Ultra-high-temperature metamorphism and multistage decompressional evolution of sapphirine granulites from the Palni Hill Ranges, southern India

Sapphirine granulites from a new locality in the Palni Hill Ranges, southern India, occur in a small enclave of migmatitic, highly magnesian metapelites (mg=85–72) within massive enderbitic orthogneiss. They show a variety of multiphase reaction textures that partially overprint a coarse-grained high-pressure assemblage of Bt+Opx+Ky+Grt+Pl+Qtz. The sequence of reactions as deduced from the corona and symplectite assemblages, together with petrogenetic grid considerations, records a clockwise P–T evolution with four distinct stages. (1) Equilibration of the initial high-P assemblage in deep overthickened crust (12 kbar/800–900 °C) was followed by a stage of near-isobaric heating, presumably as a consequence of input of extra heat provided by the voluminous enderbitic intrusives. During heating, kyanite was converted to sillimanite, and biotite was involved in a series of vapour-phase-absent melting reactions, which resulted in the ultra-high-temperature assemblage Opx+Crd+Kfs+Spr±Sil, Grt, Qtz, Bt, coexisting with melt (equilibration at c. 950–1000° C/11–10 kbar). (2) Subsequently, as a result of decompression of the order of 4 kbar at ultra-high temperature, a sequence of symplectite assemblages (Opx+Sil+Spr/Spr+Crd→Opx+Spr+Crd→Opx+Crd→Opx+Crd+Spl/Crd+Spl) developed at the expense of garnet, orthopyroxene and sillimanite. This stage of near-isothermal decompression implies rapid ascent of the granulites into mid-crustal levels, possibly due to extensional collapse and erosion of the overthickened crust. (3) Development of late biotite through back-reaction of melt with residual garnet indicates a stage of near-isobaric cooling to c. 875 °C at 7–8 kbar, i.e. relaxation of the rapidly ascended crust to the stable geotherm. (4) A second period of near-isothermal exhumation up to c. 6–5 kbar/850 °C is indicated by the partial breakdown of late biotite through volatile phase-absent melting reactions. Available isotope data suggest that the early part of the evolutionary history (stages 1–3) is presumably coeval with the early Proterozoic metamorphism in the extended granulite terrane of the Nilgiri, Biligirirangan and Shevaroy Hills to the north, while the exhumation of the granulites from mid-crustal levels (stage 4) occurred only during the Pan-African thermotectonic event, which led to the accretion of the Kerala Khondalite Belt to the south.     

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

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

Regional-scale Grenvillian-age UHT metamorphism in the Mollendo–Camana block (basement of the Peruvian Andes)

The Mollendo–Camana Block (MCB) is a 50 × 150 km Precambrian inlier of the Andean belt that outcrops along the Pacific coast of southern Peru. It consists of stromatic migmatites of Paleoproterozoic heritage intensely metamorphosed during the Grenville event (c. 1 Ga; U‐Pb and U‐Th‐Pb ages on zircon and monazite). In the migmatites, aluminous mesosomes (FMAS) and quartzofeldspathic leucosomes (KFMASH), contain various amounts of K‐feldspar (Kfs), orthopyroxene (X_Mg Opx = 0.86), plagioclase (Pl), sillimanite (Sil; exceptionally kyanite, Ky) ilmenite (Ilm), magnetite (Mag), quartz (Qtz), and minor amounts of garnet (X_Mg Grt = 0.60), sapphirine (X_Mg Spr = 0.87), cordierite (X_Mg Crd = 0.92) and biotite (X_Mg Bt = 0.83). The ubiquitous peak mineral assemblage is Opx‐Sil‐Kfs‐Qtz‐(± Grt) in most of the MCB, which, together with the high Al content of orthopyroxene (10% Al₂O₃) and the local coexistence of sapphirine‐quartz, attest to regional UHT metamorphism (> 900 °C) at pressures in excess of 1.0 GPa. Fluid‐absent melting of biotite is responsible for the massive production of orthopyroxene that proceeded until exhaustion of biotite (and most of the garnet) in the southern part of the MCB (Mollendo‐Cocachacra areas). In this area, a first stage of decompression from 1.1–1.2 to 0.8–0.9 GPa at temperatures in excess of 950 °C, is marked by the breakdown of Sil‐Opx to Spr‐Opx‐Crd assemblages according to several bivariant FMAS reactions. High‐T decompression is also shown by Mg‐rich garnet being replaced by Crd‐Spr‐ and Crd‐Opx‐bearing symplectites, and reacting with quartz to produce low‐Al‐Opx‐Sil symplectites in quartz‐rich migmatites. Neither osumilite nor spinel‐quartz assemblages being formed, isobaric cooling at about 0.9 GPa probably followed the initial decompression and proceeded with massive precipitation of melts towards the (Os) invariant point, as demonstrated by Bt‐Qtz‐(± pl) symplectites in quartz‐rich migmatites (melt + Opx + Sil = Bt + Grt + Kfs + Qtz). Finally, Opx rims around secondary biotite attest to late fluid‐absent melting, compatible with a second stage of decompression below 900 °C. The two stages of decompression are interpreted as due to rapid tectonic denudation whereas the regional extent of UHT metamorphism in the area, probably results from large‐scale penetration of hot asthenospheric mantle at the base of an over‐thickened crust.     

