Metamorphic and structural evolution of the Early Proterozoic Puolankajärvi Formation, Finland – I. Structural and textural relations

The amphibolite facies Puolankajärvi Formation (PjF) occupies the western margin of the Early Proterozoic Kainuu Schist Belt (KSB) of northern Finland. The lower and middle parts of the PjF consist of turbiditic psammites and pelites and tempestitic semipelites. This report concentrates on the pelitic lithologies which include quartz–two-mica–plagioclase schists with variable amounts of garnet, staurolite, andalusite and biotite porphyroblasts as well as sillimanite and cordierite segregations. The KSB forms a major north–south-trending synclinorium between two Archaean blocks. It contains both autochthonous and allochthonous units and is cut by faults and shear zones. The PjF lies on the western side of the KSB and is probably allochthonous. The formation has undergone six major deformation phases (D₁, D₂, D_3a, D_3b, D₄ and D₅). During D_3a-D₅ the maximum principal stress (σ₁) changed in a clockwise direction from south-west to north-east. Between D₂ and D₃ the intermediate principal stress (σ₂) changed from horizontal to vertical and the interval between D₂ and D₃ marks a transition from thrust to strike-slip tectonics. Relict structures in the porphyroblasts indicate the following mineral growth–deformation evolution in the PjF. (1) Throughout the PjF there was a successive crystallization of garnet (syn-D₁), poryphyroblastic biotite (inter-D_3/4) and staurolite (inter-D_3/4) during the pre-D₄ stage. (2) A syn-D₄-inter-D_4/5 crystallization of kyanite, sillimanite (fibrolite), porphyroblastic tourmaline, magnetite, rutile, cordierite and muscovite–biotite–plagioclase pseudomorphs after staurolite was most localized at and near D₄ shear zones. (3) A syn- to post-D₅ generation of andalusite, ilmenohematite and sheet silicates after staurolite and after cordierite occurred near D₅ faults. The evolution outlined here permits the relative dating of the PjF parageneses, which is used in the second part of the study (Tuisku & Laajoki, 1990), and, together with the knowledge of the pressure–temperature conditions during various growth events, makes it possible to compile pressure–temperature–deformation paths for the PjF.     

Tin–polymetallic Mineralization in the Southern Part of the Da Hinggan Mountains, China

Abstract: The southern part of the Da Hinggan Mountains is the only tin-polymetallic concentration area in northern China. Based on ore-forming element assemblages, three metallogenic series, the Sn(W), paragenetic Sn–polymetallic, and poly-metallic series, are recognized. The Sn(W) series, consisting of greisen, skarn and vein types, is associated with ilmenite–series, potassic feldspar (Kf)–granites. The polymetallic Pb–Zn–Cu series with porphyry, skarn and vein types, is related to magnetite–series, granodiorite – monzonite. On the contrary, the paragenetic Sn-polymetallic series mineralization is associated with the coexisting igneous activities of Kf-granite and granodiorite–monzonite, and it is suggested that the paragenetic Sn-polymetallic series is caused by the superimposed mineralization with tin from ilmenite-series magma and polymetallic elements from magnetite-series magma–hydrothermal system. All the three series possess similar metallogenic age, concentrating on J₃–K₁ (130–150 Ma). The melting of high maturity and tin-rich Xilinhot Proterozoic complex (micro–massif) during Mesozoic period, could generate the ilmenite–series, tin-bearing felsic magma, and cause the tin mineralization in the southern part of the Da Hinggan Mountains.     

