Neoproterozoic evolution and Cambrian reworking of ultrahigh temperature granulites in the Eastern Ghats Province,India

The time‐scales and P–T conditions recorded by granulite facies metamorphic rocks permit inferences about the geodynamic regime in which they formed. Two compositionally heterogeneous cordierite–spinel‐bearing granulites from Vizianagaram, Eastern Ghats Province (EGP), India, were investigated to provide P–T–time constraints using petrography, phase equilibrium modelling, U–Pb geochronology, the rare earth element composition of zircon and monazite, and Ti‐in‐zircon thermometry. These ultrahigh temperature (UHT) granulites preserve discrete compositional layering in which different inferred peak assemblages are developed, including layers bearing garnet–sillimanite–spinel, and others bearing orthopyroxene–sillimanite–spinel. These mineral associations cannot be reproduced by phase equilibrium modelling of whole‐rock compositions, indicating that the samples became domainal on a scale less than that of a thin section, even at UHT conditions. Calculation of the P–T stability fields for six compositional domains within which the main rock‐forming minerals are considered to have attained equilibrium suggests peak metamorphic conditions of ~6.8–8.3 kbar at ~1,000°C. In most of these domains, the subsequent evolution resulted in the growth of cordierite and final crystallization of melt at an elevated (residual) H₂O‐undersaturated solidus, consistent with <1 kbar of decompression. Concordant U–Pb ages obtained by SHRIMP from zircon (spread 1,050–800 Ma) and monazite (spread 950–800 Ma) demonstrate that crystallization of these minerals occurred during an interval of c. 250 Ma. By combining LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb zircon ages with Ti‐in‐zircon temperatures from the same analysis sites, we show that the crust may have remained above 900°C for a minimum of c. 120 Ma between c. 1,000 and c. 880 Ma. Overall, the results suggest that, in the interval 1,050 to 800 Ma, the evolution of the Vizianagaram granulites culminated with UHT conditions from c. 1,000 Ma to c. 880 Ma, associated with minor decompression, before further zircon crystallization at c. 880–800 Ma during cooling to the solidus. However, these rocks are adjacent to the Paderu–Anantagiri–Salur crustal block to the NW that experienced counterclockwise P–T–t paths, and records similar UHT peak metamorphic conditions (7–8 kbar, ~950°C) followed by near‐isobaric cooling, and has a similar chronology during the Neoproterozoic. The limited decompression inferred at Vizianagaram may be explained by partial exhumation due to thrusting of this crustal block over the adjacent Paderu–Anantagiri–Salur crustal block. The residual granulites in both blocks have high concentrations of heat‐producing elements and likely remained hot at mid‐crustal depths throughout a period of relative tectonic quiescence in the interval 800–550 Ma. During the Cambrian Period, the EGP was located in the hinterland of the Denman–Pinjarra–Prydz orogen. A later concordant population of zircon dated at 511 ± 6 Ma records crystallization at temperatures of ~810°C. This age may record a low‐degree of melting due to limited influx of fluid into hot, weak crust in response to convergence of the Crohn craton with a composite orogenic hinterland comprising the Rayner terrane, EGP, and cratonic India.     

Constraints on the timing and conditions of high‐grade metamorphism,charnockite formation and fluid–rock interaction in the Trivandrum Block,southern India

Incipient charnockites have been widely used as evidence for the infiltration of CO₂‐rich fluids driving dehydration of the lower crust. Rocks exposed at Kakkod quarry in the Trivandrum Block of southern India allow for a thorough investigation of the metamorphic evolution by preserving not only orthopyroxene‐bearing charnockite patches in a host garnet–biotite felsic gneiss, but also layers of garnet–sillimanite metapelite gneiss. Thermodynamic phase equilibria modelling of all three bulk compositions indicates consistent peak‐metamorphic conditions of 830–925 °C and 6–9 kbar with retrograde evolution involving suprasolidus decompression at high temperature. These models suggest that orthopyroxene was most likely stabilized close to the metamorphic peak as a result of small compositional heterogeneities in the host garnet–biotite gneiss. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether the heterogeneities were inherited from the protolith or introduced during syn‐metamorphic fluid flow. U–Pb geochronology of monazite and zircon from all three rock types constrains the peak of metamorphism and orthopyroxene growth to have occurred between the onset of high‐grade metamorphism at c. 590 Ma and the onset of melt crystallization at c. 540 Ma. The majority of metamorphic zircon growth occurred during protracted melt crystallization between c. 540 and 510 Ma. Melt crystallization was followed by the influx of aqueous, alkali‐rich fluids likely derived from melts crystallizing at depth. This late fluid flow led to retrogression of orthopyroxene, the observed outcrop pattern and to the textural and isotopic modification of monazite grains at c. 525–490 Ma.     

Permian ultrahigh–temperature reworking in the southern Chinese Altai: Evidence from petrology,P–T estimates,zircon and monazite U–Th–Pb geochronology