Experimental study of phase relations involving osumilite in the system K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O at high pressure and temperature

Abstract Phase relations and mineral chemistry for garnet (Grt), orthopyroxene (Opx), sapphirine (Spr), water-undersaturated cordierite (Crd), osumilite (Osu), sillimanite (Sil), K-feldspar (Kfs), quartz (Qtz) and a water-undersaturated liquid (Liq) have been determined experimentally in the system KFMASH (K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O) under low P_H2O and f_O2 conditions. Four compositions have been studied with 100 [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] ranging from 65.6 to 89.7. Based on our experimental data, a P-T grid is derived for the KFMASH system in the presence of quartz, orthopyroxene and liquid. Osumilite has been found in various mineral assemblages from 950 to 1100°C and 7.5 to 11 kbar. In the temperature range 1000-1100°C, the pair Os-Grt is stable over a pressure range of about 3kbar. The divariant reaction Os + Opx = Grt + Kfs + Qtz runs to the right with increasing pressure. Because osumilite is the most magnesian phase it is restricted to Mg-rich compositions at high pressure. The reaction defining the upper pressure stability limit of Os-Grt is located around 11 kbar with a nearly flat dP/dT slope over the temperature range 950–100°C. Over the entire temperature range investigated osumilite is not stable beyond 12 kbar. The data imply a restricted pressure range between 11 and 12 kbar for the stability of the assemblage Os-Opx-Sil-Kfs-Qtz. At 1050°C and above, osumilite occurs in various mineral assemblages together with the high-T pair Spr-Qtz. When coexisting with garnet, orthopyroxene or sapphirine, osumilite is always the most magnesian phase. At 1050 and 1100°C, liquid is invariably the most Fe-rich phase in the run product. Our data support a theoretical P-T grid for the KFMAS system in which osumilite is stable outside the field of the high-T assemblage Spr-Qtz. Moreover, our grid indicates that Os-Opx-Sil-Kfs-Qtz has a more restricted pressure and compositional stability domain than Os-Grt, in agreement with natural occurrences. Osumilite is stable over a large pressure range, such that in Mg-rich rocks, and at high temperature, it can occur at any depth in normal thickness continental crust.     

Metamorphic evolution of the Río Santa Rosa Granulites,northern Sierra de Comechingones,Argentina

Highly anhydrous granulites from Río Santa Rosa in the eastern Sierras Pampeanas of Argentina occur as a thick lens surrounded by melt-depleted migmatites. Grt–Crd granulite composed of Qtz+Pl+Grt+Crd+Ilm±Spl±Ath±Phl is the dominant rock, whereas Opx–Grt granulite appears as discontinuous lenses in the center of the granulite body. Grt–Crd granulite includes blocks of metabasite that are relics of refractory lithologic beds interlayered in the supracrustal sequence. A distinct assemblage composed of Qtz, Pl, Grt, Crd, Opx, Spl, Crn, Sil, Bt, Phl, Ath, and Fe–Ti oxides in different combinations was generated in a reaction zone between Grt–Crd granulites and metabasites at peak metamorphism (850–900 °C and 7.6±0.5 kbar). The P–T trajectory of Grt–Crd granulites suggests an early prograde garnet-forming stage followed by nearly isothermal decompression that caused garnet breakdown. Melting and melt draining accompanying garnet growth was active during heating (to 900 °C) at intermediate pressures (∼7.6 kbar). Peak P–T estimates for Opx–Grt granulites are similar to those obtained with Grt–Crd granulites, which indicates that both granulites passed through the highest thermal stage. These results constrain the late evolution of Opx–Grt granulite to a garnet-consuming stage. Furthermore, they imply that garnet formation in Opx–Grt granulite happened at an early prograde P–T trajectory. Garnet growth in Opx–Grt granulite cannot result from heating at high pressure, which would lead to an apparent contradiction in the prograde P–T paths of the two granulites. This discrepancy may be solved by demonstrating that Opx–Grt granulite is the product of synmetamorphic mafic magmatism that was contaminated while cooling. The Río Santa Rosa granulites are inferred to have formed in a thickened crust in which mafic magmatic activity providing a local heat input.     

