Tectonometamorphic evolution of an intracontinental orogeny inferred from P–T–t–d paths of the metapelites from the Rehamna massif (Morocco)

New petrographic and microstructural observations, mineral equilibria modelling and U/Pb (monazite) geochronological studies were carried out to investigate the relationships between deformation and metamorphism across the Rehamna massif (Moroccan Variscan belt). In this area, typical Barrovian (muscovite to staurolite) zones developed in Cambrian to Carboniferous metasedimentary rocks that are distributed around a dome‐like structure. First assemblages are characterized by the presence of locally preserved andalusite, followed by prograde evolution culminating at 6 kbar and 620 °C in the structurally deepest staurolite zone rocks. This Barrovian sequence was subsequently uplifted to supracrustal levels, heterogeneously reworked at greenschist facies conditions, which was followed locally by static growth of andalusite, indicating heating to 2.5–4 kbar and 530–570 °C. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U monazite age of 298.3 ± 4.1 Ma is interpreted as minimum age of peak metamorphic conditions, whereas the ages of 275.8 ± 1.7 Ma and 277.0 ± 1.1 Ma date decompression and heating at low pressure, in agreement with previous dating of Permian granitoids intruding the Rehamna massif. The prograde metamorphism occurred during thickening and associated horizontal flow in the deeper crust (S1 horizontal schistosity). The horizontally disposed metamorphic zones were subsequently uplifted by a regional scale antiform during ongoing N–S compression. The re‐heating of the massif follows late massive E–W shortening, refolding and retrograde shearing of all previous fabrics coevally with regionally important intrusions of Permian granitoids. We argue that metamorphic evolution of the Rehamna massif occurred several hundred kilometres from the convergent plate boundaries in the interior of continental Gondwanan plate. The tectonometamorphic history of the Rehamna massif is put into Palaeozoic plate tectonic perspective and Late Carboniferous reactivation of (Devonian)–Early Carboniferous basins formed during stretching of the north Gondwana margin and formation of the Palaeotethys Ocean. The inherited heat budget of these magma‐rich basins plays a role in the preferential location of this intracontinental orogen. It is shown that rapid transition from lithospheric stretching to compression is characterized by specific HT type of Barrovian metamorphism, which markedly differs from similar Barrovian sequences along Palaeozoic plate boundaries reported from Variscan Europe.     

P–T evolution of Precambrian eclogite in the Sveconorwegian orogen,SW Sweden

Conditions of the prograde, peak‐pressure and part of the decompressional P–T path of two Precambrian eclogites in the eastern Sveconorwegian orogen have been determined using the pseudosection approach. Cores of garnet from a Fe–Ti‐rich eclogite record a first prograde and syn‐deformational stage along a Barrovian gradient from ~670 °C and 7 kbar to 710 °C and 8.5 kbar. Garnet rims grew during further burial to 16.5–19 kbar at ~850–900 °C, along a steep dP/dT gradient. The pseudosection model of a kyanite‐bearing eclogite sample of more magnesian bulk composition confirms the peak conditions. Matrix reequilibration associated with subsequent near‐isothermal decompression and partial exhumation produced plagioclase‐bearing symplectites replacing kyanite and clinopyroxene at an estimated 850–870 °C and 10–11 kbar. The validity of the pseudosections is discussed in detail. It is shown that in pseudosection modelling the fractionation of FeO in accessory sulphides may cause a significant shift of field boundaries (here displaced by up to 1.5 kbar and 70 °C) and must not be neglected. Fast burial, exhumation and subsequent cooling are supported by the steepness of both the prograde and the decompressional P–T paths as well as the preservation of garnet growth zoning and the symplectitic reaction textures. These features are compatible with deep tectonic burial of the eclogite‐bearing continental crust as part of the underthrusting plate (Eastern Segment, continent Baltica) in a collisional setting that led to an effectively doubled crustal thickness and subsequent exhumation of the eclogites through tectonic extrusion. Our results are in accordance with regional structural and petrological relationships, which demonstrate foreland‐vergent partial exhumation of the eclogite‐bearing nappe along a basal thrust zone and support a major collisional stage at c. 1 Ga. We argue that the similarities between Sveconorwegian and Himalayan eclogite occurrences emphasize the modern style of Grenvillian‐aged tectonics.     

Metamorphic P–T profile and P–T path discontinuity across the far‐eastern Nepal Himalaya: investigation of channel flow models

