Orthopyroxene–cordierite mafic gneiss from the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks,Southern Kyushu,Japan: Implication for western continuation of the Usuki–Yatsushiro Tectonic Line

We describe an orthopyroxene–cordierite mafic gneiss from the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks in the Noma Peninsula, southern Kyushu, Japan. The mineral assemblage of the gneiss is orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, plagioclase, and ilmenite. Thermometry based on the Fe–Mg exchange reaction between orthopyroxene and biotite yields a peak metamorphic temperature of 680°C. The stability of cordierite relative to garnet, quartz, and sillimanite defines the upper limit of the peak metamorphic pressure as 4.4 kbar. These features indicate that the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks underwent low‐pressure high‐temperature type metamorphism. Although a chronological problem still remains, the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks can be regarded as a western continuation of the Higo Belt. The Usuki–Yatsushiro Tectonic Line, which delineates the southern border of the Higo Belt, is therefore located on the east of the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks in southern Kyushu.     

Microstructurally controlled monazite chronology of ultrahigh-temperature granulites from southern India: Implications for the timing of Gondwana assembly

Ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulite facies rocks from the Achankovil Shear Zone area and the southern domain of the Madurai Granulite Block in South India contain monazite useful for in situ microprobe U–Pb dating. The UHT rocks examined consist of garnet + cordierite (retrograde) + quartz + mesoperthite + biotite + plagioclase + Fe‐Ti oxides ± orthopyroxene ± sillimanite and accessory zircon and monazite. Sillimanite occurs only as inclusions in garnet. Microstructural observations suggest garnet, orthopyroxene, spinel and mesoperthite are products of peak metamorphism. Post‐peak formation of cordierite ± orthopyroxene ± quartz and cordierite + spinel + Fe‐Ti oxides assemblages is also observed. Geothermobarometry on orthopyroxene and garnet‐orthopyroxene bearing assemblages suggest peak UHT conditions of T = 940–1040°C and P = 8.5–9.5 kbar. This was followed by a retrograde stage of 3.5–4.5 kbar and 720 ± 60°C, estimated from garnet‐cordierite assemblages. A small population of rounded, probably detrital, monazites in these rocks yield ages from Meso‐ to Neoproterozoic indicating a heterogeneous source. The youngest associated spot ages are 660–600 Ma suggesting protolith deposition up to ca 600 Ma. In contrast, the vast majority of monazites that crystallized during the latest metamorphic event show late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian ages. Probability‐density plots of monazite age data show a ‘peak’ between 533 and 565 Ma, but this peak need not reflect a particular thermal event. Collating ages from homogenous metamorphic monazites associated with minerals stable at peak P‐T conditions suggests peak metamorphism in these rocks occurred at 580–600 Ma. Together with a re‐evaluation of available data from adjacent granulite blocks in southern India, these data suggest the main metamorphic event coinciding with the suturing of India with the Gondwana amalgam probably occurred 580–600 Ma. The 500–550 Ma ages commonly reported in previous studies might represent post‐peak thermal events.     

P−T conditions during emplacement of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex

A high-temperature contact is described between the basal pargasite-bearing spinel-lherzolites of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex and underlying garnet-granulite facies metagabbros of its dynamothermal aureole. Three distinct high-temperature hydrous assemblages occur in the basal mylonites of the peridotite, and spinel- and garnet-bearing corona textures indicative of increase in pressure under constant or increasing temperature conditions are described for the first time from the uppermost part of the aureole. On the basis of garnet-clinopyroxene geothermometry and garnet-forming reactions in metabasic rocks, P?T conditions of 7–11 kbar, 750–850°C are estimated for rocks on both sides of the contact. Steep inverted gradients in both temperature and pressure of equilibration occur in the aureole, which most likely represents a thinned, overturned and metamorphosed section through an ophiolite sequence. It is proposed that the aureole formed in a low-angle shear zone cutting the oceanic crust and upper mantle.Age data shows that the Bay of Islands Complex was 30–40 Ma old and therefore relatively cold at the time of formation of the aureole. Prolonged (> 1 Ma) shear heating must therefore have occurred at high shear stresses and movement rates (≥ 1 kbar, 10 cm/yr) to produce the high contact temperatures. The displacement surface probably initiated as a discrete fault, evolving into a viscous shear zone with time. Downward movement of the locus of shearing into weaker lithologies and finally thrusting of the ophiolite-aureole complex over cold sediments accounts for the preservation of steep metamorphic gradients in the aureole.The observed pressures at the ophiolite-aureole contact are 3–7 kbar in excess of the expected load pressure from the present thickness of the ophiolite. The cause of the pressure excess was removed before formation of lower-grade parts of the aureole. Possible explanations are tectonic thinning of the ophiolite during displacement or more likely emplacement of nappes on top of the ophiolite before formation of the aureole. A model involving detachment of the ophiolite slice from below a subduction zone can account for the high pressures, rapid uplift and erosion during displacement, and the coincidence of K-Ar ages of amphiboles from the aureole and the sheeted dyke complex of the ophiolite.     

