Polymetamorphism and isobaric cooling of pelitic schists from the Annex sulphide deposit, Gordonia Belt, South Africa

Abstract Muscovite-poor pelitic schists in the wallrocks of the Proterozoic Annex sulphide deposit, near Prieska, South Africa, contain peak metamorphic assemblages including Crd + Bt + Sil, St + Sil + Bt, Crd + St + Bt and, rarely, Ky + St ° Crd. All rocks include oligoclase, quartz and commonly Fe–Mn garnet, with or without muscovite. Peak assemblages, assigned to M2 regional metamorphism in the Gordonia Belt (Namaqua Province), are syn- to post-kinematic with respect to the main S2 fabric although larger staurolite grains contain S1 inclusion trails. Garnet–biotite thermometry, utilizing corrections for Fe³⁺, Mn, Al^VI and Ti, yields peak temperatures of 571–624°C at pressures of 4.5–6.0 kbar. Consideration of the sympathetic variation of X_Mn in garnet with X_Mg in biotite and the preserved zoning patterns in prograde garnets, together with the inferred prograde transition from kyanite to sillimanite, indicates that heating occurred during mild decompression to the M2 metamorphic peak. Sillimanite and cordierite grew last in the prograde sequence, possibly related to a pulse of thermal metamorphism (M3) that is found along the margin of the Keimoes Suite batholith to the north. Retrograde assemblages, including Ms + Ky + Chl + Qtz (after Crd + Bt), Ky + Ms (after Sil) and Chl + Ms (after St) indicate a period of isobaric cooling (M4a) terminated by rehydration in the kyanite stability field at about 500°C. The size difference between prograde (1–2-mm) and retrograde (0.05–0.1-mm) mineral grains indicates substantial undercooling below equilibrium positions of relevant retrograde reactions prior to rehydration, and explains why cordierite that grew during M2 is almost completely destroyed. Post-M4a regrowth of staurolite and garnet (M4b) is spatially linked to sites of M4a rehydration. It reached temperatures of 510–530°C, remaining within the stability field of kyanite. A best fit of the observed textural history to the Namaqua orogenic cycle involves collision and heating (M2/D2) followed by granite intrusion (M3), rifting (M4a) and renewed heating due to crustal loading during volcanism (M4b). The P–T path for the Annex region is consistent with those derived from elsewhere in the Gordonia Belt and, with modification, to that published already for the nearby Prieska Copper Mines.     

High-temperature 'clockwise'P-T paths and melting in the development of regional migmatites: an example from southern Brittany, France

The Southern Brittany Migmatite Belt (SBMB), which evolved through the metamorphic peak between c. 400 Ma and c. . 370 Ma ago, consists of a heterogeneous suite of high-grade gneisses and anatectic migmatites, both metatexites and diatexites. Rare garnet-cordierite gneiss layers record evidence of an early prograde P-T path. In these rocks, growth-zoned garnet cores and a sequence of included mineral assemblages in garnet, from core to rim, of Qtz + Ilm + Ky, Pl + Ky + St + Rt + Bt and Pl + Sil + St + Rt + Bt constrain a prograde evolution during which the reactions Ilm + Ky + Qtz→ Aim + Rt, Ms + Chl→ St + Bt + Qtz + V and St + Qtz→ Grt + Sil + V were crossed. Parts of this prograde evolution are preserved as inclusion assemblages in garnet in all other rock types. In all rock types, garnet has reverse zoned rims, and garnet replacement by cordierite and/or biotite and plagioclase suggests the following reactions have occurred: Grt + Sil + Qtz→ Crd → Hc ± Ilm, Bt + Sil + Qtz → Crd ± Hc → Ilm → Kfs + V and (Na + Ca + K + Ti) + Grt → Bt + Pl + Qtz. Microstructural analysis of reaction textures in conjunction with a petrogenetic grid has enabled the construction of a tightly constrained 'clockwise' P–T path for the SBMB. The high-temperature part of the path has a steep dT/dP slope characteristic of near isothermal decompression. It is proposed that the P-T path followed by the SBMB is the result of the inversion, by overthrusting, of a back-arc basin and that such a tectonic setting may be applicable to other high-temperature migmatite terranes. The near isothermal decompression is at least partly driven by the upward (diapiric) movement of the diatexite/anatectic granite core of the SBMB.     

