Cordierite from a high-temperature low-pressure shear zone of the south-western Bohemian Massif (Moldanubian terrain,Austria)

A medium-scale shear zone exposed in the gneiss rocks of the South-western Bohemian Massif (Moldanubian Zone) contains cordierite, whose Na p.f.u. is subject to a significant increase from the centre to the edge of the deformation area, whilst other elements only show negligible variations. Coexisting mineral phases of cordierite include garnet, biotite, and sillimanite. According to the results obtained from the garnet-cordierite Fe²⁺/Mg²⁺-exchange thermometer a decrease of peak temperature from 639 °C in the central mylonite to 593 °C in the marginal mylonite can be observed, which indicates significant shear heating. Lithological pressures were estimated by considering the position of cordierite-forming reactions in the P-T field and the stability of coexisting sillimanite. They are subject to a reduction from 0.35 GPa in the highest deformed mylonite to 0.31 GPa at the margin of the shear zone. According to the results of comprehensive petrographic and mineralogical studies the investigated shear zone underwent a Variscan HT-LP metamorphic event implying the formation of cordierite and an Alpine MT-LP event entailing the rotation and decomposition of the cordierite phase.     

Zircon dating of North Bohemian granulites, Czech Republic: further evidence for the Lower Carboniferous high-pressure event in the Bohemian Massif

U-Pb zircon and rutile multigrain ages and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb zircon evaporation ages are reported from high-pressure felsic and metapelitic granulites from northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The granulites, in contrast to those from other occurrences in the Bohemian Massif, do not show evidence of successive HT/MPLP overprints. Multigrain size fractions of nearly spherical, multifaceted, metamorphic zircons from three samples are slightly discordant and yield a U-Pb Concordia intercept age of 348 ± 10 Ma, whereas single zircon evaporation of two samples resulted in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 339 ± 1.5 and 339 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. A rutile fraction from one sample has a U-Pb Concordia intercept age of 346 ± 14 Ma. All ages are identical, within error, and a mean age of 342 ± 5 Ma was adopted to reflect the peak of HP metamorphism. Because rutile has a lower closing temperature for the U-Pb isotopic system than zircon, the results and the P-T data imply rapid uplift and cooling after peak metamorphism. The above age is identical to ages for high-grade metamorphism reported from the southern Bohemian Massif and the Granulite Massif in Saxony. It can be speculated that all these granulites were part of the same lower crustal unit in early Carboniferous, being separated later due to crustal stacking and subsequent late Variscan orogenic collapse.     

Evidence for fullerenes in solid bitumen from pillow lavas of Proterozoic age from Mítov (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

Andesitic pillow lavas containing biogenic, solid bitumen (SB) are a constituent of a Neoproterozoic volcanosedimentary sequence (Teplá-Barrandian unit, Bohemian Massif) in the Mítov area of the Czech Republic. A black shale formation that is crosscut by these andesitic basalts is 565 Ma old. Carbon disulfide extracts of two powdered samples of SB contain 0.2 and 0.3 ppm of C₆₀, respectively, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The peak assignment based on retention time is fully supported by high-resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS). No C₇₀ was detected, nor was C₆₀ found in two other SB samples from this locality. Other investigated carbonaceous samples from Bohemia (coals and anthracites of Upper Paleozoic age and anthraxolite, graphitoids, and graphite of Upper Proterozoic age) did not contain fullerenes at concentrations above the detection limit of 0.01 ppm. The absence of C₆₀ in these samples was confirmed by EI-MS. The proposed mechanism of fullerene formation involves a primary algal phase, generation of a hydrocarbonaceous mixture in the course of thermal evolution of the sedimentary series, and their high-temperature transformation related to the extrusion of basalt. An important feature for fullerene conservation was the enclosure of fullerenes in SB with a structure similar to glasslike carbon, where the fullerene was protected against oxidation.     

