyandesite,and trachyte (10·5–12 wt % total alkalis). In thelatter case, the solidus is raised relative to the hydrous system,less melt is produced, and the incongruent melting reactioninvolves kaersutite. The role of carbon dioxide in alkalinemagma genesis is well documented for mantle systems. This studyshows that carbon dioxide is also important to the petrogenesisof alkaline magmas at the lower pressures of crustal systems.Select suites of continental alkaline rocks, including thosecontaining phonolite, may be derived by low-pressure dehydrationmelting of an alkali basalt–carbon dioxide crustal system. KEY WORDS: alkali basalt; alkaline rocks; carbon dioxide; dehydration melting; phonolite     

The Genesis of Zoned Skarns in the Sierra Nevada, California

Zoned skarns occur at plutonic-metamorphic contacts, in veinscutting marble, and at contacts between marble and interlayeredamphibolite and biotite-rich rocks. For P = 2 kb, fluid inclusionsand P-T-X_CO2 stability relations of calc-silicate assemblagessuggest T< 650 °C and a H₂O-rich fluid (X_CO2 < 0.1).Small-scale, Ca-rich endoskarns are common near exoskarns. Massbalance calculations suggest that: (a) the formation of exoskarnrequires the influx of solute in an aqueous solution from uncontaminatedmagma in addition to material derived from the endoskarn, (b)some ‘limestone assimilation’ is required to formendoskarns, and (c) skarn formation was essentially a constant-volumeprocess. Applying chromatographic theory, compositional profilesof garnet and pyroxene across zoned skarns suggest that infiltrationmetasomatism was an important process, although diffusion metasomatismappears to have produced local compositional gradients at theinfiltration ‘fronts’. Fluid flow calculations showthat thick exoskarns could readily form by intergranular infiltration of aqueous solutions. Reciprocal diffusional exchangeis suggested as a dominant mechanism in the formation of zonedskarns formed at contacts between interlayered metamorphic lithologies.     

The Klokken Gabbro-Syenite Complex, South Greenland: Quantitative Interpretation of Mineral Chemistry

The layered syenite series in the Klokken stock formed by continuousin situ fractionation of a trachytic magma in a chamber linedby gabbro with 3000 m of cover rocks. The following mineralsand reactions are assessed as geothermometers and barometers:two feldspars; hypersolvus ternary feldspars; ferrohedenbergite-ß-wollastonite;clinopyroxene-olivine Fe-Mg exchange; Fe-Ti oxides; sanidine-magnetite-annite;ferroedenite stability. Estimates of silica activity are obtainedfrom the silica-magnetite-fayalite assemblage. The gabbros ended magmatic crystallization at > 1000–1050°C.The less fractionated members of the syenite range probablycrystallized with P_H2O < P_total, at T > 870°C and,P_H2O 800 bars. In the more fractionated syenites P_H2O = P_totalduring intercumulus feldspar growth, and all magmatic phasescrystallized within the interval 940–830°C and P_H2O< 1100 bars. Magmatic f_O2 (bars) was 1 log unit below theQFM buffer. a_SIO2 in gabbros was slightly above the albite-nephelinebuffer, but rose suddenly to just <1 in the syenites, a jumpmirrored by minor elements in pyroxenes and opaque oxides. Biotitegrew subsolidus in most rocks, at f_O2 < QFM, except in intermediaterocks when f_O2 > QFM and was defined by the sanidine-magnetite-biotiteassemblage. In these rocks P_H2O of 450 bars at 760°C isobtained using existing experimental data, but application ofthis data to Fe-rich biotites in the layered series (where biotiteis an intercumulus phase) requires P > 10 kb at magmatictemperatures. High TiO₂ or F: OH probably accounts for increasedT stability of natural annites at low P. The syenitic liquid fractionated down a low temperature zonein a multicomponent system precipitating alk fsp + ol + cpx+ mt and the more fractionated members of the layered serieshad a negligible crystallization interval, a prerequisite forthe development of the unique Klokken-type inversely gradedmineral layering.     

