High pressure metamorphism in the Scourian of NW Scotland: Evidence from garnet granulites

Ultramafic and mafic granulites from Archaean gneisses in N.W. Scotland (the Scourian) show evidence of two periods of granulite facies mineral growth. The first produced a high pressure clinopyroxene +garnet±plagioclase assemblage at an estimatedP-T of 12–15 kb and 1,000° C. Uplift of the complex caused partial breakdown of the garnet by reaction with clinopyroxene to produce orthopyroxene +plagioclase ±spinel±amphibole symplectites, at an estimatedP-T of 10–14 kb and 800°–900° C. Garnet stability is shown to depend on both whole-rock Fe/Mg ratios and onP-T conditions. The pressures imply crustal thicknesses in the Archaean of least 35–45 km.     

Petrology of Granulites from Anakapalle--Evidence for Proterozoic Decompression in the Eastern Ghats, India

The granulite complex at Anakapalle, which was metamorphosedat 1000 Ma, comprises orthopyroxene granulites, leptynite, khondalite,mafic granulites, calc-silicate rock, spinel granulites, andtwo types of sapphirine granulites—one quartz-bearingand migmatitic and the other devoid of quartz and massive. Reactiontextures in conjunction with mineral-chemical data suggest severalcontinuous and discontinuous equilibria in these rocks. In orthopyroxenegranulites, dehydration-melting of biotite in the presence ofquartz occurred according to the reaction biotite+quartz= garnet (Py₃₇)+K-feldspar+orthopyroxene + liquid. Later, this garnet broke down by the reaction garnet (Py₃₇)+quartz= orthopyroxene + plagioclase. Subsequently, coronal garnet (Py₃₀) and quartz were producedby the same reaction but proceeding in the opposite direction.In spinel granulites, garnet (Py₄₂) and sillimanite were producedby the breakdown of spinel in the presence of quartz. In thetwo types of sapphirine granulites, garnet with variable pyropecontent broke down according to the reaction garnet = sapphirine + sillimanite + orthopyroxene. The highest pyrope content (59 mol %) was noted in garnets fromquartz-free sapphirine granulites compared with the quartz-bearingone (53 mol % pyrope). The calculated positions of the mineralreactions and diserete P-T points obtained by thermobarometrydefine a retrograde P-T trajectory during which a steep decompressionof 1.5 kbar from P-T_max of 8 kbar and 900C was followed bynear-isobaric cooling of 300C. During this decompression, garnetwith variable pyrope contents in different rocks broke downon intersection with various divariant equilibria. Near-isobariccooling resulted in the formation of coronal garnet around second-generationorthopyroxene and plagioclase replacing earlier porphyroblasticgarnet in orthopyroxene granulites. It has been argued thatthe deduced P-T trajectory originated in an extensional regimeinvolving either a crust of near-normal thickness of a slightlyoverthickened crust owing to magmatic underaccretion.     

P–T conditions of the cratonic rocks and Eastern Ghats granulites along the Eastern Ghats Frontal Thrust,Jeypore (Orissa), India

The Eastern Ghats Frontal Thrust (EGFT) demarcates the boundary between the Archaean/Paleoproterozoic cratonic rocks to the west, and the Meso/Neoproterozoic granulites of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) to the east. At Jeypore (Orissa, India), mafic schists and granites of the cratonic domain document a spatial increase in the metamorphic grade from greenschist facies (garnet, clinozoisite – absent varieties) in the foreland to amphibolite facies (clinozoisite- and garnet-bearing variants) progressively closer to the EGFT. Across the EGFT, the enderbite–charnockite gneisses and mafic granulites of EGMB preserves a high-grade granulite facies history; amphibolite facies overprinting in the enderbite–charnockite gneisses at the cratonic fringe is restricted to multi-layered growth of progressively Al, Ti – poor hornblende at the expense of pyroxene and plagioclase. In associated mafic granulites, the granulite facies gneissic layering is truncated by sub-centimeter wide shear bands defined by synkinematic hornblende + quartz intergrowth, with post-kinematic garnet stabilized at the expense of hornblende and plagioclase. Proximal to the contact, these granulites of the Eastern Ghats rocks are intruded by dolerite dykes. In the metadolerites, the igneous assemblage of pyroxene–plagioclase is replaced by intergrown hornblende + quartz ± calcite that define the thrust-related fabric and are in turn mantled by coronal garnet overgrowth, while scapolite is stabilized at the expense of recrystallized plagioclase and calcite. Petrogenetic grid considerations and thermobarometry of the metamorphic assemblages in metadolerites intrusive into granulites and mafic schists within the craton confirm that the rocks across the EGFT experienced prograde heating (T_max value ∼650–700 °C at P ∼ 6–8 kbar) along the prograde arm of a seemingly clockwise P–T path. Since the dolerites were emplaced post-dating the granulite facies metamorphism, the prograde heating is correlated with renewed metamorphism of the granulites proximal to the EGFT. A review of available age data from rocks neighboring the EGFT suggests that the prograde heating of the cratonic granites and the re-heating of the Eastern Ghats granulites are Pan – African in age. The re-heating may relate to an Early Paleozoic Pan-Gondwanic crustal amalgamation of older terrains or reactivation along an old suture.     