开采倾斜近地表矿体地表及围岩变形陷落的模型试验研究

以某铜矿矿山一典型地质剖面为原型,运用物理概化模型试验,采用网格数字摄影测量方法量测模型剖面全场位移,分析了开采倾斜近地表矿体地表及围岩变形陷落随不同开挖步的变化规律。在模型试验中,开挖-75 m～-45 m之间的矿体,围岩扰动范围及地表下沉位移逐渐增大,第7步开挖完成后,采空区上方岩体开始出现离层,第9步开挖完成后,地表1～4测点之间形成一明显沉陷盆地,最大下沉位移达825 mm。模型试验研究的结果与现场及离散元数值计算结果基本吻合。     

变质火山岩、火山碎屑岩的绿片岩相成岩格子和成岩格子的若干特征

变质火山岩、火山碎屑岩的绿片岩相成岩格子可用阳起石—黑云母—方解石—绿泥石—绿帘石—白云母六相三元系和钠长石—阳起石—黑云母—方解石—绿泥石—绿帘石六相三元系成岩格子来表示,石英往往为过剩组分。在只讨论两个强度相同的变量前提下,每个六相三元系的成岩格子都只可能有一对成对的成岩格子,且这对成岩格子的非封闭双变区的分区相同、分区之间的边界斜率相同、相应的单变线的排列顺序也相同,因此,六相三元系的每个成岩格子中的不变点数、单变线数、和双变区数之间的关系可用数学式来表示。     

Polymetamorphic origin of muscovite+cordierite+staurolite+ biotite assemblages: implications for the metapelitic petrogenetic grid and for P–T paths

Metapelites containing muscovite, cordierite, staurolite and biotite (Ms+Crd+St+Bt) are relatively rare but have been reported from a number of low-pressure (andalusite–sillimanite) regional metamorphic terranes. Paradoxically, they do not occur in contact aureoles formed at the same low pressures, raising the question as to whether they represent a stable association. A stable Ms+Crd+St+Bt assemblage implies a stable Ms+Bt+Qtz+Crd+St+Al₂SiO₅+Chl+H₂O invariant point (IP1), the latter which has precluded construction of a petrogenetic grid for metapelites that reconciles natural phase relations at high and low pressure. Petrogenetic grids calculated from internally consistent thermodynamic databases do not provide a reliable means to evaluate the problem because the grid topology is sensitive to small changes in the thermodynamic data. Topological analysis of invariant point IP1 places strict limits on possible phase equilibria and mineral compositions for metamorphic field gradients at higher and lower pressure than the invariant point. These constraints are then compared with natural data from contact aureoles and reported Ms+Crd+St+Bt occurrences. We find that there are numerous topological, textural and compositional incongruities in reported natural assemblages that lead us to argue that Ms+Crd+St+Bt is either not a stable association or is restricted to such low pressures and Fe-rich compositions that it is rarely if ever developed in natural rocks. Instead, we argue that reported Ms+Crd+St+Bt assemblages are products of polymetamorphism, and, from their textures, are useful indicators of P–T  paths and tectonothermal processes at low pressure. A number of well-known Ms+Crd+St+Bt occurrences are discussed within this framework, including south-central Maine, the Pyrenees and especially SW Nova Scotia.     

Exhumation during oblique transpression: The Feiran–Solaf region, Egypt

The Feiran–Solaf metamorphic complex of Sinai, Egypt, is one of the highest grade metamorphic complexes of a series of basement domes that crop out throughout the Arabian-Nubian Shield. In the Eastern Desert of Egypt these basement domes have been interpreted as metamorphic core complexes exhumed in extensional settings. For the Feiran–Solaf complex an interpretation of the exhumation mechanism is difficult to obtain with structural arguments as all of its margins are obliterated by post-tectonic granites. Here, metamorphic methods are used to investigate its tectonic history and show that the complex was characterized by a single metamorphic cycle experiencing peak metamorphism at ∼700–750 °C and 7–8 kbar and subsequent isothermal decompression to ∼4–5 kbar, followed by near isobaric cooling to 450 °C. Correlation of this metamorphic evolution with the deformation history shows that peak metamorphism occurred prior to the compressive deformation phase D ₂, while the compressive D ₂ and D ₃ deformation occurred during the near isothermal decompression phase of the P–T loop. We interpret the concurrence of decompression of the P–T path and compression by structural shortening as evidence for the Najd fault system exhuming the complex in an oblique transpressive regime. However, final exhumation from ∼15 km depth must have occurred due to an unrelated mechanism.     