Low-temperature Compatibility Relations of Cordierite in Haplopelites of the System K2O--MgO--Al2O3--SiO2--H2O

The equilibrium temperatures of the reaction muscovite+chlorite+quartz= cordierite+phlogopite+H₂O (1) in the pure system K₂O—MgO—Al₂O₂—SiO₂—H₂Owere found to be 495±10°C at 1 kb P_H2O; 525±10°Cat 2 kb; 610±15°C at 5 kb; 635±10°C at6 kb. From intersection of this curve with the lower temperaturestability limit of cordierite close to 645°C, 6.5 kb P_H2O,a reaction cordieritc+muscovite = phlogopite+aluminum silicate+quartz+H₂O(2) is generated which has a negative slope and passes throughthe points 645°C, 6.5 kb PH₂O and 700°C, 5 kb PH₂O.On the high-pressure side of this reaction curve cordieriteis restricted to K₂O—poor bulk compositions. Application of the experimentally determined phase relationsto more complex natural pelitic rocks suggests that reaction(1) represents maximum temperatures for the disappearance ofchlorite from pelitic assemblages containing muscovite and quartz,whereas reaction (2) gives maximum water pressures for the disappearanceof cordierite from these rocks.     

Phase Relations of Peralkaline Silicic Magmas and Petrogenetic Implications

The phase relationships of three peralkaline rhyolites fromthe Kenya Rift have been established at 150 and 50 MPa, at oxygenfugacities of NNO - 1·6 and NNO + 3·6 (log fO₂relative to the Ni–NiO solid buffer), between 800 and660°C and for melt H₂O contents ranging between saturationand nominally anhydrous. The stability fields of fayalite, sodicamphiboles, chevkinite and fluorite in natural hydrous silicicmagmas are established. Additional phases include quartz, alkalifeldspar, ferrohedenbergite, biotite, aegirine, titanite, montdoriteand oxides. Ferrohedenbergite crystallization is restrictedto the least peralkaline rock, together with fayalite; it isreplaced at low melt water contents by ferrorichterite. Riebeckite–arfvedsoniteappears only in the more peralkaline rocks, at temperaturesbelow 750°C (dry) and below 670°C at H₂O saturation.Under oxidizing conditions, it breaks down to aegirine. In themore peralkaline rocks, biotite is restricted to temperaturesbelow 700°C and conditions close to H₂O saturation. At 50MPa, the tectosilicate liquidus temperatures are raised by 50–60°C,and that of amphibole by 30°C. Riebeckite–arfvedsonitestability extends down nearly to atmospheric pressure, as aresult of its F-rich character. The solidi of all three rocksare depressed by 40–100°C compared with the solidusof the metaluminous granite system, as a result of the abundanceof F and Cl. Low fO₂ lowers solidus temperatures by at least30°C. Comparison with studies of metaluminous and peraluminousfelsic magmas shows that plagioclase crystallization is suppressedas soon as the melt becomes peralkaline, whatever its CaO orvolatile contents. In contrast, at 100 MPa and H₂O saturation,the liquidus temperatures of quartz and alkali feldspar arenot significantly affected by changes in rock peralkalinity,showing that the incorporation of water in peralkaline meltsdiminishes the depression of liquidus temperatures in dry peralkalinesilicic melts compared with dry metaluminous or peraluminousvarieties. At 150 MPa, pre-eruptive melt H₂O contents rangefrom 4 wt % in the least peralkaline rock to nearly 6 wt % inthe two more peralkaline compositions, in broad agreement withprevious melt inclusion data. The experimental results implymagmatic fO₂ at or below the fayalite–quartz–magnetitesolid buffer, temperatures between 740 and 660°C, and meltevolution under near H₂O saturation conditions. KEY WORDS: peralkaline; rhyolite; phase equilibria     

Phase Relations in Peridotitic and Pyroxenitic Rocks in the Model Systems CMASH and NCMASH

Alpine-type peridotites and associated pyroxenites are foundas lenses in the continental crust in many different orogens.The reconstruction of the pressure–temperature (P–T)evolution of these rocks is, however, difficult or even impossible.With geothermobarometry, usually one point on the overall P–Tpath can be obtained. To use the different mineral assemblagesobserved in ultramafic rocks as P–T indicators, quantitativeP–T phase diagrams are required. This study presents newcalculated phase diagrams for peridotitic and pyroxenitic rocksin the model systems CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O(CMASH) and Na₂O–CaO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O(NCMASH), which include the respective solid solutions as continuousexchange vectors. These phase diagrams represent applicablepetrogenetic grids for peridotite and pyroxenite. On the basisof these general petrogenetic grids, phase diagrams for particularperidotite and pyroxenite bulk compositions are constructed.In an example of pyroxenite from the Shackleton Range, Antarctica,the different observed mineral assemblages are reflected bythe phase diagrams. For these rocks, a high-pressure metamorphicstage around 18 kbar and an anticlockwise P–T evolution,not recognized previously, can be inferred. KEY WORDS: Antarctic; high-pressure metamorphism; peridotite; phase diagrams; pyroxenite     

The Distribution of H2O between Cordierite and Granitic Melt: H2O Incorporation in Cordierite and its Application to High-grade Metamorphism and Crustal Anatexis