A model for garnet and plagioclase growth in pelitic schists: implications for thermobarometry and P-T path determinations

Numerical models of the progressive evolution of pelitic schists in the NCMnKFMASH system with the assemblage garnet + biotite + chlorite ± staurolite + plagioclase + muscovite + quartz + H₂O are presented with the goal of predicting compositional changes in garnet and plagioclase along different P-T paths. The numerical models support several conclusions that should prove useful for interpreting the P-T paths of natural parageneses: (i) Garnet may grow along P-T vectors ranging from heating with decompression to cooling with compression. P-T paths deduced from garnet zoning that are inconsistent with these growth vectors are self-contradictory. (ii) There is a systematic relation between garnet and plagioclase composition and growth such that for most P-T paths, garnet growth requires plagioclase consumption. Furthermore, mass balance in a closed system requires that as plagioclase is consumed the remaining plagioclase becomes increasingly albitic. Inclusions of plagioclase in the core of garnet should be more anorthitic than those near the rim and zoned matrix plagioclase should have rims that are more albitic than the cores. Complex plagioclase textures may arise from the local variability of growth and precipitation kinetics. (iii) A decrease of Fe/(Fe + Mg) in a garnet zoning profile is a reliable indicator of increasing temperature for the assemblage modelled. However, there is no single reliable ΔP monitor and inferences about ΔP can only be made by considering plagioclase and garnet together. (iv) Consumption of garnet during the production of staurolite removes material from the outer shell of a garnet and may make recovery of peak metamorphic compositions and P-T conditions impossible. Low ‘peak’temperatures typically recorded by staurolite-bearing assemblages may reflect this phenomenon. (v) Diffusional homogenization of garnet affects the computed P-T path and results in a clockwise rotation of the computed P-T vector relative to the true P-T path.     

Challenges in constraining the P–T conditions of mafic granulites: An example from the northern Trans‐North China Orogen