Graphitization of carbonaceous material in sedimentary rocks on short geologic time‐scales: An example from the Kinsho‐zan area,central Japan

Initially amorphous carbonaceous material becomes more crystalline with heating. The structural change depends not only on the maximum attained temperature but also the time‐scale of heating. Raman spectroscopy of natural samples that have been heated for time‐scales of 10⁵ years or greater show that the degree of crystallinity has reached steady‐state. In contrast, laboratory studies show very little change in crystallinity of carbonaceous material (CM) after heating at 1000°C for a time of 3.5 weeks. Better constraints on the time‐scale for crystallization require experiments on time‐scales of years to thousands of years; such long time‐scales can only be derived from natural examples of CM‐bearing rocks that have been heated for a known length of time. Thermal modeling of contact metamorphism developed around a 13 m dike within the Akasaka Limestone in Gifu Prefecture shows the time‐scale of heating is of the order of 1–100 years. Raman spectroscopy reveals a significant increase in the crystallinity of the CM in a region within 3 m from the dike. A comparison between the temperature predicted for the contact aureole and the degree of crystallinity of the carbonaceous material shows that even close to the dike the CM has not reached steady‐state. This change began at over 550°C (modeled temperature) for a time‐scale of heating of a few years. Attaining steady‐state in the crystallization of CM under natural geological condition requires heating on time‐scales greater than about one hundred years. This study shows the utility of using natural laboratory studies to determine the kinetics of CM crystallization in rocks.     

Asymmetric X-ray diffraction peak of metamorphosed carbonaceous material

Abstract It was revealed that the asymmetric X-ray diffraction peak of metamorphosed carbonaceous material was a combination of two types of symmetric peaks from the coaly material and graphite crystallite. Numerical synthesis using the two symmetric peaks shows the graphitization process observed in a metamorphic sequence is accompanied by a continuous change of the peak shape and apparent interplanar spacing. Based on the analytical results and geological observations, it is suggested that graphitization of carbonaceous material consists of two processes: (i) the formation of graphite crystallites at the expense of the coaly material through the formation of transitional material and the increasing abundance of crystallites which is observed in the chlorite zone; and (ii) growth of crystallites forming well-ordered graphite, which occurs in the higher-grade zone.     

A new approach to develop the Raman carbonaceous material geothermometer for low‐grade metamorphism using peak width

The Raman spectra of carbonaceous material (CM) from 19 metasediment samples collected from six widely separated areas of Southwest Japan and metamorphosed at temperatures from 165 to 655°C show systematic changes with metamorphic temperature that can be classified into four types: low‐grade CM (c. 150–280°C), medium‐grade CM (c. 280–400°C), high‐grade CM (c. 400–650°C), and well‐crystallized graphite (> c. 650°C). The Raman spectra of low‐grade CM exhibit features typical of amorphous carbon, in which several disordered bands (D‐band) appear in the first‐order region. In the Raman spectra of medium‐grade CM, the graphite band (G‐band) can be recognized and several abrupt changes occur in the trends for several band parameters. The observed changes indicate that CM starts to transform from amorphous carbon to crystallized graphite at around 280°C, and this transformation continues until 400°C. The G‐band becomes the most prominent peak at high‐grade CM suggesting that the CM structure is close to that of well‐crystallized graphite. In the highest temperature sample of 655°C, the Raman spectra of CM show a strong G‐band with almost no recognizable D‐band, implying the CM grain is well‐crystallized graphite. In the Raman spectra of low‐ to medium‐grade CM, comparisons of several band parameters with the known metamorphic temperature show inverse correlations between metamorphic temperature and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the D1‐ and D2‐bands. These correlations are calibrated as new Raman CM geothermometers, applicable in the range of c. 150–400°C. Details of the methodology for peak decomposition of Raman spectra from the low to medium temperature range are also discussed with the aim of establishing a robust and user‐friendly geothermometer.     