Experiments defining the distribution of H₂O [D_w = wt % H₂O(melt)/wt% H₂O(crd)]) between granitic melt and coexisting cordieriteover a range of melt H₂O contents from saturated (i.e. coexistingcordierite + melt + vapour) to highly undersaturated (cordierite+ melt) have been conducted at 3–7 kbar and 800–1000°C.H₂O contents in cordierites and granitic melts were determinedusing secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). For H₂O vapour-saturatedconditions D_w ranges from 4·3 to 7 and increases withrising temperature. When the system is volatile undersaturatedD_w decreases to minimum values of 2·6–5·0at moderate to low cordierite H₂O contents (0·6–1·1wt %). At very low aH₂O, cordierite contains less than 0·2–0·3wt % H₂O and D_w increases sharply. The D_w results are consistentwith melt H₂O solubility models in which aH₂O is proportionalto X_w² (where X_w is the mole fraction of H₂O in eight-oxygenunit melt) at X_w     

Petrogenesis of the Anorthosite Dyke Swarm of Tromso, North Norway: Experimental Evidence for Hydrous Anatexis of an Alkaline Mafic Complex

The 456 ± 4 Ma Skattøra migmatite complex in thenorth Norwegian Caledonides consists of migmatitic nepheline-normativemetagabbros and amphibolites that are net-veined by numerousnepheline-normative anorthositic and leucodioritic dykes. Plagioclase(An_20–50) is the dominant mineral (85–100%) in thedykes and the leucosome, but amphibole is generally presentin amounts up to 15%. The following observations strongly suggestformation of the anorthositic magma by anatexis of the surroundinggabbro in the presence of an H₂O-bearing fluid phase: (1) themigmatites have plagioclase-rich (anorthositic) leucosomes andamphibole-rich restites; (2) crystallization of amphibole inthe anorthositic and leucodioritic dykes suggests high H₂O activity;(3) the presence of coarse-grained to pegmatitic dykes and miaroliticcavities indicates a fluid-rich magma; (4) hydration zones thatsurround many anorthosite dykes suggest that the magma probablyexpelled H₂O-rich fluids during crystallization. Water-saturatedmelting experiments at 0·5–1·5 GPa and temperaturesfrom 800 to 1000°C have been performed on a nepheline-normativegabbro to test the proposed petrogenesis of the Skattøraanorthosites. The glasses produced close to the solidus aretonalitic in composition, but they become richer in plagioclaseat higher temperatures. At and below 1·0 GPa, the residuesare composed of amphibole. Experiments above 1·0 GPaproduced residual garnet and/or zoisite in addition to amphibole,suggesting that the anorthositic dykes in the Skattøramigmatite complex formed below 1·25 GPa. The experimentsshow that the high Na₂O content of the anorthosite dykes canonly be produced if Na is added to the charges. The glass thatbest fits the composition of the Skattøra dykes was producedat 1·0 GPa and 900°C with 2 wt % Na(OH) added. KEY WORDS: anorthosite; dyke swarm; anatexis; experimental petrology     

Volatiles in Submarine Basaltic Glasses from the Northern Kerguelen Plateau (ODP Site 1140): Implications for Source Region Compositions, Magmatic Processes, and Plateau Subsidence

Submarine pillow basalts (34 Ma) recovered from the NorthernKerguelen Plateau at ODP Site 1140 contain abundant unalteredglass, providing the first opportunity to measure the volatilecontents of tholeiitic basaltic magmas related to the Kerguelenmantle plume. The glasses have La/Sm and Nb/Zr ratios that varyfrom values similar to Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) MORB (Unit1), to slightly more enriched (Unit 6), to values transitionalbetween SEIR MORB and basaltic magmas formed by melting of theKerguelen plume (Units 2 and 3). Volatile contents for glassesin Units 1 and 6 are similar to depleted mid-ocean ridge basalt(MORB) values (0·25–0·27 wt % H₂O, 1240–1450ppm S, 42–54 ppm Cl). In contrast, H₂O contents are higherfor the enriched glasses (Unit 2, 0·44 wt % H₂O; Unit3, 0·69 wt %), as are S (1500 ppm) and Cl (146–206ppm). Cl/K ratios for all glasses are relatively low (0·03–0·04),indicating that assimilation of hydrothermally altered materialdid not occur during shallow-level crystallization. H₂O/Ce forthe enriched glasses (Units 2 and 3) is significantly lowerthan Pacific and South Atlantic MORB values, suggesting thatlow H₂O/Ce may be an inherent characteristic of the Kerguelenplume source. Vapor saturation pressures calculated using theH₂O and CO₂ contents of the glasses indicate that     