Submarin-hydrothermale Entstehung der sedimentären Mangan-Lagerstätte Úrkút/Ungarn

A stratiform Mn-deposit of Liassic age was formed in the Tethys geosyncline at Úrkút, Hungary, with rhodochrosite as the predominant mineral ( 50%). Among clay minerals goethite is found in the lower part and pyrite in the upper part of the ore-bearing layer.

The close association of Fe and Mn is due to the fact that the ore was accumulated by submarine volcanogenic processes. Derivation from terrestrial solutions can be excluded, because the different oxidation potentials of Fe and Mn would have led to a significant separation of these two elements. Furthermore, the Co contents and the Mn/Co ratio are higher than in typical ore deposits derived from terrestrial solutions. The paragenetic clay minerals are Fe-rich montmorillonites and celadonites which are respectively formed by the adsorption of silica onto Fe-hydroxides and mixed Fe---Al gels. Previously described glauconite is proved to be celadonite. Due to the absence of detritus and heavy minerals all phases of the deposit are suggested to be chemical precipitates from volcanogenic solutions, though volcanic rocks have not been found up to now. However, it is not necessary to assume a supply of the ore-forming elements by initial hydrothermal magmatic solutions, because CO₂-rich waters associated with volcanism are easily able to mobilize and transport both Fe and Mn from wall rocks. Upon mixing with marine waters and degassing the Eh and pH of the ore solutions are changed. Besides carbonates, sulfides and oxides, silicates of different compositions are formed according to the Eh---pH conditions within the sediment.

Zusammenfassung

Im Geosynklinalraum der Tethys bildete sich im Lias bei Úrkút/Ungarn eine schichtgebundene Mn-Lagerstätte. Hauptmineral ist mit 50% Rhodochrosit. Neben Tonmineralen treten als weitere Gangart im Liegenden noch Goethit und im Hangenden Pyrit auf. Wie die enge Vergesellschaftung von Fe und Mn zeigt, erfolgte die Erzanreicherung offenbar submarin-vulkanisch. Eine Zufuhr vom Festland ist auszuschliessen, da es sonst aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Oxidationspotentiale zu einer deutlichen Trennung von Fe und Mn gekommen wäre. Zudem liegen die Co-Gehalte und das Mn/Co-Verhältnis höher als in typischen Lagerstätten mit festländischer Lösungszufuhr.

Die begleitenden Tonminerale sind authigene Montmorillonite und Seladonite, die sich durch Adsorption von Si(OH)₄ an Fe-Hydroxide bzw. Fe---Al-Mg-Mischgele gebildet haben. Bei den bisher beschriebenen Glaukoniten handelt es sich um die neubestimmten Seladonite. Da Detritus und Schwerminerale fehlen, sind sämtliche Phasen der Lagerstätte als chemische Niederschläge aus einer vulkanischen Lösungszufuhr anzusehen; vulkanische Gesteine selber wurden allerdings bisher nicht nachgewiesen. Eine rein hydrothermal—magmatische Elementzufuhr ist aber nicht notwendig, da mit dem Vulkanismus in Verbindung stehende CO₂-reiche Wässer Fe und Mn leicht aus dem Nebengestein mobilisieren und transportieren können. Durch Vermischen mit Meerwasser und Entgasung verändern sich Eh und pH der zusetzenden Lösungen und entsprechend der Fazies bilden sich dann neben Karbonaten, Sulfiden, Oxiden auch unterschiedlich zusammengesetzte Silikate.     

