Dislocation generation, slip systems, and dynamic recrystallization in experimentally deformed plagioclase single crystals

Three samples of gem quality plagioclase crystals of An60 were experimentally deformed at 900 °C, 1 GPa confining pressure and strain rates of 7.5–8.7×10⁻⁷ s⁻¹. The starting material is effectively dislocation-free so that all observed defects were introduced during the experiments. Two samples were shortened normal to one of the principal slip planes (010), corresponding to a “hard” orientation, and one sample was deformed with a Schmid factor of 0.45 for the principal slip system [001](010), corresponding to a “soft” orientation. Several slip systems were activated in the “soft” sample: dislocations of the [001](010) and 110(001) system are about equally abundant, whereas 110{111} and [101] in ( 31) to ( 42) are less common. In the “soft” sample plastic deformation is pervasive and deformation bands are abundant. In the “hard” samples the plastic deformation is concentrated in rims along the sample boundaries. Deformation bands and shear fractures are common. Twinning occurs in close association with fracturing, and the processes are clearly interrelated. Glissile dislocations of all observed slip systems are associated with fractures and deformation bands indicating that deformation bands and fractures are important sites of dislocation generation. Grain boundaries of tiny, defect-free grains in healed fracture zones have migrated subsequent to fracturing. These grains represent former fragments of the fracture process and may act as nuclei for new grains during dynamic recrystallization. Nucleation via small fragments can explain a non-host-controlled orientation of recrystallized grains in plagioclase and possibly in other silicate materials which have been plastically deformed near the semi-brittle to plastic transition.     

Universal stage measurements and transmission electron microscope observations of fractured plagioclase

At low to moderate temperatures of deformation, fracturing of plagioclase is common. The mechanism of fracturing is generally thought to be either a dislocation assisted process with fractures typically exhibiting some crystallographic regularity or a process of breaking along cleavage planes without the involvement of dislocations. In this study, naturally fractured plagioclase from granodiorites and a gabbro deformed at high strain rates are examined with the transmission electron microscope (TEM) to identify structures at that scale. In addition, fracture orientations are determined with the Universal stage.Some fractures observed in thin section occur parallel to (001) but many are not so simple but are confined to the [112], [1$\text{1}$2], [101], [$\text{1}$01] zones. At the TEM scale, dislocation walls or arrays are common in plagioclase. They also occupy the [101], [$\text{1}$01], [112], [1$\text{1}$2] zones. Microcracks form when dislocations are pinned in these arrays or when a free dislocation interacts with dislocations within a dislocation wall. In this way, large-scale fractures which develop inherit their crystallographic orientation from the dislocation wall.     

Analysis of dislocations in some naturally deformed plagioclase feldspars

Dislocations in intermediate plagioclase feldspars, which were deformed under granulite facies conditions, have been analysed. The study reveals extensive ductile deformation by intracrystalline slip and by twinning. Six out of the seven possible Burgers vectors were identified: \(b = \left[ {001} \right],\tfrac{1}{2}\left[ {110} \right],\tfrac{1}{2}\left[ {1\bar 10} \right],\left[ {101} \right],\tfrac{1}{2}\left[ {112} \right]and\tfrac{1}{2}\left[ {1\bar 12} \right]\) . Most, perhaps all, dislocations are dissociated by up to 200 Å. The microstructure is dominated by [001] screw dislocations, most of which appear to be dissociated in (010). The dominant slip system appears to be (010) [001]. Large grain-to-grain variations in the density of free dislocations indicate that the plastic strain in individual grains depended upon the Schmid factor for (010) [001]. The microstructure suggests that the rate-controlling step for high-temperature creep of plagioclase is cross-slip of extended [001] screw dislocations. The rheological contrast between feldspar and quartz is partly due to a difference in stacking fault energy.     

Transcrystalline shear fracturing and pseudotachylite generation in a meta-anorthosite (Harris, Scotland)

The meta-anorthosite is locally deformed by brittle shear fracturing, which progressively increases from isolated fractures with little cataclasite to many generations of closely spaced fractures, the intervening rock being highly deformed, in both a plastic and brittle way. In most cases an E-W compression on gently dipping to steep reverse shear planes occurs, which we relate to a Caledonian thrust zone.In places, the highly deformed rock is cut by pseudotachylite veins, which locally form networks. The pseudotachylite is generally intrusive, but does not appear to be related to movement on major slip surfaces. Very locally it may have formed in situ. Pseudotachylite only occurs in highly deformed rock, is only very occasionally deformed itself and, thus, generally represents at each locality the last stage of a complex deformation history, as if its presence welded the rock and prevented further deformation. These striking differences from the country-rock gneisses (in which pseudotachylite occurs on well developed fractures in very slightly deformed rock) are considered to be due to the low anisotropy of the meta-anorthosite, to its lower shear strength and to the easy propagation and branching of the shear fractures in plagioclase. The source of the heat necessary to generate the pseudotachylite melt is not clear—it may come from crack propagation as well as frictional sliding.     