Some mafic granulites in the Sanggan area of the northern Trans‐North China Orogen (TNCO) have a relatively simple mineralogy with low energy grain shapes that are compatible with an assumption of equilibrium, but the rock‐forming minerals show variations in composition that create challenges for thermobarometry. The mafic granulites, which occur as apparently disrupted dyke‐like bodies in tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite gneisses, are divided into two types based on petrography and chemical composition. Type 1 mafic granulites are fine‐ to medium‐grained with an equilibrated texture and an assemblage of plagioclase+clinopyroxene+garnet+magnetite+ilmenite and sometimes minor hornblende±orthopyroxene. Type 2 mafic granulites are coarse‐grained and hornblende bearing with a peak assemblage of garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+hornblende and variably developed coronae and symplectites of plagioclase+hornblende+orthopyroxene partially replacing porphyroblastic garnet±clinopyroxene. SIMS U–Pb dating of metamorphic zircon from two type 1 mafic granulites yields metamorphic ages of c. 1.84 and 1.83 Ga, consistent with published ages of the type 2 mafic granulites. Based on phase equilibrium modelling, we use the common overlap of P–T fields defined by the mineral assemblage limits, and the mole proportion and composition isopleths of different minerals in each sample to quantify the metamorphic conditions. For type 1 granulites, overlap of the mineral proportion and composition fields for each of three samples yields similar P–T conditions of 710–880°C at 0.57–0.79 GPa, 820–850°C at 0.59–0.63 GPa and 800–860°C at 0.59–0.68 GPa. For the type 2 granulites, overlaying the peak assemblage fields for three samples yields common P–T conditions of 870–890°C at 1.1–1.2 GPa. For the retrograde assemblage, overlap of the mineral proportion and composition fields for each sample yields similar P–T conditions of 820–840°C at 0.85–0.88 GPa, 860–880°C at 0.83–0.86 GPa and 880–930°C at 0.89–0.95 GPa. The P–T conditions appear distinct between the two types of mafic granulite, with the mineralogically simple type 1 mafic granulites recording the lowest pressures. However, there are significant uncertainties associated with these results. For the granulites, there are uncertainties related to the determination of modes and composition of the equilibration volume, particularly estimation of O and H₂O contents, and in the phase equilibrium modelling there are uncertainties that propagate through the calculation of mole proportions and mineral compositions. The compound uncertainties on pressure and temperature for high‐T granulites are large and the results of our study show that it may be unwise to rely on P–T conditions determined from the simple intersection of calculated mineral composition isopleths alone. Since the samples in this study are from a limited area—a few hundred square metres—we infer that they record a single P–T path involving both decompression and cooling. However, there is no evidence of the high‐P granulite facies event at 1.93–1.90 Ga that is recorded elsewhere in the TNCO, which suggests that the precursor basic dykes were emplaced late during the assembly of the North China Craton.     

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

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

假蓝宝石(Sapphirine)的矿物学特征及其在超高温变质作用研究中的应用

假蓝宝石是Mg-Al质麻粒岩中一种特殊的高温矿物,对超高温变质作用的研究有重要的意义。本文通过对全球66个超高温麻粒岩中47个含假蓝宝石麻粒岩地区的文献调研,总结了几种最常见的含假蓝宝石矿物组合产出的结构位置和变质反应关系,以及假蓝宝石的矿物化学特征。假蓝宝石的化学成分一般位于7∶9∶3端元左右,X_(Mg)大于0. 7,XFe_(3+)变化范围很宽,为0～0. 7。含假蓝宝石矿物组合的形成和演化指示了岩石经历的P-T轨迹。岩石中保留的假蓝宝石取代尖晶石、Grt/Opx+Sil取代Spr+Qz组合,以及随后的Spr+Crd±Opx后成合晶取代Grt/Opx+Sil组合的结构,一般可能指示了逆时针P-T轨迹中冷却和随后减压的部分;岩石中Grt/Opx+Sil/Ky或富Mg十字石反应形成Spr+Qz组合的结构可能指示了顺时针P-T轨迹中减压升温的部分。超高温变质岩不同的P-T轨迹暗示着它们的成因机制并不单一,前者可能是幔源基性岩浆底侵或增生作用的结果,后者可能与长期的热造山作用相关。     

Pan-African decompressional P-T path recorded by granulites from central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

A high-grade metamorphic complex is exposed in Filchnerfjella (6–8°E), central Dronning Maud Land. The metamorphic evolution of the complex has been recovered through a study of textural relationships, conventional geothermobarometry and pseudosection modelling. Relicts of an early, high-P assemblage are preserved within low-strain mafic pods. Subsequent granulite facies metamorphism resulted in formation of orthopyroxene in rocks of mafic, intermediate to felsic compositions, whereas spinel + quartz were part of the peak assemblage in pelitic gneisses. Peak conditions were attained at temperatures between 850–885 °C and 0.55–0.70 GPa. Reaction textures, including the replacement of amphibole and garnet by symplectites of orthopyroxene + plagioclase and partial replacement of garnet + sillimanite + spinel bearing assemblages by cordierite, indicate that the granulite facies metamorphism was accompanied and followed by decompression. The observed assemblages define a clock-wise P-T path including near-isothermal decompression. During decompression, localized melting led to formation of post-kinematic cordierite-melt assemblages, whereas mafic rocks contain melt patches with euhedral orthopyroxene. The granulite facies metamorphism, decompression and partial crustal melting occurred during the Cambrian Pan-African tectonothermal event.     