Thermodynamic modelling of the reaction muscovite+cordierite→Al2SiO5+biotite+quartz+ H2O: constraints from natural assemblages and implications for the metapelitic petrogenetic grid

The reaction muscovite+cordierite→biotite+Al₂SiO₅ +quartz+H₂O is of considerable importance in the low pressure metamorphism of pelitic rocks: (1) its operation is implied in the widespread assemblage Ms + Crd +And± Sil + Bt + Qtz, a common mineral assemblage in contact aureoles and low pressure regional terranes; (2) it is potentially an important equilibrium for pressure estimation in low pressure assemblages lacking garnet; and (3) it has been used to distinguish between clockwise and anticlockwise P–T paths in low pressure metamorphic settings. Experiments and thermodynamic databases provide conflicting constraints on the slope and position of the reaction, with most thermodynamic databases predicting a positive slope for the reaction. Evidence from mineral assemblages and microtextures from a large number of natural prograde sequences, in particular contact aureoles, is most consistent with a negative slope (andalusite and/or sillimanite occurs upgrade of, and may show evidence for replacement of, cordierite). Mineral compositional trends as a function of grade are variable but taken as a whole are more consistent with a negative slope than a positive slope. Thermodynamic modelling of reaction 1 and associated equilibria results in a low pressure metapelitic petrogenetic grid in the system K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (KFMASH) which satisfies most of the natural and experimental constraints. Contouring of the Fe–Mg divariant interval represented by reaction 1 allows for pressure estimation in garnet‐absent andalusite+cordierite‐bearing schists and hornfelses. The revised topology of reaction 1 allows for improved analysis of P–T paths from mineral assemblage sequences and microtextures in the same rocks.     

P-T grids for silica-undersaturated granulites in the systems MAS (n+ 4) and FMAS (n+ 3)-tools for the derivation of P-T paths of metamorphism

Abstract Considering the minerals cordierite (Cd), sapphirine (Sa), hypersthene (Hy), garnet (Ga), spinel (Sp), sillimanite (Si) and corundum (Co) in the system FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (FMAS), the stable invariant points are [Co], [Ga], [Cd] and [Sa]. Constraints imposed by experimental data for the system MAS indicate that under low P _H2o conditions the invariant points occur at high temperature (> 900° C) and intermediate pressure (7-10 kbar). This temperature is higher than that commonly advocated for granulite facies metamorphism. In granulites Fe-Mg exchange geothermometers may yield temperatures of 100–150° C below peak metamorphic conditions and evidence for peak temperatures is best preserved by relict high-temperature assemblages and by Al-rich cores in orthopyroxene. Application of the FMAS grid to some well-documented granulite occurrences introduces important constraints on their P-T histories. Rocks of different bulk compositions, occurring in close proximity in the field, may record distinct segments of their P-T paths. This applies particularly to rocks with evidence for reaction in the form of coronas, symplectites and zoned minerals. Consideration of curved reaction boundaries and _XMs isopleths may explain apparently contradictory results for the stability of cordierite obtained from low-temperature experiments and thermochemical calculations on the one hand and hightemperature experimental data on the other.     

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.      

Resolving the Routine Presence of Kyanite,Andalusite and Sillimanite across a Region using Foliation Intersection/Inflection Axes Preserved in Porphyroblasts,Petrographic Observations and Thermobarometry

Constraints from P-T pseudosections (MnNCKFMASH system), foliation intersection/inflection axes preserved in porphyroblasts (FIAs), mineral assemblages and textural relationships for rocks containing all three Al2SiO5 polymorphs indicate a kyanite→ andalusite→ sillimanite sequential formation at different times rather than stable coexistence at the Al2SiO5 triple point. All three Al2SiO5 polymorphs grew in the Chl, Bt, Ms, Grt, St, Pl and Crd bearing Ordovician Clayhole Schist in Balcooma, northeastern Australia separately along a looped P-T-t-D path that swaps from clockwise to anticlockwise in the tectono-metamorphic history of the region. Kyanite grew during crustal thickening in an Early Silurian Orogenic event followed by decompression/heating, andalusite and fibrolitic sillimanite growth during Early Devonian exhumation.     