超高温变质作用：以华北内蒙古土贵乌拉地区为例

超高温麻粒岩(富Mg-Al)是指温度高于900℃、压力为0.7~1.3GPa条件下形成的麻粒岩相变质岩,它记录了下地壳超高温极端变质作用的地质信息。富Mg-Al典型超高温矿物组合有:假蓝宝石+石英,尖晶石+石英,大隅石+石榴石,斜方辉石+夕线石+石英,高氟黑云母和钙镁闪石,刚玉+石英。目前世界上发现的超高温麻粒岩带(块)地区有非洲阿尔及利亚、南非、东南极、巴西中部、澳大利亚中部、印度南部和东南部等地。我们在华北克拉通北部内蒙古中南部地区孔兹岩区中发现了超高温麻粒岩,岩性主要为灰黑色条带状夕线石榴黑云片麻岩,其中含有尖晶石+石英、假蓝宝石+石英、斜方辉石+夕线石+石英以及刚玉+尖晶石+石榴石等超高温矿物组合,指示温度达1000℃,压力超过1.0GPa的变质作用。独居石定年获得了(1927±11)Ma以及(1819±11)Ma两个峰期年龄,代表变质年龄。华北克拉通北部超高温麻粒岩的发现对研究华北克拉通与哥伦比亚超大陆的演化关系有重要意义。     

青藏高原东南缘哀牢山构造带泥质高压麻粒岩的发现及其构造意义

哀牢山构造带泥质高压麻粒岩主要由石榴石、夕线石、钾长石和斜长石变斑晶及尖晶石、铁假蓝宝石、蓝晶石、石英、金红石和钛铁矿包裹体组成,为确定印支地块和华南地块的边界提供了关键性标志。石榴石-黑云母-斜长石-石英地质温压计(GBPQ)计算结果及标志性高温矿物组合(Spl+Qz)表明泥质高压麻粒岩的形成和演化经历了高压/高温进变质到中温/低压退变质的顺时针P-T演化过程。其中:1)高压/高温进变质阶段的矿物组合为Ky+Sil+Grt1+Kf1+Pl1+Spr+Ter(Kf+Pl)+Bt1+Spl+Qtz+Ilm1+Rut1,形成于850～919℃,≥10.4kbar;2)中温/低压退变质阶段的矿物组合为Grt2+Bt2+Pl2+Ms+Qtz+Ilm2+Rut2,早期和晚期的温压条件分别为664～754℃,4.9～6.5kbar和572～576℃,3.5～3.9kbar。反映陆壳物质在碰撞过程中俯冲到地下深处(≥30km)经高压高温变质后快速折返到中上地壳的动力学演变轨迹。     

Impact-induced melting of Archean granulites in the Vredefort Dome, South Africa. I: anatexis of metapelitic granulites

Mid‐crustal Archean pelitic granulites in the Vredefort Dome experienced a static, low‐P granulite facies overprint associated with the formation of the dome by meteorite impact at 2.02 Ga. Heating and exhumation were virtually instantaneous, with the main source of heat being provided by energy released from nonadiabatic decay of the impact shock wave. Maximum temperatures within a radius of a few kilometres of the centre of the structure exceeded 900 °C and locally even exceeded 1350 °C. This led to comprehensive melting of the precursor Archean granulite assemblages (Grt + Bt + Qtz + Pl + Ksp ± Crd ± Opx ± Sil) followed by peritectic crystallization of aluminous alkali feldspar+Crd + Spl ± Crn ± Sil parageneses and the segregation of small, evolved, biotite leucogranite bodies. However, at a distance of c. 6 km from the centre pre‐impact rock features are largely preserved, although partial replacement of garnet by symplectitic coronas of Crd + Opx ± Spl ± Pl and biotite by orthopyroxene indicate that peak temperatures approached 775 ± 50 °C. Thin interstitial moats of K‐feldspar are closely associated with the orthopyroxene coronas; they are interpreted as the remnants of low‐proportion partial melts generated by biotite breakdown. Both the textures and mineral compositional data support reduced equilibration volumes in these rocks, which reflect rapid isobaric cooling following shock heating and exhumation. The high temperatures and strong lateral thermal gradient are consistent with the modelled impact‐induced isotherm pattern for a 200–300 km diameter impact crater.     