Precise revision of the garnet-muscovite geothermometer

The garnet-muscovite geothermometer was refined through empirical calibration by using natural rocks metamorphosed under the physical conditions of 238—1306 MPa and 490—700℃. Input temperatures and pressures were determined through simultaneously applying the garnet-biotite geothermometer and the garnet-biotite-plagioclase-quartz barometer, assuming that all FeO in muscovite and garnet be ferrous. Garnet was treated as the asymmetric quaternary solid solution, and muscovite as the symmetric binary solid solution. Input muscovite compositions include Fe atoms between 0.03—0.19 and Mg atoms between 0.04—0.16 on the basis of 11 oxygen atoms, and input garnet compositions include spessartine fractions between 0.01—0.289, grossular fractions between 0.028—0.273, and the Fe/Mg ratio between 3.387-18.986. The resulting garnet-muscovite geothermometer reproduces temperatures within (50℃ compared with the garnet-biotite thermometer. Total random error of ±37℃ of the new thermometer may stem from the pressure uncertainty of ±200 MPa, and uncertainties of ±5% of Fe and Mg components in muscovite, and ±5% of Fe, Mg, Mn and Ca components in garnet, altogether. When there exist 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% Fe3+ in muscovite, respectively, the computed garnet-muscovite temperatures will be 1—6℃, 2—12℃, 3—16℃, 5—24℃ and 7—29℃, respectively, lower than those obtained when assuming that all FeO be ferrous. The new garnet-muscovite geothermometer can efficiently reflect temperature change of typical prograde sequences and contact aureole rocks, and may be applied to low- to high-grade and low- to high-pressure metamorphic rocks.     

Metamorphic condition of a regional metamorphic complex in the Omuta district in northern Kyushu,southwest Japan

A high‐temperature (T) metamorphic complex occurs in the Omuta district, northern Kyushu, Japan. Three metamorphic zones are defined based on pelitic mineral assemblage, i.e. chlorite–biotite zone, muscovite–andalusite zone and sillimanite–K‐feldspar zone with ascending metamorphic grade from north to south. Two isograds trend approximately east–west, which is oblique to the boundary between the metamorphic complex and the Tamana Granodiorite located on the southeast. The metamorphic condition of two pelitic rocks that occur in the muscovite–andalusite zone and sillimanite–K‐feldspar zone are estimated as 510 ±30 °C, 300 ±60 MPa and 720 ±30 °C, 620 ±60 MPa, respectively. Thermodynamic consideration reveals that use of the same geothermobarometer enables precise determination of the difference in pressure between the samples as 320 ±10 MPa. This indicates that the pelitic samples were metamorphosed at different depth by 11–12 km that is significantly larger than the geographic distance of 6.8 km between the sample localities. This also suggests that crustal thinning took place after the high‐T metamorphism. The high‐T metamorphic complex is, therefore, not of static contact metamorphism but of dynamic regional metamorphism. The present result combined with petrological and chronological similarities implies that this complex suffered the regional Ryoke metamorphism.     

Spinifex-like textured metaperidotites from the Higo Metamorphic Rocks,Japan, a possible high-pressure dehydration product of antigorite serpentinite