Experimental constraints on ultrapotassic magmatism from the Bohemian Massif (durbachite series, Czech Republic)

The equilibrium phase relations of a mafic durbachite (53 wt.% SiO₂) from the Třebíč pluton, representative of the Variscan ultrapotassic magmatism of the Bohemian Massif (338–335 Ma), have been determined as a function of temperature (900–1,100°C), pressure (100–200 MPa), and H₂O activity (1.1–6.1 wt.% H₂O in the melt). Two oxygen fugacity ranges were investigated: close to the Ni–NiO (NNO) buffer and 2.6 log unit above NNO buffer (∆NNO + 2.6). At 1,100°C, olivine is the liquidus phase and co-crystallized with phlogopite and augite at 1,000°C for the whole range of investigated pressure and water content in the melt. At 900°C, the mineral assemblage consists of augite and phlogopite, whereas olivine is not stable. The stability field of both alkali feldspar and plagioclase is restricted to low pressure (100 MPa) at nearly water-saturated conditions (<3–4 wt.% H₂O) and T < 900°C. A comparison between experimental products and natural minerals indicates that mafic durbachites have a near-liquidus assemblage of olivine, augite, Ti-rich phlogopite, apatite and zircon, followed by alkali feldspar and plagioclase, similar to the mineral assemblage of minette magma. Natural amphibole, diopside and orthopyroxene were not reproduced experimentally and probably result from sub-solidus reactions, whereas biotite re-equilibrated at low temperature. The crystallization sequence olivine followed by phlogopite and augite reproduces the sequence inferred in many mica-lamprophyre rocks. The similar fractionation trends observed for durbachites and minettes indicate that mafic durbachites are probably the plutonic equivalents of minettes and that K- and Mg-rich magmas in the Bohemian Massif may have been generated from partial melting of a phlogopite–clinopyroxene-bearing metasomatized peridotite. Experimental melt compositions also suggest that felsic durbachites can be generated by simple fractionation of a more mafic parent and mixing with mantle-derived components at mid crustal pressures.     

Depositional and palaeoenvironmental variation of lower Turonian nearshore facies in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin,Czech Republic

Dark grey strata belonging to the basal horizons of the Bílá Hora Formation (lower Turonian) were exposed during quarrying at the locality of Plaňany (Bohemian Cretaceous Basin). Based mainly on quarry maps, the early Turonian rocky bottom was reconstructed in the area of about 14,800 m². Two sedimentologic and palaeoecological settings were recognized in the area. Dark grey deposits form part of the first setting, representing a fill of large and deep depressions on the northern foot of the Plaňany elevation. The second setting with a phosphatic lag is located on the elevated part of the area. Dark grey sedimentation belongs to the UC6a and particularly to the UC6b nannoplankton zones. During the latter zone the dark sedimentation passed upwards into light siltstones. The enrichment of C_org and S, clay minerals with an important kaolinite peak, formation of framboidal pyrite and the enrichment of macrofauna and phosphatic particles are characteristic of the basal portions of the dark deposits. The sulphate reduction zone is suggested for this sedimentary environment. In the associations of phosphatic particles, shark coprolites, faecal pellets and sponge fragments prevail. No phosphatic lag is developed. On the other hand, the phosphatic lag directly overlying the Cenomanian relics is most characteristic of the second setting. This lag is a product of sedimentary condensation, characterized by a long-lasting concentration of phosphatic particles and phosphogenesis, accompanied by encrustation of closely adjacent free rock surfaces by a faunal community with Terebella. Additional biostratigraphic data presently contributed to a proposed correlation of both settings. Micropalaeontological data (foraminifera, palynomorphs, nannoplankton) indicate that the phosphatic lag and basal dark grey deposits may be approximately coeval. The stagnant depositional conditions with only very slow sea-level rise are thought to have lasted for a relatively long period that includes a significant part of the Whiteinella archaeocretacea Zone (lowermost Turonian). In elevated parts, condensation could proceed under conditions of prevailingly weak currents and strong oxidation of organic matter, while decomposition of organic matter was probably very slow and incomplete in depressions below the elevation. The sedimentary condensation in both settings is highlighted by the remarkable formation of abundant glauconite in local deposits.     