Polymetamorphism in the NE Shackleton Range, Antarctica: Constraints from Petrology and U-Pb, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr TIMS and in situ U-Pb LA-PIMMS Dating

Metapelitic rock samples from the NE Shackleton Range, Antarctica,include garnet with contrasting zonation patterns and two agespectra. Garnet porphyroblasts in K-rich kyanite–sillimanite–staurolite–garnet–muscovite–biotite schistsfrom Lord Nunatak show prograde growth zonation, and give Sm–Ndgarnet, U–Pb monazite and Rb–Sr muscovite ages of518 ± 5, 514 ± 1 and 499 ± 12 Ma, respectively.Geothermobarometry and P–T pseudo-section calculationsin the model system CaO–Na₂O–K₂O– TiO₂–MnO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂Oare consistent with garnet growth during prograde heating from540°C/7 kbar to 650°C/7·5 kbar, and partial resorptionduring a subsequent P–T decrease to <650°C at <6kbar. All data indicate that rocks from Lord Nunatak were affectedby a single orogenic cycle. In contrast, garnet porphyroblastsin K-poor kyanite–sillimanite– staurolite–garnet–cordierite–biotite-schistsfrom Meade Nunatak show two growth stages and diffusion-controlledzonation. Two distinct age groups were obtained. Laser ablationplasma ionization multicollector mass spectrometry in situ analysesof monazite, completely enclosed by a first garnet generation,yield ages of c. 1700 Ma, whereas monazite grains in open garnetfractures and in most matrix domains give c. 500 Ma. Both agegroups are also obtained by U–Pb thermal ionization massspectrometry analyses of matrix monazite and zircon, which fallon a discordia with lower and upper intercepts at 502 ±1 and 1686 ± 2 Ma, respectively. Sm–Nd garnet datingyields an age of 1571 ± 40 Ma and Rb–Sr biotiteanalyses give an age of 504 ± 1 Ma. Integrated geochronologicaland petrological data provide evidence that rocks from MeadeNunatak underwent a polymetamorphic Barrovian-type metamorphism:(1) garnet 1 growth and subsequent diffusive garnet annealingbetween 1700 and 1570 Ma; (2) garnet 2 growth during the RossOrogeny at c. 500 Ma. During the final orogenic event the rocksexperienced peak P–T conditions of about 650°C/7·0kbar and a retrograde stage at c. 575°C/4·0 kbar. KEY WORDS: garnet microtexture; P–T pseudosection; geochronology; polymetamorphism; Shackleton Range; Antarctica     

Records of Crustal Metasomatism in the Garnet Peridotites of the Ulten Zone (Upper Austroalpine, Eastern Alps)

Peridotites in the Ulten Zone (Upper Austroalpine, Eastern Alps),occur as small bodies within lower-crustal rocks (gneisses andmigmatites) subducted at eclogite-facies conditions during theVariscan orogeny. They record a complex metamorphic and deformationevolution as indicated by the transition from coarse-grainedspinel-bearing peridotites to fine-grained garnet + amphibole-bearingperidotites, and are interpreted as portions of mantle wedgethat were incorporated in a downgoing slab of cold continentalcrust. The transition from spinel- to garnet-bearing assemblagewas accompanied by significant input of metasomatic agents,as shown by the crystallization of abundant amphibole. Herewe present trace-element mineral chemistry data for selectedUlten peridotites, with the aim of unravelling the nature ofthe metasomatic processes. Amphiboles display significant lightrare earth element (LREE) enrichment [Ce_N/Yb_N = 3·90–11·50;LREE up to (20–50) x C1], high Sr (150–250 ppm),K (1910–7280 ppm) and Ba (280–800 ppm) contents,and low concentrations of high field strength elements (HFSE)(Zr = 14–25 ppm, Y = 6·7–16 ppm, Ti = 1150–2500ppm, Nb = 2–7 ppm). On the basis of (1) the evidence formodal orthopyroxene decrease as a result of the garnet-formingreaction rather than abundant orthopyroxene crystallization,(2) the high modal amounts of amphibole (up to 23%) in the mostmetasomatized peridotites and (3) the strong large ion lithophileelement (LILE)/HFSE fractionation in amphiboles, we infer thatthe metasomatic agent was an H₂O–CO₂ fluid with a lowCO₂/H₂O ratio. Petrological investigations and geochronologicaldata indicate that the host metapelites experienced in situpartial melting and migmatization concomitantly with the garnet+ amphibole-facies recrystallization in the enclosed peridotites.We infer that the metasomatizing hydrous fluids could representthe residual fluids left after the crystallization of leucosomes,starting from water-undersaturated melts produced during migmatizationof the host gneisses. KEY WORDS: garnet peridotite; crustal metasomatism; amphibole; hydrous fluids     