Thermobarometric data and compositional zoning of garnet show the discontinuities of both metamorphic pressure conditions at peak‐T and P–T paths across the Main Central Thrust (MCT), which juxtaposes the high‐grade Higher Himalayan Crystalline Sequences (HHCS) over the low‐grade Lesser Himalaya Sequences (LHS) in far‐eastern Nepal. Maximum recorded pressure conditions occur just above the MCT (～11 kbar), and decrease southward to ～6 kbar in the garnet zone and northward to ～7 kbar in the kyanite ± staurolite zone. The inferred nearly isothermal loading path for the LHS in the staurolite zone may have resulted from the underthrusting of the LHS beneath the HHCS. In contrast, the increasing temperature path during both loading and decompression (i.e. clockwise path) from the lowermost HHCS in the staurolite to kyanite ± staurolite transitional zone indicates that the rocks were fairly rapidly buried and exhumed. Exhumation of the lowermost HHCS from deeper crustal depths than the flanking regions, recording a high field pressure gradient (～1.2–1.6 kbar km^?1) near the MCT, is perhaps caused by ductile extrusion along the MCT, not the emplacement along a single thrust, resulting in the P–T path discontinuities. These observations are consistent with the overall scheme of the model of channel flow, in which the outward flowing ‘HHCS’ and inward flowing ‘LHS’ are juxtaposed against each other and are rapidly extruded together along the ‘MCT’. A rapid exhumation by channel flow in this area is also suggested by a nearly isothermal decompression path inferred from cordierite corona surrounding garnet in gneiss of the upper HHCS. However, peak metamorphic temperatures show a progressive increase of temperature structurally upward (～570–740 °C) near the MCT and roughly isothermal conditions (～710–810 °C) in the upper structural levels of the HHCS. The observed field temperature gradient is much lower than those predicted in channel flow models. However, the discrepancy could be resolved by taking into account heat advection by melt and/or fluid migration, as these can produce low or nearly no field temperature gradient in the exhumed midcrust, as observed in nature.     

An anticlockwise P–T–t path at high‐pressure,high‐temperature conditions for a migmatitic gneiss from the island of Fjørtoft,Western Gneiss Region,Norway, indicates two burial events during the Caledonian orogeny

The Blåhø Nappe on the island of Fjørtoft, which represents an isolated portion of the Seve Nappe Complex in the Western Gneiss Region, Norway, has been suggested to have experienced two deep burial cycles during the Caledonian orogeny. However, evidence on this multiple burial process by the derivation of a pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) path has never been given in the literature. In this study, the ‘diamondiferous’ kyanite–garnet gneiss from the Blåhø Nappe on Fjørtoft was revisited to determine if such a process was correct. Two types of garnet, porphyroblastic garnet‐1 and fine‐grained garnet‐2, were recognized in the gneiss. The core of garnet‐1 is poor in Ca and documents P–T conditions of 1.2–1.3 GPa at c. 880°C based on pseudosection modelling. The inner rims of garnet‐1 and the core of garnet‐2 are both richer in Ca, recording P–T conditions of 1.35–1.45 GPa and 770–820°C. Application of conventional geothermobarometry on the outer rim of garnet‐1 and the rim of garnet‐2 yielded retrograde P–T conditions of 0.75–0.90 GPa and 610–685°C. These estimates define an anticlockwise P–T path at pressures below 1.5 GPa. Accessory monazite was dated with the electron microscope. Relicts of detrital monazite in the gneiss point to Sveconorwegian and possibly also Cryogenian provenance for the detritus of the sedimentary protolith. Metamorphic monazite in the gneiss records a wide age range from 460 to 380 Ma, with a peak c. 435 Ma and a shoulder at 395 Ma. These data suggest that the original (Ediacaran?) Baltica margin sediment (gneiss protolith) was transported to the base of an overlying plate during the early Caledonian (pre‐Scandian) orogeny. A long residence time of the metasedimentary rock at this base caused its heating to 880°C and homogenization of the early garnet chemistry. The late Caledonian (Scandian) collision between Baltica and Laurentia led to further burial, during which the studied gneiss was close to the former surface of the downgoing continental plate and, thus, cooled. The reconstructed P–T–t path confirms the multiple burial history of the Blåhø Nappe but contradicts previous ideas of deep burial of the Fjørtoft gneiss to more than 100 km.     

Influence of tectonic overpressure on P–T paths of HP–UHP rocks in continental collision zones: thermomechanical modelling

The principle of lithostatic pressure is habitually used in metamorphic geology to calculate burial/exhumation depth from pressure given by geobarometry. However, pressure deviation from lithostatic, i.e. tectonic overpressure/underpressure due to deviatoric stress and deformation, is an intrinsic property of flow and fracture in all materials, including rocks under geological conditions. In order to investigate the influences of tectonic overpressure on metamorphic P–T paths, 2D numerical simulations of continental subduction/collision zones were conducted with variable brittle and ductile rheologies of the crust and mantle. The experiments suggest that several regions of significant tectonic overpressure and underpressure may develop inside the slab, in the subduction channel and within the overriding plate during continental collision. The main overpressure region that may influence the P–T paths of HP–UHP rocks is located in the bottom corner of the wedge‐like confined channel with the characteristic magnitude of pressure deviation on the order of ～0.3 GPa and 10–20% from the lithostatic values. The degree of confinement of the subduction channel is the key factor controlling this magnitude. Our models also suggest that subducted crustal rocks, which may not necessarily be exhumed, can be classified into three different groups: (i) UHP‐rocks subjected to significant (≥0.3 GPa) overpressure at intermediate subduction depth (50–70 km, P = 1.5–2.5 GPa) then underpressured at depth ≥100 km (P ≥ 3 GPa); (ii) HP‐rocks subjected to ≥0.3 GPa overpressure at peak P–T conditions reached at 50–70 km depth in the bottom corner of the wedge‐like confined subduction channel (P = 1.5–2.5 GPa); (iii) lower‐pressure rocks formed at shallower depths (≤40 km depth, P ≤ 1 GPa), which are not subjected to significant overpressure and/or underpressure.     