Spinifex-like textured metaperidotites from the Higo Metamorphic Rocks (HMR), west-central Kyushu, Japan, may be formed by high-pressure dehydration of antigorite, and may indicate deep subduction of serpentinite reaching a pressure–temperature condition of 1.6 GPa and 740–750 °C. Three rock types have been identified based on mineral assemblage and rock texture: Type I (L) consisting of medium-grained (1–5 cm long) olivine + enstatite + chromite ±tremolite with secondary talc and anthophyllite that occurs in low-grade metamorphic rocks of the biotite zone, Type I (H) of coarse-grained (up to 10 cm long) olivine + enstatite (with clinoenstatite lamella) + chromite ±tremolite with secondary talc that occurs in high-grade metamorphic rocks of the garnet-cordierite zone, and Type II composed of Al-spinel + chlorite + olivine + apatite + ilmenite with minor sodic gedrite in the garnet-cordierite zone together with Type I (H). Olivines in all rock types are mostly serpentinized during exhumation. The chromite-olivine thermometer gives 560–690 °C for Type I (L) rocks, and the spinel-olivine thermometer gives 610–740 °C for Type II rocks. The peak metamorphic pressure will be higher than 1.6 GPa based on the location of the experimentally determined invariant point (P = 1.6 GPa and T = 670 °C) of antigorite + forsterite + enstatite + talc + H₂O. This estimate is consistent with the occurrence of chlorite in Type II rocks, which is stable up to 890 °C at 2.0 GPa. The spinifex-like textured metaperidotites occur as small bodies in the low P/T type gneisses, implying tectonic juxtaposition of them probably during exhumation of the HMR. Recent findings of medium pressure (0.9–1.2 GPa) granulites and gneisses from the HMR may indicate that the HMR has a deep root into the wedge mantle from which the spinifex-like textured metaperidotites have derived.     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon chronology of ultrahigh‐temperature spinel–orthopyroxene–garnet granulite from South Altay orogenic belt,northwestern China

Diagnostic mineral assemblages, mineral compositions and zircon SHRIMP U–Pb ages are reported from an ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) spinel–orthopyroxene–garnet granulite (UHT rock) from the South Altay orogenic belt of northwestern China. This Altay orogenic belt defines an accretionary belt between the Siberian and Kazakhstan–Junggar Plates that formed during the Paleozoic. The UHT rock examined in this study preserves both peak and retrograde metamorphic assemblages and microstructures including equilibrium spinel + quartz, and intergrowth of orthopyroxene, spinel, sillimanite, and cordierite formed during decompression. Mineral chemistry shows that the spinel coexisting with quartz has low ZnO contents, and the orthopyroxene is of high alumina type with Al₂O₃ contents up to 9.3 wt%. The peak temperatures of metamorphism were >950°C, consistent with UHT conditions, and the rocks were exhumed along a clockwise P–T path. The zircons in this UHT rock display a zonal structure with a relict core and metamorphic rim. The cores yield bimodal ages of 499 ± 8 Ma (7 spots), and 855 Ma (2 spots), with the rounded clastic zircons having ages with 490–500 Ma. Since the granulite was metamorphosed at temperatures >900°C, exceeding the closure temperature of U–Pb system in zircon, a possible interpretation is that the 499 ± 8 Ma age obtained from the largest population of zircons in the rock marks the timing of formation of the protolith of the rock, with the zircons sourced from a ～500 Ma magmatic provenance, in a continental margin setting. We correlate the UHT metamorphism with the northward subduction of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean and associated accretion‐collision tectonics of the Siberian and Kazakhstan–Junggar Plates followed by rapid exhumation leading to decompression.     

Thermal evolution of the Ryoke metamorphic belt, southwestern Japan: Tectonic and numerical modeling

Abstract The Ryoke metamorphic belt of southwestern Japan is composed of Cretaceous Ryoke granitoids and associated metamorphic rocks of low-pressure facies series. The Ryoke granitoids are divided into sheet-like bodies (e.g. Gamano granodiorite) and stock-like bodies. The Gamano granodiorite intruded concordantly into the high-grade metamorphic rocks without development of a contact metamorphic aureole, and the intrusion ages of the granodiorite are similar to the ages of thermal peak of the low pressure (low-P) metamorphism. It is suggested that the low-P Ryoke metamorphism resulted from the intrusion of the Gamano granodiorite. In this study, a simple 1-D numerical model of conductive heat transfer was used to evaluate the thermal effects of emplacement of the Gamano granodiorite. Calculated temperature-time ( T-t ) paths are characterized by a rapid increase of metamorphic temperature and a relatively short-lived period of high temperature. For example, the T-t path at the 15-km depth is characterized by a rapid average increase in temperature of 1.4 × 10-³°C/year and high temperatures for < ca 0.5 Ma. The calculated peak temperature for each depth is nearly equal to the petrologically estimated value for each correlated metamorphic zone. The results suggest that the magma-intrusion model is one possible thermal model for low-pressure facies series metamorphism.     