Garnet-bearing granite from the Třebíč pluton, Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic)

Summary Garnet occurs as a significant mineral constituent of felsic garnet-biotite granite in the southern edge of the Třebíč pluton. Two textural groups of garnet were recognized on the basis of their shape and relationship to biotite. Group I garnets are 1.5–2.5 mm, euhedral grains which have no reaction relationship with biotite. They are zoned having high X_Mn at the rims and are considered as magmatic. Group II garnets form grain aggregates up to 2.5 cm in size, with anhedral shape of individual grains. The individual garnet II grains are usually rimmed by biotite and have no compositional zoning. The core of group I garnets and group II garnets contains 67–80 mol% of almandine, 5–19 mol% of pyrope, 7–17 mol% of spessartine and 2–4 mol% of grossular. Biotite occurs in two generations; both are magnesian siderophyllites with Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 0.50–0.69. The matrix biotite in granites (biotite I) has high Ti content (0.09–0.31 apfu) and Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratio between 0.50 and 0.59. Biotite II forms reaction rims around garnet, is poor in Ti (0.00–0.06 apfu) and has a Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratio between 0.61 and 0.69. The textural relationship between biotite and garnet indicates that garnet reacted with granitic melt to form Ti-poor biotite and a new granitic melt, depleted in Ti and Mg and enriched in Fe and Al. In contrast to the host durbachites (hornblende-biotite melagranites), which originated by mixing of crustal melts and upper mantle melts, the origin of garnet-bearing granites is related to partial melting of the aluminium-rich metamorphic series of the Moldanubian Zone.     

Exhumation, strain localization, and emplacement of granitoids along the western part of the Central Bohemian shear zone (Bohemian Massif)

Emplacement of granitoid magmas and simultaneous exhumation of deeply buried rocks has been investigated along the western part of the Central Bohemian shear zone (CBSZ, Bohemian Massif). Combined structural, petrological and geochronological data of the steeply dipping shear zone suggest complex uplift and exhumation of deeply buried, high-temperature Moldanubian rocks, resulting in the juxtaposition against the supracrustal Teplá-Barrandian unit. Uplift of Moldanubian rocks from depths of probably more than 30 km was initiated after crustal stacking in Upper Devonian times. Syntectonic Lower Carboniferous emplacement of the Klatovy pluton into the pre-existing shear zone led to melt-controlled strain softening and localization. However, the major part of the total displacement of the CBSZ was accommodated within a late- to post-intrusive high-temperature shear zone in the uprising Moldanubian unit and a post-intrusive unexposed fault zone in the Klatovy pluton, respectively. During uplift of the Moldanubian rocks, strain was strongly partitioned into melt-bearing zones (Klatovy pluton, migmatites of the Moldanubian unit) resulting in a repeated shift of deformation in space and time.     

10 km Minimum throw along the West Bohemian shear zone: Evidence for dramatic crustal thickening and high topography in the Bohemian Massif (European Variscides)

The West Bohemian shear zone (WBSZ) forms a steep collapse structure along which east-side-down normal movements led to the juxtaposition of the relatively cold Cadomian basement of the Tepla-Barrandian unit against high grade Moldanubian rocks. Synkinematic plutons straddle the WBSZ. The Mut3nin pluton intruded into Moldanubian crust at a depth of 23dž km as derived by using Al-in-hornblende barometry. The Tepla-Barrandian Babylon pluton intruded at <12 km depth as indicated by phengite barometry and petrogenetic considerations. Both emplacement depths, together with mineral cooling ages, result in a minimum vertical displacement of 10 km between 340 and 320 Ma. This large throw could be explained by over-thickened crust that was weakened from below. The alkaline signature of the Mut3nin diorite indicates that mantle melting was important to thermally weaken the crust at 340 Ma. The cold Tepla-Barrandian upper crust sank into its weak, partly molten Moldanubian substratum, resulting in elevator-style movements, not only along the WBSZ, but also along the Hoher Bogen and Central Bohemian shear zone. All these ductile normal shear zones were active simultaneously during the Lower Carboniferous and dip steeply towards the Tepla-Barrandian unit that probably formed a highly elevated plateau at this time.     

Permo-Carboniferous volcanism in late Variscan continental basins of the Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic): geochemical characteristic