Petrology and geothermobarometry of granulite facies metapelites from the Hisøy-Torungen area, south Norway: new data on the Sveconorvegian P–T–t path of the Bamble sector

ABSTRACT The high-grade rocks (metapelite, quartzite, metagabbro) of the Hisøy-Torungen area represent the south-westernmost exposures of granulites in the Proterozoic Bamble sector, south Norway. The area is isoclinally folded and a metamorphic P–T–t path through four successive stages (M1-M4) is recognized. Petrological evidence for a prograde metamorphic event (M1) is obtained from relict staurolite + chlorite + albite, staurolite + hercynite + ilmenite, cordierite + sillimanite, fine-grained felsic material + quartz and hercynite + biotite ± sillimanite within metapelitic garnet. The phase relations are consistent with a pressure of 3.6 ± 0.5 kbar and temperatures up to 750–850°C. M1 is connected to the thermal effect of the gabbroic intrusions prior to the main (M2) Sveconorwegian granulite facies metamorphism. The main M2 granulite facies mineral assemblages (quartz+ plagioclase + K-feldspar + garnet + biotite ± sillimanite) are best preserved in the several-metre-wide Al-rich metapelites, which represent conditions of 5.9–9.1 kbar and 790–884°C. These P–T conditions are consistent with a temperature increase of 80–100°C relative to the adjacent amphibolite facies terranes. No accompanying pressure variations are recorded. Up to 1-mm-wide fine-grained felsic veinlets appear in several units and represent remnants of a former melt formed by the reaction: Bt + Sil + Qtz→Grt + lq. This dehydration reaction, together with the absence of large-scale migmatites in the area, suggests a very reduced water activity in the rocks and XH₂O = 0.25 in the C–O–H fluid system was calculated for a metapelitic unit. A low but variable water activity can best explain the presence or absence of fine-grained felsic material representing a former melt in the different granulitic metapelites. The strongly peraluminous composition of the felsic veinlets is due to the reaction: Grt +former melt ± Sil→Crd + Bt ± Qtz + H₂O, which has given poorly crystalline cordierite aggregates intergrown with well-crystalline biotite. The cordierite- and biotite-producing reaction constrains a steep first-stage retrograde (relative to M2) uplift path. Decimetre- to metre-wide, strongly banded metapelites (quartz + plagioclase + biotite + garnet ± sillimanite) inter-layered with quartzites are retrograded to (M3) amphibolite facies assemblages. A P–T estimate of 1.7–5.6 kbar, 516–581°C is obtained from geothermobarometry based on rim-rim analyses of garnet–biotite–plagioclase–sillimanite–quartz assemblages, and can be related to the isoclinal folding of the rocks. M4 greenschist facies conditions are most extensively developed in millimetre-wide chlorite-rich, calcite-bearing veins cutting the foliation.     

Melt-producing and melt-consuming reactions in the Achankovil cordierite gneisses, South India

Migmatitic cordierite gneisses within the Achankovil Zone (AZ) of southern Pan‐African India record melt‐producing and subsequent melt‐consuming mineral reactions. Early mineral assemblages Bt‐Sil‐Qtz and Bt‐Sil‐Spl, deduced from inclusion textures in garnet prophyroblasts, break down via successive dehydration melting reactions to high‐T phase assemblages (e.g. Grt‐Crd‐Liq, Opx‐Liq, Spl‐Crd‐Liq). Later back reactions between the restite and the in situ crystallizing melt resulted in thin cordierite coronas separating garnet from the leucosome, and partial resorption of garnet to Opx‐Crd or Crd‐Bt‐Qtz symplectites. Leucosomes generally display a moderate (low‐strain gneisses) to strong (high‐strain gneisses) depletion of alkali feldspar attributed to mineral‐melt back reactions partly controlled by the degree of melt segregation. Using a KFMASH partial petrogenetic grid that includes a melt phase, and qualitative pseudosections for microdomains of high and low Al/Si ratios, the successive phase assemblages and reaction textures are interpreted in terms of a clockwise P–T path culminating at about 6–7 kbar and 900–950 °C. This P–T path is consistent with, but more detailed than published results, which suggests that taking a melt phase into account is not only a valid, but also a useful approach. Comparing P–T data and lithological and isotopic data for the AZ with adjacent East Gondwana fragments, suggests the presence of a coherent metasedimentary unit exposed from southern Madagascar via South India (AZ) and Sri Lanka (Wanni Complex) to the Lützow–Holm Bay in Eastern Antarctica.     