Some remarks on high-temperature—low-pressure metamorphism in convergent orogens

Many high-temperature–low-pressure (high- T –low- P ) metamorphic terranes show evidence for peak mineral growth during crustal thickening strain increments at pressures near the maximum attained during the heating–cooling cycle. Such terranes are not readily explained as the conductive response to crustal thickening since the resulting Moho temperatures would greatly exceed the crustal liquidus and because heating due to conductive equilibration on length scales appropriate to lithospheric-scale strains must greatly outlast the deformation. Consequently, high- T –low- P metamorphism may be generated during crustal thickening only when significant heat is advected within the crust, as for example may occur during the segregation of granitic melts. We show that without the addition of asthenospheric melts and at strain rates appropriate to continental deformation the conditions required for significant lower crustal melting during deformation are only likely to be attained if heat flow into the lower crust during crustal thickening is increased substantially, for example, by removing the mantle part of the lithosphere. A simple parameterization of lithospheric deformation involving the vertical strain on the scale of the crust, _c, and the lithosphere, ₁ respectively, allows the potential energy of the evolving orogen to be readily evaluated. Using this parameterization we show that an important isostatic consequence of the deformation geometries capable of generating such high- T –low- P metamorphism during crustal thickening (with _c1) is an imposed upper limit to crustal thicknesses which is much lower than for homogeneous deformations (f_c= f₁) for the same initial lithospheric configuration.     

Garnet–chloritoid equilibria in eclogitic pelitic rocks from the Sesia zone (Western Alps): their bearing on phase relations in high pressure metapelites

Abstract A detailed study of garnet–chloritoid micaschists fom the Sesia zone (Western Alps) is used to constrain phase relations in high pressure (HP) metapelitic rocks. In addition to quartz, phengite, paragonite and rutile, the micaschists display two distinct parageneses, namely garnet + chloritoid + chlorite and garnet + chloritoid + kyanite. Talc has never been observed. Garnet and chloritoid are more magnesian when chlorite is present instead of kyanite. The distinction of the two equilibria results from different bulk rock chemistries, not from P–T conditions or redox state. Estimated P–T conditions for the eclogitic metamorphism are 550–600°C, 15–18 kbar.
The presence of primary chlorite in association with garnet and chloritoid leads us to construct two possible AFM topologies for the Sesia metapelites. The paper describes a KFMASH multisystem for HP pelitic rocks, which extends the grid of Harte & Hudson (1979) towards higher pressures and adds the phase talc. Observed parageneses in HP metapelites are consistent with predicted phase relations. Critical associations are Gt–Ctd–Chl and Gt–Ctd–Ky at relatively low temperatures and Gl–Chl–Ky and Gt–Tc–Ky at relatively high temperatures.     

Garnet evolution in pre-Variscan pelitic rocks from the Lake Emosson area, Aiguilles Rouges Massif, Western Alps

Abstract The chemical evolution of garnets from pelitic rocks of probable Palaeozoic age corresponds to a complex metamorphic evolution of the host rocks.
Among the almandine-rich garnets (Alm_60–80), two main types of evolution can be distinguished. Early Mn-rich garnets coexisting with kyanite may be replaced by plagioclase and then, during a late stage, by biotite and/or sillimanite. The second type of evolution corresponds to an overgrowth of Mn-poor late-stage garnet on older Mn-rich garnets which corresponds to a thermal peak with sillimanite-type of metamorphism. This new garnet may appear either as an overgrowth with a strong discontinuity, or as small, new euhedral garnet or as skeletal garnet.
This chemical evolution of garnet corresponds to an early collisional stage of metamorphism (of high pressure type with high Mn values) of probable Ordovician age followed by uplift and a thermal peak (low Mn values) in Devonian times.     