Formation of Wollastonite by Chemically Reactive Fluid Flow During Contact Metamorphism, Mt. Morrison Pendant, Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Quartz–calcite sandstones experienced the reaction calcite+ quartz = wollastonite + CO₂ during prograde contact metamorphismat P = 1500 bars and T = 560°C. Rocks were in equilibriumduring reaction with a CO₂–H₂O fluid with XCO₂ = 0·14.The transition from calcite-bearing, wollastonite-free to wollastonite-bearing,calcite-free rocks across the wollastonite isograd is only severalmillimeters wide. The wollastonite-forming reaction was drivenby infiltration of quartz–calcite sandstone by chemicallyreactive H₂O-rich fluids, and the distribution of wollastonitedirectly images the flow paths of reactive fluids during metamorphism.The mapped distribution of wollastonite and modeling of an O-isotopeprofile across a lithologic contact indicate that the principaldirection of flow was layer-parallel, directed upward, withany cross-layer component of flow <0·1% of the layer-parallelcomponent. Fluid flow was channeled at a scale of 1–100m by pre-metamorphic dikes, thrust and strike-slip faults, foldhinges, bedding, and stratigraphic contacts. Limits on the amountof fluid, based on minimum and maximum estimates for the displacementof the wollastonite reaction front from the fluid source, are(0·7–1·9) x 10⁵ cm³ fluid/cm² rock. Thesharpness of the wollastonite isograd, the consistency of mineralthermobarometry, the uniform measured ¹⁸O–¹⁶O fractionationsbetween quartz and calcite, and model calculations all arguefor a close approach to local mineral–fluid equilibriumduring the wollastonite-forming reaction. KEY WORDS: contact metamorphism, fluid flow, wollastonite, oxygen isotopes, reaction front     

Blueschist and Eclogite transformations in Fe-Ti Gabbros: A Case from the Western Alps Ophiolites

The study of the alpine metamorphism of three suites of Fe-Timetagabbros occurring in the western Alps ophiolites has showna set of reactions governed by T, P, X_H2O, and diffusion. T-Pestimates point to 350?50?C at a minimum of 9–10 kb forthe Queyras blueschist rocks and to 450–500 ?C at a minimumof 12–13 kb for the Lanzo and Rocciavr` eclogitized rocks.These variations are the result of different T-P-time trajectoriesduring subduction/obduction events of alpine age. In the Fe-Timetagabbros, little-deformed volumes showing a crystallizationhistory controlled by local equilibrium are bounded by mylonites.Water-poor and water-rich volumes alternate during eclogitizationof the Rocciavr? suite. The persistence in the little-deformedrocks of prealpine metastable relics, of corona structures andof chemical gradients, demonstrates that a complete high pressureequilibration is inhibited by slow reaction kinetics and slowdiffusion. Only in the mylonites has the catalytic effect ofdeformation favoured an approach to bulk-rock metamorphic equilibration.In the eclogitized coronitic rocks the apparent O₂, releasefrom the alteration of the magmatic opaques plays an importantrole in reaction rates; increasing extent of eclogitizationmay be enhanced either by the release of free O₂ from the rocks,or by a process in which new H₂O formed by the combination ofoxygen with hydrogen introduced into the system.     

Granulite Metamorphism, Fluid Buffering, and Dehydration Melting in the Madras Charnockites and Metapelites