Incipient eclogite facies metamorphism in the Moldanubian granulites revealed by mineral inclusions in garnet

We investigated several mineral phases and their replacement products which occur as inclusions in garnets from felsic and mafic granulites of the Gföhl Unit in the Moldanubian Zone. The most important mineral inclusions, Ti-rich muscovite and omphacite, were used for the reconstruction of the metamorphic history of granulites. Some inclusions were transformed during high-temperature granulite facies metamorphism, partial melting and decompression to other phases, and so the original mineral can only be deduced from the inclusion morphology and reaction products. These inclusions have columnar shapes and consist of K-feldspar + kaolinite, albite + Fe-oxide, plagioclase + Fe-oxide, or albite + K-feldspar, respectively. The pseudomorphs with albite/plagioclase occur in a Ca-rich garnet that shows prograde zoning. Pressure–temperature (PT) evolution, derived from mineral assemblages in granulite and based on the inclusions, suggests a prograde metamorphism from amphibolite through eclogite to granulite facies conditions with subsequent amphibolite facies overprint during exhumation. The estimated PT trajectory for the studied granulites, which also host lenses or boudins of eclogites and garnet peridotites, allows reconstruction of the complete clockwise metamorphic path that is consistent with subduction geotherm prior to the tectonic amalgamation within the continental collisional root.     

Superposition of replacements in the mafic granulites of the Jijal complex of the Kohistan arc, northern Pakistan: dehydration and rehydration within deep arc crust

A deep-level crustal section of the Cretaceous Kohistan arc is exposed in the northern part of the Jijal complex. The occurrence of mafic to ultramafic granulite-facies rocks exhibits the nature and metamorphic evolution of the lower crust. Mafic granulites are divided into two rock types: two-pyroxene granulite (orthopyroxene+clinopyroxene+plagioclase±quartz [1]); and garnet–clinopyroxene granulite (garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+quartz [2]). Two-pyroxene granulite occurs in the northeastern part of the Jijal complex as a relict host rock of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite, where the orthopyroxene-rich host is transected by elongated patches and bands of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite. Garnet–clinopyroxene granulite, together with two-pyroxene granulite, has been partly replaced by amphibolite (hornblende±garnet+plagioclase+quartz [3]). The garnet-bearing assemblage [2] is expressed by a compression–dehydration reaction: hornblende+orthopyroxene+plagioclase=garnet+clinopyroxene+quartz+H₂O↑. Subsequent amphibolitization to form the assemblage [3] is expressed by two hydration reactions: garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+H₂O=hornblende+quartz and plagioclase+hornblende+H₂O=zoisite+chlorite+quartz. The mafic granulites include pod- and lens-shaped bodies of ultramafic granulites which consist of garnet hornblendite (garnet+hornblende+clinopyroxene [4]) associated with garnet clinopyroxenite, garnetite, and hornblendite. Field relation and comparisons in modal–chemical compositions between the mafic and ultramafic granulites indicate that the ultramafic granulites were originally intrusive rocks which dissected the protoliths of the mafic granulites and then have been metamorphosed simultaneously with the formation of garnet–clinopyroxene granulite. The results combined with isotopic ages reported elsewhere give the following tectonic constraints: (1) crustal thickening through the development of the Kohistan arc and the subsequent Kohistan–Asia collision caused the high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism in the Jijal complex; (2) local amphibolitization of the mafic granulites occurred after the collision.     

Ultrahigh-temperature mafic granulites from Panrimalai,south India: Constraints from phase equilibria and thermobarometry