Models for orthopyroxene–plagioclase and other corona reactions in metanorites, Dahomeyide orogen, West Africa

Coronal reaction textures occur in metanorite and related intrusions in the Pan-African Dahomeyide orogen of West Africa; they apparently formed by retrograde subsolidus reactions during cooling of the intrusions from 900 to 700 °C at c. 9±1 kbar. The coronas that formed around orthopyroxene (Opx) consist of sequential layers of diopside (Dio), hornblende (Hbl), garnet (Grt) and plagioclase (Pl) with inclusions of kyanite (Ky) or sillimanite (Sil). Three well-organized mineral assemblage sequences have been identified and modelled using steady-state diffusion theory for closed and open systems. The mineral sequence Opx|Hbl+Qtz|Hbl|Pl+Ky, formed by diffusion-controlled reactions in a closed system as layer thicknesses are very sensitive to relative component mobilities defined by Onsager diffusion coefficient (L_ii). Models of this corona (type i) that satisfy modes require L_CaCa≥L_MgMg≥L_FeFe>L_AlAl～L_SiSi ; however, small open-system fluxes involving loss of Al and gain of Ca are required to obtain the best fit between model and observed mineral proportions. Under steady-state diffusion, the monomineralic hornblende layer grew by replacing plagioclase whereas the |Hbl+Qtz| grew by Opx replacement. The type ii corona, which consists of the sequence Opx|Dio|Grt+Dio|Pl+Sil, is also stable under steady-state diffusion in a closed system. Modelling results show that the diopside grew by replacing Opx whereas most of Grt+Dio grew by replacing plagioclase. Stable solutions to the closed-system diffusion model that approximate the mode are restricted to the L-ratio regions where Fe, Mg and Ca are more mobile than Si and Al but are unstable when L_AlAl>100 L_SiSi . However, type ii corona mineral proportions were only closely matched when open-system loss of Al and gain of small amounts of Fewere considered in the diffusion models and relative mobilities were L_FeFe≥L_CaCa≥L_MgMg>L_AlAl～L_SiSi . The modelling results indicate that Ca and Mg were the most mobile elements in the formation of type i corona whereas Fe and Ca were the most mobile components in the growth of type ii coronas. A third corona type, consisting of the mineral sequence Act|Hbl|Grt|Pl+Sil, is only stable in open systems and requires large external fluxes involving gain of Fe, Al, Mg and Na and loss of Ca to obtain a solution of the diffusion model that approximates the estimated mineral proportions. Extensive recrystallization of plagioclase to produce sillimanite or kyanite inclusions accompanying corona formation may explain the open-system behaviour indicated by the diffusion models.     

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

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

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。     

A Clinopyroxene-Orthopyroxene-Plagioclase Symplectite Formed by Garnet Breakdown in Granulite Facies, Guaxupé, Minas Gerais, Brazil

In mafic granulites, garnet can form by reactions such as Opx + Pl = Cpx + Grt + Qtz; Opx + Pl = Grt + Qtz. As a result of isothermal decompression (ITD), garnet can then break down to a characteristic orthopyroxene-plagioclase symplectite. Mafic, iron-rich garnet-pyroxene granulite from the Guaxupé Massif has symplectite that formed by near-isothermal decompression, as a consequence of uplift of the granulite facies terrane. This symplectite was found to consist of vermicular clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene-plagioclase, with clinopyroxene clearly growing from the garnet that is breaking down, modal amounts of clinopyroxene being less than orthopyroxene. Electron probe analyses show clear differences between core (Cpx₁), rim, and symplectite clinopyroxene (Cpx₂). Considering also the presence of magnetite in the symplectite texture, garnet breakdown is thought to be better represented by a reaction such as Cpx₁ + Grt + O₂ = Cpx₂ + Opx + Pl +Mt + Qtz.     