Interlayered and cofolded charnockites and metapelites of thetype charnockite area near Madras were metamorphosed under granulitefades conditions. Fe-Mg partitioning between orthopyroxene,garnet, and biotite indicates that chemical equilibrium wasapproached under similar P-T conditions in the two rock suites.Several geothennometers and geobarometers give P-T values whichconverge at 750–800?C and 6.5–7.5 kb. Computations utilizing data from high pressure phase equilibriumexperiments of Bohlen et al. (1983a) and Wones & Dodge (1977)point to several significant relations regarding the behaviourof H₂O during the granulite metamorphism. a_H2O values, computedfrom Bohlen et al.'s (1983a) reversal data and the a-X modelfor phlogopite after Bohlen et al. (1980), show distinctly lowermagnitudes in metapelites (0.10–0.16) than in charnockites(0.23–0.34). No systematic spatial gradients exist withinthe charnockites or metapelites, and a_H2O has similar valuesin metapelite exposures widely separated in the field. Theseimply an internal, rather than an external (e.g., by CO2 influx),control of the fluids. Applying the algebraic method developed by Rumble (1976), Gibbsanalysis in the system K₂O-MgO-FeO-Fe₂O₃-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-TiO₂-H₂Oshows that the chemical potentials of H₂O and to O₂, as monitoredagainst biotite composition and , exhibit gradients with respect to X_Mg in the two rock suites under isothermal-isobaricconditions. µ_H2O was found to decrease with X_Mg^bt in both,while µ_O2 increases with decreasing X_Mg^bt in metapelitesbut increases sympathetically with X_Mg^bt in charnockites. Thesefindings point out again that µ_H2O and µ_O2 wereinternally buffered. The absence of graphite in the metapelites,at an estimated f_O2 = 10^–14.7 b, also argues against anexternal influx of CO₂ and, inter alia, supports internal buffering.A complementary enquiry into variations of a_TIO2 reveals aninverse relation between a_TIO2 and a_H2O, suggesting a similarcontrol for a_TIO2. The inferences from biotite dehydration equilibria, when combinedwith the P-T data and with several field and chemical featuresof these rocks noted earlier (Sen, 1974), make dehydration meltinga distinct possibility for the Madras rocks. It is argued thatthe low a_H2O and high a_TIO2 ({small tilde} 0.9) observed inthe metapelites have been caused by a greater extent of meltingin the precursors of metapelites, which were more hydrous thanthose of charnockites, coupled with preferential partitioningof Ti into the residual rocks—thus strengthening the casefor dehydration melting.     

Talc-, Magnesite- and Ti-Clinohumite-Bearing Ultrahigh-Pressure Meta-Mafic and Ultramafic Complex in the Dabie Mountains, China

The Bixiling mafic-ultramafic metamorphic complex is a 1•5km² tectonic block within biotite gneiss in the southern Dabieultrahigh-pressure terrane, central China. The complex consistsof banded eclogites that contain thin layers of garnet-bearingcumulate ultramafic rock. Except for common eclogitic phases(garnet, omphacite, kyanite, phengite, zoisite and rutilc),banded eclogites contain additional talc and abundant coesiteinclusions in omphacite, zoisite, kyanite and garnet. Some metaultramaficrocks contain magnesite and Ti-clinohumite. Both eclogites andmeta-ultramafic rocks have undergone multi-stage metamorphism.Eclogite facies metamorphisrn occurred at 610–700C andP>27 kbar, whereas amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphismis characterized by symplectites of plagioclase and hornblendeafter omphacite and replacement of tremolite after talc at P<6–15kbar and T <600C. The meta-ultramafic assemblages such asolivine + enstatite + diopside + garnet and Ti-clinohumite +diopside + enstatite + garnet + magnesite olivine formed at700–800C and 47–67 kbar. Investigation of the phaserelations for the system CaO-MgO-SiO₂-H₂O-CO₂ and the experimentallydetermined stabilities of talc, magnesite and Ti-clinohumiteindicate that (1) UHP talc assemblages are restricted to Mg-Algabbro composition and cannot be an important water-bearingphase in the ultramafic mantle, and (2) Ti-clinohumite and magnesiteare stable H₂O-bearing and CO₂-bearing phases at depths >100km. The mafic-ultramafic cumulates were initially emplaced atcrustal levels, then subducted to great depths during the Triassiccollision of the Sine-Korean and Yangtze cratons. KEY WORDS: eclogite; magnesite; meta-ultramafics; talc; ultrahigh-P metamorphism ^*Corresponding author     

A Clinopyroxene Paragenesis of Albite--Epidote--Amphibolite Facies in Meta-Syenites from the South-East Tauern Window, Austria

Mineral assemblages and textures are described from clinopyroxene-bearingmeta-syenites and related rocks from a small area in the PenninicBasement Complex of the south-east Tauern Window. Evidence from mineral textures, mineral compositions and geobarometryindicate that the clinopyroxene, a sodic salite, crystallizedas part of an equilibrium albite-epidote-amphibolite faciesparagenesis in the 35–40 Ma meso-Alpine metamorphic event.Phase relations in co-facial quartz + albite + K-feldspar +sphene-bearing meta-syenites and meta-granites are examinedusing a projection from these minerals onto the plane (A1₂O₃+ Fe₂O₃)-CaO-(MgO + FeO + MnO). The projection demonstratesthat salitic clinopyroxene can only be a stable phase in suchrocks if the bulk-rock Al/Na + K ratios are low. This is confirmedby comparing the whole-rock analyses of clinopyroxene-bearingmeta-syenites with those of clinopyroxene-free meta-syenitesand meta-granites. Mineral assemblages in a variety of lithologies from the south-eastTauern Window are used to construct a generalized AKM diagramfor magnesian albite + epidote + quartz-bearing rocks of thealbite-epidote-amphibolite facies. Thermochemical calculations indicate that the meta-syeniteswere metamorphosed at temperatures close to 500 C and at a pressureof 6+2 –4 kb. Fluids in equilibrium with meta-syeniteand meta-granite mineral assemblages had X_H2O values of 0–95,assuming X_H2O + X_CO2O= 1.0.     

Enriched End-member of Primitive MORB Melts: Petrology and Geochemistry of Glasses from Macquarie Island (SW Pacific)

Macquarie Island is an exposure above sea-level of part of thecrest of the Macquarie Ridge. The ridge marks the Australia–Pacificplate boundary south of New Zealand, where the plate boundaryhas evolved progressively since Eocene times from an oceanicspreading system into a system of long transform faults linkedby short spreading segments, and currently into a right-lateralstrike-slip plate boundary. The rocks of Macquarie Island wereformed during spreading at this plate boundary in Miocene times,and include intrusive rocks (mantle and cumulate peridotites,gabbros, sheeted dolerite dyke complexes), volcanic rocks (N-to E-MORB pillow lavas, picrites, breccias, hyaloclastites),and associated sediments. A set of Macquarie Island basalticglasses has been analysed by electron microprobe for major elements,S, Cl and F; by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy forH₂O; by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma massspectrometry for trace elements; and by secondary ion mass spectrometryfor Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes. An outstanding compositional featureof the data set (47·4–51·1 wt % SiO₂, 5·65–8·75wt % MgO) is the broad range of K₂O (0·1–1·8wt %) and the strong positive covariation of K₂O with otherincompatible minor and trace elements (e.g. TiO₂ 0·97–2·1%;Na₂O 2·4–4·3%; P₂O₅ 0·08–0·7%;H₂O 0·25–1·5%; La 4·3–46·6ppm). The extent of enrichment in incompatible elements in glassescorrelates positively with isotopic ratios of Sr (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr= 0·70255–0·70275) and Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb =18·951–19·493; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15·528–15·589;²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38·523–38·979), and negativelywith Nd (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0·51310–0·51304).Macquarie Island basaltic glasses are divided into two compositionalgroups according to their mg-number–K₂O relationships.Near-primitive basaltic glasses (Group I) have the highest mg-number(63–69), and high Al₂O₃ and CaO contents at a given K₂Ocontent, and carry microphenocrysts of primitive olivine (Fo_86–89·5).Their bulk compositions are used to calculate primary melt compositionsin equilibrium with the most magnesian Macquarie Island olivines(Fo_90·5). Fractionated, Group II, basaltic glasses aresaturated with olivine + plagioclase ± clinopyroxene,and have lower mg-number (57–67), and relatively low Al₂O₃and CaO contents. Group I glasses define a seriate variationwithin the compositional spectrum of MORB, and extend the compositionalrange from N-MORB compositions to enriched compositions thatrepresent a new primitive enriched MORB end-member. Comparedwith N-MORB, this new end-member is characterized by relativelylow contents of MgO, FeO, SiO₂ and CaO, coupled with high contentsof Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Na₂O, P₂O₅, K₂O and incompatible trace elements,and has the most radiogenic Sr and Pb regional isotope composition.These unusual melt compositions could have been generated bylow-degree partial melting of an enriched mantle peridotitesource, and were erupted without significant mixing with commonN-MORB magmas. The mantle in the Macquarie Island region musthave been enriched and heterogeneous on a very fine scale. Wesuggest that the mantle enrichment implicated in this studyis more likely to be a regional signature that is shared bythe Balleny Islands magmatism than directly related to the hypotheticalBalleny plume itself. KEY WORDS: mid-ocean ridge basalts; Macquarie Island; glass; petrology; geochemistry     

Melting of Refractory Mantle at 1{middle dot}5, 2 and 2{middle dot}5 GPa under Anhydrous and H2O-undersaturated Conditions: Implications for the Petrogenesis of High-Ca Boninites and the Influence of Subduction Components on Mantle Melting