Protracted garnet growth in high‐P eclogite: constraints from multiple geochronology and P–T pseudosection

Understanding convergent margin processes requires determination of the onset and the termination of subduction, the duration of subduction‐zone metamorphism, and the subduction zone polarity. Garnet growth and intracrystalline zonation can be used to constrain the timing, duration and kinetics of tectonometamorphic processes. An eclogite from the Huwan shear zone in the Hong'an orogen was investigated with combined pseudosection analysis and multiple geochronologies. The pseudosection analysis illustrates that garnet growth is continuous and along an early near‐isothermal trajectory followed by a near‐isobaric heating path from 1.9 GPa/500 °C to 2.4 GPa/575 °C and subsequent near‐isothermal decompression. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of an amphibole inclusion in garnet from the eclogite yielded an age of 310 ± 5 Ma, which is consistent with a U–Pb age of 305 ± 3 Ma for the metamorphic zircon within uncertainty. Garnet core and rim material produced Lu–Hf ages of 296.9 ± 3.8 and 256.9 ± 3.9 Ma respectively; the latter is consistent with its Sm–Nd age of 254.3 ± 4.6 Ma for the same aliquots. Similarly, limited zircon U–Pb ages of c. 257 Ma were obtained in zircon rims with garnet inclusions. These ages were interpreted to bracket the period of garnet growth and the difference of up to c. 40 Ma is best explained by protracted garnet growth. We propose that the rocks represent detachment of part of the downgoing slab and remained free of significant compression/decompression or heating/cooling close to the subduction channel, most likely underplating the mantle wedge, for a long time. These rocks were incorporated into the following subduction channel due to the successive entry of the buoyant materials, and exhumed at some time later than c. 254 Ma. The increasing observations of protracted garnet growth and long‐lived subduction in various orogens worldwide demand more sophisticated geodynamic models.     

In situ monazite (U–Th)–Pb ages from the Southern Brasília Belt,Brazil: constraints on the high‐temperature retrograde evolution of HP granulites

In the southern sector of the Southern Brasília Belt, late Neoproterozoic arc–passive margin collision resulted in juxtaposition of an arc‐derived nappe (the Socorro–Guaxupé Nappe) over a stack of passive margin‐derived nappes (the Andrelândia Nappe Complex) that lies on top of autochthonous basement of the São Francisco Craton. (U–Th)–Pb monazite ages are reported from the high‐grade nappes of the Andrelândia Nappe Complex to better constrain the high‐temperature retrograde evolution. For residual HP granulites from the uppermost Três Pontas–Varginha Nappe, (U–Th)–Pb ages of c. 662 and 655 Ma from low yttrium monazite inclusions in the rims of, or associated with garnet are interpreted to date the late‐stage close‐to‐peak prograde evolution, whereas an age of c. 648 Ma from a similar low yttrium monazite inclusion is interpreted to record post‐peak recrystallization with melt via factures in garnet. For the same nappe, ages of 640–631 Ma retrieved from higher yttrium areas or cores in monazite grains that occur both as inclusions in garnet and in the matrix are interpreted to record growth of monazite either by local breakdown of garnet (±older monazite) and mass exchange with a matrix melt reservoir along cracks or growth from residual melt in the matrix as it crystallized during high‐pressure, close‐to‐isobaric cooling close to the solidus, the temperature of which, at a given pressure, varies with bulk composition of the residual granulites. (U–Th)–Pb ages in the range 620–588 Ma from lower yttrium areas in these monazite grains and from matrix‐hosted patchy monazite are interpreted to date exhumation, as recorded by close‐to‐isothermal decompression and subsequent close‐to‐isobaric cooling. Older monazite ages in this group are interpreted to record late‐stage interaction with melt close to the solidus whereas younger monazite ages are interpreted to record recrystallization of monazite by dissolution–reprecipitation owing to ingress of alkali fluid from the Carmo da Cachoeira Nappe beneath as fluid was released by crystallization of in‐source melt at the solidus. In the underlying Carmo da Cachoeira Nappe, higher yttrium areas in monazite and one single domain monazite yield chemical ages of 619–616 Ma, which are interpreted to date growth as in‐source melt crystallized close to the solidus along the high‐pressure, close‐to‐isobaric segment of the retrograde P–T evolution. Younger (U–Th)–Pb ages of 600–595 Ma retrieved from lower yttrium areas and one single domain monazite are interpreted to record recrystallization of monazite by dissolution–reprecipitation owing to release of fluid at the solidus during exhumation of this nappe. Monazite from the Carvalhos Klippe, interpreted to be correlative with the uppermost nappe, yields a wide range of (U–Th)–Pb ages: for two zoned grains, c. 619 and c. 614 Ma from higher yttrium cores, and c. 583 and c. 595 Ma from lower yttrium rims; and, 592–580 Ma from single domain grains in one sample, and ages of c. 593 and c. 563 Ma from monazite in a second sample. Ages younger than 605 Ma are interpreted to date a fluid‐induced response to the early stages of orogenic loading associated with terrane accretion in the Ribeira Belt to the southeast. The results reported here demonstrate that ages retrieved from monazite that grew close to the solidus in residual granulites from a single tectonic unit will vary from sample to sample according to differences in the solidus temperatures. Further, we show that monazite inclusions may yield ages that are younger than the host mineral and confirm the propensity of monazite to record evidence of tectonic events that are not always registered by other high‐temperature mineral chronometers.     