The P-T path of metamorphism and age of migmatites from the northwestern Irkut block (Sharyzhalgai uplift of the Siberian Platform)

We study migmatized aluminous gneisses in the northwest of the Irkut granulite complex in the southeastern Sharyzhalgai uplift of the Siberian Platform basement. Migmatized gneisses with the mineral assemblage Grt + Sil + Bt + Kfs + Pl + Qz (+ Crd + Opx + Spl) contain a leucosome and widespread cordierite-bearing (+ orthopyroxene, quartz, and spinel) symplectites developed after garnet and sillimanite. Study of the microstructural relationships of minerals and modeling using the PERPLEX 672 software have shown a retrograde P-T path of metamorphism for the metasedimentary gneisses, close to the isothermal decompression (ITD). The parameters of the peak of metamorphism are T = 850-870 °C and P > 7 kbar. The weighted average age of zircon from the metasedimentary gneisses (1856 ± 13 Ma, SHRIMP) corresponds to the time of metamorphism. The decompression type of retrograde metamorphism of the rocks in the northwest of the Irkut block indicates their formation in the crust extension and thinning setting. The presence of domal structures in the section of the Irkut block on the shore of Lake Baikal suggests that the dome tectogenesis was involved in the exhumation processes. The Paleoproterozoic metamorphism and granite formation were associated with the same stage of collision processes, when the compression setting was changed by an extension one (1.88-1.85 Ga).     

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.     

Petrology and microthermometry of aluminous rocks in the Botswanan Limpopo Central Zone: evidence for isothermal decompression and isobaric cooling

Phase analysis in the model K₂O-poor aluminous rock system (FMASH) illustrates the following sequence of reactions during retrograde metamorphism in the Botswanan Limpopo Central Zone:
Opx+Sil+Qtz=Crd ,
Opx+Sil=Spr+Crd ,
Grt+Qtz=Opx+Crd ;
Opx+Crd+W=Ged+Qtz ,
Grt+Opx+Crd+W=Ged ;
and
Grt+Qtz+W=Ged+Crd .
A quantitative petrogenetic grid with phase relations shows that sapphirine results from nearly isothermal decompression in the quartz-undersaturated portions of the grid, and that gedrite formation by reactions (4)–(6) records isobaric cooling from high temperature ( c . 800°  C) after the decompression. Conditions for hydration in the western part of the area were 700–800°  C and c . 6  kbar, based on microthermometric data and the available garnet–cordierite geothermometer. On the basis of these conditions and predicted thermodynamic properties of gedrite, phase relations in T–X _Mg space were constructed to investigate the isobaric cooling event. The results are in good agreement with the hydration P–T  path. Further, the T–X _Mg topologies show that hydration of orthopyroxene in the central part of the area (reaction 4) occurred at about 800°  C and c . 5  kbar. Therefore, we conclude that the Botswanan Limpopo Central Zone has suffered isothermal decompression, similar to the Central Zone in South Africa and Zimbabwe, followed by isobaric cooling. The isobaric cooling event in the western (at c . 6  kbar) and central (at c . 5  kbar) parts of the area commenced at nearly the same temperature ( c . 800°  C), and appear to be consistent with a tectonic model that involved westward movement (thrusting) of the Central Zone.     

P–T–t paths and tectonic history of an early Precambrian granulite facies terrane, Jining district, south-east Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract The widespread khondalite series of south-east Inner Mongolia consists largely of biotite–sillimanite–garnet gneiss and quartzo-feldspathic gneiss with some marble and mafic granulite layers. It has experienced two metamorphic events at c. 2500 and 1900–2000 Ma.
A pre-peak stage of the first metamorphism at T = 600–700°C and P > 6–7 kbar is recognized by the relict amphibolite facies assemblage Ky–Grt–Bt–Pl–Qtz and 'protected'inclusions of biotite, hornblende, sodic plagioclase and quartz in garnet or orthopyroxene. The peak stage, with T = c. 800 ± 50°C and P 8–10 kbar, is characterized by the widespread granulite facies assemblages Sil–Grt–Bt–Kfs–Pl–Qtz in gneiss and Opx–Cpx–Pl ± Hbl ± Grt in granulite. The P–T–t path suggests that the supracrustal sequence was buried in the lower crust by tectonic thickening during D1–D2.
The beginning of the second metamorphism is characterized by further temperature rise to 700°C or more at lower pressure. This stage is manifested by the appearance of cordierite after garnet, fibrolite (Sil2) after biotite in gneiss and transformation of Hbl1 into Opx2 and Cpx2 in granulite. Coronas of symplectitic Opx2 + Pl2 surrounding Grt1 and Cpx1 in mafic granulite are interpreted as products of near-isothermal decompression. The P–T–t path may be related tectonically to waning extension of the crust by the end of the early Proterozoic.     