Extensive Permo-Carboniferous volcanism has been documented from the Bohemian Massif. The late Carboniferous volcanic episode started at the Duckmantian–Bolsovian boundary and continued intermittently until Westphalian D to Stephanian B producing mainly felsic and more rarely mafic volcanics in the Central Bohemian and the Sudetic basins. During the early Permian volcanic episode, after the intra-Stephanian hiatus, additional large volumes of felsic and mafic volcanics were extruded in the Sudetic basins. The volcanics of both episodes range from entirely subalkaline (calc-alkaline to tholeiitic) of convergent plate margin-like type to transitional and alkaline of within-plate character. A possible common magma could not be identified among the Carboniferous and Permian primitive magmas, but a common geochemical signature (enrichment in Th, U, REE and depletion in Nb, Sr, P, Ti) in the volcanic series of both episodes was recognized. On the other hand, volcanics of both episodes differ in intensities of Nb, Sr and P depletion and also, in part, in their isotope signatures. High ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.707–0.710) and low ε_Nd (−6.0 to −6.1) are characteristic of the Carboniferous mafic volcanics, whereas low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.705–0.708) and higher ε_Nd ranging from −2.7 to −3.4 are typical of the Permian volcanics. Felsic volcanics of both episodes vary substantially in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.705–0.762) and ε_Nd (−0.9 to −5.1). Different depths of magma source or heterogeneity of the Carboniferous and Permian mantle can be inferred from variation in some characteristic elements of the geochemical signature for volcanics in some basins. The Sr–Nd isotopic data with negative ε_Nd values confirm a significant crustal component in the volcanic rocks that may have been inherited from the upper mantle source and/or from assimilation of older crust during magmatic underplating and ascending of primary basic magma. Two different types of primary magma development and formation of a bimodal volcanic series have been recognized: (i) creation of a unique magma by assimilation fractional crystallization processes within shallow-level reservoirs (type Intra-Sudetic Basin) and (ii) generation and mixing of independent mafic and felsic magmas, the latter by partial melting of upper crustal material in a high-level chamber (type Krkonoše Piedmont Basin). A similar origin for the Permo-Carboniferous volcanics of the Bohemian Massif is obvious, however, their geochemical peculiarities in individual basins indicate evolution in separate crustal magma chambers.     

Metamorphism and microstructures along a high-temperature metamorphic field gradient: the north–eastern boundary of the Královský hvozd unit (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

A metamorphic field gradient has been investigated in the Moldanubian zone of the central European Variscides encompassing, from base to the top, a staurolite–kyanite zone, a muscovite–sillimanite zone, a K‐feldspar–sillimanite zone, and a K‐feldspar–cordierite zone, respectively. The observed reaction textures in the anatectic metapsammopelites of the higher grade zones are fully compatible with experimental data and petrogenetic grids that are based on fluid‐absent melting reactions. From structural and microstructural observations it can be concluded that the boundary between the kyanite–staurolite zone and the muscovite‐ and K‐feldspar–sillimanite zones coincides with an important switch in deformation mechanism(s). Besides minor syn‐anatectic shearing (melt‐enhanced deformation), microstructural criteria point (a) to a switch in deformation mechanism from rotation recrystallization (climb‐accommodated dislocation creep) to prism slip and high‐temperature (fast) grain boundary migration in quartz (b) to the activity of diffusion creep in quartz–feldspar layers, and (c) to accommodation of strain by intense shearing in fibrolite–biotite layers. It is suggested that any combination of these deformation mechanisms will profoundly affect the rheological characteristics of high‐grade metamorphic rocks and significantly lower rock strength. Hence, the boundary between these zones marks a major rheological barrier in the investigated cross section and probably also in other low‐ to medium‐pressure/high‐temperature areas. At still higher metamorphic grades (K‐feldspar‐cordierite zone), where the rheologically critical melt percentage is reached, rock rheology is mainly governed by the melt and other deformation mechanisms are of minor importance. In the study area, the switch in deformation mechanism(s) is responsible for large‐scale strain partitioning and concentration of deformation within the higher‐temperature hanging wall during top‐to‐the‐S thrusting, thus preserving a more complete petrostructural record within the rocks of the footwall including indications for a ?Devonian high‐ to medium‐pressure/medium‐temperature metamorphic event. Thrusting is accompanied by diapiric ascent of diatexites of the K‐feldspar‐cordierite zone and infolding of the footwall, suggesting local crustal overturn in this part of the Moldanubian zone.     