Multiple growth of garnet,sillimanite/kyanite and monazite during amphibolite facies metamorphism: implications for the P–T–t and tectonic evolution of the western Altai Range,Mongolia

Four amphibolite facies pelitic gneisses from the western Mongolian Altai Range exhibit multistage aluminosilicate formation and various chemical‐zoning patterns in garnet. Two of them contain kyanite in the matrix and sillimanite inclusions in garnet, and the others have kyanite inclusions in garnet with sillimanite or kyanite in the matrix. The Ca‐zoning patterns of the garnet are different in each rock type. U–Th–Pb monazite geochronology revealed that all rock units experienced a c. 360 Ma event, and three of them were also affected by a c. 260 Ma event. The variations in the microstructures and garnet‐zoning profiles are caused by the differences in the (i) whole‐rock chemistry, (ii) pressure conditions during garnet growth at c. 360 Ma and (iii) equilibrium temperatures at c. 260 Ma. The garnet with sillimanite inclusions records an increase in pressure at low‐P (~5.2–7.2 kbar) and moderate temperature conditions (~620–660 °C) at c. 360 Ma. The garnet with kyanite inclusions in the other rock types was also formed during an increase in pressure but at higher pressure conditions (~7.0–8.9 kbar at ~600–640 °C). The detrital zircon provenance of all the rock types is similar and is consistent with that from the sedimentary rocks in the Altai Range, suggesting that the provenance of all the rock types was a surrounding accretionary wedge. One possible scenario for the different thermal gradient is Devonian ridge subduction beneath the Altai Range, as proposed by several researchers. The subducting ridge could have supplied heat to the accretionary wedge and elevated the geotherm at c. 360 Ma. The differences in the thermal gradients that resulted in varying prograde P–T paths might be due to variations in the thermal regimes in the upper plate that were generated by the subducting ridge. The c. 260 Ma event is characterized by a relatively high‐T/P gradient (~25 °C km^?1) and may be due to collision‐related granitic activity and re‐equilibrium at middle crustal depths, which caused the variations in the aluminosilicates in the matrix between the rock units.     

Petrology,geochemistry and P–T–t path of lawsonite‐bearing retrograded eclogites in the Changning–Menglian orogenic belt,southeast Tibetan Plateau

The Changning–Menglian orogenic belt (CMOB) in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, is considered as the main suture zone marking the closure of the Palaeo‐Tethys Ocean between the Indochina and Sibumasu blocks. Here, we investigate the recently discovered retrograded eclogites from this suture zone in terms of their petrological, geochemical and geochronological features, with the aim of constraining the metamorphic evolution and protolith signature. Two types of metabasites are identified: retrograded eclogites and mafic schists. The igneous precursors of the retrograded eclogites exhibit rare earth element distribution patterns and trace element abundance similar to those of ocean island basalts, and are inferred to have been derived from a basaltic seamount in an intra‐oceanic tectonic setting. In contrast, the mafic schists show geochemical affinity to arc‐related volcanics with the enrichment of Rb, Th and U, and depletion of Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf and Ti, and their protoliths possibly formed at an active continental margin tectonic setting. Retrograded eclogites are characterized by peak metamorphic mineral assemblages of garnet, omphacite, white mica, lawsonite and rutile, and underwent five‐stage metamorphic evolution, including pre‐peak prograde stage (M₁) at 18–19 kbar and 400–420°C, peak lawsonite‐eclogite facies (M₂) at 24–26 kbar and 520–530°C, post‐peak epidote–eclogite facies decompression stage (M₃) at 13–18 kbar and 530–560°C, subsequent amphibolite facies retrogressive stage (M₄) at 8–10 kbar and 530–600°C, and late greenschist facies cooling stage (M₅) at 5–8 kbar and 480–490°C. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) U–Pb spot analyses of zircon show two distinct age groups. The magmatic zircon from both the retrograded eclogite and mafic schist yielded protolith ages of 451 ± 3 Ma, which is consistent with the ages of Early Palaeozoic ophiolitic complexes and ocean island sequences in the CMOB reported in previous studies. In contrast, metamorphic zircon from the retrograded eclogite samples yielded consistent Triassic metamorphic ages of 246 ± 2 and 245 ± 2 Ma, which can be interpreted as the timing of closure of the Palaeo‐Tethys Ocean. The compatible peak metamorphic mineral assemblages, P–T–t paths and metamorphic ages, as well as the similar protolith signatures for the eclogites in the CMOB and Longmu Co–Shuanghu suture (LCSS) suggest that the two belts formed part of a cold oceanic subduction system in the Triassic. The main suture zone of the Palaeo‐Tethyan domain extends at least 1,500 km in length from the CMOB to the LCSS in the Tibetan Plateau. The identification of lawsonite‐bearing retrograded eclogites in the CMOB provides important insights into the tectonic framework and complex geological evolution of the Palaeo‐Tethys.     