The Panrimalai area constitutes part of the granulite-facies rocks of the Madurai block in the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT), India. Garnet-bearing mafic granulites in Panrimalai occur as small enclaves within charnockite. The common stable assemblage during peak metamorphism contains hornblende, garnet, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, quartz and plagioclase. The resorption of garnet in various reaction textures and the development of spectacular orthopyroxene–plagioclase and hornblende–plagioclase symplectites characterize the subsequent stages of metamorphism. Application of multi-equilibrium calculation procedures for mineral core compositions of the early assemblage yields near peak conditions at  ≥ 900 °C at 9 kbar. These estimates are the highest yet reported in mafic granulites from the Madurai block. The post-peak P–T path is constructed for the mafic granulites based on observed microstructural relations and thermobarometric results is characterized by a steep clockwise decompressional P–T segment from  ≥ 9 to  < 4.5 kbar. Constraints from model Nd ages provide evidence for Paleoproterozoic magmatism restricted to the Madurai block in the Southern Granulite Terrain. The early part of the crustal evolution of the Panrimalai granulites could be coeval with the Paleoproterozoic event. Subsequent development of symplectitic assemblages via near-isothermal decompression can be ascribed to a distinctly later tectonic event. Available U–Pb and Sm–Nd mineral dates suggest a widespread Pan-African tectonothermal event in the SGT. Given the general recognition of ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) and isothermal decompression (ITD) in Pan-African age metamorphism in the East-African–Antarctic Orogen (EAAO) , the Panrimalai UHT history is considered to be part of this record.     

An Al-spinel ultramafic-mafic inclusion suite and high pressure megacrysts in an analcimite and their bearing on basaltic magma fractionation at elevated pressures

An analcimite sill, which intrudes Carboniferous sedimentary rocks northwest of the township of Barraba in northeastern New South Wales, is exceedingly rich in ultramafic and mafic inclusions and also contains a varied megacryst assemblage. The majority of inclusions belong to an ultramafic-mafic granulite suite whose members generally contain a Cr-poor green spinel. Layering is preserved in many inclusions and their textures are appropriate to those arising from recrystallization at subsolidus temperatures. Ultramafic granulites of the Al-spinel suite are mainly pyroxenites, with rarer lherzolites, and mafic granulites usually consist of the assemblage plagioclasea-luminous pyroxenes-spinel. Ca-rich tschermakitic clinopyroxenes and coexisting aluminous Ca-poor orthopyroxenes define a trend of moderate iron enrichment. Spinels also display significant Fe²⁺ → Mg substitution. Plagioclase in some plagioclase-bearing pyroxenites and mafic granulites contains numerous rod-like inclusions of spinel, compositionally similar to the discrete spinels unassociated with plagioclase. The formation of spinel in plagioclase is believed to have resulted largely from the migration of (Mg, Fe²⁺) to Al-rich nucleation sites in the feldspar. Other inclusion types include Cr-spinel lherzolites —more Fe-rich than Cr-diopside lherzolite inclusions in alkaline volcanics — and rare wehrlite heteradcumulates, probably cognate with the host analcimite. The megacryst assemblage is dominated by anorthoclase megacrysts, which are accompanied, in order of decreasing abundance, by megacrysts of tschermakitic clinopyroxene, titanbiotite, kaersutite, and aluminous titanomagnetite. The Al-spinel mafic granulites have low Ti, K and P contents and their petrochemical affinities are high-alumina mafic alkaline to transitional. They compare closely in major and minor element chemistry with some ocean ridge basalts. The Al-spinel ultramafic-mafic inclusions suite is interpreted as the remnants of a layered ultramafic-mafic “pluton ” which initially crystallized at pressures in the vicinity of 10 kb and subsequently re-equilibrated at subsolidus temperatures (ca 950° C) and comparable pressures. The parent magma was K-poor, ol-normative subalkaline and its fractionation at moderate pressures, controlled mainly by olivine and subcalcic clinopyroxene, resulted in decreases in the derivative liquids in their saturation levels and ol contents, and increases in Al and Ca. These trends are reflected in the compositions of the mafic granulites. The pressure regime of megacryst formation apparently was greater than 10–12 kb i.e. the megacrysts precipitated before acquisition of xenoliths of the Al-spinel granulite suite by the analcimite host. Anorthoclase fractionation produced only limited compositional changes in the original alkali basaltic melt.     