Geology of the Grove Mountains in East Antarctica

Grove Mountains consists mainly of a series of high-grade (upper amphibolite to granulite facies) metamorphic rocks, including felsic granulite, granitic gneiss, mafic granulite lenses and charnockite, intruded by late tectonic gneissic granite and post-tectonic granodioritic veins. Geochemical analysis demonstrates that the charnockite, granitic gneiss and granite belonged to aluminous A type plutonic rocks, whereas the felsic and mafic granulite were from supracrustal materials as island-arc, oceanic island and middle oceanic ridge basalt. A few high-strained shear zones disperse in regional stable sub-horizontal foliated metamorphic rocks. Three generations of ductile deformation were identified, in which D₁ is related to the event before Pan-African age, D₂ corresponds to the regional granulite peak metamorphism, whereas D₃ reflects ductile extension in late Pan-African orogenic period. The metamorphic reactions from granitic gneiss indicate a single granulite facies event, but 3 steps from mafic granulite, with P-T condition of M1 800°C, 9.3×10⁵ Pa; M₂ 800–810°C, 6.4 × 10⁵ Pa; and M₃ 650°C have been recognized. The U-Pb age data from representative granitic gneiss indicate (529±14) Ma of peak metamorphism, (534±5) Ma of granite emplacement, and (501±7) Ma of post-tectonic granodioritic veins. All these evidences suggest that a huge Pan-African aged mobile belt exists in the East Antarctic Shield extending from Prydz Bay via Grove Mountains to the southern Prince Charles Mountains. This orogenic belt could be the final suture during the Gondwana Land assemblage.     

Geology of the ignimbrites and the associated volcano–plutonic complex of the Ezine area, northwestern Anatolia

The Ezine region is located in the northwestern part of Anatolia where young granitic and volcanic rocks are widespread and show close spatial and temporal association. In this region magmatism began with the Kestanbol granite, which intruded into metamorphic basement rocks, and formed contact metamorphic aureole. To the east and southeast the pluton is surrounded by hypabyssal rocks, which in turn, are surrounded by volcanic associations. The volcanic rocks may be divided into two main groups on the basis of their lithological properties. Lavas and lahar deposits dominate the northern sector while ignimbrites dominate the southern sector. The ignimbrite eruptions were formed partly coevally with the plutonic and the associated volcanic rocks during the early Miocene. They appear to have been associated in a caldera collapse environment. Geochemical properties of the plutonic and the associated volcanic assemblages indicate that the magmas are hybrid and co-genetic and, were formed from a similar mantle source, under a compressional regime prior to the opening of the present E–W-trending graben of the Aegean western Anatolian region.     

Carbon isotope composition of graphite and carbonate minerals from 3.8-AE metamorphosed sediments,Isukasia, Greenland

Graphite comprises about 2% of some of the 3.8-AE metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of Isukasia, west Greenland. δ¹³C_PDB of carbon in this graphite ranges from ?16.0 to ?9.3‰. For those samples that contain both graphite and siderite, Δ_{carbonate-graphite} is about 6; this fractionation is consistent with an inorganic equilibrium between siderite and graphite at roughly 400–500°C. It is likely that graphite found in these rocks formed by the reaction: 6FeCO₃ = 2Fe₃O₄ + 5CO₂ +C in which case it is of little help in determining whether or not organisms were active 3.8 AE ago. The presence of quartz-magnetite-cummingtonite-iron formation in the Isukasia metasedimentary sequence may, ultimately, be one of the most powerful environmental indicators remaining in these rocks.     

Metamorphism and metamorphic K–Ar ages of the Mesozoic accretionary complex in Northland, New Zealand

