Sudoite,a rock-forming mineral in Verrucano of the Northern Apennines (Italy) and the sudoite-chloritoid-pyrophyllite assemblage in prograde metamorphism

Sudoite, the di-trioctahedral chlorite with ideal composition (Mg₂Al)(Al₂)(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₈ is a widespread rock-forming mineral in meta-siltstones and psammites of the Verrucano sequence of the Northern Apennines. Sub-ellipsoidal aggregates, probably derived from muscovite clasts, consisting of sudoite, pyrophyllite and muscovite, are common; sudoite may also occur as thin blades in the rock matrix. The co-existence of sudoite, Ferich chloritoid and pyrophyllite, reported here for the first time, has been observed in specimens from the M. Argentario and Monticiano-Roccastrada areas. This three-phase assemblage, diagnostic of a specific metamorphic facies, may be a tool for detailed zonation of low-grade terranes.     

Alpine metamorphism of pelitic schists in the Nufenen Pass area, Lepontine Alps

Abstract The effects of Tertiary Alpine metamorphism on pelitic Mesozoic cover rocks have been studied along a cross-section in the central Lepontine Alps in the Nufenen Pass area, Switzerland. Greenschist facies to amphibolite facies conditions are indicated by the formation of the index minerals chloritoid, garnet, staurolite and kyanite in pelitic rocks. Regional metamorphism reached maximum conditions during the interkinematic period between a main Alpine penetrative (D2) and a late Alpine (D3) crenulation type deformation phase or synchronous with the late Alpine deformation. Based on AFM phase relationships four different metamorphic zones can be distinguished: (1) chloritoid zone; (2) staurolite + chlorite zone; (3) staurolite + biotite zone; and, (4) kyanite zone. The isograds that separate these zones can be modelled by univariant reactions in the KFMASH system. The conditions of metamorphism calculated from geological ther-mobarometers for the maximum post-D2 por-phyroblast stage are from North to South: 500° C at 5-6 kbar and 600° C at 7-8 kbar. Detailed thermobarometry of garnet por-phyroblasts with complex textures suggests that maximum temperature was reached later than maximum pressure. Early garnet growth occurred along a prograde P-T-path, post-D2 rims grew with increasing temperature but decreasing pressure, and finally post-D3 garnet formed along a retrograde P-T-path. It may be concluded from the calculated pressure and temperature difference over a short distance (3 km) across the mapped area that the isogradic surfaces of the post-D2 metamorphism are steeply oriented. The data also suggest that isobaric and isothermal surfaces are parallel. Much of the observed metamorphic pattern can be explained as the result of a significant post-D2 differential uplift of the hot Pennine area relative to the Helvetic area along a tectonic contact zone. The closely spaced isograds (isotherms) in the North may then be interpreted as a thermal effect owing to the emplacement of the hot Pennine rocks against the Got-thard massif with its cover. Whereas, in the Pennine metasediments, post-D2 porphyroblast formation can be related to the decompression path which was steep enough for dehydration reactions to proceed. It is also remarkable that late kyanite porphyroblasts probably formed with decreasing pressure. The interpretation given here for the Nufenen Pass area may also apply to the Luk-manier Pass area where similar metamorphic patterns have been reported by Fox (1975). The formation of the ‘Northern Steep Belt’;, as denned by Milnes (1974b), and the associated late Alpine fold zones may, therefore, have significantly modified the metamorphic pattern of the Helvetic-Penninic contact zone.     