High-Pressure Granulites (Retrograded Eclogites) from the Hengshan Complex, North China Craton: Petrology and Tectonic Implications

Both high- and medium-pressure granulites have been found asenclaves and boudins in tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioriticgneisses in the Hengshan Complex. Petrological evidence fromthese rocks indicates four distinct metamorphic assemblages.The early prograde assemblage (M₁) is preserved only in thehigh-pressure granulites and represented by quartz and rutileinclusions within the cores of garnet porphyroblasts, and omphacitepseudomorphs that are indicated by clinopyroxene + sodic plagioclasesymplectic intergrowths. The peak assemblage (M₂) consists ofclinopyroxene + garnet + sodic plagioclase + quartz ±hornblende in the high-pressure granulites and orthopyroxene+ clinopyroxene + garnet + plagioclase + quartz in the medium-pressuregranulites. Peak metamorphism was followed by near-isothermaldecompression (M₃), which resulted in the development of orthopyroxene+ clinopyroxene + plagioclase symplectites and coronas surroundingembayed garnet grains, and decompression-cooling (M₄), representedby hornblende + plagioclase symplectites on garnet. The THERMOCALCprogram yielded peak (M₂) P–T conditions of 13·4–15·5kbar and 770–840°C for the high-pressure granulitesand 9–11 kbar and 820–870°C for the medium-pressuregranulites, based on the core compositions of garnet, matrixpyroxene and plagioclase. The P–T conditions of pyroxene+ plagioclase symplectite and corona (M₃) were estimated at     

P-T-t Path of Mafic Granulite Metamorphism in Northern Tibet and Its Geodynamical Implications

Mafic granulites have been found as structural lenses within the huge thrust system outcropping about 10 km west of Nam Co of the northern Lhasa Terrane, Tibetan Plateau. Petrological evidence from these rocks indicates four distinct metamorphic assemblages. The early metamorphic assemblage (M1) is preserved only in the granulites and represented by plagioclase+hornblende inclusions within the cores of garnet porphyroblasts. The peak assemblage (M2) consists of garnet+clinopyroxene+hornblende+plagioclase in the mafic granulites. The peak metamorphism was followed by near-isothermal decompression (M3), which resulted in the development of hornblende+plagioclase symplectites surrounding embayed garnet porphyroblasts, and decompression-cooling (M4) is represented by minerals of hornblende+plagioclase recrystallized during mylonization. The peak (M2) P-T conditions of garnet+ clinopyroxene+plagioclase+hornblende were estimated at 769-905℃ and 0.86-1.02 GPa based on the geothermometers and geobarometers. The     

An Early Palaeozoic HP/HT granulite–garnet peridotite association in the south Altyn Tagh, NW China: P–T history and U-Pb geochronology

High‐pressure kyanite‐bearing felsic granulites in the Bashiwake area of the south Altyn Tagh (SAT) subduction–collision complex enclose mafic granulites and garnet peridotite‐hosted sapphirine‐bearing metabasites. The predominant felsic granulites are garnet + quartz + ternary feldspar (now perthite) rocks containing kyanite, plagioclase, biotite, rutile, spinel, corundum, and minor zircon and apatite. The quartz‐bearing mafic granulites contain a peak pressure assemblage of garnet + clinopyroxene + ternary feldspar (now mesoperthite) + quartz + rutile. The sapphirine‐bearing metabasites occur as mafic layers in garnet peridotite. Petrographical data suggest a peak assemblage of garnet + clinopyroxene + kyanite + rutile. Early kyanite is inferred from a symplectite of sapphirine + corundum + plagioclase ± spinel, interpreted to have formed during decompression. Garnet peridotite contains an assemblage of garnet + olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene. Thermobarometry indicates that all rock types experienced peak P–T conditions of 18.5–27.3 kbar and 870–1050 °C. A medium–high pressure granulite facies overprint (780–820 °C, 9.5–12 kbar) is defined by the formation of secondary clinopyroxene ± orthopyroxene + plagioclase at the expense of garnet and early clinopyroxene in the mafic granulites, as well as by growth of spinel and plagioclase at the expense of garnet and kyanite in the felsic granulite. SHRIMP II zircon U‐Pb geochronology yields ages of 493 ± 7 Ma (mean of 11) from the felsic granulite, 497 ± 11 Ma (mean of 11) from sapphirine‐bearing metabasite and 501 ± 16 Ma (mean of 10) from garnet peridotite. Rounded zircon morphology, cathodoluminescence (CL) sector zoning, and inclusions of peak metamorphic minerals indicate these ages reflect HP/HT metamorphism. Similar ages determined for eclogites from the western segment of the SAT suggest that the same continental subduction/collision event may be responsible for HP metamorphism in both areas.     