Conditions of contact metamorphism, Papoose Flat Pluton, eastern California, USA: implications for cooling and strain histories

Abstract Petrological study of highly strained carbonate and pelitic rocks within the contact aureole surrounding the western part of the Papoose Flat pluton yields thermal profiles (plots of metamorphic temperature versus distance) across the aureole that show temperature gradients which are relatively flat and narrow (<100m). The gradients occur close to the contact and indicate a slight decrease in temperature from 500–550°C at the pluton/wall rock contact to 450–500°C at the outer margin of the aureole. One thermal profile across low-strain metasedimentary rocks located in the southern part of the aureole shows that thermal effects from emplacement extend no further than 600 m from the contact. Coexistence of andalusite and cordierite in pelitic rocks of the aureole constrain pressures to <4 kbar. Thermal modelling using an analytical solution of the conductive heat flow equation for a rectangular-shaped pluton reproduces the observed thermal maxima and profile shape. Conductive rather than convective cooling also is supported by isotopic and field evidence for limited fluid flow along the strongly deformed margin of the pluton. Simple thermal models coupled with observed high-temperature deformation features and a measured 90% attenuation of stratigraphic units in the plastically deformed western part of the pluton's aureole indicate that strain rates may have been of the order of 10^-12s^-1. Evidence for episodic heating, such as two distinct generations of andalusite growth in pelites from the aureole, alternatively may indicate a longer heating event and, therefore, slower strain rates. Thermal models also indicate that parts of the pluton still may have been above the solidus during deformation of the pluton margin and aureole.     

云英岩的蚀变类型、蚀变带序和成岩格子

云英岩主要是由白云母、石英、黄玉、电气石、萤石以及锡石、黑钨矿等矿物组成的浅色蚀变岩石。本文只讨论主要由白云母、石英、黄玉、锂电气石和萤石所组成的云英岩的蚀变类型、蚀变带序、蚀变带和成岩格子。     

Quantitative temperature-time information from retrograde diffusion zoning in garnet: constraints for the P–T–t history of the Central Black Forest, Germany

Garnet from a kinzigite, a high-grade gneiss from the central Black Forest (Germany), displays a prominent and regular retrograde diffusion zoning in Fe, Mn and particularly Mg. The Mg diffusion profiles are suitable to derive cooling rates using recent datasets for cation diffusion in garnet. This information, together with textural relationships, thermobarometry and thermochronology, is used to constrain the pressure–temperature–time history of the high-grade gneisses. The garnet–biotite thermometer indicates peak metamorphic temperatures for the garnet cores of 730–810  °C. The temperatures for the outer rims are 600–650  °C. Garnet–Al₂SiO₅–plagioclase–quartz (GASP) barometry, garnet–rutile–Al₂SiO₅–ilmenite (GRAIL) and garnet–rutile–ilmenite–plagioclase–quartz (GRIPS) barometry yield pressures from 6–9  kbar. U–Pb ages of monazite of 341±2  Ma date the low- P high- T metamorphism in the central Black Forest. A Rb/Sr biotite–whole rock pair defines a cooling age of 321±2  Ma. The two mineral ages yield a cooling rate of about 15±2  °C Ma⁻¹. The petrologic cooling rates, with particular consideration of the f O₂ conditions for modelling retrograde diffusion profiles, agree with the geochronological cooling rate. The oldest sediments overlying the crystalline basement indicate a minimum cooling rate of 10  °C Ma⁻¹.     

Detrital origin of hydrothermal Witwatersrand gold—a review

The Witwatersrand 'basin' is the largest known gold province in the world. The gold deposits have been worked for moren than 100 years but there is still controversy about the ore forming process. Detailed petrographic studies often reveal that the gold is late in the paragenetic sequence, which has led many researchers to propose a hydrothermal origin for the gold. However, observations, such as the occurrence of rounded, disc-like gold particles next to irregularly shaped or idiomorphic secondary gold particles in the same sample, suggest an initial detrital gold source within the Witwatersrand strata. Mineral chemical and isotopic data, together with SEM cathodoluminescence imaging and fluid inclusion studies, provide evidence for small-scale variations in the fluid chemistry – a requirement for the short-range mobilization of the gold. The existing data and observations on the Witwatersrand rocks support a model of hydrothermally altered, metamorphosed placer deposits, with at least two subsequent gold mobilization events: hydrothermal infiltration in early Transvaal time (2.6–2.5 Ga) and during the 2.020 Ga Vredefort impact event.     