Phase Equilibria of Margarite-Bearing Schists and Chloritoid + Hornblende Rocks from Western New Hampshire, USA

A variety of uncommon garnet-grade assemblages have been foundin rocks from three outcrops in the western part of centralNew Hampshire, and include the associations Grt+MrgCld, Grt+Bt+CldMrg,and Mrg+Cld+HblGrt (all rocks contain Ms, Chl, Ilm, and Qtz).These unusual rocks coexist with more typical Grt+Bt+Chl+Plmetapelites and amphibolites. Rim P–T conditions are {smalltilde}49035C and 5•751•25 kbar. Projection of the assemblages from Qtz, H₂O, and Ilm into theCa–Al'–Na–(Fe+Mg) tetrahedron, and from Qtz,Ilm, H₂O, and Chl into the Ca–Al'–Fe'–Mn tetrahedronindicates that Ca/(Ca+Na) and Mn differ among the assemblagesin a systematic fashion. Common Grt+Bt+Chl+Pl assemblages arerestricted to relatively high Mn and low Ca/(Ca+Na) values,whereas Cld+Bt+Mrg and Cld+Hbl+Mrg assemblages are stable atlow Mn and high Ca/(Ca+Na). These data suggest that at thisgrade Cld+Bt is more stable than Grt+Chl in the KFMASH system,whereas in the Ca—KFMASH system, Hbl+Cld assemblages arestable. Composition space analysis using the singular value decompositionmethod indicates that compositions of minerals from individualsamples are consistent with local equilibrium, but that differentoutcrops may not have all equilibrated at the same P–T–a_H2Oconditions. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that a garnet-zoneprograde sequence of ferromagnesian associations for these bulkcompositions would be Hbl+Cld+Grt+ChlBt+Cld+Grt+ChlBt+Grt+Chl. Staurolite-grade rocks from the same stratigraphic units areexposed across strike, and contain the assemblage Grt+StBtPl(all rocks contain Ms, Qtz, Chl, and Ilm). Margarite is commonlypresent as inclusions in the cores of garnets, but is absentas inclusions near garnet rims and from the matrix; conversely,staurolite inclusions are present towards the rims of the garnets,but are absent from the cores. These inclusion relations suggestthat margarite may react to form staurolite and garnet withincreasing grade via a reaction such as chlorite+margarite=staurolite+garnet+H₂O. Biotite is common in the matrix but is not typically abundant,and appears to have been the last phase to join the assemblage.Biotite is inferred to have joined the Grt+St+Chl assemblagesafter margarite breakdown through the reaction Grt+Chl+Ms=St+Bt+H₂O. Thus, uncommon margarite assemblages may evolve into commonGrt+Bt+St+Chl assemblages. ^* Present address: Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.     

P-T Conditions and the Influence of Graphite on Pelitic Phase Relations in the Ballachulish Aureole, Scotland

Pressure-temperature conditions of pelites in the Ballachulishaureole, Scotland, have been determined from a calibrated petrogeneticgrid and from published geothermometers and geobarometers. Tocalibrate the mineral reactions in the grid, thermodynamic datafor appropriate end members of Ms, Chi, Qtz, And, Sil, Ky, Crn,Crd, Kfs, and Bt were derived from experimental data. This approachwas hampered by the unknown compositions of many of the mineralsused in the experiments, and by apparent inconsistency betweenthe experiments. A best compromise grid that satisfies mostof the data was obtained, which is applicable to the Ballachulishand other contact aureoles. In this grid, the first developmentof sillimanite is constrained to lie between the Richardsonet al. (1969) and Holdaway (1971) andalusite-sillimanite boundaries. A pressure estimate of 3.0 + 0.5 kb is obtained from the calibratedgrid, within 0.3 kb of estimates from geobarometry and fromtwo other independent petrological studies. Temperatures rangedfrom 560?20?C at the first development of cordierite in theassemblage Ms+Qtz+Chl+Crd+Bt to 750–800?C in Grt+Crd+Hyassemblages in pelitic screens within the igneous complex. In graphitic slates, in contrast to non-graphitic pelites, anentire andalusite-bearing subzone is developed, and initialcordierite development occurs further from the igneous contacts.The presence of graphite lowered a_H2o in the slaters, expandingthe stability field of the andalusite-bearing assemblage And+Qtz+Bt+Ms+Crdrelative to the assemblage Kfs+Qtz+Bt+Ms+Crd developed in non-graphiticunits. Initial development of cordierite in the assemblage Ms+Qtz+Chl+Crd+Btwas also promoted by reduced a_H2o in graphitic slates. The regular sequence and spacing of mineral zones in the aureolesuggests that gross equilibrium was attained during contactmetamorphism, even though the thermal metamorphic pulse is estimatedto have been less than 0.2 Ma (Buntebarth, in press). Thereis no evidence for reaction overstepping in cordierite-producingreactions.     