High pressure-low temperature metamorphism in the Gran Paradiso basement, Western Alps

The Gran Paradiso basement complex of the French and Italian Alps is composed of metasediments, termed the gneiss minuti, and metabasic rocks, both of which are intruded by a late Hercynian granite. The Bonneval gneiss, which crops out at the western edge of the complex, is composed of highly deformed metasediments, volcanics and volcaniclastic rocks. Eclogites, now highly altered, occur in the metabasic rocks. Kyanite and blue-green amphibole are locally present in the gneiss minuti and aegirine plus riebeckite occur in the Bonneval gneiss. A moderately high pressure - low temperature metamorphic event of probable Alpine age occurred in the basement complex. This metamorphic event differs from that in the overlying Sesia unit and ophiolites of the Schistes lustrés nappe in being at lower pressures (below the ab = jd₁₀₀+ qz transition) and post-dating the major (D2_A) deformation. The origin of the metamorphism is discussed and interpreted as a probable consequence of the overlying nappe pile which was emplaced during the D2_A event. Subsequent greenschist facies metamorphism in the basement complex is a consequence of thermal relaxation during uplift.     

Plagioclase relations in pelites, central Menderes Massif, Turkey. I. The peristerite gap with coexisting kyanite

Abstract In pelites of the central Menderes Massif, albite and oligoclase with only slight chemical zoning coexist in apparent textural equilibrium in the garnet zone, staurolite zone, and staurolite + kyanite transition zone. The metamorphic temperature range is estimated as approximately 440–550°C (from the Hodges-Spear calibration of the garnet-biotite geo-thermometer), or 440–500°C (Ganguly-Saxena calibration). While oligoclase composition at the peristerite gap changes from An₂₂ to An₁₄, albite also becomes more sodic (An_1,5–An_0.6). The slope of the albite limb is thus the reverse of that reported in other areas, and may not be a true equilibrium feature. Occurrence of kyanite, at temperatures below the crest of the gap, is due to low water activity in the presence of graphite: a H_2o is estimated at approximately 0.1–0.2 from the Na content of muscovite coexisting with albite + kyanite + quartz.     

Continuous reactions between biotite, garnet, staurolite, kyanite-sillimanite-andalusite and P-T-time-deformation path in micaschists from the estuary of the river Vilaine, South Brittany, France

Abstract Microprobe analysis of the continuous chemical evolution of coexisting biotite-garnet and biotite-garnet-staurolite has been undertaken from interbedded micaschists of the volcanodetrital group of the Vilaine. A thermobarometric study using pertinent mineralogical equilibria reveals a complex P-T evolution, continuous throughout time, from high pressure, medium temperature (kyanite zone) to medium pressure, high temperature (sillimanite zone), then low pressure, medium temperature (andalusite zone). The T, P, f_H2o and X_H2o variations have been calculated from coexisting biotite-garnet pairs, and from the equilibria: paragonite (in white mica) + quartz ± albite (in plagioclase) + Al silicate + H₂O; and, 3 anorthite ± grossular + 2 Alsilicate + quartz. The P-T evolution is correlated with the continuous change in composition of minerals (using P–X_Mg and T–X_Mg diagrams) and with the evolution of assemblages. This continuous P-T-time evolution, correlated with the successive formation of S₁-S₂ foliations, allows us to propose a P-T-time-deformation path for the micaschists and to relate the growth of its mineral components to tectonic processes.     

Sequential growth of cordierite and andalusite porphyroblasts, Cooma Complex, Australia: microstructural evidence of a prograde reaction

Abstract Low-pressure prograde metamorphism of pelitic rocks in the Cooma Complex, south-east Australia, has produced cordierite-andalusite schists at intermediate grades. The first foliation (S₁) is preserved largely as inclusion trails in cordierite porphyroblasts. Microstructural evidence indicates that the cordierite porphyroblasts grew during the early stages of development of a crenulation-foliation (S₂) and that andalusite porphyroblasts grew during the development of a later crenulation-foliation (S₃). Microstructural evidence also indicates that the andalusite was a product of the prograde reaction: cordierite + muscovite ± andalusite + biotite + quartz. The occurrence of the products of this reaction in 'beard'structures between cordierite microboudins formed by extension in S₃ confirms that the andalusite grew during the development of S₃. The investigation shows that porphyroblast-matrix relationships can preserve the orientation of an early S-surface that has been largely obliterated from the matrix, as well as providing relatively direct evidence of sequential mineral growth and metamorphic reactions.     