Age and P–T conditions of the Gridino‐type eclogite in the Belomorian Province,Russia

Although eclogites in the Belomorian Province have been regarded as Archean in age and among the oldest in the world, there are also multiple studies that have proposed a Paleoproterozoic age. Here, we present new data for the Gridino‐type eclogites, which occur as boudins and metamorphosed dykes within tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite gneisses. Zircon from these eclogites has core and rim structures. The cores display high Th/U ratios (0.18–0.45), negative Eu anomalies and strong enrichment in HREE, and have Neoarchean U–Pb ages of c. 2.70 Ga; they are interpreted to be magmatic in origin. Zircon cores have δ¹⁸O of 5.64–6.07‰ suggesting the possibility of crystallization from evolved mantle‐derived magmas. In contrast, the rims, which include the eclogite facies minerals omphacite and garnet, are characterized by low Th/U ratios (<0.035) and flat HREE patterns, and yield U–Pb ages of c. 1.90 Ga; they are interpreted to be metamorphic in origin. Zircon rims have elevated δ¹⁸O of 6.23–6.80‰, which was acquired during eclogite facies metamorphism. Based on petrography and phase equilibria modelling, we recognize a prograde epidote amphibolite facies mineral assemblage, the peak eclogite facies mineral assemblage and a retrograde high‐P amphibolite facies mineral assemblage. The peak metamorphic conditions of 695–755°C at >18 kbar for the Gridino‐type eclogites suggest an apparent thermal gradient of <39–42°C/kbar for the Lapland–Kola collisional orogeny.     

The significance of Mn‐rich ilmenite and the determination of P–T paths from zoned garnet in metasedimentary rocks from the western Cape Breton Highlands,Nova Scotia

The Jumping Brook Metamorphic Suite in the western Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia is part of an inverted Barrovian sequence that formed during a Late Silurian–Early Devonian promontory–promontory collision in the Canadian Appalachians. In this study, systematic discrepancies between geochemical observations and thermodynamic model predictions led to the discovery of a systematic relationship linking the style of garnet core isopleth intersection (GCII) to the pyrophanite (MnTiO₃) component of co‐existing ilmenite. Samples that yielded tight GCIIs at or near the garnet‐in curve were found to contain ilmenite with negligible pyrophanite components, whereas samples yielding GCIIs far removed (up to 105°C) from the garnet‐in curve were found to contain ilmenite with significant pyrophanite and/or ecandrewsite (ZnTiO₃) components. Based on petrographic and geochemical observations, Mn(±Zn)‐rich ilmenite are interpreted to have sequestered Mn throughout prograde metamorphism due to sluggish intracrystalline diffusion. The amount of reactive Mn input into the thermodynamic models from whole‐rock analyses were, in some cases, overestimated, resulting in garnet‐in curve topologies that extend to erroneously low P–T conditions. Modifications to the whole‐rock chemistry that account for Mn sequestration into ilmenite, however, yielded robust model results. Our results show that, in addition to uncertainties in thermodynamic data sets and phenomenon related to reaction kinetics, Mn‐rich ilmenite may superimpose additional complexities related to the interpretation of predicted equilibria involving garnet. Numerical simulations of garnet crystallization were used to infer P–T paths of metamorphism for one sample from the garnet zone (Mn corrected) and two samples from the staurolite zone (Mn uncorrected) of the inverted sequence. Model results are remarkably similar among the three samples and indicate that garnet crystallization occurred along relatively steep (31–37°C/km) clockwise P–T paths. The peak conditions of garnet crystallization and metamorphism (560–590°C, 7.4–8.0 kbar) are interpreted to have been attained approximately simultaneously, such that the paths are characterized by tight prograde‐to‐retrograde transitions. The hairpin nature of the P–T paths is interpreted to represent the onset of thrust‐related exhumation and isograd inversion along ductile shear zones, consistent with available field and geochronological constraints.     

Metamorphic evolution of non‐equilibrated granulitized eclogite from Punta de li Tulchi (Variscan Sardinia) determined through texturally controlled thermodynamic modelling

The metamorphic evolution of a granulitized eclogite from Punta de li Tulchi, NE Sardinia, Italy, reconstructed utilizing a combined microstructural (symplectitic, coronitic and kelyphytic features) and thermodynamic approach, involved a complex metamorphic history with equilibrium attained only at a domainal scale. Microstructural analysis and mineral zoning allow recognition of reactants and products involved in successive balanced mineral reactions. The P–T conditions at which each microstructure was formed are constrained by calculating isochemical phase diagrams (pseudosections) for the composition of effectively reacting domains. A pre‐symplectite stage developed during prograde metamorphism under conditions ranging from 660–680 °C, 1.6–1.8 GPa to 660–700 °C at 1.7–2.1 GPa. Pseudosections calculated for subsequent clinopyroxene + plagioclase and orthopyroxene + plagioclase symplectitic coronae using the composition of effectively reacting microdomains suggest temperature in excess of 800 °C and pressures of 1.0–1.3 GPa. Modelling the development of later plagioclase + amphibole coronae around garnet during decompression yields conditions of 730–830 °C and 0.8–1.1 GPa. H₂O (wt%) isomodes indicate that the granulitized eclogites were H₂O‐undersaturated at peak‐P conditions and during most of the subsequent heating and decompression. This allowed the preservation of prograde garnet zoning in spite of the strong granulite facies overprint. The P–T evolution of Punta de li Tulchi granulitized eclogite is very similar in shape to that registered by other NE Sardinia retrogressed eclogites thus suggesting a common tectonic scenario for their evolution.     