Metamorphism of pelites in NKFMASH – a new petrogenetic grid with implications for the preservation of high-pressure mineral assemblages during exhumation

A petrogenetic grid for metapelites in the system NKFMASH is presented. The P–T range is investigated in three sections: (1) The high‐ and ultrahigh‐pressure range is discussed in the system NFMASH because phengite is the only stable potassic phase. (2) The transition region is characterised by four NKFMASH‐invariant points that separate high‐pressure glaucophane‐bearing from medium‐pressure biotite‐bearing metapelites. (3) The medium‐pressure range contains the fifth NKFMASH‐invariant point. The univariant reactions of this point terminate the stability range of paragonite, which breaks down to form staurolite or kyanite and plagioclase during decompression and/or heating. As the growth of albitic plagioclase by decomposition of paragonite via continuous reactions may be conspicuous already before these staurolite‐ or kyanite‐producing reactions are reached, such albite porphyroblast schists are typical indicators of a former high‐pressure metamorphic history. Considering the preservation of high‐pressure metapelitic assemblages, those crossing the NKFMASH‐transition region during exhumation commonly dehydrate and preservation is unlikely. Three types of metapelites have a fairly good survival potential: (1) low‐temperature metapelites (up to c. 540 °C) with an exhumation path back into the chlorite + albite stability field, (2) assemblages with chloritoid + glaucophane, and (3) the relatively high‐temperature glaucophane + kyanite and jadeite + kyanite bearing parageneses, that are relatively dry at the onset of exhumation. A comparison with data from the literature shows that these rock types are the most abundant in nature.     

The remarkable Re–Os chronometer in molybdenite: how and why it works

The Re–Os (rhenium–osmium) chronometer applied to molybdenite (MoS₂) is now demonstrated to be remarkably robust, surviving intense deformation and high‐grade thermal metamorphism. Successful dating of molybdenite is dependent on proper preparation of the mineral separate and analysis of a critical quantity of molybdenite, unique to each sample, such that recognized spatial decoupling of ¹⁸⁷Re parent and ¹⁸⁷Os daughter within individual molybdenite crystals is overcome. Highly precise, accurate and reproducible age results are derived through isotope dilution and negative thermal ion mass spectrometry (ID‐NTIMS). Spatial decoupling of parent–daughter precludes use of the laser ablation ICP‐MS microanalytical technique for Re–Os dating of molybdenite. The use of a reference or control sample is necessary to establish laboratory credibility and for interlaboratory comparisons. The Rb–Sr, K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar chronometers are susceptible to chemical and thermal disturbance, particularly in terranes that have experienced subsequent episodes of hydrothermal/magmatic activity, and therefore should not be used as a basis for establishing accuracy in Re–Os dating of molybdenite, as has been done in the past. Re–Os ages for molybdenite are almost always in agreement with observed geological relationships and, when available, with zircon and titanite U–Pb ages. For terranes experiencing multiple episodes of metamorphism and deformation, molybdenite is not complicated by overgrowths as is common for some minerals used in U–Pb dating (e.g. zircon, monazite, xenotime), nor are Re and Os mobilized beyond the margins of individual crystals during solid‐state recrystallization. Moreover, inheritance of older molybdenite cores, incorporation of common Os, and radiogenic Os loss are exceedingly rare, whereas inheritance, common Pb and Pb loss are common complications in U–Pb dating techniques. Therefore, molybdenite ages may serve as point‐in‐time markers for age comparisons.     