Dating cleavage formation in slates and phyllites with the 40Ar/39Ar laser microprobe: an example from the western New England Appalachians, USA

Determinations of the absolute age of cleavage formation can provide fundamental information about the evolution of orogenic belts. However, when applied to cleavages in slates and phyllites, conventional dating methods are complicated by problems related to mineral separation and the presence of multiple cleavage generations. In situ high-spatial-resolution ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser microprobe geochronology and microstructural observations indicate that the age of cleavage formation in slates and phyllites can be constrained by analysing zones of tightly packed cleavage domains. Three regionally developed cleavages (S₂, S₃, and S₄) are present in the northern Taconic Allochthon of Vermont and New York. Representative samples were studied from a variety of localities where these cleavages, which are defined by white micas, are well developed. In the suite of samples, only S₃ and S₄ are expressed as domains that are sufficiently wide and spatially isolated in thin section to permit quantitative ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology. Mean ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser microprobe ages for these domains are 370.7 ± 1.0 Myr for S₃ and 345.5 ± 1.7 Myr for S₄. Because estimates of the Ar closure temperature for white micas are substantially higher than the inferred growth temperatures of the micas defining S₃ and S₄, these values are interpreted as periods since cleavage formation. This interpretation is consistent with independent geochronological constraints on the age of the Acadian orogeny in the region.     

Anti-clockwise P–T paths in the lower crust: an example from a kyanite-bearing regional aureole, George Sound, New Zealand

The George Sound Paragneiss (GSP) represents a rare Permo-Triassic unit in Fiordland that occurs as a km-scale pillar to gabbroic and dioritic gneiss of c . 120 Ma Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO). It is distinguished from Palaeozoic paragneiss common in western Fiordland (Deep Cove Gneiss) by SHRIMP and laser-ablation U–Pb ages as young as c . 190 Ma and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Lu >0.2828 for detrital zircon grains. The Mesozoic age of the GSP circumvents common ambiguity in the interpretation of Cretaceous v. Palaeozoic metamorphic assemblages in the Deep Cove Gneiss. A shallowly dipping S₁ foliation is preserved in the GSP distal to the WFO, cut by 100 m scale migmatite contact zones. All units preserve a steeply dipping S₂ foliation. S₁ staurolite and sillimanite inclusions in the cores of metapelitic garnet grains distal to the WFO preserve evidence for prograde conditions of T  <   650 °C and P <  8 kbar. Contact aureole and S₂ assemblages include Mg-rich, Ca-poor cores to garnet grains in metapelitic schist that reflect WFO emplacement at ≈760 °C and ≈6.5 kbar. S₂ kyanite-bearing matrix assemblages and Ca-enriched garnet rims reflect ≈650 °C and ≈11 kbar. Poorly oriented muscovite–biotite intergrowths and rare paragonite reflect post-S₂ high- P retrogression and cooling. Pseudosection modelling in NCKFMASH defines a high- P anti-clockwise P–T history for the GSP involving: (i) mid- P amphibolite facies conditions; preceding (ii) thermal metamorphism adjacent to the WFO; followed by (iii) burial to high- P and (iv) high- P cooling induced by tectonic juxtaposition of cooler country rock.     

Deformation, mass transfer and mineral reactions in an eclogite facies shear zone in a polymetamorphic metapelite (Monte Rosa nappe, western Alps)