First Report of Sapphirine+Quartz Assemblage from Southern India: Implications for Ultrahigh-temperature Metamorphism

We report here for the first time, the occurrence of sapphirine+quartz assemblage in textural equilibrium from quartzo-feldspathic and pelitic granulites from southern India. The sapphirine-bearing rocks occur as layered gneisses associated with pink granite within massive charnockite in Rajapalaiyam area in the southern part of Madurai Block. Sapphirine occurs in three associations: (i) fine-grained subhedral mineral associated with quartz enclosed in garnet, (ii) intergrowth with Al-rich orthopyroxene (up to 9.7 wt.% Al₂O₃), and (iii) in symplectitic intergrowth with orthopyroxene (Al₂O₃= 5.9–6.7 wt.%) and cordierite surrounding garnet. The sapphirine in association with quartz is slightly magnesian (X_Mg = 0.79–0.80) and low in Si content (1.55–1.56 pfu) as compared with those associated with orthopyroxene and cordierite (X_Mg= 0.77–0.79, Si = 1.59–1.63 pfu). The sapphirine+quartz assemblage suggests that the granulites underwent T>1050 °C peak metamorphism. Cores of porphyroblastic orthopyroxene in the sapphirine-bearing rocks shows high-Al₂O₃ content of up to 9.7 wt.%, suggesting T = 1040–1060°C and P = 8 kbar. FMAS reaction of sapphirine+quartz→garnet+sillimanite+cordierite indicates a cooling from sapphirine+quartz stability field after the peak ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism. Slightly lower temperature estimates from ternary feldspar and sapphirine-spinel geothermometers (T = 950–1000°C) also support a post-peak isobaric cooling. Corona textures of orthopyroxene+cordierite (±sapphirine), orthopyroxene+sapphirine, and cordierite+spinel around garnet suggest subsequent decompression. The sapphirine-quartz association and related textures reported in this study have important bearing on the ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and exhumation history of the Madurai Block as well as on the tectonic evolution of the continental deep crust in southern India.     

Reaction textures and P–T conditions of Opx-Crd gneisses from Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh, India

Summary The Karimnagar granulite terrain is an integral part of the Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC). It has received much interest because of the only reported granulite facies rocks in the EDC. These granulites contain quartz-free sapphirine-spinel-bearing granulites, kornerupine – bearing granulites, mafic granulites, orthopyroxene-cordierite gneisses, charnockites, amphibolites, dolerite dykes, granite gneisses, quartzites and banded magnetite quartzite. The orthopyroxene-cordierite gneisses occur as enclaves within granite-gneiss in association with banded magnetite quartzites, charnockites and amphibolites. The observed reaction textures, spectacular as they are, have an extraordinary information content within a tiny domain. Coronas, symplectites and resorption textures are of particular interest as they reflect discontinuous or continuous reactions under changing physical conditions. The main mineral assemblages encountered in these gneisses are orthopyroxene – cordierite – biotite – plagioclase – perthite – quartz and garnet – orthopyroxene – cordierite – biotite – quartz – plagioclase – perthite ± sillimanite. Multiphase reaction textures in conjunction with mineral chemical data in the KFMASH system indicate the following reactions: Based on chemographic relationships and petrogenetic grids in the K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (KFMASH) system, a sequence of prograde (early stage), isothermal decompression (middle stage) and retrograde (late stage) reactions (‘back reactions’ and hydration reactions) are inferred. Relatively lower P–T estimates (0.35 GPa/550–750 °C) obtained from the different geothermobarometers are attributed to late Fe–Mg re-equilibration during cooling. Therefore, the convergence method has been applied to retrieve simultaneously the P–T conditions of the thermal peak of metamorphism. The near thermal peak condition of metamorphism estimated by the convergence method are 850 °C/0.62 GPa. The P–T estimates define a retrograde trajectory with substantial decompression.