Abstract A southwest dipping Mesozoic accretionary complex, which consists of tectonically imbricated turbiditic mudstone and sandstone, hemipelagic siliceous mudstone, and bedded cherts and basaltic rocks of pelagic origin, is exposed in northern North Island, New Zealand. Interpillow limestone is sometimes contained in the basaltic rocks. The grade of subduction‐related metamorphism increases from northeast to southwest, indicating an inverted metamorphic gradient dip. Three metamorphic facies are recognized largely on the basis of mineral parageneses in sedimentary and basaltic rocks: zeolite, prehnite‐pumpellyite and pumpellyite‐actinolite. From the apparent interplanar spacing d₀₀₂ data for carbonaceous material, which range from 3.642 to 3.564 Å, the highest grade of metamorphism is considered to have attained only the lowermost grade of the pumpellyite‐actinolite facies for which the highest temperature may be approximately 300°C. Metamorphic white mica K–Ar ages are reported for magnetic separates and <2 µm hydraulic elutriation separates from 27 pelitic and semipelitic samples. The age data obtained from elutriation separates are approximately 8 m.y. younger, on average, than those from magnetic separates. The age difference is attributed to the possible admixture of nonequilibrated detrital white mica in the magnetic separates, and the age of the elutriation separates is considered to be the age of metamorphism. If the concept, based on fossil evidence, of the subdivision of the Northland accretionary complex into north and south units is accepted, then the peak age of metamorphism in the north unit is likely to be 180–130 Ma; that is, earliest Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, whereas that in the south unit is 150–130 Ma; that is, late Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous. The age cluster for the north unit correlates with that of the Chrystalls Beach–Taieri Mouth section (uncertain terrane), while the age cluster for the south unit is older than that of the Younger Torlesse Subterrane in the Wellington area, and may be comparable with that of the Nelson and Marlborough areas (Caples and Waipapa terranes).     

Overview of the geology, petrology and tectonic framework of the high-pressure–ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt of the Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan

Abstract High‐ to ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic (HP–UHPM) rocks crop out over 150 km along an east–west axis in the Kokchetav Massif of northern Kazakhstan. They are disposed within the Massif as a 2 km thick, subhorizontal pile of sheet‐like nappes, predominantly composed of interlayered pelitic and psammitic schists and gneisses, amphibolite and orthogneiss, with discontinuous boudins and lenses of eclogite, dolomitic marble, whiteschist and garnet pyroxenite. On the basis of predominating lithologies, we subdivided the nappe group into four north‐dipping, fault‐bounded orogen‐parallel units (I–IV, from base to top). Constituent metabasic rocks exhibit a systematic progression of metamorphic grades, from high‐pressure amphibolite through quartz–eclogite and coesite–eclogite to diamond–eclogite facies. Coesite, diamond and other mineral inclusions within zircon offer the best means by which to clarify the regional extent of UHPM, as they are effectively sequestered from the effects of fluids during retrogression. Inclusion distribution and conventional geothermobarometric determinations demonstrate that the highest grade metamorphic rocks (Unit II: T = 780–1000°C, P = 37–60 kbar) are restricted to a medial position within the nappe group, and metamorphic grade decreases towards both the top (Unit III: T = 730–750°C, P = 11–14 kbar; Unit IV: T = 530°C, P = 7.5–9 kbar) and bottom (Unit I: T = 570–680°C; P = 7–13.5 kbar). Metamorphic zonal boundaries and internal structural fabrics are subhorizontal, and the latter exhibit opposing senses of shear at the bottom (top‐to‐the‐north) and top (top‐to‐the‐south) of the pile. The orogen‐scale architecture of the massif is sandwich‐like, with the HP–UHPM nappe group juxtaposed across large‐scale subhorizontal faults, against underlying low P–T metapelites (Daulet Suite) at the base, and overlying feebly metamorphosed clastic and carbonate rocks (Unit V). The available structural and petrologic data strongly suggest that the HP–UHPM rocks were extruded as a sequence of thin sheets, from a root zone in the south toward the foreland in the north, and juxtaposed into the adjacent lower‐grade units at shallow crustal levels of around 10 km. The nappe pile suffered considerable differential internal displacements, as the 2 km thick sequence contains rocks exhumed from depths of up to 200 km in the core, and around 30–40 km at the margins. Consequently, wedge extrusion, perhaps triggered by slab‐breakoff, is the most likely tectonic mechanism to exhume the Kokchetav HP–UHPM rocks.     