Microstructural evolution and geologic significance of garnet pyriclasites in the Hoher-Bogen shear zone (Bohemian Massif, Germany)

Ductile extensional movements along the steeply inclined Hoher-Bogen shear zone caused the juxtaposition of Teplá-Barrandian amphibolites, granulites, and metaperidotites against Moldanubian mica schists and paragneisses. Garnet pyriclasites are well preserved within low-strain domains of this shear zone. Their degree of metamorphism is significantly higher than that of the surrounding rocks. Microstructural and mineral chemical data suggest in situ formation of the garnet pyriclasite by dehydration of pyroxene amphibolite at T>750–840°C and P<10–13 kbar including recrystallization-accommodated grain-size reduction of plagioclase and clinopyroxene, nucleation of garnet, and breakdown of amphibole into garnet+clinopyroxene+rutile. Subsequent decompression and retrograde extensional shearing led to the formation of mylonitic epidote amphibolite. The presence of lower crustal and mantle-derived slices within the Hoher-Bogen shear zone supports the view that (a) in Upper Devonian times the Teplá-Barrandian unit was thrust over Moldanubian rocks as a complete crustal unit, and (b) that during the subsequent Lower Carboniferous orogenic collapse, the garnet pyriclasite and metaperidotite were scraped off from the basal parts of the Teplá-Barrandian unit being dragged into the Hoher-Bogen shear zone due to dramatic and large-scale elevator-style movements. Received: 23 March 1999 / Accepted: 25 August 1999     

Isotopic composition of salt efflorescence from the sandstone castellated rocks of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (Czech Republic)

The origin of sulphates in sulphate-rich efflorescences on quartz sandstones with a clay matrix, exposed in rural areas of the Czech Republic is interpreted, based upon an isotopic study of S and O. Sulphates such as gypsum and/or alums exhibit δ³⁴S ranging from +1.3 to +6.1‰ and δ¹⁸O from +5.3 to +8.8‰. The low variability of S and O isotopes indicates a common source of the sulphur and a similar mode of sulphate formation. Atmospheric sulphates with a similar isotopic signature occur in the area, due to the combustion of sulphurous coal in power plants, located a few tens of kilometres from the sampling points. The sulphates crystallize from supersaturated pore waters that represent atmospheric precipitation, rich in sulphates, having percolated through the porous sandstone system. The previously proposed model of efflorescence growth (that it is due to the oxidation of pyrite) can be excluded, due to both the rare occurrence of pyrite and also to its different isotopic signature (δ³⁴S about −22‰). Although gypsum prevails in the central and eastern part of the studied area, the north and north-west of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (the most polluted region) exhibits a significant presence of alums (NH₄ ⁺ or K⁺−NH₄ ⁺-rich). Formation of alums can be explained by the partial dissolution of clay minerals or feldspars present in the sandstone matrix. Release of alumina from these phases is facilitated by the low pH of the precipitation (pH 4–4.5) and also locally by organic acids, traces of which were found in the studied efflorescences by the use of infrared spectroscopy.     

Vertical extrusion and middle crustal spreading of omphacite granulite: a model of syn-convergent exhumation (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

The exhumation of eclogite facies granulites (Omp–Plg–Grt–Qtz–Rt) in the Rychleby Mts, eastern Czech Republic, was a localised process initiated by buckling of crustal layers in a thickened orogenic root. Folding and post‐buckle flattening was followed by the main stage of exhumation that is characterized by vertical ductile extrusion. This process is documented by structural data, and the vertical ascent of rocks from a depth of c. 70 to c. 35 km is documented by metamorphic petrology. SHRIMP ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb evaporation zircon ages of 342 ± 5 and 341.4 ± 0.7 Ma date peak metamorphic conditions. The next stage of exhumation was associated with sideways flat thrusting associated with lateral viscous spreading of granulites and surrounding rocks over indenting adjacent continental crust at a depth of c. 35–30 km. This stage was associated with syntectonic intrusion of a granodiorite sill at 345–339 Ma, emplaced at a crustal depth of c. 25 km. The time required for cooling of the sill as well as for heating of the country rocks brackets this event to a maximum of 250 000 years. Therefore, similar ages of crystallization for the granodiorite magma and the peak of eclogite facies metamorphism of the granulite suggest a very short period of exhumation, limited by the analytical errors of the dating methods. Our calculations suggest that the initial exhumation rate during vertical extrusion was 3–15 mm yr^?1, followed by an exhumation rate of 24–40 mm yr^?1 during further uplift along a magma‐lubricated shear zone. The extrusion stage of exhumation was associated with a high cooling rate, which decreased during the stage of lateral spreading.     