The Effect of Mn on the Phase Relations of Medium-Grade Pelites: Constraints from Natural Assemblages on Petrogenetic Grid Topology

The phase relations of muscovite-quartz-bearing pelitic schistscontaining combinations of garnet (Grt), staurolite (St), chloritoid(Cld), biotitt (Bt) and chlorite (Chl) are examined (1) to assessthe influence of manganese on natural assemblages, and (2) toconstrain the topologies of petrogenetic grids, particularlywith respect to the controversial assemblage Cld +Bt. Two fieldareas were studied: Stonehaven, NE Scotland (p 4•5 kbar)and the SE Tauern Window, Austria (P 7 kbar), both characterizedby the up-grade progression from typical ‘garnet-zone’Grt+Chl assemblages to ‘staurolite-zone’ St+Bt±Grtassemblages via a narrow, complex zone containing Cld+Bt assemblages.In both areas, the following commonly observed chemographicrelations hold: Mg/(Mg+Fe): Grt<St<Cld<<Bt<Chl;Mn/(Mn+Fe+Mg): Chl Bt<<St<Cld<<Grt. These compositionsyield the MnAFM-discontinuous reaction (Ms+Qtz+H₂O in excess):Cld+Chl = Grt+St+Bt. The distributions of mineral assemblages in both areas are moreconsistent with the operation of MnAFM reactions than of traditionalAFM reactions. Clear correlations exist between Mn content andassemblage in rocks that crystallized at the same P and T. In the SE Tauern, low-grade Grt+Chl assemblages show a widerange of Mn contents. The crystallization of low-Mn Grt+Chlassemblages down-grade of, but at similar pressures to, low-MnGrt+Cld+Bt+Chl assemblages implies that the right-hand sideof the reaction Grt+Chl = Cld+Bt (Fe, Mg) is stabilized by increasingT. The distributions of assemblages in the areas studied alsoshow differences that are ascribed to P effects. The assemblageGrt+St+Cld+Chl is common in the SE Tauern but absent from Stonehaven.Mn contents of respective minerals in the assemblage Grt+St+Cld+Bt+Chlare higher at Stonehaven than in the SE Tauern, implying thatthe Cld+Chl = Grt+St+Bt (Mn, Fe, Mg) reaction boundary extendsto the low-P side of the [AIs, Crd] invariant point in the Mn-freesystem. Schreincmakcrs' rules are used to construct two KFMnMASH grids,in which the Cld+Bt assemblage has markedly different stabilitylimits; one is based on the KFMASH grid of Harte & Hudson(Geological Society Special Publication 8, 323–337, 1979),in which Cld+Bt is stable over a narrow T interval at relativelylow P, and the other on the KFMASH grids of Spear & Cheney(Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 101, 149–164,1989) and Wang & Spear (Contributions to Mineralogy andPetrology 106, 217–235, 1991), in which Cld+Bt is stableover wide ranges of P and T. It is argued that available natural-rockdata are more compatible with the former. KEY WORDS: pelites; KFMnMASH petrogenetic grid; chloritoid + biotite; Stonehaven; Tauern Window     

Petrology and metamorphism of khondalites from the Jining complex,North China craton

The basement of the North China craton (NCC) can be divided into eastern and western blocks separating the Trans-North China orogen on the basis of petrologic associations, structures, metamorphic processes, and isotopic ages. Aluminous gneiss khondalites occur in the western block, and record a clockwise metamorphic P–T history characterized by nearly isothermal decompression following peak metamorphism at ca. 1.3 GPa and 825°C. Four metamorphic stages are recognized based on mineral assemblages. The early prograde metamorphic assemblage contains Ky+Bt+Ms+Grt+Pl+Qtz. The peak metamorphic mineral assemblage is characterized by Grt+Sil+Bt+Kfs+Pl+Qtz and the formation of cordierite after garnet, leading to a retrograde assemblage of Grt+Sil+Crd+Pl+Kfs+Qtz. Garnet retrogrades to biotite and the formation of pervasive matrix muscovite define a final metamorphic stage, inferred at ca. < 0.6 GPa and 700°C. Quantified metamorphic stages and a related clockwise P–T path derived from pseudosection analysis in the KMASH system suggest collision of the north Yinshan block with the South Ordos block at 1.92 Ga, before final suturing of the entire NCC basement.     