This study analyses the mineralogical and chemical transformations associated with an Alpine shear zone in polymetamorphic metapelites from the Monte Rosa nappe in the upper Val Loranco (N‐Italy). In the shear zone, the pre‐Alpine assemblage plagioclase + biotite + kyanite is replaced by the assemblage garnet + phengite + paragonite at eclogite facies conditions of about 650 °C at 12.5 kbar. Outside the shear zone, only minute progress of the same metamorphic reaction was attained during the Alpine metamorphic overprint and the pre‐Alpine mineral assemblage is largely preserved. Textures of incomplete reaction, such as garnet rims at former grain contacts between pre‐existing plagioclase and biotite, are preserved in the country rocks of the shear zone. Reaction textures and phase relations indicate that the Alpine metamorphic overprint occurred under largely anhydrous conditions in low strain domains. In contrast, the mineralogical changes and phase equilibrium diagrams indicate water saturation within the Alpine shear zones. Shear zone formation occurred at approximately constant volume but was associated with substantial gains in silica and losses in aluminium and potassium. Changes in mineral modes associated with chemical alteration and progressive deformation indicate that plagioclase, biotite and kyanite were not only consumed in the course of the garnet‐and phengite‐producing reactions, but were also dissolved ‘congruently’ during shear zone formation. A large fraction of the silica liberated by plagioclase, biotite and kyanite dissolution was immediately re‐precipitated to form quartz, but the dissolved aluminium‐ and potassium‐bearing species appear to have been stable in solution and were removed via the pore fluid. The reaction causes the localization of deformation by producing fine‐grained white mica, which forms a mechanically weak aggregate.     

Petrology of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain, Japan: phase equilibria in the highest grade zone of a high-pressure intermediate type of metamorphic belt

The oligoclase-biotite zone of the Bessi area, central Shikoku is characterized by sodic plagioclase (X_Ca= 0.10–0.28)-bearing assemblages in pelitic schists, and represents the highest-grade zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain. Mineral assemblages in pelitic schists of this zone, all with quartz, sodic plagioclase, muscovite and clinozoisite (or zoisite), are garnet + biotite + chlorite + paragonite, garnet + biotite + hornblende + chlorite, and partial assemblages of these two types. Correlations between mineral compositions, mineral assemblages and mineral stability data assuming PH₂O = P_solid suggests that metamorphic conditions of this zone are about 610 ± 25°C and 10 ± 1 kbar.
Based upon a comparative study of mineralogy and chemistry of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa terrain with those in the New Caledonia omphacite zone as an example of a typical high-pressure type of metamorphic belt and with those in a generalized'upper staurolite zone'as an example of a medium-pressure type of metamorphic belt, progressive assemblages within these three zones can be related by reactions such as:     

The origin of strain patterns resulting from contemporaneous deformation and metamorphism in the Sambagawa metamorphic belt

Abstract The magnitudes of plastic strains of 104 metacherts were determined from the deformed shape of initially spherical radiolarians in the Sambagawa high- P type metamorphic belt of Western Shikoku, Japan. The strain magnitude increases with increasing metamorphic temperature from several per cent to 250%. The a₂/a₃ ratio of strain ellipsoids in the higher metamorphic grades decreases with increasing metamorphic grade while the a₁/a₂ ratio increases rapidly. The long axis of the strain ellipsoid for every grade is nearly parallel to the length of the metamorphic belt, suggesting that the flow direction of the synmetamorphic deformation was uniform along the belt. A map of strain zones within the Sambagawa high- P type metamorphic belt reveals that the metamorphic belt underwent a progressive bulk inhomogeneous shear deformation and that the high-grade zones represent a deep-seated boundary shear zone on the accretionary wedge between a subducting oceanic plate and the immobile rigid continental plate.     

Temporal and compositional differences between subsolidus and anatectic migmatite leucosomes from the Quetico metasedimentary belt, Canada