Shock-induced mechanical deformations in biotites from crystalline rocks of the ries crater (Southern Germany)

Mechanical deformation features in shocked biotites from crystalline rocks of the Ries crater are: kink bands, planar elements, and plastic lattice deformations as determined by X-ray investigations.Kink bands can be observed in micas of various pressure histories (stages 0, I, II and less frequently stage III of shock metamorphism). Kink bands in shocked micas are less symmetrical than kinks of static origin. Asymmetry increases with increasing dynamic pressures. Moreover, kink band width is sensitive against changing peak pressures. Distribution of kinked and undistorted micas within a rock permits to fix the shock front direction. Shock-induced kinks in micas are produced by various gliding processes in the cleavage plane (001).Planar elements seldom occur in biotites of shock stages II and III and have never been described in endogenic rocks. Up to now orientations of planar elements parallel to (111), (1¯11), (112) and (11¯2) have been determined. Planar elements are interpreted as planes of plastic lattice gliding. {[110]} is supposed to be the main gliding direction. In the same pressure region other plastic lattice deformations have been determined. They are orientated parallel to (001), (100) and (¯132) or (201) which results from single crystal X-ray investigations and may represent planes of plastic lattice gliding. The dependency of formation of gliding planes and gliding directions on increasing dynamic pressures will be discussed.     

Oriented inclusions of pyroxene,amphibole and rutile in garnet from the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite massif,North Qaidam UHPM belt,NW China: an electron backscatter diffraction study

Oriented inclusions of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, sodic amphibole and rutile have been identified in garnet from the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite massif in the North Qaidam ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic (UHPM) belt, northern Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses demonstrate that nearly half of the measured intracrystalline clinopyroxene (8 out of 17) have topotactic crystallographic relationships with host garnet, that is, (100)_Cpx//{112}_Grt, (010)_Cpx//{110}_Grt and [001]_Cpx//<111>_Grt. One‐fifth of the oriented sodic amphibole (23 out of 110) inclusions of have topotactic crystallographic relationships with host garnet, that is, (010)_Amp//{112}_Grt, (100)_Amp//{110}_Grt and [001]_Amp//<111>_Grt. Over a third of rutile (36 out of 99) inclusions also show a close crystallographic orientation relationship with host garnet in that one <103>_Rt and one <110>_Rt parallel to two <111>_Grt while the axes of [001]_Rt exhibit small girdles centred the axes of <111>_Grt. But, no ‘well‐fit’ crystallographic relationship was observed between orthopyroxene inclusions and host garnet. Considering a very long and complex history for the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite, we suggest that the low fit rates for these oriented minerals may result from several possible assumptions including different generations or multi‐stage formation mechanisms, heterogeneous nucleation and growth under non‐equilibrium conditions, and partial changes of initial crystallographic orientations of some inclusions. However, the residual quantitative ‘well‐fit’ crystallographic information is sufficient to indicate that the nucleation and growth of many pyroxene, amphibole and rutile are controlled by the lattice of the host garnet. The revealed close topotactic relationships accompanied by clear shape orientations provide quantitative microstructural evidence demonstrating a most likely exsolution/precipitate origin for at least some of the oriented phases of pyroxene, sodic amphibole and rutile from former majoritic garnet and support an ultra‐deep (>180 km depth) origin of the Lüliangshan garnet massif.     