Subdivision of the Sanbagawa pumpellyite–actinolite facies region in central Shikoku, southwest Japan

Abstract   The mineral assemblages of the pumpellyite–actinolite facies such as pumpellyite + actinolite + epidote + chlorite or actinolite + epidote + hematite + chlorite occur in the Sanbagawa low-grade metamorphic region, central Shikoku, southwest Japan. Chemical compositions of these minerals from the eight newly studied areas were analyzed in order to evaluate the areal extent and thermal structure of the region. In the buffered assemblage of pumpellyite + actinolite + epidote + chlorite, the Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺ + Al) values of epidote decrease slightly with decreasing Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺ + Mg) values for chlorite. The changes in these values show a general correlation with temperature. The presence of this relationship implies that the Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺ + Al) values of epidote can be used to divide the Sanbagawa low-grade metamorphic region into low-, medium- and high-grade subzones. The areal distribution of these subzones indicates that: (i) the temperature seems to decrease in the same sense as envisaged by the zonal mapping of the higher-grade pelitic schists; and (ii) there is no significant gap of metamorphic conditions through the boundary between the two structural units (Besshi and Oboke units). It follows that the Sanbagawa low-grade metamorphic region decreases in temperature going up the structural section, and tectonic discontinuities have not affected the thermal structure.     

Raman spectroscopic carbonaceous material thermometry of low-grade metamorphic rocks: Calibration and application to tectonic exhumation in Crete, Greece

We present new Raman spectra data of carbonaceous material (CM) to extend the range of the Raman spectra of CM thermometer (RSCM) to temperatures as low as 100 °C. Previous work has demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy is an excellent tool to describe the degree of graphitization of CM, a process that is independent of pressure but strongly dependent on metamorphic temperature. A linear relationship between temperature and the Raman parameter R2 (derived from the area of the defect band relative to the ordered graphite band) forms the basis of a previous thermometer. Because R2 shows little variability in low-temperature samples, 330 °C serves as a lower limit on the existing thermometer. Herein, we present Raman spectra from a suite of low-temperature (100 to 300 °C) samples from the Olympics Mountains and describe other aspects of the Raman spectra of CM that vary over this range. In particular, the Raman parameter R1 (the ratio of heights of the disordered peak to ordered peak) varies regularly between 100 and 350 °C. These data, together with published results from higher-temperature rocks, are used to calibrate a modified RSCM thermometer, applicable from 100 to 700 °C. Application to low-grade metasediments in the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand gives temperatures consistent with previous estimates, demonstrating the reliability of the modified RSCM thermometer.We apply the modified RSCM thermometer to 53 samples from Crete to evaluate the role of the Cretan detachment fault in exhuming Miocene high pressure/low-temperature metamorphic rocks exposed there. The metamorphic rocks below the detachment (the Plattenkalk and Phyllite-Quartzite units) give metamorphic temperatures that range from 250 to 400 °C, consistent with previous petrologic estimates. We also demonstrate that the Tripolitza unit, which lies directly above the detachment, gives an average metamorphic temperature of about 260 °C. The modest break in metamorphic temperature in central Crete indicates that the Cretan detachment accounts for only 5 to 7 km of exhumation of the underlying HP-LT metamorphic rocks, which were initially accreted at ∼ 35 km. We argue that the bulk of the exhumation (∼ 28 km out of 35 km total) occurred by pervasive brittle stretching and erosion of structural units above the detachment.     

Low temperature eclogite facies metamorphism in Western Tianshan, Xinjiang

According to the field occurrences and petrological study, the low temperature eclogite facies metamorphic rocks in Western Tianshan of Xinjiang can be divided into five types: (i) massive glaucophane-epidote eclogites and glaucophane-paragonite eclogites; (ii) schistose or gneissic mica eclogites; (iii) banded calcite eclogites; (iv) pillow glaucophane eclogites; (v) garnet-omphacite quartzites. Their eclogite facies metamorphism has undergone four stages of evolution: (i) pre-peak lawsonite-blueschist facies stage,T = 350–4000°C,P = 0.7–0.9 GPa; (ii) peak eclogite facies stage,T = 530 ± 20°C,P = 1.6–1.9 GPa; (iii) retrograde epidote-blueschist facies stage, T=500–530°C,P = 0.9–1.2 GPa and (iv) retrograde blueschist-greenschist facies stage,T= 450–550°C,P= 0.7–0.8 GPa. The metamorphic PT path of Western Tianshan eclogites is characterized by clockwise ITD resulting from the subduction of Tarim plate northward to Yili-Central Tianshan plate followed by fast uplift to the surface. But there were at least two stages of blueschist facies retrograde metamorphism overprinted during their uplift.