Plate movements, ductile deformation and geochronology of the Sanbagawa belt, SW Japan: tectonic significance of 89–88 Ma Lu–Hf eclogite ages

Prograde P–T paths and thermal modelling suggest metamorphism in the Sanbagawa belt represents unusually warm conditions for subduction-type metamorphic belts, and these likely reflect conditions of a convergent margin a few million years before the arrival of an active spreading ridge. Radiometric age data and kinematic indicators of ductile deformation suggest the Sanbagawa belt formed in a Cretaceous convergent margin associated with a plate movement vector that had a large sinistral oblique component with respect to the belt, the East Asian margin. Plate reconstructions for the Cretaceous to Tertiary for this region show that the only plausible plate compatible with such motion at this time is the Izanagi plate. These reconstructions also show that progressively younger sections of the Izanagi plate were subducted beneath eastern Asia, i.e. a spreading ridge approached, until 85–83 Ma when the Izanagi Plate ceased to exist as an independent plate. The major reorganization of plates and associated movements around this time is likely to be the age of major interaction between the ridge and convergent margin. The ridge-approach model for the Sanbagawa metamorphism, therefore, predicts that peak metamorphism is a few million years older than this age range. New Lu–Hf dating of eclogite in the Sanbagawa belt gives ages of 89–88 Ma, in excellent agreement with the prediction. Combining this estimate for the peak age of metamorphism with published P–T-t results implies vertical exhumation rates of greater than 2.5 cm yr⁻¹. This high rate of exhumation can explain the lack of a significant thermal overprint in the Sanbagawa belt during subduction of the ridge.     

Three-dimensional strain analysis in physical models of geological structures

A method is outlined for calculating three-dimensional finite strain in physical models of geological structures containing passive strain markers. This method makes it possible to determine the three-dimensional strain pattern in models of structures that lack any of the types of symmetry (such as that imparted by cylindrical folding) that simplified calculations in previous work. The strain markers in the new method are in the shape of stubby rectangular prisms or cubes. These form a three-dimensional grid or array occupying each of the active layers in a model (e.g., for a simple two-layer gravitationally unstable system, one grid for the overburden layer and one for the buoyant layer). Each of the grids can be described by positions of three families of “strain marker surfaces”, which are contacts between layers of strain markers.

After deformation, the model is serial-sectioned horizontally and the traces of the strain marker surfaces on the sections are digitized. The strain state is calculated at each of several hundred points arranged in a three-dimensional “output grid” extending throughout the mechanically active part of the model. An interpolation procedure is used to estimate the spacing and orientation of the strain marker surfaces in the vicinity of each of the output grid points. The following quantities are determined for each of the three families of strain marker surfaces:

1. (1) the local horizontal orientation of the strain marker surfaces;

2. (2) the local spacing of the surfaces; and

3. (3) the local inclination of the surfaces, calculated from their change in position from the serial section above, to the serial section below, the output grid point.

This information is used to generate a parallelepiped representing the strain marker geometry in the neighbourhood of the output grid point. The edges of the parallelepiped are equivalent to the coefficients of the strain matrix, from which the three principal strain magnitudes and orientations are readily derived.     

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

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

P-T path determinations in the Tormes Gneissic Dome, NW Iberian Massif, Spain

The Tormes Gneissic Dome (TGD, NW sector of the Iberian Massif, Spain) is a high-grade metamorphic complex affected by a major episode of extensional deformation (D2). The syn-D2 P–T  path of the Lower Unit of the TGD was deduced from the analysis of reaction textures related to superimposed fabrics developed during exhumation, analysis of mineral zoning and thermobarometric calculations. It comprises an initial phase of decompression, determined using the tweequ thermobarometric technique, from 6.4–8.1 kbar at 735–750 °C (upper structural levels) and 7.2 kbar at 770 °C (lower structural levels) to 3.3–3.9 kbar and 645–680 °C. This evolution is consistent with the observed sequence of melting reactions and the generation of garnet- and cordierite-bearing anatectic granitoids. The later part of the syn-D2 P–T  path consisted of almost isobaric cooling associated with the thermal re-equilibration of the unit in the new structural position. This segment of the P–T  path is recorded by assemblages with And +Bt+Ms and Ms+ Chl +Ab related to the later mylonitic S2 fabrics, which indicate retrogression to low-amphibolite and greenschist facies conditions.