Biotite stability in peraluminous granitic melts: Compositional dependence and application to the generation of two-mica granites in the South Bohemian batholith (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic)

Crystallization experiments have been conducted in the system Na₂O–K₂O–MgO–FeO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (with 4% normative corundum) in order to constrain the stability of biotite as a function of water activity and the Mg# of biotite [Mg/(Mg +Fe_total)] in equilibrium with peraluminous granitic melts. The temperature at which biotite breakdown starts is strongly dependent on the Mg# of biotite. At 500 MPa, the temperature of biotite breakdown to form orthopyroxene increases from 750 °C to 830 °C, as the Mg# of biotite increases from 0.4 to 0.5. Considering that the system investigated is relevant for Ca-poor peraluminous biotite-bearing rocks (metapelites), the biotite dehydration curves obtained are used to discuss the melting reactions and the temperatures that lead to the formation of two distinct types of two-mica granites found in the South Bohemian batholith (specifically the Eisgarn and Deštná granites). The phase relationships were determined experimentally for the composition of these two granites in order to constrain the composition of the biotite in equilibrium with the melt in the protoliths. We demonstrate that Eisgarn granitic melts may have been generated at temperatures in the range 830–850 °C from melting reactions involving biotite with a Mg# up to 0.5 as a reactant. In contrast, Deštná granitic melts cannot have been generated from dehydration melting reactions involving biotite.     

Application of modern geomorphological methods in theory and practice: Case study of the Bohemian Highlands (Czech Republic)

There are a lot of methods used in geomorphological research (Goudie 1992). However, sometimes it is very hard to find their application in practice. This paper deals with an application of geomorphological methods such as morphostructural analysis, detailed geomorphological mapping and computer analysis in the Geographical Information System ARC/INFO, in the field and discusses their application at the building trade, ecology, etc. The author applied them to geomorphological research in the northeastern part of the Hercynian Bohemian Highlands.     

Epibionts, their hard-rock substrates, and phosphogenesis during the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary interval (Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, Czech Republic)

Hard inorganic substrates (rock clasts and rocky bottom) belonging to the Ka k Member of the Korycany Formation (upper Cenomanian–?lower Turonian) and to the Bílá Hora Formation (lower Turonian) have offered a good opportunity for the study of encrusting faunas of the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary interval. Distributional features of cemented epibionts and the recorded period of phosphogenesis enabled the differentiation of two-phases in the Ka k Member conglomerate formation. During the first phase, the rock substrates were occupied by a so-called A-association of encrusters (29 species, with dominance of oysters and bryozoans). This fauna partly changed during the subsequent phosphogenic period and not only survived the following period of reworking and the second phase of conglomerate formation, but also persisted until the onset of calmer sedimentation in the early Turonian. This changed community is named theAtreta-Bdelloidinacommunity (23 species). The opportunistic agglutinated foraminifersBdelloidina cribrosaand/orAcruliammina longalocally dominated the respective communities during several physico-chemically stressed episodes. On sloping substrates, the bivalvesAtretaandSpondylusattached themselves in a preferred orientation (so-called slope orientation). This feature indicates the original position in which some mobile substrates were colonized. Other questions, such as the taphonomy of encrusters and the character of their substrates are also briefly discussed.     

Mineralogical and geochemical (stable C and O isotopes) variability of marbles from the Moldanubian Zone (Bohemian Massif,Czech Republic): implications for provenance studies

Metacarbonates of the Moldanubian Zone (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic) were studied to obtain qualitative and quantitative mineralogical-petrographic as well as stable isotopic data for the purpose of stone provenance studies, potentially applicable in material research studies of cultural heritage artefacts. Twenty-six samples from twelve different historical quarries, as well as two samples from historical artefacts, were analysed by both mineralogical-petrographic and geochemical methods including: polarizing microscopy, cathodoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy with microanalysis, petrographic image analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The petrographic characteristics allowed for the discrimination of groups of (1) calcitic marbles, (2) dolomitic marbles, and (3) carbonate–silicate rocks. These groups exhibit characteristic features such as (1) the presence/abundance of major rock-forming minerals, (2) grain geometric characteristics (specifically, mean carbonate grain size and index of grain size homogeneity), and (3) the presence of specific accessory phases. The content of non-carbonate minerals, some rock fabric parameters, as well as the carbon and oxygen isotope data exhibited significant variability, even within a single quarry in the case of some impure marbles and carbonate–silicate rocks. Although the carbon and oxygen isotopic ranges displayed overlaps among the quarries studied, the isotopic signatures throughout the Moldanubian Zone allowed for discrimination of a group of white calcitic marbles with high carbon and oxygen depletion, as well as white dolomite–calcitic marble with higher carbon isotope values when compared with other marble resources of the Bohemian Massif. A combination of the isotopic signature with detailed mineralogical-petrographic characteristics seems to provide sufficient information for discrimination of the Moldanubian marbles from one another. The provenance of the Vrchotovy Janovice artefact is very probably from the Rabí quarry, among the Moldanubian marbles. The provenance of the artefact from the Prague Klementinum was not definitively assigned; however, the Nehodiv quarry was considered its probable source locality.     