Osumilite–melt interactions in ultrahigh temperature granulites: phase equilibria modelling and implications for the P–T–t evolution of the Eastern Ghats Province,India

The exposed residual crust in the Eastern Ghats Province records ultrahigh temperature (UHT) metamorphic conditions involving extensive crustal anatexis and melt loss. However, there is disagreement about the tectonic evolution of this late Mesoproterozoic–early Neoproterozoic orogen due to conflicting petrological, structural and geochronological interpretations. One of the petrological disputes in residual high Mg–Al granulites concerns the origin of fine‐grained mineral intergrowths comprising cordierite + K‐feldspar ± quartz ± biotite ± sillimanite ± plagioclase. These intergrowths wrap around porphyroblast phases and are interpreted to have formed by the breakdown of primary osumilite in the presence of melt trapped in the equilibration volume by the melt percolation threshold. The pressure (P)–temperature (T) evolution of four samples from three localities across the central Eastern Ghats Province is constrained using phase equilibria modelling in the chemical system Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–TiO₂–Fe₂O₃ (NCKFMASHTO). Results of the modelling are integrated with published geochronological results for these samples to show that the central Eastern Ghats Province followed a common P–T–t history. This history is characterized by peak UHT metamorphic conditions of 945–955 °C and 7.8–8.2 kbar followed by a slight increase in pressure and close‐to‐isobaric cooling to the conditions of the elevated solidus at 940–900 °C and 8.5–8.3 kbar. In common with other localities from the Eastern Ghats Province, the early development of cordierite before osumilite and the peak to immediate post‐peak retrograde reaction between osumilite and melt to produce the intergrowth features requires that the prograde evolution was one of contemporaneous increasing pressure with increasing temperature. This counter‐clockwise (CCW) evolution is evaluated for one sample using inverse phase equilibria modelling along a schematic P–T path of 150 °C kbar^?1 starting from the low P–T end of the prograde P–T path as constrained by the phase equilibria modelling. The inverse modelling is executed by step‐wise down temperature reintegration of sufficient melt into the residual bulk chemical composition at the P–T point of the 1 mol.% melt isopleth at each step, representing the melt remaining on grain boundaries after each prograde drainage event, to reach the melt connectivity transition (MCT) of 7 mol.%. The procedure is repeated until a plausible protolith composition is recovered. The result demonstrates that clastic sedimentary rocks that followed a CCW P–T evolution could have produced the observed mineral assemblages and microstructures preserved in the central Eastern Ghats Province. This study also highlights the role of melt during UHT metamorphism, particularly its importance to both chemical and physical processes along the prograde and retrograde segments of the P–T path. These processes include: (i) an increase in diffusive length scales during the late prograde to peak evolution, creating equilibration volumes larger than a standard thin section; (ii) the development of retrograde mineral assemblages, which is facilitated if some melt is retained post‐peak; (iii) the presence of melt as a weakening mechanism and the advection of heat by melt, allowing the crust to thicken; and (iv) the effect of melt loss, which makes the deep crust both denser and stronger, and reduces heat production at depth, limiting crustal thickening and facilitating the transition to close‐to‐isobaric cooling.     

Linking thermodynamic modelling,Lu–Hf geochronology and trace elements in garnet: new P–T–t paths from the Sevier hinterland

Major element, trace element and Lu–Hf geochronological data from amphibolite facies pelitic schist in the Raft River and Albion Mountains of northwest Utah and southern Idaho indicate that garnet grew during increasing pressure, interpreted to be the result of tectonic burial and crustal thickening during Sevier orogenesis. Garnet growth was interrupted by hiatuses interpreted from discontinuities in major element zonation. Pressure–temperature paths were determined from the pre‐hiatus portions of the garnet chemical zoning profiles and indicate an increase of ~2 kbar and ~50 °C in the western Raft River Mountains. Garnet Lu–Hf dates of 150 ± 1 Ma in the western Raft River Mountains and 138.7 ± 0.7 Ma and 132 ± 5 Ma in the southern Albion Mountains indicate the timing of garnet growth. Lutetium garnet zoning profiles indicate that the Lu–Hf ages are biased towards the post‐hiatus or outer pre‐hiatus segments, indicating that the determined ages likely post‐date the recorded P–T path history or date the tail end of the paths. Crustal thickening associated with Sevier orogenesis in the western Raft River Mountains thus began slightly before 150 ± 1 Ma, in the Late Jurassic. This study shows that integrating P–T paths determined from garnet growth zoning with Lu–Hf garnet geochronology and in situ garnet trace element analyses is an effective approach for interpreting and dating deformation events in orogenic belts.     