Fluid-mineral equilibria in prehnite-pumpellyite to greenschist facies metabasites near Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada: implications for petrogenetic grids

A sequence of regional metamorphic isograds indicating a range from prehnite-pumpellyite to lower amphibolite facies was mapped in metabasites near Flin Flon, Manitoba. The lowest grade rocks contain prehnite + pumpellyite and are cut by younger brittle faults containing epidote + chlorite + calcite. Isobaric temperature- X _CO2 and pressure-temperature (constant X _CO2) diagrams were calculated to quantify the effects of CO₂ in the metamorphic fluid on the stability of prehnite-pumpellyite facies minerals in metabasites containing excess quartz and chlorite. Prehnite and, to a lesser extent, pumpellyite are stable only in fluids with X _co2 <0.002. For X _co2>0.002, epidote + chlorite + calcite assemblages are stable. Our calculated phase relations are consistent with regional metamorphism in the Flin Flon area in the presence of an H₂O-rich fluid and a more CO₂-rich fluid in the later fault zones. We believe that the potential effects of small amounts of CO₂ in the metamorphic fluid should be assessed when considering the pressure-temperature implications of mineral assemblages in low-grade metabasites.     

The muscovite-melt bathograd and low-P isograd suites in north-central Wopmay Orogen, Northwest Territories, Canada

In north-central Wopmay Orogen, syntectonic low-P(Buchan-type) suites of mineral isograds outline regional metamorphic temperature culminations that are associated, at the higher structural levels, with emplacement of early Proterozoic plutons in the west part of a deformed and eastward transported continental margin prism. The mapped isograds mark the first occurrence of biotite, staurolite, andalusite, sillimanite, sillimanite-K feldspar and K feldspar-plagioclase-quartz ± muscovite (granitic) pods in metapelites, with increasing proximity to the plutons.
Microprobe analyses and field observations have resulted in the formulation of reactions for the 'ideal'pelitic system K₂O-Na₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O, to account for the various mineral assemblages of each metamorphic zone. A P-T petrogenetic grid showing erosion surface P-T curves for the northern Wopmay Orogen pelites, compiled on the basis of the mapped isograds and the inferred reaction(s) for each metamorphic zone, documents a variation in exposed metamorphic pressure ranging between 2 and 4 kbar.
The configuration of a new bathograd, based on the invariant model reaction sillimanite + K feldspar + plagioclase + biotite + quartz + vapor ± muscovite + liquid and interpolated across three metamorphic suites, is consistent with a major regional structure culmination and with independently determined pressures obtained from anorthite-grossular-quartz-Al₂SiO₅ geobarometry. The positive correlation between the configuration of the bathograd and the structural and pressure culmination points to the pressure-dependence of anatectic-granitic-pod mineral associations.     

Low-pressure granulite facies metapelitic assemblages and corona textures from MacRobertson Land, east Antarctica: the importance of Fe2O3 and TiO2 in accounting for spinel-bearing assemblages

Low-pressure granulite facies metasedimentary gneisses exposed in MacRobertson Land, east Antarctica, include hercynitic spinel-bearing metapelitic gneisses. Peak metamorphic mineral assemblages include spinel + rutile + ilmenite + sillimanite + garnet, spinel + ilmenite + sillimanite + garnet + cordierite, ortho-pyroxene + magnetite + ilmenite + garnet, spinel + cordierite + biotite + ilmenite and orthopyroxene + cordierite + biotite, each with quartz, K-feldspar and melt. The presence of garnet + biotite- and cordierite + orthopyroxene-bearing assemblages implies crossing tie-lines in AFM projection for the K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (KFMASH) system. This apparent contradiction, and the presence of spinel, rutile and ilmenite in the assemblages, is acounted for by using the KFMASH-TiO₂-O₂ system, i.e. AFM + TiO₂+ Fe₂O₃. We derive a petrogenetic grid for this system, applicable to low-pressure granulite facies metamorphic conditions. Retrograde assemblages are interpreted from corona textures on hercynitic spinel and Fe-Ti oxides. The relative positions of the peak and retrograde metamorphic assemblages on the petrogenetic grid suggest that corona development occurred during essentially isobaric cooling.     