Reaction history of sapphirine granulites and a decompressional P-T path in a granulite complex from the Eastern Ghats

The sapphirine granulites from G. Madugula, Eastern Ghats preserve a variety of mineral textures and reactions. Corona and reaction textures are used in conjunction with mineral compositions to construct a sequence of metamorphic reactions describing the mineralogical evolution of sapphirine granulites. An early stage is characterized by the development of sapphirine + quartz, spinel + quartz in textural equilibrium, and possible relicts after osumilite during peak metamorphic conditions. Sapphirine/spinel crystals were later detached from quartz in the form of mineral coronas. During a subsequent sapphirine-cordierite stage, several cordierite forming reactions reflect decreasingP-T conditions. Finally during the late stage, a few samples show evidence of retrogressive hydration. Sapphirine is rather iron-rich (12.8 wt%) and the Mg number in the analysed minerals varies in the order: cordierite > phlogopite > sapphirine > orthopyroxene > spinel > garnet.P-T conditions of metamorphism have been constrained through the application of geothermobarometry and thermodynamically calibrated MAS equilibria.P-T vectors from granulite facies rocks in the G. Madugula area indicate that the rocks experienced substantial decompression (up to 3 kbar) and moderate cooling (150–200°C) subsequent to peak conditions of metamorphism (8.4 kbar, > 900°C). The decompressionalP-T history of sapphirine granulites interpreted from textural features and thermobarometric estimates suggest that they may have eventually resulted from exhumation of thickened crust.     

华北克拉通孔兹岩带中段大青山-乌拉山变质杂岩立甲子基性麻粒岩年代学及地球化学研究

大青山-乌拉山变质杂岩立甲子基性麻粒岩主要由角闪二辉麻粒岩、含榴角闪二辉麻粒岩和黑云角闪二辉麻粒岩所组成,并以变形岩墙和不规则透镜体形式赋存于富铝片麻岩和花岗质片麻岩之中.立甲子基性麻粒岩中变质锆石含有单斜辉石(Cpx)+角闪石(Amp)+斜长石(Pl)+磷灰石(Ap)的包体矿物,与寄主岩石——基性麻粒岩矿物组合及其化学成分十分一致,相应的207 pb/206 Pb表面年龄变化于1933±39Ma ～ 1834±40Ma,加权平均年龄为1892±7Ma(MSWD =0.50,n=46),应代表立甲子基性麻粒岩原岩经历中低压麻粒岩相的变质时代.在变质过程中,以大离子亲石元素(K、Na、Sr、Rb)为代表的活动元素发生了显著的改变;而高场强元素(Nb、Zr、Ti)和稀土元素基本无变化,保持稳定.立甲子基性麻粒岩原岩属于拉斑玄武质岩石系列,其SiO2集中变化于45.58％ ～51.40％,Mg#值集中介于41 ～54之间;在球粒陨石标准化稀土配分图中,立甲子基性麻粒岩具有平坦型的稀土配分曲线特征((La/Yb)cN=1.30～1.51),Eu异常不明显(Eu/Eu*=0.93～1.04).与显生宙岛孤拉斑玄武岩类似,立甲子基性麻粒岩所有样品皆具有Nb、Zr、Ti负异常特征.综合分析认为,立甲子基性麻粒岩原岩形成于2450～1930Ma,并于～1900Ma经历中低压麻粒岩相变质作用的改造,其主量元素和微量元素组成具有岛弧拉斑玄武质岩石的地球化学特征,其原岩可能是板块汇聚动力学背景下,岛弧构造环境中形成的辉长岩或辉绿岩.     

P-T-t Evolution of Ultrahigh-Temperature Granulites from the Saxon Granulite Massif, Germany. Part I: Petrology