Prograde metamorphic sequence of REE minerals in pelitic rocks of the Central Alps: implications for allanite–monazite–xenotime phase relations from 250 to 610 °C

The distribution of REE minerals in metasedimentary rocks was investigated to gain insight into the stability of allanite, monazite and xenotime in metapelites. Samples were collected in the central Swiss Alps, along a well‐established metamorphic field gradient that record conditions from very low grade metamorphism (250 °C) to the lower amphibolite facies (～600 °C). In the Alpine metapelites investigated, mass balance calculations show that LREE are mainly transferred between monazite and allanite during the course of prograde metamorphism. At very low grade metamorphism, detrital monazite grains (mostly Variscan in age) have two distinct populations in terms of LREE and MREE compositions. Newly formed monazite crystallized during low‐grade metamorphism (<440 °C); these are enriched in La, but depleted in Th and Y, compared with inherited grains. Upon the appearance of chloritoid (～440–450 °C, thermometry based on chlorite–choritoid and carbonaceous material), monazite is consumed, and MREE and LREE are taken up preferentially in two distinct zones of allanite distinguishable by EMPA and X‐ray mapping. Prior to garnet growth, allanite acquires two growth zones of clinozoisite: a first one rich in HREE + Y and a second one containing low REE contents. Following garnet growth, close to the chloritoid–out zone boundary (～556–580 °C, based on phase equilibrium calculations), allanite and its rims are partially to totally replaced by monazite and xenotime, both associated with plagioclase (± biotite ± staurolite ± kyanite ± quartz). In these samples, epidote relics are located in the matrix or as inclusions in garnet, and these preserve their characteristic chemical and textural growth zoning, indicating that they did not experience re‐equilibration following their prograde formation. Hence, the partial breakdown of allanite to monazite offers the attractive possibility to obtain in situ ages, representing two distinct crystallization stages. In addition, the complex REE + Y and Th zoning pattern of allanite and monazite are essential monitors of crystallization conditions at relatively low metamorphic grade.     

Phase equilibria modelling constraints on P–T conditions during fluid catalysed conversion of granulite to eclogite in the Bergen Arcs,Norway

Exhumed eclogitic crust is rare and exposures that preserve both protoliths and altered domains are limited around the world. Nominally anhydrous Neoproterozoic anorthositic granulites exposed on the island of Holsnøy, in the Bergen Arcs in western Norway, preserve different stages of progressive prograde deformation, together with the corresponding fluid‐assisted metamorphism, which record the conversion to eclogite during the Ordovician–Silurian Caledonian Orogeny. Four stages of deformation can be identified: (1) brittle deformation resulting in the formation of fractures and the generation of pseudotachylites in the granulite; (2) development of mesoscale shear zones associated with increased fluid–rock interaction; (3) the complete large‐scale replacement of granulite by hydrous eclogite with blocks of granulite sitting in an eclogitic “matrix”; and (4) the break‐up of completely eclogitized granulite by continued fluid influx, resulting in the formation of coarse‐grained phengite‐dominated mineral assemblages. P–T constraints derived from phase equilibria forward modelling of mineral assemblages of the early and later stages of the conversion to eclogite document burial and partial exhumation path with peak metamorphic conditions of ~21–22 kbar and 670–690°C. The P–T models, in combination with existing T–t constraints, imply that the Lindås Nappe underwent extremely rapid retrogressive pressure change. Fluid infiltration began on the prograde burial path and continued throughout the recorded P–T evolution, implying a fluid source that underwent progressive dehydration during subduction of the granulites. However, in places limited fluid availability on the prograde path resulted in assemblages largely consuming the available fluid, essentially freezing in snapshots of the prograde evolution. These were carried metastably deeper into the mantle with strain and metamorphic recrystallization partitioned into areas where ongoing fluid infiltration was concentrated.     

How continuous and precise is the record of P–T paths? Insights from combined thermobarometry and thermodynamic modelling into subduction dynamics (Schistes Lustrés,W. Alps)

Pressure–temperature (P–T) paths as complete as possible and with a precision on the km‐scale or less are needed to further improve the knowledge of deformation, re‐equilibration processes and element/fluid transfer, in particular along subduction zones. This contribution attempts to (i) critically evaluate the precision and continuity with which metamorphic P–T histories are retrieved today and (ii) discuss implications for regional‐scale accretionary processes in subduction zones, through application to the Schistes Lustrés complex (Haute Maurienne, W. Alps). P–T estimates are compared and combined using several independent approaches: (i) from minerals assumed to be in textural equilibrium; (ii) from electron microprobe compositional maps; and (iii) from pseudosection modelling predictions. Multi‐equilibrium calculations were performed with tweequ and thermocalc, and pseudosections were built with Perple_X and Theriak/Domino. These P–T estimates were also compared with maximum temperatures (T_max) deduced from the Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous matter. The different methods used here yield the peak of pressure for the lower structural unit of the Schistes Lustrés at 480 °C and 23 kbar and document the retrograde path for both the Median and Lower Units. The results show that P–T conditions are recorded almost continuously and can be determined with a precision of ±1 kbar and ±30 °C at best. This study underlines the complementarity of the various thermobarometric methods and demonstrates that precision could be increased by improving solid solution models for chlorite. Observed tectonic patterns, major lithological boundaries, pressure–temperature and T_max data suggest that underplating processes and early structural development played a key role in the Schistes Lustrés accretionary complex.     