A sequence of partial melting reactions at Mt Stafford, central Australia

Metasedimentary gneisses show a rapid change in grade in a 10  km wide low- P /high- T  regional aureole at Mt Stafford in the Arunta Block, central Australia. Migmatite occurs in all but the lowermost of five metamorphic zones, which grade from greenschist (Zone 1) through amphibolite (Zones 2–3) to granulite facies (Zones 4–5). The sequence of partial melting reactions inferred for metapelitic rocks is dependant upon protolith, temperature and fluid conditions. The metapelite solidus in Zone 2 reflects vapour-present melting at P ≈3  kbar and T  ≈640  °C, melting having initially been controlled by the congruent breakdown of the assemblage Crd–Kfs–Bt–Qtz. At slightly higher temperature, andalusite in leucosome formed via the reaction Kfs+Qtz+Bt+H₂O→And+melt; And+melt having been stabilized by the presence of boron. Sillimanite coaxially replaces andalusite in the high-grade portion of Zone 2. In Zone 3, large aluminosilicate aggregates in leucosome are armoured by Spl–Crd±Grt symplectites. Garnet partially pseudomorphs biotite, cordierite or spinel in high-grade portions of Zone 3. Zone 4 Grt–Crd–Opx-bearing metapsammite assemblages and garnet-bearing leucosome reflect T  ≈800  °C and P =2.2±0.9  kbar. In the model KFMASH system the principal vapour-absent melting step reflected significant modal changes related to the breakdown of the As–Bt tie-line and the establishment of the Spl–Crd tie-line; the bulk rock geochemistry of migmatite samples straddle the Spl–Crd tie-line. The aluminous bulk-rock composition of the common bedded migmatite restricted its potential to witness garnet-forming and orthopyroxene-forming reactions, minor textural and modal changes in and above Zone 3 reflecting biotite destablization in biotite-poor assemblages.     

Amphibole composition as an indicator of subtle grade variation in epidote-glaucophane schists

Abstract The paragenetic relations of epidote-glaucophane schists are described in terms of the system Al₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-MgO-CaO with excess of quartz, albite and epidote. If alkali-amphibole is free from Ca and Al^IV, its composition when associated with epidote is invariant, univariant or divariant at a given pressure and temperature on Miyashiro's (1957) diagram of alkali-amphibole solid solution if it is also associated, respectively, with three, two or one additional minerals in the system.
Using a group of epidote-glaucophane schists from the Kotu area of the Sanbagawa metamor-phic belt in Shlkoku, Japan (isophysical compositional),univariant boundary lines were determined for the assemblages that, in addition to the ubiquitous quartz + albite + phengitic mica, contain hematite + chlorite, garnet + chlorite and actinolite + chlorite, respectively. The slopes of the univariant boundary lines obtained from petrographical data are in good agreement with those calculated in a model system.
The positions of isophysical univariant boundary lines on the amphibole compositional diagram serve to distinguish the grade of metamorphism among the rocks of the same mineral facies. The hematite-chlorite univariant boundary line can be used to divide the zone of epidote-glaucophane schists of the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt into three, and the garnet-chlorite-paragonite invariant equilibrium can be used to divide the epidote zone of New Caledonia into three.     

Liquid compositions from low-pressure experimental melting of pelitic rock from Morton Pass, Wyoming, USA