Deformation-enhanced metamorphic reactions and the rheology of high-pressure shear zones, Western Gneiss Region, Norway

Microstructural and petrological analysis of samples with increasing strain in high‐pressure (HP) shear zones from the Haram garnet corona gabbro give insights into the deformation mechanisms of minerals, rheological properties of the shear zone and the role of deformation in enhancing metamorphic reactions. Scanning electron microscopy with electron backscattering diffraction (SEM–EBSD), compositional mapping and petrographic analysis were used to evaluate the nature of deformation in both reactants and products associated with eclogitization. Plagioclase with a shape‐preferred orientation that occurs in the interior part of layers in the mylonitic sample deformed by intracrystalline glide on the (0 0 1)[1 0 0] slip system. In omphacite, crystallographic preferred orientations indicate slip on (1 0 0)[0 0 1] and (1 1 0)[0 0 1] during deformation. Fine‐grained garnet deformed by diffusion creep and grain‐boundary sliding. Ilmenite deformed by dislocation glide on the basal and, at higher strains, prism planes in the a direction. Relationships among the minerals present and petrological analysis indicate that deformation and metamorphism in the shear zones began at 500–650 °C and 0.5–1.4 GPa and continued during prograde metamorphism to ultra‐high‐pressure (UHP) conditions. Both products and reactants show evidence of syn‐ and post‐kinematic growth indicating that prograde reactions continued after strain was partitioned away. The restriction of post‐kinematic growth to narrow regions at the interface of garnet and plagioclase and preservation of earlier syn‐kinematic microstructures in older parts layers that were involved in reactions during deformation show that diffusion distances were significantly shortened when strain was partitioned away, demonstrating that deformation played an important role in enhancing metamorphic reactions. Two important consequences of deformation observed in these shear zones are: (i) the homogenization of chemical composition gradients occurred by mixing and grain‐boundary migration and (ii) composition changes in zoned metamorphic garnet by lengthening diffusion distances. The application of experimental flow laws to the main phases present in nearly monomineralic layers yield upper limits for stresses of 100–150 MPa and lower limits for strain rates of 10^?12 to 10^?13 s^?1 as deformation conditions for the shear zones in the Haram gabbro that were produced during subduction of the Baltica craton and resulted in the production of HP and UHP metamorphic rocks.     

Plagioclase microfabrics in a ductile shear zone from the Jotun Nappe,Norway

Gabbroic and anorthositic rocks from the Jotun Nappe are transected by small ductile shear zones in which a high-grade paragenesis and a new foliation are formed. Most plagioclase grains show evidence of plastic deformation, and have recrystallized by subgrain rotation and ‘bulge’ processes to fine-grained mylonite. During these processes a plagioclase grain-shape fabric was destroyed, and with increasing strain a pre-existing plagioclase crystal fabric was successively modified, enhanced and finally obliterated. This could be evidence of superplastic flow. Inverse pole figure analysis of the typical plagioclase crystal fabric in the shear zone indicates that (021) ⊥ 〈a〉 could be an operative slip system, and planes close to (132) could be possible slip planes.     

Transmission electron microscopic study of experimentally deformed k-feldspar single crystals

A set of sanidine single crystals were previously deformed at 700° C in a Griggs triaxial press with different crystallographic orientations of the core so as to induce dislocation glide of different slip systems respectively. Deformed crystals have been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the activated slip systems have been characterized for two orientations. (010)[001] and (001)1/2[ \(\overline 1 \) 10] systems expected for one orientation (main stress nearly parallel to [012]) are observed, whereas the (001)[100] system expected for the other orientation (main stress nearly parallel to [101]) is never observed. In the latter specimen the deformation is rather difficult and occurs through unexpected systems characterized as (110)1/2[1 \(\overline 1 \) 2] and (1 \(\overline 1 \) 1)1/2[110]. In all the samples studied the deformation is heterogeneous, exhibiting dislocation configurations related to temperature variations.     

Quartz fabric transition in a cooling syntectonic granite (Hermitage Massif,France)

The Hermitage Granite, situated in the northwest Massif Central (France) is a syntectonic Hercynian leucogranite emplaced along an active transcurrent shear zone. During emplacement and cooling, the progressive deformation is marked by the development of a primary homogeneous foliation gradually affected by ductile shear bands (C-S mylonites). Increase in strain heterogeneity during cooling corresponds to a change of dominant deformation mechanism of the quartz phase from grain growth and migration recrystallization to intracrystalline 〈a〉 slip and rotation recrystallization. Migration recrystallization is characterized by preferred orientations of c axes close to the principal extension direction. We discuss relevant deformation mechanisms and rheological implications for syntectonic plutons. In particular, we argue that the transitions between homogeneous and heterogeneous accumulation of strain cannot generally be correlated with transition between magmatic and solid-state flow.     

Deformation mechanisms in experimentally deformed plagioclase feldspars

Optical and transmission electron microscopy have been used to study the microstructures in a series of plagioclase feldspars which had been experimentally deformed in compression. The observations show that deformation takes place by three mechanisms: (1) brittle fracture, (2) twinning and (3) slip due to the generation and motion of dislocations. Optical “deformation lamellae” are shown to be due to bunches of microfractures and to walls of tangled dislocations. Twins and fractures are often intimately associated and dislocations are often generated at fracture steps or voids. Moving dislocations apparently always generate a strip of fault in the slip plane. This, together with structural considerations as well as the visibility of dislocations (under various diffracting conditions) and the orientation of the applied stress, has made it possible to determine the slip systems which have operated in the deformed specimens.     

Transition from fracturing to viscous flow in granulite facies perthitic feldspar (Lofoten,Norway)

Recrystallization of perthites in granulite facies (T = 700–730 °C, P = 0.65–0.8 GPa) shear zones in mangerite-charnockite rocks from Lofoten (Norway) is localized along intracrystalline bands parallel to fractures. Fracturing preferentially occurred along the cleavage planes (010) and (001). EBSD analysis of perthite porphyroclasts indicates a very low degree of internal misorientation (within 5°) and the lack of recovery features. Recrystallized grains show coarsening with increasing width of the bands, and chemical changes with respect to the host grains. Crystallographic orientation of the new grains does not show a host-control relation to the parent perthite grains. In summary, the microstructure and CPO data consistently indicate intragranular recrystallization by nucleation and growth from fractured grains. Perthite porphyroclasts are surrounded by a matrix of recrystallized plagioclase + K-feldspar ± amphibole ± biotite. There is extensive evidence of syndeformational nucleation of new phases and of phase boundary migration in the matrix, with plagioclase grains forming bulges and protrusions towards K-feldspar. The spatial distribution of K-feldspar and plagioclase in the recrystallized matrix is characterized by the predominance of phase boundaries over grain boundaries. All these observations are consistent with diffusion creep as the dominant deformation mechanism in the matrix, associated with grain boundary sliding. Accordingly, recrystallized plagioclase and K-feldspar show a very weak crystallographic preferred orientation, which is interpreted in terms of oriented growth during diffusion creep. Fracturing of perthites promoted extensive grain size reduction, recrystallization, fluid infiltration, and operation of grain-size sensitive creep, resulting in strain localization.     

Chemical etching of deformation sub-structures in quartz

Chemical etching of dislocations has been studied in natural and synthetic quartz single crystals, in deformed synthetic quartz and in naturally and experimentally deformed quartzites. The ability of different etchants to produce polished or preferentially etched surfaces on quartz is described. Dislocation etching was achieved on all crystal planes examined by using a saturated solution of ammonium bifluoride as the etchant. Appropriate etching times were determined for etching quartzites for grain size, subgrain boundaries, deformation lamellae, dislocations and twins. Growth and polished surfaces of synthetic single crystal quartz were similarly etched and dislocation etch pits, characteristic of various orientations were found. The use of ammonium bifluoride proved to be expecially advantageous for the basal plane, producing a polished surface with etch pits, suitable for dislocation etch pit counting. “Double” etch pits have been found on Dauphiné twin boundaries on the basal plane and the first order prism, using this etchant. Slip lines and deformation bands were suitably etched on deformed synthetic crystal surfaces for identification of the slip planes. Other acidic etchants have been explored and their application to the study of deformation structures in quartz crystals is discussed.     

High-temperature deformation in the Neoproterozoic transpressional Ribeira belt, southeast Brazil

The Neoproterozoic Ribeira belt is subdivided in two domains with contrasting tectonic characteristics. The northern domain is dominated by shallowly dipping foliations and orogen-normal thrust tectonics. The southern domain is characterized by a 1000-km-long network of anastomosing transcurrent shear zones parallel to the belt. This contrast is interpreted as reflecting continent–continent convergence that is almost orthogonal to the margins in the northern domain and significantly oblique in the southern domain. The central, transitional, domain of the Ribeira belt displays the northern termination of the transcurrent shear zone network: the Além Paraíba–Pádua shear zone system (APPSS). The 250-km-long Além Paraíba–Pádua system involves granulites facies mylonites deformed through transpression.A detailed study of the microstructure and lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of the rock-forming minerals in these granulite mylonites allow a better understanding of deformation mechanisms active at high temperature in the crust. Plagioclase crystals are plastically deformed; they display curved twins and cleavages, mechanical twins, and evidence of dynamic recrystallization. LPO of plagioclase is consistent with activation of the (010) [100] and (010) [001] slip systems. LPO of orthopyroxene and amphibole indicates that these minerals have been deformed through dislocation creep with the activation of the (100) [001] slip system. Quartz in granulite mylonite displays evidence of extensive growth through grain boundary migration. The LPO of quartz is therefore the result of a static transformation of an initial, syn-kinematic LPO, and cannot be straightforwardly interpreted in terms of deformation mechanisms active during mylonitization.     

Deformation and recrystallisation mechanisms in naturally deformed cordierite

Cordierite — (Mg,Fe)₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ — occurs as porphyroclasts within metapelitic and metavolcanic rocks from the Kemiö-Orijärvi belt, SW Finland. After crystallisation the cordierites have been deformed at temperatures between 550–825° C and pressures of 3–5 kbar. Optical microscopy reveals the following deformation-induced microstructures: a bimodal size distribution between host, 0.3 to 4.0 mm, and recrystallised (new) grains, 0.1 to 0.5 mm; the intracrystalline defect-structures of host grains yield undulatory extinction, subgrains and some twinning. Recrystallised grains are optically strain free. Grain and subgrain boundaries are generally straight and parallel to crystallographic low-index planes. Orientation distribution diagrams for host and recrystallised grains yield similar fabric diagrams, i.e. [010] perpendicular to foliation -S-, [001] and [100] parallel to S and [001] parallel to lineation -L-. The fabric diagrams indicate that [001] (010) is the dominant slip system. Transmission electron microscopy reveals straight free dislocations, glide and climb loops, minor {130} and {110} microtwins, isolated nodal points and dislocation walls. Contrast analyses yield Burgers vector b = [001] being dominant and b = [100] subordinate. Climb loops consist of 〈c〉-dislocations that are dissociated in (001) planes, glide loops are defined by [100] [010] and [001] (100). The cordierite microstructures have been interpreted to be generated by dislocation creep. The dominant recrystallisation mechanism is thought to be subgrain rotation subsequently followed by minor grain or twin-band boundary migration.     

中澳洲Florence剪切带中角闪石晶体优选定向

中澳洲Ｆｌｏｒｅｎｃｅ剪切带糜棱岩中的角闪石经晶内滑移变形而显示出良好的晶体优选定向,通过对角闪岩石组图的综合分析,并结合前人的实验资料,认识到在高温变形条件下角闪石的滑移系为（１００）（００１）。该剪切带中角闪石岩组图具不对称型是与角闪石的单一滑移系和该滑移系的初始定向状态有关,是非共轴简单剪切变形的结果,这些不对称的岩组图可用于判断剪切带的运动方向。     

红河-哀牢山剪切带角闪岩中角闪石变形特征及地震波各向异性

角闪岩作为中下地壳的重要物质组成,其岩石和矿物的变形行为及力学强度表现直接制约着中下地壳力学属性与状态,因此开展对其中重要组成矿物角闪石的变形行为和地震波各向异性研究,具有重要地质意义.以红河-哀牢山剪切带中出露的变形角闪岩中角闪石为研究对象,其中显微构造分析表明,变形角闪岩分别呈现出粗、中粒条带状糜棱岩和细粒条带状超糜棱岩.分别对这3种变形岩石中的角闪石矿物颗粒进行了EBSD晶格优选定向分析和地震波各向异性计算,结果表明3种变形角闪岩中的角闪石呈现出不同取向及典型晶质塑性变形特征,(100)[001]主要滑移系发育,同时发育不同程度的(010)[001]和(110)[001]次级滑移系.我们认为在剪切变形过程中,角闪石双晶滑移和解理面滑移共同作用致使角闪石细粒化.从粗粒到细粒条带状角闪石,随着角闪石颗粒粒度减小,角闪石中AV_p也有逐渐变小的趋势,表明角闪石变形行为、形态优选定向及晶格优选定向共同影响着地震波各向异性.     

Mechanical twinning of plagioclase in a deformed meta-anorthosite — the production of M-twinning

Mechanical twins on both the Albite and Pericline laws are well developed on an optical scale in basic plagioclase from the Harris meta-anorthosite where the rock is affected by closely spaced shear fractures associated with pseudotachylite formation. In some cases the twinning is accompanied by kinking or intracrystalline fractures. The twins may be periodic and form a ladder structure and sometimes appear to intersect on an optical scale showing structures which very closely resemble those seen in microcline.Both Albite and Pericline twins are lenticular as observed by TEM, but isolated twin tips were rarely seen. No dislocations are associated with the twin tips. The twins in the optically observed ladder structure (when thicker than 2m), have themselves a very fine secondary ladder structure, consisting of periodic (200–600 nm) lenticular twins which impinge on the perpendicular twin wall. Intersecting twins were also observed and where two sets of equally thick twins intersect, M-twinning develops as shown by selected-area diffraction.The twin formation is analyzed in terms of the plagioclase structure and a coherent model for twin nucleation proposed. True twins can develop in plagioclase only if the Al/Si distribution is unchanged or nearly so after deformation. Mechanical twinning is quite easy in low plagio-clases between An₁₀₀ and about An₃₀ which have P¯1 or I¯1 lattices or domains with I¯1-type structures. Only one kind of nucleus can develop coherently in a single crystal, but it may grow to give either an Albite or a Pericline twin. Periodic nucleation and growth give complex textures. The qualitative variation of the twin energy as a function of the obliquity is given for different twin shapes and degrees of Al/Si order. M-twinning arises mechanically by coherent growth and interference of the strain fields.     

Cordierite microstructure and texture in a moldanubian gneiss

The microstructure and texture in cordierites of a moldanubian gneiss from the Bohemian Massif has been analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and universal stage in order to get information on the deformation mechanisms and textural development of this rock-forming mineral. Deformation may have taken place at temperatures between about 500° C and 630° C and pressures smaller than about 3 kb. The elongated cordierite xenoblasts show a typical dislocation creep microstructure consisting of subgrain boundaries and free dislocations. The dislocations have [001], [010] and 1/2<110> Burgers vectors. [001] dislocations often have pure screw and edge character the latter type being climb-dissociated on (001). Among the dislocations reactions are common. The main subgrain boundaries observed are (010)[001], {110}[001] and (001)[010] tilt boundaries. Burgers vectors and dislocation line directions reveal (100)[001], (010)[001], (100)[010], {110} 1/2<110> and (001)1/2<110> as activated slip systems. The crystallographic preferred orientation (here referred to as texture) consists of a [001] maximum in the foliation parallel to the mineral lineation. [100] and [010] maxima are perpendicular to it within and normal to the foliation, respectively, with a girdle tendency normal to the lineation. The texture may be explained by simple shear deformation on the {hkO}[001] slip systems with preference of (010)[001].     

Deformation und Umwandlung von Plagioklas durch Stoßwellen in den Gesteinen des Nördlinger Ries

Plagioclase from fragments of crystalline basement rocks in breccias found in the area of the Nördlinger Ries crater displays characteristic plastic deformation and phase transition phenomena due to shock metamorphism at different pressures in the range of 100 to 1000 kilobars.These phenomena are discussed in the scope of a progressive impact metamorphism the degree of metamorphism reflecting a radial gradient of pressure and temperature diminishing outward from the point of meteorite impact.Within the lowest pressure range of about 100 to 300 kilobars (shock stage I) strong fracturing and plastic deformation such as bending of crystals, deformation bands and planar features (lamellae of lowered refractive index and of lowered or no birefringence) are to be found. The lamellae which are mostly isotropic, are interpreted as slip bands the glide planes of which are low indices planes of the plagioclase lattice such as (001), (010), (100), (1¯20), (130) and others. These slip bands are unknown from feldspar formed by normal processes within the earth's crust. Plagioclase of such a stage of deformation shows an unusual strong decrease of refraction and birefringence. Its optical properties are those of a highly disordered plagioclase. It may be called diaplectic plagioclase.Total isotropization of plagioclase is a typical feature of the pressure range from 300 to 500 kilobars (shock stage II). This glass which is called diaplectic glass differs strongly from the normal glass in physical properties and structural state. It is formed by a kind of solid state transformation without actual melting.Shock pressures in the order of 500 to 650 kilobars (shock stage III) are able to cause selective melting of plagioclase grains in a crystalline rock. Normal glasses with vesicles and streaks are formed by this process.Within the pressure range of about 650 to 1000 kilobars (shock stage IV) residual temperatures are so high that total melting of rocks occurs. Plagioclase melts are mixed inhomogenously with other silicate melts forming rock melts which can be found in suevite as flat glassy bombs. Vaporization of silicates must be expected in the upper pressure range of this shock stage.Statistical universal stage measurements on the fabric of plagioclase support theoretical considerations after which the deformation pattern of a single crystal should depend on the fabric relations to the surrounding minerals and on their physical properties. Strongly inhomogenous deformation of plagioclase minerals within the microscopic rock scale was observed because polycrystalline rocks are disorganizing a unique shock front by interaction of wave fronts at interfaces and free surfaces and perhaps by multiwave shocks. Directions of compressive and tensile stresses on a mineral are therefore changing from grain to grain.