The granulites of the Saxon Granulite Massif equilibrated athigh pressure and ultrahigh temperature and were exhumed inlarge part under near-isothermal decompression. This raisesthe question of whether P–T–t data on the peak metamorphismmay still be retrieved with confidence. Felsic and mafic granuliteswith geochronologically useful major and accessory phases haveprovided a basis to relate P–T estimates with isotopicages presented in a companion paper. The assemblage garnet +clinopyroxene in mafic granulite records peak temperatures of1010–1060°C, consistent with minimum estimates ofaround 967°C and 22·3 kbar obtained from the assemblagegarnet + kyanite + ternary feldspar + quartz in felsic granulite.Multiple partial overprint of these assemblages reflects a clockwiseP–T evolution. Garnet and kyanite in the felsic granulitewere successively overgrown by plagioclase, spinel + plagioclase,sapphirine + plagioclase, and biotite + plagioclase. Most ofthis overprinting occurred within the stability field of sillimanite.Garnet + clinopyroxene in the mafic granulite were replacedby clinopyroxene + amphibole + plagioclase + magnetite. Thehigh P–T conditions and the absence of thermal relaxationfeatures in these granulites require a short-lived metamorphismwith rapid exhumation. The ages of peak metamorphism (342 Ma)and shallow-level granitoid intrusions (333 Ma) constrain thetime span for the exhumation of the Saxon granulites to     

Geothermobarometry of mafic granulites and metapelite from the Palghat Gap, South India: petrological evidence for isothermal uplift and rapid cooling

The Palghat Gap region is located near the centre of the large southern Indian granulite terrane. at the northern edge of the Kodaikanal charnockite massif. The dominant rock types in the region are hornblende-biotite ± orthopyroxene gneisses and charnockites along with minor amounts of intercalated mafic granulite, metapelite and calc-silicate. The P-T estimates from garnetiferous mafic granulites and metapelite samples are generally in the range 9-10 kbar and 800-900 C using both conventional thermobarometric methods and the TWEEQU thermobarometry program. These P-T estimates, which should be taken as minimum values, are among the highest yet reported for South Indian and Sri Lankan granulites. The occurrence of orthopyroxene + plagioclase symplectites around embayed garnet grains in the mafic granulites and cordierite rims around garnet grains in metapelite suggest an isothermal decompression-type path. Similarly, a core-rim P-T trajectory indicates c. 3 and 7 kbar decompression at high temperature in the mafic granulites and metapelite, respectively. In both rock types, the key to the determination of the retrograde P-T path was the recognition of small amounts of second generation plagioclase with a more anorthitic composition than the matrix plagioclase. The preservation of high garnet-pyroxene temperatures in the mafic granulites (despite small garnet grain size) suggests rapid cooling of the terrane. Calculated minimum cooling rates range from 8 to 80 C Ma^-1. Such cooling rates are more rapid than those associated with normal isostatic processes and suggest that the terrane was tectonically exhumed at high temperature.     

中国显生宙造山带麻粒岩相高级变质岩石的地质特征、变质时代、P-T轨迹及其形成的大地构造背景

本文重点介绍我国显生宙造山带中麻粒岩的地质特征、岩石类型、P-T轨迹、变质时代及其形成的大地构造背景。我国显生宙造山带主要包括阿尔泰造山带、南天山-西南天山造山带、西昆仑造山带、东昆仑造山带、阿尔金-柴北缘造山带、北秦岭造山带、南秦岭勉略造山带、东秦岭-桐柏-大别造山带、班公湖-怒江造山带和喜马拉雅中东段造山带。这些造山带中麻粒岩的围岩有许多为蛇绿岩套或蛇绿混杂岩带,部分为副片麻岩和花岗质片麻岩,并一起经历了麻粒岩相变质改造,造山带中大多出现一种高压麻粒岩,有的与榴辉岩并存,但少数造山带中(例如阿尔泰造山带)多种压力类型麻粒岩并存,既有低-高压泥质麻粒岩、中低压基性麻粒岩、高压基性和长英质麻粒岩,又有高温-超高温泥质麻粒岩。变质时代除个别为新元古代晚期外,变质时间多为加里东、海西、印支、燕山、喜山期。麻粒岩的P-T轨迹除西天山木札尔特河低压麻粒岩具逆时针轨迹,反映大陆弧构造环境外,其它都是具有等温降压(ITC)特点的顺时针轨迹,形成的大地构造环境大部分为洋陆俯冲碰撞环境,少部分为陆-陆碰撞环境。目前显生宙造山带中麻粒岩的研究大多数尚在起步阶段,少数研究较详细,不少造山带中麻粒岩的类型和变质时代以及形成的构造背景还不清楚,有待深入研究,新的麻粒岩产地有待发现。