Low‐pressure crystal‐liquid equilibria in pelitic compositions are important in the formation of low‐pressure, high‐temperature migmatites and in the crystallization of peraluminous leucogranites and S‐type granites and their volcanic equivalents. This paper provides data from vapour‐present melting of cordierite‐bearing pelitic assemblages and augments published data from vapour‐present and vapour‐absent melting of peraluminous compositions, much of which is at higher pressures. Starting material for the experiments was a pelitic rock from Morton Pass, Wyoming, with the major assemblage quartz‐K feldspar‐biotite‐cordierite, approximately in the system KFMASH. A greater range in starting materials was obtained by addition of quartz and sillimanite to aliquots of this rock. Sixty‐one experiments were carried out in cold‐seal apparatus at pressures of 1–3.5 kbar (particularly 2 kbar) and temperatures from 700 to 840 °C, with and without the addition of water. In the vapour‐present liquidus relations at 2 kbar near the beginning of melting, the sequence of reactions with increasing temperature is: Qtz + Kfs + Crd + Sil + Spl + V = L; Qtz + Kfs + Crd + Spl + Ilm + V = Bt + L; and Qtz + Bt + V = Crd + Opx + Ilm + L. Vapour‐absent melting starts at about 800 °C with a reaction of the form Qtz + Bt = Kfs + Crd + Opx + Ilm + L. Between approximately 1–3 kbar the congruent melting reaction is biotite‐absent, and biotite is produced by incongruent melting, in contrast to higher‐pressure equilibria. Low pressure melts from pelitic compositions are dominated by Qtz‐Kfs‐Crd. Glasses at 820–840 °C have calculated modes of approximately Qtz₄₂Kfs₄₆Crd₁₂. Granites or granitic leucosomes with more than 10–15% cordierite should be suspected of containing residual cordierite. The low‐pressure glasses are quite similar to the higher‐pressure glasses from the literature. However, X_Mg increases from about 0.1–0.3 with increasing pressure from 1 to 10 kbar, and the low‐temperature low‐pressure glasses are the most Fe‐rich of all the experimental glasses from pelitic compositions.     

From partial melting to retrogression in the Pointe Geologie migmatitic complex: a history of heterogeneous distribution of fluids

In the Pointe Géologie area (66°40 S; 140°00 E; Terre Adélie, East Antarctica), the Paleoproterozoic basement consists in a migmatitic complex of metasedimentary origin. Metasediments underwent a thermal event, leading to the high-grade amphibolite facies assemblages biotite–cordierite–sillimanite and to dehydration melting reactions at 4–6 kbar and 700±50 °C, followed by retrogression in greenschist facies.

In most of the archipelago, K-feldspar gneisses (KFG) are characterized by a Sil+Crd+Kfs+Bt assemblage and many K-feldspar-rich leucosomes. Locally, a spectacular rock type occurs as North dipping bands of about 10 m thick and consists in nodular gneisses (NG) that display less abundant, K-feldspar-poor leucosomes.

Commonly, the retrograde imprint facies is quite weak in KFG and only expressed by sporadic Bt–Ms±And equilibrium assemblage, whereas it developed more extensively in NG. A pseudosection calculated at constant P=4 kbar shows that the differences between NG and KFG assemblages can be considered to be mainly driven by difference in H₂O proportions and much less by differences in FeO/MgO or K₂O/MgO ratios. The hydrated assemblage (Bt–Ms nodules) in NG requires at least 10–20% more H₂O than the Crd+Kfs+Sil/And assemblage does in KFG. Parageneses and mineral compositions indicate that this difference in H₂O occurred early in the history, at least as early as the anatectic stage. Therefore, differences between NG and KFG are related to the variation in partial melting features (water distribution, proportion of melt extraction), which appears to be spatially controlled by cryptic tectonic structures. The particular shape and orientation of NG bands are interpreted as a complex history of melt extraction in the Pointe Géologie area which could involve a two stage melting process.     

Multi-stage pseudomorphic replacement of garnet during polymetamorphism: 2. Algebraic analysis of mineral assemblages

Chemical relationships among four metapelites have been studied by investigation of mineral and bulk chemistry data and by singular value decomposition analysis of single and composite assemblage matrices. Bulk rock compositions cluster close together in an AFM diagram, all within the intersection space defined by the four sample assemblages. The similarity of bulk compositions normalized on a silica-free, anhydrous basis indicates that sample chemistries differ mainly as a result of inhomogeneous distribution of quartz layers. The existence of mass balance relationships among samples indicates that assemblages also overlap in the Si–Ti–Al–Fe–Mg–Mn–Ca–Na–K multisystem. Analysis of single and composite matrices helps in defining possible mass balances linking sample mineral facies to one another during progressive contact metamorphism. The assemblage in sample A can form as the result of the model reaction 5.000  Ky+0.269 Grt+0.965 Bt+0.314 Pl=0.049 Ilm+1.115 Ms+0.849 Chl+0.306 St and react to assemblage B via reaction 0.97 Chl+0.52 Grt+0.66 Ms+0.14 Ilm+1.26  Ky=0.42 St+0.63 Bt+0.22 Pl coupled with the Ky→And transition. Assemblage B can transform into C by initial progress of Ky+Ilm+Chl+Grt+Ms=And+St+Bt+Pl followed by 0.142 Ilm+0.175 St+1.089 Chl+1.533 Ms+0.003 Grt=5.000 And+1.266 Bt+0.551 Pl Matrix analysis cannot satisfactorily model the C–D transition, because it predicts a net production of staurolite, which is in disagreement with petrographic evidence. All mass balances in the C–D composite matrix indicate net consumption of muscovite; this is integrated with the contrasting evidence of prograde pseudomorphs of muscovite after staurolite, observed in the nodules of sample D, within a model involving the progress of ionic reaction cycles.     