Structural kinematics,metamorphic P–T profiles and zircon geochronology across the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex in south‐central Tibet: implication for a revised channel flow

A specific question about the Himalayas is whether the orogeny grew by distributed extrusion or discrete thrusting. To place firm constraints on tectonic models for the orogeny, kinematic, thermobarometric and geochronological investigations have been undertaken across the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex (GHC) in the Nyalam region, south‐central Tibet. The GHC in this section is divided into the lower, upper and uppermost GHC, with kinematically top‐to‐the‐south, alternating with top‐to‐the‐north shear senses. A new thrust named the Nyalam thrust is recognized between the lower and upper GHC, with a 3 kbar pressure reversion, top‐to‐the‐south thrust sense, and was active after the exhumation of the GHC. Peak temperature reached ～749 °C in the cordierite zone, and decreased southwards to 633–667 °C in the kyanite and sillimanite‐muscovite zones, and northwards to greenschist facies at the top of the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS). Pressure at peak temperature reached a maximum value in the kyanite zone of 9.0–12.6 kbar and decreased northwards to ～4.1 kbar in the cordierite zone. Zircon U‐Pb ages of a sillimanite migmatite and an undeformed leucogranite dyke cutting the mylonitized rocks in the STDS reveal a long‐lived partial melting of the GHC, which initiated at 39.7–34 Ma and ceased at 14.1 Ma. Synthesizing the obtained and collected results, a revised channel flow model is proposed by considering the effect of heat advection and convection by melt and magma migration. Our new model suggests that distributed processes like channel flow dominated during the growth of the Himalayan orogen, while discrete thrusting occurred in a later period as a secondary process.     

Subduction initiation in the Neo‐Tethys: constraints from counterclockwise P–T paths in amphibolite rocks of the Nagaland Ophiolite Complex,India

High‐P metamorphic rocks that are formed at the onset of oceanic subduction usually record a single cycle of subduction and exhumation along counterclockwise (CCW) P–T paths. Conceptual and thermo‐mechanical models, however, predict multiple burial–exhumation cycles, but direct observations of these from natural rocks are rare. In this study, we provide a new insight into this complexity of subduction channel dynamics from a fragment of Middle‐Late Jurassic Neo‐Tethys in the Nagaland Ophiolite Complex, northeastern India. Based on integrated textural, mineral compositional, metamorphic reaction history and geothermobarometric studies of a medium‐grade amphibolite tectonic unit within a serpentinite mélange, we establish two overprinting metamorphic cycles (M₁–M₂). These cycles with CCW P–T trajectories are part of a single tectonothermal event. We relate the M₁ metamorphic sequence to prograde burial and heating through greenschist and epidote blueschist facies to peak metamorphism, transitional between amphibolite and hornblende‐eclogite facies at 13.8 ± 2.6 kbar, 625 ± 45 °C (error 2σ values) and subsequent cooling and partial exhumation to greenschist facies. The M₂ metamorphic cycle reflects epidote blueschist facies prograde re‐burial of the partially exhumed M₁ cycle rocks to peak metamorphism at 14.4 ± 2 kbar, 540 ± 35 °C and their final exhumation to greenschist facies along a relatively cooler exhumation path. We interpret the M₁ metamorphism as the first evidence for initiation of subduction of the Neo‐Tethys from the eastern segment of the Indus‐Tsangpo suture zone. Reburial and final exhumation during M₂ are explained in terms of material transport in a large‐scale convective circulation system in the subduction channel as the latter evolves from a warm nascent to a cold and more mature stage of subduction. This Neo‐Tethys example suggests that multiple burial and exhumation cycles involving the first subducted oceanic crust may be more common than presently known.     

P–T–t evolution of granulite facies metamorphism and partial melting in the Winding Stair Gap,Central Blue Ridge,North Carolina,USA

The Winding Stair Gap in the Central Blue Ridge province exposes granulite facies schists, gneisses, granofelses and migmatites characterized by the mineral assemblages: garnet–biotite–sillimanite–plagioclase–quartz, garnet–hornblende–biotite–plagioclase–quartz ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene–biotite–quartz. Multiple textural populations of biotite, kyanite and sillimanite in pelitic schists support a polymetamorphic history characterized by an early clockwise P–T path in which dehydration melting of muscovite took place in the stability field of kyanite. Continued heating led to dehydration melting of biotite until peak conditions of 850 ± 30 °C, 9 ± 1 kbar were reached. After equilibrating at peak temperatures, the rocks underwent a stage of near isobaric cooling during which hydrous melt ± K‐feldspar were replaced by muscovite, and garnet by sillimanite + biotite + plagioclase. Most monazite crystals from a pelitic schist display patchy zoning for Th, Y and U, with some matrix crystals having as many as five compositional zones. A few monazite inclusions in garnet, as well as Y‐rich cores of some monazite matrix crystals, yield the oldest dates of c. 500 Ma, whereas a few homogeneous matrix monazites that grew in the main foliation plane yield dates of 370–330 Ma. Culling and analysis of individual spot dates for eight monazite grains yields three age populations of 509 ± 14 Ma, 438 ± 5 Ma and 360 ± 5 Ma. These data suggest that peak‐temperature metamorphism and partial melting in the central Blue Ridge occurred during the Salinic or Taconic orogeny. Following near isobaric cooling, a second weaker thermal pulse possibly related to intrusion of nearby igneous bodies resulted in growth of monazite c. 360 Ma, coinciding with the Neoacadian orogeny.