Boninites are an important ‘end-member’ supra-subductionzone magmatic suite as they have the highest H₂O contents andrequire the most refractory of mantle wedge sources. The pressure–temperatureconditions of boninite origins in the mantle wedge are importantto understanding subduction zone initiation and subsequent evolution.Reaction experiments at 1·5 GPa (1350–1530°C),2 GPa (1400–1600°C) and 2·5 GPa (1450–1530°C)between a model primary high-Ca boninite magma composition anda refractory harzburgite under anhydrous and H₂O-undersaturatedconditions (2–3 wt % H₂O in the melt) have been completed.The boninite composition was modelled on melt inclusions occurringin the most magnesian olivine phenocrysts in high-Ca boninitesfrom the Northern Tongan forearc and the Upper Pillow Lavasof the Troodos ophiolite. Direct melting experiments on a modelrefractory lherzolite and a harzburgite composition at 1·5GPa under anhydrous conditions (1400–1600°C) havealso been completed. Experiments establish a P, T ‘meltinggrid’ for refractory harzburgite at 1·5, 2 and2·5 GPa and in the presence of 2–3 wt % H₂O. Theeffect of 2–3 wt % dissolved H₂O produces a liquidus depressionin primary boninite of     

A Biotite Isograd in South-Central Maine, U.S.A.: Mineral Reactions, Fluid Transfer, and Heat Transfer

The biotite isograd in pelitic schists of the Waterville Formationinvolved reaction of muscovite + ankerite + rutile + pyrite+graphite + siderite or calcite to form biotite + plagioclase+ ilmenite. There was no single reaction in all pelites; eachrock experienced a unique reaction depending on the mineralogyand proportions of minerals in the chlorite-zone equivalentfrom which it evolved. Quartz, chlorite, and pyrrhotite werereactants in some rocks and products in others. All inferredbiotite-forming reactions involved decarbonation and desulfidation;some were dehydration reactions and others were hydration reactions.P-T conditions at the biotite isograd were near 3500 bars and400 °C. C-O-H-S fluids in equilibrium with the pelitic rockswere close to binary CO₂-H₂O mixtures with X_CO2 = 0.02–0.04.During the biotite-forming reaction, pelitic rocks (a) decreasedby 2–5 percent in volume, (b) performed – (4–11)kcal/liter P-V work on their surroundings, (c) absorbed 38–85kcal/liter heat from their surroundings, and (d) were infiltratedby at least 0.9–2.2 rock volumes H₂O fluid. The biotite isograd sharply marks the limit of a decarbonationfront that passed through the terrane during regional metamorphism.Decarbonation converted meta-shales with 6–10 per centcarbonate to carbonate-free pelitic schists. One essential causeof the decarbonation event was pervasive infiltration of theterrane by at least 1–2 rock volumes H₂O fluid early inthe metamorphic event under P-T conditions of the biotite isograd.Average shale contains 4–13 per cent siderite, ankerite,and/or calcite, but average pelitic schist is devoid of carbonateminerals. If the Waterville Formation serves as a general modelfor the metamorphism of pelitic rocks, it is likely that worldwidemany pelitic schists developed by decarbonation of shale caused,in part, by pervasive infiltration of metamorphic terranes byseveral rock volumes of aqueous fluid during an early stageof the metamorphic event.     

Melting of Biotite + Plagioclase + Quartz Gneisses: the Role of H2O in the Stability of Amphibole

Biotite + plagioclase + quartz (BPQ) is a common assemblagein gneisses, metasediments and metamorphosed granitic to granodioriticintrusions. Melting experiments on an assemblage consistingof 24 vol. % quartz, 25 vol. % biotite (XMg = 0·38–0·40),42 vol. % plagioclase (An_26–29), 9 vol. % alkali feldsparand minor apatite, titanite and epidote were conducted at 10,15 and 20 kbar between 800 and 900°C under fluid-absentconditions and with small amounts (2 and 4 wt %) of water addedto the system. At 10 kbar when 4 wt % of water was added tothe system the biotite melting reaction occurred below 800°Cand produced garnet + amphibole + melt. At 15 kbar the meltingreaction produced garnet + amphibole + melt with 2 wt % addedwater. At 20 kbar the amphibole occurred only at high temperature(900°C) and with 4 wt % added water. In this last case themelting reaction produced amphibole + clinopyroxene ±garnet + melt. Under fluid-absent conditions the melting reactionproduced garnet + plagioclase II + melt and left behind a plagioclaseI ± quartz residuum, with an increase in the modal amountof garnet with increasing pressure. The results show that itis not possible to generate hornblende in such compositionswithout the addition of at least 2–4 wt % H₂O. This reflectsthe fact that conditions of low aH₂O may prevent hornblendefrom being produced with peraluminous granitic liquids fromthe melting of biotite gneiss. Thus growth of hornblende inanatectic BPQ gneisses is an indication of addition of externalH₂O-rich fluids during the partial melting event. KEY WORDS: biotite; dehydration; gneisses; hornblende; melt