A petrogenetic grid for aluminous granulite facies metapelites in the KFMASH system

Due to the retrograde cation exchange problems experienced by conventional geothermobarometers above their closure temperatures, petrogenetic grids are a potentially powerful alternative to unravelling the P–T evolution of ultrahigh‐T granulite terranes. A new qualitative KFMASH (K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O) petrogenetic grid for Mg–Al rich metapelites containing K‐feldspar, sillimanite and quartzofeldspathic melt that successfully accounts for the majority of assemblages composed of variations of sapphirine, spinel, garnet, orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite and quartz is developed. Univariant reactions are predicted utilizing a newly derived ‘melt projection’ and these reactions are entirely consistent with algebraically calculated reaction coefficients obtained using a set of standard phase compositions. Based upon observations of commonly associated mineral assemblages in natural lithologies the [Spr, Spl], [Qtz, Spl], [Bt, Spl], [Opx, Spr], [Opx, Qtz] and [Bt, Opx] invariant points are assumed to be stable, whilst the [Grt, Spr], [Grt, Qtz], [Spr, Qtz] and [Crd, Qtz] are assumed to be metastable. Biotite‐bearing assemblages are confined to the lowest temperatures, and sapphirine + quartz to the highest temperatures. Orthopyroxene + sillimanite ± quartz assemblages are confined to the highest pressures, whilst spinel‐bearing assemblages are stabilized by lower pressures. The alternative choice of invariant point stability leads to significant differences between this grid and previously proposed topologies. Spinel cannot be stable along with the orthopyroxene and sillimanite assemblage as previously proposed. Further, more subtle differences in topology result from the treatment of H₂O in the chemographic projection used to deduce univariant reactions, and projecting from a water‐bearing quartzofeldspathic melt does not yield the same reaction coefficients as projection from H₂O. The new grid allows reinterpretation of previously proposed evolutionary P–T paths for Mg–Al rich granulites from the Napier Complex and Rauer Group, East Antarctica, and In Ouzzal, Algeria.     

Petrology of spinel granulites from Araku, Eastern Ghats, India, and a petrogenetic grid for sapphirine-free rocks in the system FMAS

Abstract Spinel-quartz-cordierite and spinel-quartz are found as relic prograde assemblages in Fe-rich granulites from the Araku area, Eastern Ghats belt, India. Subsequent reactions produced orthopyroxene + sillimanite in the former association and garnet + sillimanite in the latter. The first reaction is univariant in the FMAS system, but is trivariant in the present case because of the presence of Zn and Fe³⁺ in spinel. The second reaction also has high variance because of Zn and Fe³⁺, but also because of the presence of Ca in garnet. Thermobarometry shows that the metamorphic conditions were approximately 950° C and 8.5 kbar and the fo ₂ was near the NNO buffer. In Fe-rich bulk compositions and low- P -high- T conditions of metamorphism, two of the univariant reactions around the invariant point [Sa], namely (Sa, Hy) and (Sa, Cd), change topology due to reverse partitioning of Fe-Mg between coexisting garnet and spinel. An alternative partial petrogenetic grid in the system FMAS is constructed for such conditions and is applied satisfactorily to several sapphirine-free spinel granulites. It is shown that bulk composition ( X _Fe and Zn) exerts greater control on the stability of spinel + quartz than fo ₂. The effect of the presence of Zn and Fe³⁺ in spinel on the proposed grid is evaluated. Reaction textures in the Araku spinel granulites can be explained from the petrogenetic grid as due to near-isobaric cooling.