Abstract Migmatites in the Quetico Metasedimentary Belt contain two types of leucosome: (1) Layer-parallel leucosomes that grew during deformation and prograde metamorphism. These are enriched in SiO₂, Sr, and Eu, but depleted in TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MgO, Cs, Rb, REE, Sc, Th, Zr, and Hf relative to the Quetico metasediments. (2) Discordant leucosomes that formed after the regional folding events when metamorphic temperatures were at their peak. These are enriched in Rb, Ba, Sr and Eu, but display a wide range of LREE, Th, Zr, and Hf contents relative to the Quetico metasediments.
Layer-parallel leucosomes formed by a subsolidus process termed tectonic segregation. This stress-induced mass transfer process began when the Quetico sediments were deformed during burial, and continued whilst the rocks were both stressed and heterogeneous. Subsolidus leucosome compositions are consistent with the mobilization of quartz and feldspar from the host rocks by pressure solution. The discordant leucosomes formed by partial melting of the Quetico metasediments, possibly during uplift of the belt. The range of composition displayed by the anatectic leucosomes arises from crystal fractionation during leucosome emplacement. Some anatectic leucosomes preserve primary melt compositions and have smooth REE patterns, but those with negative Eu anomalies represent fractionated melts, and others with positive Eu anomalies represent accumulations of feldspar plus trapped melt.     

Petrology of Fe-Mg-carpholite-bearing metasediments from NE Oman

Abstract Fe-Mg carpholite occurs in metasediments of tectonically disrupted basement, shelf and foreland basin units that structurally underlie the Semail ophiolite in NE Oman. In the lower grade, structurally higher units, Fe-rich carpholite coexists with paragonite, quartz, illite, kaolinite and chlorite, whereas in deeper units, Fe-Mg carpholite occurs with pyrophyllite, sudoite, phengite and/or chloritoid. Mineral compositions in these units indicate that chlorite is more magnesian than coexisting Fe-Mg carpholite at low temperatures and pressures but, at higher metamorphic grades, X_Mg decreases in the order sudoite > carpholite > chlorite > chloritoid. This suggests a reversal in Fe-Mg partitioning between Fe-Mg carpholite and chlorite at temperatures below or close to those of the breakdown of kaolinite + quartz to pyrophyllite and at X_Mg= 0.35.
Phase relations and mineral equilibria indicate that the P-T conditions of formation of the Fe-Mg-carpholite-bearing rocks of NE Oman range from 280–315° C, 3–6 kbar for the structurally highest units to 325–440° C, 6–9.5 kbar for the deepest units, indicating a systematic down-section increase in metamorphic grade. Textural relations in these rocks, interpreted in the context of pertinent equilibria, are consistent with the clockwise P-T paths previously constrained for these units from petrological studies of interlayered isofacial mafic rocks.     

Middle Archean ocean ridge hydrothermal metamorphism and alteration recorded in the Cleaverville area, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia

A hydrothermally metamorphosed greenstone complex, capped by bedded cherts and banded iron formations (BIFs), is exposed in the Cleaverville area, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. It has been interpreted as an accretionary complex characterized by both a duplex structure and an oceanic plate stratigraphy, and is shown to represent a 3.2 Ga upper oceanic crust. Three metamorphic zones are identified in the basaltic greenstones. The metamorphic grade increases from sub-greenschist facies (zones A and B) to greenschist facies (zone C) under low-pressure conditions. The boundaries between three mineral zones are subparallel to the bedding plane of overlying chert/BIF, and metamorphic temperature increases stratigraphically downward. The zones correspond to the thermal structure of ocean-floor metamorphism, at a mid-ocean ridge.
The uppermost greenstone in the study area is more pervasively altered and carbonatized than the modern upper oceanic crust. This indicates the enrichment of CO₂ in the metamorphic fluid by which widespread formation of carbonate occurred, compared with a narrow stability region of Ca-Al silicates. It is, therefore, suggested that the Archean hydrothermal alteration played a more important role in fixation of CO₂ than present-day ocean-ridge hydrothermal alteration, as an interaction between sea water and oceanic crust.     

Chemographic analysis of assemblages involving pyrophyllite, chloritoid, chlorite, kaolinite, kyanite, quartz: application to metapelites in the Witwatersrand goldfields, South Africa

The Witwatersrand goldfields contain abundant assemblages that include pyrophyllite, chloritoid, chlorite, kaolinite and/or kyanite, with quartz. A chemographic analysis of the system Fe(Mg)-Al-Si-O-H involving these minerals yields 22 potential phase diagrams. Using orientation criteria and thermodynamic calculations as further constraints, this list has been reduced to three possible diagrams. New thermodynamic data favour one of these in particular.
This chemographic analysis demonstrates that formation of chloritoid is not restricted to the breakdown reaction of kaolinite plus chlorite in the F(M)ASH system, as stated by previous studies, but could be from pyrophyllite + chlorite → chloritoid + quartz + H₂O.
The metamorphic temperature variation between Witwatersrand goldfields exceeded 65 C, based on chlorite and chloritoid compositions. The lower and upper pressure limits are constrained by the andalusite to kyanite, and the sudoite/chlorite to carpholite boundaries, i.e. 1.5–2.8, and 7 kbar, respectively. The widespread pyrophyllite, chlorite and Fe-chloritoid in all the Witwatersrand goldfields, and the local occurrence of sudoite indicate a consistent low-pressure environment in which Mg-chloritoid would not be stable.     

A second natural occurrence of yoderite

A second example of yoderite has been discovered in whiteschists from the Southern Chewore Hills of northern Zimbabwe. The mineral is pale green in colour and occurs in an equilibrium assemblage with talc+chlorite+kyanite+dravite+hematite. There is no quartz present. Recalculated microprobe analyses give a structural formula of Mg₂Al_5.7Fe_0.3Si₄O₁₈(OH)₂, similar to that obtained for the type locality at Mautia Hill, Tanzania, i.e. Mg₂Al_5.6Fe_0.4Si₄O₁₈(OH)₂. Textural relationships and relative proportions of minerals suggest that the yoderite was formed by reaction between talc, chlorite, kyanite and hematite. Experimental evidence suggests high-water-pressure metamorphic conditions at temperatures exceeding a reaction curve that extends between 13  kbar at 590  °C and 21  kbar at 650  °C. The yoderite-bearing whiteschist is associated with a 1.4  Ga dismembered ophiolite. It is proposed that this yoderite occurrence is associated with a relict subduction/suture zone.     

辽东半岛古元古代北辽河群浪子山组巴罗式变质带分布、变质特征及其构造意义

巴罗式递增变质带能为地壳增厚及造山作用带来全新的认识.为了解辽东半岛北辽河群浪子山组内巴罗式变质带的野外分布和变质特征,对本溪地区连山关-祁家堡巴罗式变质带进行了详细的野外调查和室内研究工作.野外填图表明,浪子山组巴罗式变质带由南向北可以分为黑云母带、石榴石带、十字石带和蓝晶石带.岩相学研究表明,蓝晶石带的蓝晶十字石榴云母片岩保存了3阶段的矿物组合:（1）进变质阶段（M₁）矿物组合为Pl+Qz+Ms+Bt+Ctd+Chl±Grt;（2）峰期变质阶段（M₂）以Ky+St+Grt+Bt+Ms+Qz+Pl+Ilm为特征;（3）退变质阶段以毛发状的矽线石（M_3-1）和变斑晶边缘或裂隙处生长的绿泥石和绢云母为特征（M_3-2）.相平衡模拟表明,蓝晶十字石榴云母片岩所经历的进变质和峰期变质温压条件分别为~440℃/~3.7 kbar,~670℃/~7.9 kbar,具有典型的顺时针P-T轨迹.变质锆石U-Pb定年结果得到蓝晶十字石榴云母片岩经历了~1.96 Ga的峰期变质作用;碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄分布于2 631~2 020 Ma,浪子山组蓝晶十字石榴云母片岩碎屑物源可能来自于太古宙基底（~2.5 Ga）和2.2~2.1 Ga的岩浆岩.结合前人研究资料表明,浪子山组巴罗式变质带所记录的P-T-t轨迹以及大量的逆冲推覆构造揭示了胶-辽-吉带在~1.96 Ga经历了与造山作用相关的地壳增厚过程.      

Metamorphism in the Olary Block, South Australia: compression with cooling in a Proterozoic fold belt

Abstract The sedimentary and igneous rocks comprising the lower Proterozoic Olary Block, South Australia, were deformed and metamorphosed during the mid-Proterozoic 'Olarian'Orogeny. The area is divided into three zones on the basis of assemblages in metapelitic rocks, higher grade conditions occurring in the south-east. Mineral assemblages developed during peak metamorphism, which accompanied recumbent folding, include andalusite in Zones I and II and sillimanite in Zone III. Upright folding and overprinting of mineral assemblages occurred during further compression, the new mineral assemblages including kyanite in Zone II and kyanite and sillimanite in Zone III. The timing relationships of the aluminosilicate polymorphs, together with the peak metamorphic and overprinting parageneses, imply an anticlockwise P–T path for the 'Olarian'Orogeny, pressure increasing with cooling from the metamorphic peak.     

Proterozoic low-pressure/high-temperature metamorphism and an anticlockwise P–T–t path for the Hazeldene area, Mount Isa Inlier, Queensland, Australia

In the Hazeldene area, situated in the Mount Isa Inlier, Queensland, the metamorphic grade changes from chlorite zone, through biotite and cordierite zones, to sillimanite/K-feldspar zone.
Microstructural studies of rocks near the sillimanite isograd demonstrate that cordierite grew early during the development of a steep foliation (S2), was replaced by biotite, andalusite and sillimanite at the metamorphic peak late in S2, and in turn by kyanite + chlorite adjacent to localized small post-D2 shear zones. Although the anticlockwise P–T–t path is well defined, the precise P–T conditions are uncertain because of problems with experimental and thermodynamic data. The best estimate for the metamorphic peak for rocks close to the sillimanite isograd is around 600° C at 4 kbar.
The metamorphism has been dated at 1544 Ma, and was synchronous with a major crustal shortening event. Because proposed extensional events occurred more than 60 Ma earlier, their contribution to the peak metamorphic thermal perturbation would have been insignificant. The syn-metamorphic Mica Creek Pegmatites, the abundance of high heat-producing elements in the nearby pre-D2 Sybella Granite, and advective heat by fluids which caused considerable metasomatism in the Hazeldene area, may have each contributed to the thermal budget. However, the metamorphic thermal gradient may be 80°C km^-1 or higher, strongly suggesting a local magmatic control. As none are known in the area, such syn-metamorphic plutons would have to lie beneath the exposed high-grade rocks.     

Thermal structure and metamorphic evolution of the Piemont-Ligurian metasediments in the northern Western Alps

In the Western Alps, the Piemont-Ligurian oceanic domain records blueschist to eclogite metamorphic conditions during the Alpine orogeny. This domain is classically divided into two “zones” (Combin and Zermatt-Saas), with contrasting metamorphic evolution, and separated tectonically by the Combin fault. This study presents new metamorphic and temperature (RSCM thermometry) data obtained in Piemont-Ligurian metasediments and proposes a reevaluation of the P–T evolution of this domain. In the upper unit (or “Combin zone”) temperatures are in the range of 420–530 °C, with an increase of temperature from upper to lower structural levels. Petrological evidences show that these temperatures are related to the retrograde path and to deformation at greenschist metamorphic conditions. This highlights heating during exhumation of HP metamorphic rocks. In the lower unit (or “Zermatt-Saas zone”), temperatures are very homogeneous in the range of 500–540 °C. This shows almost continuous downward temperature increase in the Piemont-Ligurian domain. The observed thermal structure is interpreted as the result of the upper and lower unit juxtaposition along shear zones at a temperature of ~500 °C during the Middle Eocene. This juxtaposition probably occurred at shallow crustal levels (~15–20 km) within a subduction channel. We finally propose that the Piemont-Ligurian Domain should not be viewed as two distinct “zones”, but rather as a stack of several tectonic slices.