The Chinese Altai orogen formed in the Paleozoic is an important part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), and the study on the metamorphism will provide novel and robust constraints on its tectonic evolution. In this study, we investigate our newly recognized garnet–orthopyroxene–cordierite granulites at Wuqiagou area in the southern Chinese Altai. Detailed petrographic study and P–T estimates suggest four distinct metamorphic stages of mineral assemblages: (1) pre–peak (M1) stage containing the spinel–cordierite–bearing association or biotite–plagioclase–quartz–bearing inclusion–phase assemblage, with P–T conditions of 3.0–4.0 kbar/700–750 °C; (2) peak ultrahigh–temperature (UHT) (M2) stage represented by relatively coarse–grained garnet–orthopyroxene–cordierite–bearing porphyroblastic assemblage, with high–Al₂O₃ contents (up to ∼8.7 wt%) in orthopyroxene and P–T conditions of ∼8.0 kbar/∼980 °C; (3) post–peak high–temperature granulite facies (M3) stage consisted of orthopyroxene–cordierite and cordierite–quartz corona assemblages, formed during cooling and moderate decompression; and (4) post–peak upper amphibolite facies (M4) stage represented by retrograde biotite–plagioclase–quartz intergrowths. These four discrete metamorphic stages define an anticlockwise P–T path involving a post–peak moderate decompression followed by nearly isobaric cooling process. LA–ICP–MS U–Pb age dating results of metamorphic zircons for UHT samples show two weighted mean ages of ∼390 Ma and ∼280 Ma. We propose that the M1 stage might occur in the middle Devonian, whereas the near–peak UHT stage probably occurred in the early Permian. The Permian UHT metamorphism was further supported by the monazite U–Th–Pb dating results (287.9 ± 2.1 Ma), reflecting a prominent HT–UHT reworking event in the late Paleozoic. We proposed that the Permian UHT reworking event in the southern Chinese Altai probably occurred in a post–orogenic or intraplate extensional tectonic setting associated with the input of external heat, related to the underplating of deep–derived magma as a result of the Tarim mantle plume activity.     

Two successive phases of ultrahigh temperature metamorphism in Rogaland,S. Norway: Evidence from Y‐in‐monazite thermometry

In Rogaland, South Norway, a polycyclic granulite facies metamorphic domain surrounds the late‐Sveconorwegian anorthosite–mangerite–charnockite (AMC) plutonic complex. Integrated petrology, phase equilibria modelling, monazite microchemistry, Y‐in‐monazite thermometry, and monazite U–Th–Pb geochronology in eight samples, distributed across the apparent metamorphic field gradient, imply a sequence of two successive phases of ultrahigh temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the time window between 1,050 and 910 Ma. A first long‐lived metamorphic cycle (M1) between 1,045 ± 8 and 992 ± 11 Ma is recorded by monazite in all samples. This cycle is interpreted to represent prograde clockwise P–T path involving melt production in fertile protoliths and culminating in UHT conditions of ~6 kbar and 920°C. Y‐in‐monazite thermometry, in a residual garnet‐absent sapphirine–orthopyroxene granulite, provides critical evidence for average temperature of 931 and 917°C between 1,029 ± 9 and 1,006 ± 8 Ma. Metamorphism peaked after c. 20 Ma of crustal melting and melt extraction, probably supported by a protracted asthenospheric heat source following lithospheric mantle delamination. Between 990 and 940 Ma, slow conductive cooling to 750–800°C is characterized by monazite reactivity as opposed to silicate metastability. A second incursion (M2) to UHT conditions of ~3.5–5 kbar and 900–950°C, is recorded by Y‐rich monazite at 930 ± 6 Ma in an orthopyroxene–cordierite–hercynite gneiss and by an osumilite gneiss. This M2 metamorphism, typified by osumilite paragenesis, is related to the intrusion of the AMC plutonic complex at 931 ± 2 Ma. Thermal preconditioning of the crust during the first UHT metamorphism may explain the width of the aureole of contact metamorphism c. 75 Ma later, and also the rarity of osumilite‐bearing assemblages in general.     

Phase equilibria modelling and LASS monazite petrochronology: P–T–t constraints on the evolution of the Priest River core complex,northern Idaho

Phase equilibria modelling, laser‐ablation split‐stream (LASS)‐ICP‐MS petrochronology and garnet trace‐element geochemistry are integrated to constrain the P–T–t history of the footwall of the Priest River metamorphic core complex, northern Idaho. Metapelitic, migmatitic gneisses of the Hauser Lake Gneiss contain the peak assemblage garnet + sillimanite + biotite ± muscovite + plagioclase + K‐feldspar ± rutile ± ilmenite + quartz. Interpreted P–T paths predict maximum pressures and peak metamorphic temperatures of ~9.6–10.3 kbar and ~785–790 °C. Monazite and xenotime ²⁰⁸Pb/²³²Th dates from porphyroblast inclusions indicate that metamorphism occurred at c. 74–54 Ma. Dates from HREE‐depleted monazite formed during prograde growth constrain peak metamorphism at c. 64 Ma near the centre of the complex, while dates from HREE‐enriched monazite constrain the timing of garnet breakdown during near‐isothermal decompression at c. 60–57 Ma. Near‐isothermal decompression to ~5.0–4.4 kbar was followed by cooling and further decompression. The youngest, HREE‐enriched monazite records leucosome crystallization at mid‐crustal levels c. 54–44 Ma. The northernmost sample records regional metamorphism during the emplacement of the Selkirk igneous complex (c. 94–81 Ma), Cretaceous–Tertiary metamorphism and limited Eocene exhumation. Similarities between the Priest River complex and other complexes of the northern North American Cordillera suggest shared regional metamorphic and exhumation histories; however, in contrast to complexes to the north, the Priest River contains less partial melt and no evidence for diapiric exhumation. Improved constraints on metamorphism, deformation, anatexis and exhumation provide greater insight into the initiation and evolution of metamorphic core complexes in the northern Cordillera, and in similar tectonic settings elsewhere.     

Monazite behaviour during isothermal decompression in pelitic granulites: a case study from Dinggye,Tibetan Himalaya

Monazite is a key accessory mineral for metamorphic geochronology, but interpretation of its complex chemical and age zoning acquired during high-temperature metamorphism and anatexis remains a challenge. We investigate the petrology, pressure–temperature and timing of metamorphism in pelitic and psammitic granulites that contain monazite from the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex (GHC) in Dinggye, southern Tibet. These rocks underwent isothermal decompression from pressure of >10 kbar to ~5 kbar at temperatures of 750–830 °C, and recorded three metamorphic stages at kyanite (M₁), sillimanite (M₂) and cordierite-spinel grade (M₃). Monazite and zircon crystals were dated by microbeam techniques either as grain separates or in thin sections. U–Th–Pb ages are linked to specific conditions of mineral growth on the basis of zoning patterns, trace element signatures, index mineral inclusions (melt inclusions, sillimanite and K-feldspar) in dated domains and textural relationships with co-existing minerals. The results show that inherited domains (500–400 Ma) are preserved in monazite even at granulite-facies conditions. Few monazites or zircon yield ages related to the M₁-stage (~30–29 Ma), possibly corresponding to prograde melting by muscovite dehydration. During the early stage of isothermal decompression, inherited or prograde monazites in most samples were dissolved in the melt produced by biotite dehydration-melting. Most monazite grains crystallized from melt toward the end of decompression (M₃-stage, 21–19 Ma) and are chemically related to garnet breakdown reactions. Another peak of monazite growth occurred at final melt crystallization (~15 Ma), and these monazite grains are unzoned and are homogeneous in composition. In a regional context, our pressure–temperature–time data constrains peak high-pressure metamorphism within the GHC to ~30–29 Ma in Dinggye Himalaya. Our results are in line with a melt-assisted exhumation of the GHC rocks.     

Decoding a protracted zircon geochronological record in ultrahigh temperature granulite,and persistence of partial melting in the crust,Rogaland, Norway

This contribution evaluates the relation between protracted zircon geochronological signal and protracted crustal melting in the course of polyphase high to ultrahigh temperature (UHT; T?>?900 °C) granulite facies metamorphism. New U–Pb, oxygen isotope, trace element, ion imaging and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging data in zircon are reported from five samples from Rogaland, South Norway. The data reveal that the spread of apparent age captured by zircon, between 1040 and 930 Ma, results both from open-system growth and closed-system post-crystallization disturbance. Post-crystallization disturbance is evidenced by inverse age zoning induced by solid-state recrystallization of metamict cores that received an alpha dose above 35 × 10¹⁷ α  g^?1. Zircon neocrystallization is documented by CL-dark domains displaying O isotope open-system behaviour. In UHT samples, O isotopic ratios are homogenous (δ¹⁸O = 8.91?±?0.08‰), pointing to high-temperature diffusion. Scanning ion imaging of these CL-dark domains did not reveal unsupported radiogenic Pb. The continuous geochronological signal retrieved from the CL-dark zircon in UHT samples is similar to that of monazite for the two recognized metamorphic phases (M1: 1040–990 Ma; M2: 940–930 Ma). A specific zircon-forming event is identified in the orthopyroxene and UHT zone with a probability peak at ca. 975 Ma, lasting until ca. 955 Ma. Coupling U–Pb geochronology and Ti-in-zircon thermometry provides firm evidence of protracted melting lasting up to 110 My (1040–930 Ma) in the UHT zone, 85 My (ca. 1040–955 Ma) in the orthopyroxene zone and some 40 My (ca. 1040–1000 Ma) in the regional basement. These results demonstrate the persistence of melt over long timescales in the crust, punctuated by two UHT incursions.     

Monazite as a monitor for melt‐rock interaction during cooling and exhumation

Granulite facies cordierite–garnet–biotite gneisses from the southeastern Reynolds Range, central Australia, contain both orthopyroxene‐bearing and orthopyroxene‐free quartzofeldspathic leucosomes. Mineral reaction microstructures at the interface of gneiss and leucosome observed in outcrop and petrographically, reflect melt‐rock interaction during crystallization. Accessory monazite, susceptible to fluid alteration, dissolution and recrystallization at high temperature, is tested for its applicability to constrain the chemical and P–T–time evolution of melt‐rock reactions during crystallization upon cooling. Bulk rock geochemistry and phase equilibria modelling constrain peak pressure and temperature conditions to 6.5–7.5 kbar and ~850°C, and U–Pb geochronology constrains the timing of monazite crystallization to 1.55 Ga, coeval with the Chewings Orogeny. Modelling predicts the presence of up to 15 vol.% melt at peak metamorphic conditions. Upon cooling below 800°C, melt extraction and in situ crystallization of melt decrease the melt volume to less than 7%, at which time it becomes entrapped and melt pockets induce replacement reactions in the adjacent host rock. Replacement reactions of garnet, orthopyroxene and K‐feldspar liberate Y, REE, Eu and U in addition to Mg, Fe, Al, Si and K. We demonstrate that distinguishing between monazite varieties solely on the basis of U–Pb ages cannot solve the chronological order of events in this study, nor does it tie monazite to the evolution of melt or stability of rock‐forming minerals. Rather, we argue that analyses of various internal monazite textures, their composition and overprinting relations allow us to identify the chronology of events following the metamorphic peak. We infer that retrograde reactions involving garnet, orthopyroxene and K‐feldspar can be attributed to melt‐rock interaction subsequent to partial melting, which is reflected in the development of compositionally distinct monazite textural domains. Internal monazite textures and their composition are consistent with dissolution and precipitation reactions induced by a high‐T melt. Monazite rims enriched in Y, HREE, Eu and U indicate an increased availability of these elements, consistent with the breakdown of orthopyroxene, garnet and K‐feldspar observed petrographically. Our study indicates that compositional and textural analysis of monazite in relation to major rock‐forming minerals can be used to infer the post‐peak chemical evolution of partial melts during high‐ to ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism.     

Ultrahigh temperature granulite metamorphism (1050 °C, 12 kbar) and decompression in garnet (Mg70)–orthopyroxene–sillimanite gneisses from the Rauer Group, East Antarctica

Highly magnesian and aluminous migmatitic gneisses from Mather Peninsula in the Rauer Group, Eastern Antarctica, preserve ultrahigh temperature (UHT) metamorphic assemblages that include orthopyroxene+sillimanite±quartz, garnet+sillimanite±quartz and garnet+orthopyroxene±sillimanite. Garnet that ranges up to X_Mg of 71.5 coexists with aluminous orthopyroxene that shows zoning from cores with 7.5–8.5 wt% Al₂O₃ to rims with up to 10.6 wt% Al₂O₃ adjacent to garnet. Peak P–T conditions of 1050 °C and 12 kbar are retrieved from Fe–Mg–Al thermobarometry involving garnet and orthopyroxene, in very good agreement with independent constraints from petrogenetic grids in FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ and related chemical systems. Sapphirine, orthopyroxene and cordierite form extensive symplectites and coronas on the early phases. The specific reaction textures and assemblages involving these secondary phases correlate with initial garnet X_Mg , with apparent higher-pressure reaction products occurring on the more magnesian garnet, and are interpreted to result from an initial phase of ultrahigh temperature near-isothermal decompression (UHT-ITD) from 12 to 8 kbar at temperatures in excess of 950 °C. Later textures that involved biotite formation and then partial breakdown, along with garnet relics, to symplectites of orthopyroxene+cordierite or cordierite+spinel may reflect hydration through back-reaction with crystallizing melts on cooling below 900–850 °C, followed by ITD from 7 to 8 kbar to c. 5 kbar at temperatures of 750–850 °C. The tectonic significance of this P–T history is ambiguous as the Rauer Group records the effects of Archean tectonothermal events as well as high-grade events at 1000 and 530 Ma. Late-stage biotite formation and subsequent ITD can be correlated with the P–T history preserved in the Proterozoic components of the Rauer Group and hence with either 1000 or 530 Ma collisional orogenesis. However, whether the preceding UHT-ITD history reflects a temporally unrelated event (e.g. Archean) or is simply an early stage of either the late-Proterozoic or Pan-African tectonism, as recently deduced for similar UHT rocks from other areas of the East Antarctica, remains uncertain.     

Metamorphic phase equilibria modelling and zircon U–Pb geochronology of ultrahigh-temperature cordierite granulites from the Madurai Block,India: implications for hot Gondwana crust

The Madurai Block (MB) is the largest Precambrian crustal block in the Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) of India and hosts rare cordierite- and orthopyroxene-bearing granulites. Investigations based on field study, petrology, metamorphic P–T estimation, and detrital zircon geochronology of these granulites are crucial for understanding the ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism and crustal evolution in this block. Here we investigate the petrology and zircon U–Pb geochronology of two new localities of cordierite granulites at Kottayam (southern MB; SMB) and Munnar (central MB; CMB). Petrographic observations and phase equilibria modelling results indicate that these rocks experienced UHT metamorphism with the peak temperature exceeding 950℃ and involving clockwise P–T paths. The prograde mineral assemblages define the P–T conditions of 6.8–8.7 kbar and 750–875℃. The peak conditions are estimated using pseudosection modelling and geothermometry, which yield P–T estimates of 7.1–9.1 kbar and 955–985℃. The retrograde cooling and decompression are inferred at 860–790℃ and <6.5 kbar, respectively. Partial melting played an important role during metamorphism and contributed to the overgrowth around detrital zircons. The melt production process was probably related to biotite dehydration melting, and was mainly triggered by heating, with or without the effect of decompression. Detrital zircons in cordierite granulite samples from the two localities show similar age distributions and have dominantly Neoproterozoic ages (1024–760 Ma). The zircon cores show oscillatory zoning with a wide range of Th/U ratios (0.01–0.96), implying complex protoliths from multiple Neoproterozoic provenances from both southern and central domains of the MBs. Zircon rims and homogeneous bright zircons yield mean ages of 549 ± 5 Ma, 536 ± 6 Ma, and 544 ± 6 Ma, which are interpreted to represent zircon overgrowths during the post-peak cooling and decompression process. The timing of peak UHT metamorphism is constrained as 549–599 Ma, which coincides with the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.     

Modelling of mineral equilibria in ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic rocks from the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, central Brazil

A new quantitative approach to constraining mineral equilibria in sapphirine‐bearing ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulites through the use of pseudosections and compatibility diagrams is presented, using a recently published thermodynamic model for sapphirine. The approach is illustrated with an example from an UHT locality in the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, central Brazil, where modelling of mineral equilibria indicates peak metamorphic conditions of about 9 kbar and 1000 °C. The early formed, coarse‐grained assemblage is garnet–orthopyroxene–sillimanite–quartz, which was subsequently modified following peak conditions. The retrograde pressure–temperature (P–T) path of this locality involves decompression across the FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ (FMAS) univariant reaction orthopyroxene + sillimanite = garnet + sapphirine + quartz, resulting in the growth of sapphirine–quartz, followed by cooling and recrossing of this reaction. The resulting microstructures are modelled using compatibility diagrams, and pseudosections calculated for specific grain boundaries considered as chemical domains. The sequence of microstructures preserved in the rocks constrains a two‐stage isothermal decompression–isobaric cooling path. The stability of cordierite along the retrograde path is examined using a domainal approach and pseudosections for orthopyroxene–quartz and garnet–quartz grain boundaries. This analysis indicates that the presence or absence of cordierite may be explained by local variation in a_H2O. This study has important implications for thermobarometric studies of UHT granulites, mainly through showing that traditional FMAS petrogenetic grids based on experiments alone may overestimate P–T conditions. Such grids are effectively constant a_H2O sections in FMAS‐H₂O (FMASH), for which the corresponding a_H2O is commonly higher than that experienced by UHT granulites. A corollary of this dependence of mineral equilibria on a_H2O is that local variations in a_H2O may explain the formation of cordierite without significant changes in P–T conditions, particularly without marked decompression.     

Paleoproterozoic emplacement and Cambrian ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism of a layered magmatic intrusion from the Central Madurai Block,southern India: From Columbia to Gondwana

The Madurai Block in the Southern Granulite Terrane(SGT)of Peninsular India is one of the largest crustal blocks within the Neoproterozoic Gondwana assembly.This block is composed of three sub-blocks:the Neoarchean Northern Madurai block,Paleoproterozoic Central Madurai block and the dominantly Neoproterozoic Southern Madurai Block.The margins of these blocks are well-known for the occurrence of ultrahigh-temperature(UHT)granulite facies rocks mostly represented by Mg-Al metasediments.Here we report a dismembered layered mafic–ultramafic intrusion occurring in association with Mg-Al granulites from the classic locality of Ganguvarpatti in the Central Madurai Block.The major rock types of the layered intrusion include spinel orthopyroxenite,garnet-bearing gabbro,gabbro and gabbroic anorthosite showing rhythmic stratification and cumulate texture.The orthopyroxene-cordierite granulite from the associated Mg-Al layer is composed of spinel,cordierite and orthopyroxene.The pyroxene in both rock units is high-Al orthopyroxene formed under UHT metamorphic conditions.Conventional thermobarometry yields near-peak metamorphic conditions of 9.5–10 kbar pressure and a minimum temperature of 980℃.We computed P–T pseudosections and contoured for the compositional as well as modal isopleths of the major mineral phases,which yield temperature above 1000℃.FMAS petrogenetic grid,Al-in-orthopyroxene isopleth,conventional thermobarometry and calculated pseudosection reveal a clockwise pressure–temperature(P–T)path and near isothermal decompression.The U–Pb data on zircon grains from the layered magmatic suite indicate emplacement of the protolith at ca.2.0 Ga and the metamorphic overgrowths yield weighted ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U mean ages ca.520 Ma.Monazite from the garnet-bearing gabbro and Opx-Crd granulite yielded ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U weighted mean ages of ca.532 Ma and 523 Ma marking the timing of metamorphism.We correlate the layered intrusion to a Paleoproterozoic suprasubduction zone setting,defining the Ganguvarpatti area as part of a collisional suture assembling the Northern and Central Madurai Blocks.The Paleoproterozoic magmatism and late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian UHT metamorphism can be linked to the tectonics of the Columbia and Gondwana supercontinents.     

Anticlockwise metamorphic paths at ca. 890–790 Ma from the NE Baidrag block,Mongolia, indicate back-arc compression at the Rodinia periphery

The processes leading to the assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent through Grenvillian collisional orogeny are relatively well known. In contrast, accretionary orogenic processes occurring at the supercontinent periphery following Rodinia assembly are poorly understood. To fill this gap, we have identified metamorphic rocks in the Mongolia collage of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, where numerous data testify for Meso- to Neoproterozoic magmatic reworking. The tectono-metamorphic evolution of the peri-Siberian tract of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt is mainly characterized by the late Proterozoic–early Cambrian (Baikalian) cycle. However, we document here a Tonian age metamorphism at the northern part of the Precambrian Baidrag block, previously considered as a typical example of the Baikalian metamorphic belt. This study incorporates zircon and in-situ monazite geochronology linked to P-T modelling of Grt-Sil-Ky migmatite gneiss and Grt-St micaschist. Grt-Sil-Ky gneiss records initial burial to the sillimanite stability field at ～720 °C and 6.0 kbar followed by further burial to the kyanite stability field at ～750 °C and ～9 kbar and decompression to ～650 °C and ～8 kbar. The Grt-St schist records initial burial to the staurolite stability field at ～620 °C and 6 kbar, followed by further burial to ～590 °C and 8.5 kbar. The monazite data yield a continuum of ²⁰⁷Pb-corrected ²³⁸U/²⁰⁶Pb dates of ca. 926–768 Ma in the Grt-Sil-Ky gneiss, and ca. 937–754 Ma in the Grt-St schist. Based on monazite textural positon, internal zoning, and REE patterns, the time of prograde burial to 6.0 kbar under a thermal gradient of 27–32 °C/km is estimated at ca. 890–853 Ma. It is not clear whether such high-grade conditions prevailed until a phase of further burial under a geothermal gradient of 18–22 °C/km dated at ca. 835–815 Ma. The late monazite recrystallization at ca. 790 Ma is related to decompression. Additionally, monazite with dates of ca. 568–515 Ma occur as whole grains or as rims with sharp boundaries on Tonian monazite in Grt-St schist suggesting a minor Baikalian overprint. Metamorphic zircon rims with Th/U ratios of ～ 0.01–0.06 in Grt-Sil-Ky gneiss with 877 ± 7 Ma age, together with lower intercepts of detrital zircon discordia lines in both Grt-Sil-Ky gneiss and Grt-St schist further support the Tonian age of high-grade metamorphism. The anticlockwise P-T evolution is interpreted as a result of thickening of a supra-subduction extensional and hot edifice – probably of back-arc or arc type. This kind of prograde metamorphism has so far only been described on the northern part of the Tarim block and was interpreted to be a result of initiation of peri-Rodinian subduction of the Mirovoi Ocean. The geodynamic consequences of a unique discovery of Tonian metamorphism are discussed in terms of tectonic switch related to initiation of peri-Rodinian oceanic subduction during supercontinent assembly, followed by strong mechanical coupling potentially related to onset of Rodinia dispersal.     

Refining the P–T records of UHT crustal metamorphism

Ultra‐high‐temperature (UHT) metamorphism occurs when the continental crust is subjected to temperatures of greater than 900 °C at depths of 20–40 km. UHT metamorphism provides evidence that major tectonic processes may operate under thermal conditions more extreme than those generally produced in numerical models of orogenesis. Evidence for UHT metamorphism is recorded in mineral assemblages formed in magnesian pelites, supported by high‐temperature indicators including mesoperthitic feldspar, aluminous orthopyroxene and high Zr contents in rutile. Recent theoretical, experimental and thermodynamic data set constraints on metamorphic phase equilibria in FMAS, KFMASH and more complex chemical systems have greatly improved quantification of the P–T conditions and paths of UHT metamorphic belts. However, despite these advances key issues that remain to be addressed include improving experimental constraints on the thermodynamic properties of sapphirine, quantifying the effects of oxidation state on sapphirine, orthopyroxene and spinel stabilities and quantifying the effects of H₂O–CO₂ in cordierite on phase equilibria and reaction texture analysis. These areas of uncertainty mean that UHT mineral assemblages must still be examined using theoretical and semi‐quantitative approaches, such as P(–T)–μ sections, and conventional thermobarometry in concert with calculated phase equilibrium methods. In the cases of UHT terranes that preserve microtextural and mineral assemblage evidence for steep or ‘near‐isothermal’ decompression P–T paths, the presence of H₂O and CO₂ in cordierite is critical to estimates of the P–T path slopes, the pressures at which reaction textures have formed and the impact of fluid infiltration. Many UHT terranes have evolved from peak P–T conditions of 8–11 kbar and 900–1030 °C to lower pressure conditions of 8 to 6 kbar whilst still at temperature in the range of 950 to 800 °C. These decompressional P–T paths, with characteristic dP/dT gradients of ～25 ± 10 bar °C^?1, are similar in broad shape to those generated in deep‐crustal channel flow models for the later stages of orogenic collapse, but lie at significantly higher temperatures for any specified pressure. This thermal gap presents a key challenge in the tectonic modelling of UHT metamorphism, with implications for the evolution of the crust, sub‐crustal lithosphere and asthenospheric mantle during the development of hot orogens.     

A multi-stage pressure—temperature record in the Chilka Lake granulites: the epitome of the metamorphic evolution of Eastern Ghats,India?

Abstract Metapelitic and charnockitic granulites exposed around Chilka Lake in the northern sector of the Eastern Ghats, India, preserve a multi-stage P—T record. A high-T decompression from above 10 kbar to 8 kbar around 1100°C has been determined from Mg-rich metapelites (X_Mg>0.60) with quartz-cordierite-orthopyroxene-sillimanite and cordierite—orthopyroxene—sapphirine—spinel assemblages. Between this and a second decompression to 6.0 kbar, isobaric cooling from 830 to 670°C at 8 kbar is evident. These changes are registered by the rim compositions of orthopyroxene and garnet in charnockites and metapelites with an orthopyroxene—quartz—garnet—plagioclase—cordierite assemblage, and are further supported by the garnet + quartz ± orthopyroxene + cordierite and biotite-producing reactions in sapphirine-bearing metapelites. Another indication of isobaric cooling from 800 to 650°C at 6.0 kbar is evident from rim compositions of orthopyroxene and garnet in patchy charnockites. Two sets of P—T values are obtained from metapelites with a quartz—plagioclase—garnet—sillimanite—cordierite assemblage: garnet and plagioclase cores yield 6.2 kbar, 700°C and the rims 5 kbar, 650°C, suggesting a third decompression. The earliest deformation (F1) structures are preserved in the larger charnockite bodies and the metapelites which retain the high P—T record. The effects of post-crystalline F2 deformation are observed in garnet megacrysts formed during or prior to F1 in some metapelites. Fold styles indicate a compressional regime during F1 and an extensional regime during F2. These lines of evidence and two phases of cooling at different pressures point to a discontinuity after the first cooling, and imply reworking. Two segments of the present P—T path replicate parts of the P—T paths suggested for four other granulite terranes in the Eastern Ghats, and the sense of all the paths is the same. This, plus the signature of three phases of deformation identified in the Eastern Ghats, suggests that the Chilka Lake granulites could epitomize the metamorphic evolution of the Eastern Ghats.     

MnNCKFMASH phase relations in cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses, southern india: implications for low-pressure crustal melting under granulite-facies

Cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses exposed in Achankovil unit of the Kerala Khondalite Belt, southern India show evidences of melting, melt extraction and in-situ crystallization of melt under granulite-facies conditions. The sequential mineral assemblages garnet + biotite + orthopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz (± melt) in the mesosomes and garnet + biotite + orthopyroxene + cordierite + plagioclase + K-feldspar + quartz + melt in the melanosomes makes the Achankovil cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses a good example of anatectic rocks, where substantial melt fractions remained in-situ during decompression and cooling. Therefore, the rocks provide an opportunity to investigate deep crustal processes and record of rheological (thermal and mechanical) reequilibration prevailed during the final stages of orogeny. The significance of cordierite formation and its possible relationship with melt formation are investigated applying theoretical calculations in the MnO-Na₂O-CaO-K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (MnNCKFMASH) system. Results of numerical modelling of the mineral assemblages in pressure-temperature-composition (P-T-X) pseudosections using Perple_X infer that the sequence of reactions involving formation of cordierite-orthopyroxene-melt assemblage is consistent with an isothermal decompression (with a pressure drop of >1.5 kbars) at high temperatures (>800 °C), forming leucosomes. Biotite dehydration melting reactions, occurring above 4.5 kbars constrain prograde arm of the P-T trajectory and is interpreted as a product of crustal thickening, which was followed by rapid decompression. The final stage of exhumation is characterized by rehydration of cordierites in the melanosome by melt-solid interactions at exceptionally low-pressure (??3.2 kbars) conditions. The high-temperature isothermal decompression inferred from the mineral reactions and P-T-X pseudosections constitute a clockwise P-T path for the exhumation of the lower crust. This clockwise P-T path is consistent with the common tectonic model accepted for the genesis of granulite-facies migmatites during crustal thickening and later unroofing, accompanied with arc-continent collision. Our conclusions indicate low-P metamorphism and anatexis can be traced to convergent setting, where melt buoyancy considerably decreases density of the lithosphere and modifies rheology leading to rapid exhumation of the lower crust. Therefore, the crustal evolution in the Kerala Khondalite Belt is correlated with two stage processes: (i) thickening of the crust in relation to a continental-arc setting, followed by (ii) exhumation along a high-temperature stable geotherm with sufficient pressure release associated with syn- to post-convergence transpression and transtension.     

Aureoles of Pb(II)-enriched feldspar around monazite in paragneiss and anatectic pods of the Napier Complex,Enderby Land,East Antarctica: the roles of dissolution-reprecipitation and diffusion

Extraordinarily high Pb content in K-feldspar and plagioclase has been found contiguous to monazite in two occurrences in the ultrahigh-temperature Napier Complex of Antarctica. Monazite shows a variety of textures and compositions. In a garnet-sillimanite-orthopyroxene paragneiss at Mount Pardoe (Amundsen Bay), grains range 80–150 μm across and are anhedral; two grains are Th- and Si-dominant. In pods that crystallized from anatectic melts at 2500 Ma at Zircon Point, Casey Bay, monazite grains range 0.05 mm–1 cm in length and are highly variable in texture. The coarsest grains (>0.7 cm) are skeletal and euhedral, whereas the smallest grains are anhedral and associated with fine- to medium-grained quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, garnet, sillimanite and rutile in aggregates that form interstitial veinlets interpreted to be a second generation of anatexis during an event at 1100 Ma. The huttonite component (ThSiO₄) reaches 30 mole% in the cores of the coarsest skeletal grains, whereas other grains, particularly smaller ones, show complex and irregular zoning in Th and U. The latter zoning is attributed to dissolution-reprecipitation, which also resulted in complete Pb loss during the 1100 Ma event. In the paragneiss at Mount Pardoe, K-feldspar and myrmekitic plagioclase (An16) are found in a 70–80 μm band between monazite and orthopyroxene and contain up to 12.7 wt.% and 2.7 wt.% PbO, respectively, corresponding to 18.5% and 3.4% PbAl₂Si₂O₈ component, respectively. Cathodoluminescence of both feldspars increases with distance from a nearby monazite grain and is not correlated with Pb content. Incorporation of Pb in K-feldspar and plagioclase could be a result of diffusion, even though the monazite adjacent to feldspar apparently lost little Pb, i.e., Pb could have been transported by fluid from the Th-rich grains, which did lose Pb. In contrast to the paragneiss, cathodoluminescence correlates with Pb content of K-feldspar in aureoles surrounding skeletal monazite grains 0.7–1 cm across in anatectic pods at Zircon Point. Pb content of K-feldspar decreases monotonically to near detection limits within several millimetres of monazite grains; the greatest PbO concentration is attained in K-feldspar inliers and embayments in monazite, 8.8 wt.%, corresponding to 11.7% PbAl₂Si₂O₈ component. Fine-grained quartz in the K-feldspar suggests that the mechanism for Pb incorporation involved breakdown of feldspar: Pb²⁺ + 2(K,Na)AlSi₃O₈ → PbAl₂Si₂O₈ + 4SiO₂ + 2(K,Na)⁺ . The smooth decrease of Pb in the aureoles is not characteristic of dissolution-reprecipitation, which is characterized by abrupt changes of composition, and it seems more likely that Pb was incorporated in K-feldspar by diffusion at 1100 Ma. We suggest a model whereby fluid introduced during the 1100 Ma event flowed along grain boundaries and penetrated mineral grains. Temperatures were sufficiently high, i.e., 700°C, assuming burial in the mid-crust, for the fluid to induce localized melting of quartzofeldspathic matrix of the anatectic pods. Loss of radiogenic Pb was complete. Some penetration of K-feldspar by aqueous fluid is suggested by the presence of scattered galena specks and by rays of turbidity emanating from monazite. Aqueous fluid or water-rich granitic melt may have mediated the diffusion of Pb in feldspar, but it did not cause dissolution-reprecipitation. Although Pb was mobilized by aqueous fluid or water-rich granitic melt, it was not entirely flushed from the immediate vicinity of the monazite, but nearly half was incorporated in adjacent feldspar. Fluid activity that could cause Pb loss in monazite does not always leave an obvious trace, i.e., hydrous minerals, such as sericite, are very sparse, and biotite is absent in the anatectic pods at Zircon Point. Nonetheless, electron microprobe dating of monazite from the pods could not detect the 2500 Ma age of original crystallization determined by isotopic dating.     

Multistage reaction textures in xenolithic high-MgAl granulites at Anakapalle, Eastern Ghats Belt, India: examples of contact polymetamorphism and infiltration-driven metasomatism

High‐MgAl rocks occur as xenoliths (up to 2 m in diameter) in mafic granulites at a newly discovered locality near Anakapalle. Following an early phase of deformation, ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) metamorphism and near‐isothermal decompression, the rocks were intruded in a lit‐par‐lit manner by felsic melts (charnockite), which caused local‐scale metasomatism. A subsequent deformation produced isoclinal folds and the distinct gneissic foliation of the charnockite still at granulite facies conditions. The sequence of multiphase reaction textures in the high‐MgAl xenoliths reflects the changes of physico‐chemical conditions during the polyphase evolution of the terrane; UHT metamorphism (stage 1, > 1000°C, c. 10 kbar) is documented by relics of extremely coarse grained domains with the assemblage orthopyroxene (opx)₁ + garnet (grt)₁ + sapphirine (spr)₁ + spinel (spl)₁ + rutile (rt). A subsequent phase of near‐isothermal decompression in the order of 1–2 kbar (stage 2) resulted in extensive replacement of grt₁ and opx₁ megacrysts by lamellar (opx₂ + spr₂) symplectites. The intrusion of felsic melt (stage 3) led to the development of a narrow metasomatic black wall reaction zone (bt + sil + plg₃ + opx_2,3 + rt) at the immediate contact of the xenoliths and in melt infiltration zones to the partial replacement of (opx₂ + spr₂) symplectites by biotite and sillimanite and/or plg₃, mainly at the expense of orthopyroxene, with concomitant coarsening of the intergrowth texture. The subsequent deformation (stage 4) further modified the symplectite textures through polygonization, recrystallization and grain‐size coarsening. The deformation was followed by a period of cooling and decompression (stage 5, c. 800°C, 4–7 kbar) as indicated by local growth of late garnet (grt₅) at the expense of (opx + spr + plg) domains at static conditions. Recently published isotope data suggest that the multistage evolution of the high‐MgAl granulites at Anakapalle followed a discontinuous P–T trajectory that may be related to heating of the crust through magmatic accretion culminating in deep‐crustal UHT metamorphism at 1.4 Ga (stage 1), fast uplift of the UHT granulites into mid‐crustal levels as a consequence of extensional tectonics (stage 2), emplacement of felsic magmas in the Grenvillian (at c. 1 Ga, stage 3) resulting in reheating of the crust to high–T conditions followed by a phase of compressional tectonics (stage 4) and a period of cooling to the stable geotherm (stage 5) still in the Grenvillian.     

Early Mesoproterozoic metamorphism in the Barossa Complex,South Australia: links with the eastern margin of Proterozoic Australia

LA-ICP-MS U–Pb geochronological data from metamorphic monazite in granulite-facies metapelites in the Barossa Complex, southern Australia, yield ages in the range 1580–1550 Ma. Metapelitic rocks from the Myponga and Houghton Inliers contain early biotite–sillimanite-bearing assemblages that underwent partial melting to produce peak metamorphic garnet–sillimanite-bearing anatectic assemblages. Phase equilibrium modelling suggests a clockwise P–T evolution with peak temperatures between 800 and 870°C and peak pressures of 8–9 kbar, followed by decompression to pressures of ～6 kbar. In combination with existing age data, the monazite U–Pb ages indicate that the early Mesoproterozoic evolution of the Barossa Complex is contemporaneous with other high geothermal gradient metamorphic terranes in eastern Proterozoic Australia. The areal extent of early Mesoproterozoic metamorphism in eastern Australia suggests that any proposed continental reconstructions involving eastern Proterozoic Australia should share a similar tectonothermal history.     

Testing the fidelity of thermometers at ultrahigh temperatures

A highly residual granulite facies rock (sample RG07‐21) from Lunnyj Island in the Rauer Group, East Antarctica, presents an opportunity to compare different approaches to constraining peak temperature in high‐grade metamorphic rocks. Sample RG07‐21 is a coarse‐grained pelitic migmatite composed of abundant garnet and orthopyroxene along with quartz, biotite, cordierite, and plagioclase with accessory rutile, ilmenite, zircon, and monazite. The inferred sequence of mineral growth is consistent with a clockwise pressure–temperature (P–T) evolution when compared with a forward model (P–T pseudosection) for the whole‐rock chemical composition. Peak metamorphic conditions are estimated at 9 ± 0.5 kbar and 910 ± 50°C based on conventional Al‐in‐orthopyroxene thermobarometry, Zr‐in‐rutile thermometry, and calculated compositional isopleths. U–Pb ages from zircon rims and neocrystallized monazite grains yield ages of c. 514 Ma, suggesting that crystallization of both minerals occurred towards the end of the youngest pervasive metamorphic episode in the region known as the Prydz Tectonic Event. The rare earth element compositions of zircon and garnet are consistent with equilibrium growth of these minerals in the presence of melt. When comparing the thermometry methods used in this study, it is apparent that the Al‐in‐orthopyroxene thermobarometer provides the most reliable estimate of peak conditions. There is a strong textural correlation between the temperatures obtained using the Zr‐in‐rutile thermometer––maximum temperatures are recorded by a single rutile grain included within orthopyroxene, whereas other grains included in garnet, orthopyroxene, quartz, and biotite yield a range of temperatures down to 820°C. Ti‐in‐zircon thermometry returns significantly lower temperature estimates of 678–841°C. Estimates at the upper end of this range are consistent with growth of zircon from crystallizing melt at temperatures close to the elevated (H₂O undersaturated) solidus. Those estimates, significantly lower than the calculated temperature of this residual solidus, may reflect isolation of rutile from the effective equilibration volume leading to an activity of TiO₂ that is lower than the assumed value of unity.