Petrology, geochemistry and zircon age for redwitzite at Abertamy, NW Bohemian Massif (Czech Republic): tracing the mantle component in Late Variscan intrusions

A small body of mafic texturally and compositionally varied igneous intrusive rocks corresponding to redwitzites occurs at Abertamy in the Western pluton of the Krušné hory/Erzgebirge granite batholith (Czech Republic). It is enclosed by porphyritic biotite granite of the older intrusive suite in the southern contact zone of the Nejdek-Eibenstock granite massif. We examined the petrology and geochemistry of the rocks and compared the data with those on redwitzites described from NE Bavaria and Western Bohemia.The redwitzites from Abertamy are coarse- to medium-grained rocks with massive textures and abundant up to 2 cm large randomly oriented biotite phenocrysts overgrowing the groundmass. They are high in MgO, Cr and Ni but have lower Rb and Li contents than the redwitzites in NE Bavaria. Compositional linear trends from redwitzites to granites at Abertamy indicate crystal fractionation and magma mixing in a magma chamber as possible mechanisms of magma differentiation. Plots of MgO versus SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO, CaO, Na₂O, and K₂O indicate mainly plagioclase and orthopyroxene fractionation as viable mechanisms for in situ differentiation of the redwitzites.The porphyritic biotite monzogranite enclosing the redwitzite is the typical member of the early granitic suite (Older Intrusive Complex, OIC ) with strongly developed transitional I/S-type features. The ages of zircons obtained by the single zircon Pb-evaporation method suggest that the redwitzites and granites at Abertamy originated during the same magmatic period of the Variscan plutonism at about 322 Ma.The granitic melts have been so far mainly interpreted to be formed by heat supply from a thickened crust or decompression melting accompanying exhumation and uplift of overthickened crust in the Krušné hory/Erzgebirge due to a previous collisional event at ca. 340 Ma. The presence of mafic bodies in the Western pluton of the Krušné hory/Erzgebirge batholith confirms a more significant role of mantle-derived mafic magmas in heating of the sources of granitic melts than previously considered.     

Geochronological constraints on the Legs Lake shear zone with implications for regional exhumation of lower continental crust, western Churchill Province, Canadian Shield

The Legs Lake shear zone marks the southeastern boundary of an extensive region (>20,000 km²) of high-pressure (0.8–1.5+ GPa) granulite-facies rocks in the western Churchill Province, Canada. The shear zone is one of the largest exhumation-related structures in the Canadian Shield and coincides with the central segment of the ∼2,800 km long Snowbird tectonic zone. The movement history of this shear zone is critical for the development of models for the exhumation history of the high-pressure region. We used electron microprobe U–Th–Pb dating of monazite with supplemental ID-TIMS U–Pb geochronology to place constraints on the timing of shear zone activity. Combining these and other data, we suggest that regional exhumation occurred during at least three distinct phases over an ∼150 million year period. The first phase involved high temperature decompression from ∼1.0 to 0.8–0.7 GPa shortly following 1.9 Ga peak metamorphism, possibly under an extensional regime. The second phase involved rock uplift and decompression of the hanging wall to 0.5–0.4 GPa during east-vergent thrusting across the Legs Lake shear zone at ca. 1.85 Ga. This phase was likely driven by early collision-related convergence in the Trans-Hudson orogen. The final phase of regional exhumation, involving the removal of 15–20 km of overburden from both footwall and hanging wall, likely occurred after ∼1.78 Ga and may have been related to regional extensional faulting.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .