Petrology of the Caribou Mountain Pluton, Klamath Mountains, California

The Caribou Mountain pluton is a small trondhjemitic body thatintruded semipelitic schist of the Stuart Fork terrane in lateMiddle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time. Its emplacement followedthe intrusion of an adjoining body of hornblende quartz dioritecalled the Middle Fork pluton and the mode of its emplacementwas as an asymmetric ballooning diapir (Davis, 1963), as shownby concentric foliation, radial late-stage dikes, foliated enclaves,and folded blocks of schlieren-banded tonalite. Coarse-grainedhornblende-bearing trondhjemite is the dominant rock type inthe Caribou Mountain pluton, and it is called the ‘maintrondhjemite’. It was followed by medium-grained ‘latetrondhjemite’ and by late-stage trondhjemitic and granodioriticdikes. All the trondhjemitic rock types are characterized bylow alkali contents, high light rare earth elements, low initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and low ¹⁸O. However, the late trondhjemite has higherNa₂O and a higher initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr value than the main trondhjemite,and the two units cannot be related by fractional crystallization.The late granodioritic dikes are richer in Ba, Rb, Y, and Scthan the late trondhjemite and probably reflect assimilationof Stuart Fork metasedimentary rocks by late-stage trondhjemiticmagma. Mafic enclaves in the main trondhjemite contain xenocrysts ofquartz and plagioclase derived from the host by magma mixing.The enclaves have K₂O, Ba, and Rb contents similar to, or higherthan those of the host rocks. Their rare earth element (REE)patterns display strong middle REE enrichment caused by accumulationof hornblende, probably as the result of filter pressing. The main trondhjemite cannot be derived from Middle Fork magmabecause the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of the Middle Fork pluton is lowerthan that of the trondhjemite. The absence of parental maficmagmas of appropriate composition suggests that the CaribouMountain trondhjemitic magmas formed by partial melting of anamphibolitic source rock compositionally similar to low-K tholeiite.     

Metamorphism of an ophiolitic tectonic mélange, northern California Klamath Mountains, USA

ABSTRACT Mineral assemblages in pelitic, mafic, calcareous and ultramafic rocks within a metamorphosed tectonic mélange indicate that the Marble Mountain terrane and adjacent Western Hayfork subterrane (northern California) underwent regional low- to medium-pressure amphibolite facies metamorphism. Metamorphic conditions estimated by comparison of observed assemblages with experimentally-determined reaction boundaries and by geothermometry constrain metamorphic temperatures between about 500° and 570°C. The occurrence of andalusite in regionally metamorphosed pelites indicates pressures below about 370 MPa. Metabasite amphibole compositions also suggest low to intermediate metamorphic pressures. Metaserpentinites containing the upper amphibolite facies assemblage (olivine + enstatite + anthophyllite) are found locally within the study area and have been reported previously by other workers elsewhere in the Marble Mountain terrane. These assemblages may reflect higher temperatures of recrystallization than assemblages in surrounding rocks and may represent vestiges of an earlier high-temperature metamorphic event undergone by the ultramafic rocks prior to incorporation in the mélange. Although the age of the low- to intermediate-pressure metamorphism is poorly constrained, cross-cutting plutons indicate that metamorphism must be older than about 162 Ma. Therefore this regional metamorphic event, which probably marks the accretion of these terranes to the North American continental margin, is older than the currently accepted 151–147 Ma age of the Nevadan event in the Klamath Mountains. The inferred low to intermediate pressures of metamorphism and the lithologies of the protoliths suggest a near-arc tectonic setting and refute a subduction zone model for this event.     

Evaluation of the Crystallization Conditions for the Calcalkaline Russian Peak Intrusive Complex, Klamath Mountains, Northern California

The mid-Jurassic calcalkaline Russian Peak intrusive complex,located in the Klamath Mountains of northern California, consistsof an elliptical peridotite-to-quartz diorite suite intrudedby two plutons of granodiorite. Several techniques were usedto decipher the crystallization conditions for ultramafic rocks,quartz diorite, and granodiorite, including comparison of parageneseswith crystallization experiments, application of geothermometersand barometers, and evaluation of phase equilibria. Contactmetamorphic assemblages, hornblende barometry, and amphibolesubstitution schemes indicate that pressures of intrusion were{small tilde}3 kbar. Plagioclase and pyroxene thermometry indicateintrusion temperatures of {small tilde}1000C for quartz dioriteand 900C for granodiorite. Phase equilibrium analysis for thereaction phlogopite+quartz=K-feldspar+enstatite+H₂O, coupledwith an estimate of the water-saturated quartz diorite solidus,suggests that the solidus of two-pyroxene quartz diorite wasat {small tilde}780C with a mole fraction of water of {smalltilde}0•55. The composition of granodiorite is very similarto that used in several crystallization experiments and indicatesa solidus of 70025C. Estimates of oxygen fugacity, obtainedfrom equilibrium relations of olivine, orthopyroxene, and spinelin ultramafic rocks, magnetite and ilmenite in quartz diorite,and magnetite, K-feldspar, and biotite in quartz diorite andgranodiorite are 2•1–2•5 and 1•0–1•3log units above the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) buffer forgranodiorite and quartz diorite at their respective solidustemperatures; and 1•0–4•0 log units above QFMfor ultramafic rocks and quartz diorite at subsolidus temperatures.Thus, the quartz diorite magma was hotter, drier, and slightlyreduced relative to the grandiorite magma, differences thatset important constraints on the genesis of the Russian Peakmagmas. These results also indicate that quartz diorite wasundersaturated with respect to H₂O as it reached its solidus,a condition that is consistent with the absence of deutericalteration in this unit. In contrast, granodiorite shows extensivedeuteric alteration and features pegmatites, quartz pods, andradial dikes as might be expected for H₂O-saturated conditions. Although calcalkaline plutonic complexes present serious difficultiesin estimating the intensive parameters of crystallization, judiciousapplication of appropriate methods may result in the successfulevaluation of the conditions of crystallization of such complexes.     

Cryptic tectonic domains of the Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon

Numerous fragments of oceanic crust and island arcs make up the Klamath Mountains province. These fragments were joined together (amalgamated) in an oceanic setting during Paleozoic and Mesozoic collisional events and were accreted to North America as a composite unit during latest Jurassic or earliest Cretaceous time. The roughly arcuate and concentric distribution of the terranes of the Klamath Mountains does not now seem to be a result of simple oroclinal bending as earlier believed. Although commonly described as a west-facing arcuate structure, the province is cut diagonally by a vaguely defined NW-trending zone of discontinuity, or hinge line, that divides the province into NE and SW tectonic domains. The zone of discontinuity is marked by a number of lithic and structural anomalies, and particularly by the distribution of a remarkable series of belts of plutonic rocks. The terranes, regional structures, and plutonic belts of the NE domain trend NE and are generally wider and more coherent than the narrow NW-trending terranes and plutonic belts of the SW domain. Most plutonic belts of the NE domain do not have equivalents in the SW domain. Paleomagnetic evidence suggests that all the plutonic belts, except possibly the youngest (the earliest Cretaceous Shasta Bally belt), were emplaced before the Klamath Mountains terranes finally accreted to North America.     

Metamorphism, geochemistry and origin of magnesian volcanic rocks, Klamath Mountains, California

Metabasaltic rocks in the Klamath Mountains of California with ‘komatiitic’ major element concentrations were investigated in order to elucidate the origin of the magnesian signature. Trace-element concentrations preserve relict igneous trends and suggest that the rocks are not komatitic basalts, but immature arc rocks and within-plate alkalic lavas. Correlation of ‘excess’ MgO with the volume per cent hornblende (±clinopyroxene) suggests that the presence of cumulus phases contributes to the MgO-rich compositions. Early submarine alteration produced regional δ¹⁸O values of +10±1.5%_° and shifts in Al₂O₃, Na₂O, and K₂O concentrations. Regional metamorphic grade in the study area varies from biotite-zone greenschist facies (350–550°C, c. 3 kbar) southward to prehnite–actinolite facies (200–400°C, ≤3 kbar), but little isotopic or elemental change occurred during the regional recrystallization. The greenschist facies assemblage is actinolitic hornblende + phengite + epidote + sodic plagioclase + microcline + chlorite + titanite + hematite + quartz in Ti-poor metabasaltic rocks; in addition to these phases biotite is present in Ti-rich analogues. Lower grade greenstones contain prehnite and more nearly stoichiometric actinolite. The moderate to low pressures of regional metamorphism are compatible with P–T conditions in a magmatic arc. Later contact metamorphism at 2–2.9±0.5 kbar and at peak temperatures approaching 600° C around the English Peak and Russian Peak granodiorites produced 3–4–km-wide aureoles typified by gradual, systematic increases in the pargasite content of amphibole, muscovite content of potassic white mica, and anorthite content of plagioclase compositions. Metasomatism during contact metamorphism produced further increases in bulk-rock δ¹⁸O_SMOW of as much as +6%_°. Thus, the unusually MgO-rich nature of the Sawyers Bar rocks may be attributed at least partly to metasomatism and the presence of magnesian cumulus phases.     

Geochemistry and Intrusive History of the Ashland Pluton, Klamath Mountains, California and Oregon

The Ashland pluton is a calc-alkaline plutonic complex thatintruded the western Paleozoic and Triassic belt of the KlamathMountains in late Middle Jurassic time. The pluton comprisesa series of compositionally distinct magma pulses. The oldestrocks are hornblende gabbro and two-pyroxene quartz gabbro withinitial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0{dot}7044, ¹⁸O = 8{dot}7%, and REE patternswith chondrite normalized La/Lu = 7. These units were followedby a suite of tonalitic rocks (La_N/Lu_N = 7) and then by a suiteof K₂O- and P₂O₅ rocks of quartz monzodioritic affinity (La_N/Lu_N= 13–21; La_N/Sm_N = 2{dot}4–3{dot}) The quartz monzodioriticrocks were then intruded by biotite granodiorite and granitewith lower REE abundances but more fractionated LREE(La_N/Lu_N= 13–19; La_N/Sm_N = 4{dot}3–6 and they, in turn,were host to dikes and bosses of hornblende diorite. The latestintrusive activity consisted of aplitic and granitic dikes.Combined phase equilibria and mineral composition data, indicateemplacement conditions of approximately P_total = 2{dot}3kb,P_H2O between 1{dot}5 and 2{dot}2 kb, and f_O2 between the nickel-nickeloxide and hematite-magnetite buffers. Successive pulses of magma display increasing SiO₂ togetherwith increasing ¹⁸O and decreasing initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. The isotopicdata are consistent with either (1) combined fractional crystallizationof andesitic magma and concurrent assimilation of crustal materialcharacterized by low Sr₁ and high (¹⁸O or, more probably, (2)a series of partial melting events in which sources were successivelyless radiogenic but richer in ¹⁸O Each intrusive stage displaysevidence for some degree of crystal accumulation and/or fractionalcrystallization but neither process adequately accounts fortheir compositional differences. Consequently, each stage appearsto represent a distinct partial melting or assimilation event. The P₂O₅-rich nature of the quartz monzodiorite suite suggestsaccumulation of apatite. However, the suite contains abundantmafic microgranitoid enclaves and most apatite in the suiteis acicular. These observations suggest that magma mixing affectedthe compositional variation of the quartz monzodiorite suite.Mass balance calculations are consistent with a simple mixingprocess in which P₂O₅-rich alkalic basalt magma (representedby the mafic microgranitoid enclaves) was combined with a crystal-poorfelsic magma (represented by the tonalite suite), yielding aquartz monzodioritic magma that then underwent differentiationby crystal fractionation and accumulation.     

Deformation and Metamorphism of the Marble Mountain and Pony Camp Areas,Western Triassic and Paleozoic Belt,Central Klamath Mountains,Northwestern California

The Western Triassic and Paleozoic belt (WTrPz) is a regionally extensive, composite terrane correlative with Cache Creek-affinity rocks, a major crust-forming lithotectonic entity of the North American Cordillera. New structural, stratigraphic, and petrologic data suggest that a large tract of greenschist to amphibolite-grade metavolcanic and metasedimentary rock, previously considered to consist of several separate oceanic terranes, is, instead, a single fault-bounded, volcanic island arc, the Sawyers Bar terrane. It represents a mid-Jurassic, relatively intact, recrystallized nappe complex 5 to 10 km thick, extending over 100 km along strike in the central Klamaths. Protoliths of the complex are interpreted to be Lower Triassic (?) to mid-Jurassic supracrustal, volcanic arc-related units deposited, deformed, and metamorphosed within a suprasubduction zone adjacent to the continental margin. Metamorphism increases monotonically with depth in the nappe, ranging from prehnite-pumpellyite to lower greenschist-grade in the Pony Camp area on the south, through greenschist-grade in the medial Sawyers Bar area, to low-pressure amphibolite-grade metamorphism in the Marble Mountains on the north. The Pony Camp area generally lacks penetrative deformation. In the Marble Mountains, peak metamorphism largely postdates intense deformation; nevertheless, folding of fabrics and brittle deformation are common.

The complex is bounded by low-angle, W-vergent, crustal-scale, mid-Jurassic thrusts. The Soap Creek Ridge fault juxtaposes Stuart Fork blueschists over the Sawyers Bar complex. The lower thrust is not definitely established, but must be situated beneath tectonic levels postulated by earlier workers. It may coincide with the previously unrecognized brittle-plastic Isinglass shear zone in the Marble Mountains, and a poorly exposed, unnamed low-angle fault in the Virgin Buttes region west of Pony Camp. In this area, mapping indicates that the Twin Sisters fault is a relatively minor high-angle break within the WTrPz, rather than being a crustal-scale terrane suture. Synmagmatic, brittle extensional faults are common, as are syn and postmetamorphic, regionally extensive, high-angle faults that internally imbricate the WTrPz; the latter are marked by sheared serpentinite. Folds within the Sawyers Bar nappe complex are NE to NW-trending and W-vergent. Structural evidence suggests that W-vergent thrusting, E-W contraction, regional Siskiyou metamorphism, penetrative deformation, and crustal thickening occurred at ～170 to 165 Ma, and preceded voluminous 167 to 162 Ma calc-alkaline plutonism. In the study areas, waning stages of Siskiyou deformation were characterized by thermal relaxation, uplift, extension, crustal thinning, and E-directed tectonic transport. Nevadan age contraction (155 to 150 Ma), prevalent to the west at lower structural levels of the WTrPz, is not recognized in the Sawyers Bar nappe; however, regionally developed open folding of Siskiyou metamorphic fabrics and rare superposed folding and axial-plane cleavage development in the Marble Mountains may reflect a Nevadan event. Brittle deformation that clearly post-dates Siskiyou folding is younger than 150 Ma, but is older than ～130 Ma, the age of the oldest marine strata that overlie the Klamath province regionally. Kinematic evidence from the eastern Marble Mountains suggests sinistral transtension of possibly latest Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age. Late-stage brittle deformation is permissibly Cenozoic; the Sawyers Bar thrust sheet was tilted a maximum of 30° to the south along the flanks of the Condrey Mountain dome during Cenozoic uplift.

The Sawyers Bar nappe complex is similar to other composite terranes in Phanerozoic convergent suture zones throughout the world. Like the Klamath Mountains, these areas also may represent different exposure levels within a single fault-bounded entity rather than an amalgam of disparate terranes.     

Pre-Middle Jurassic accretionary metamorphism in the southern Klamath Mountains of northern California, USA

Abstract High- P/T metamorphic parageneses are preserved within two late Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic assemblages of the southern Klamath Mountains that show contrasting structural styles and mineral parageneses reflecting formation in different parts of a subduction-zone regime. Blueschist facies tectonites of the Stuart Fork terrane represent a coherent subduction complex formed at relatively deep crustal levels, whereas the chaotic metasedimentary mélange of the eastern Hayfork terrane contains a diverse range of metamorphic parageneses reflecting complex structural mixing of metamorphic components at shallower levels. The convergent-margin-type accretionary metamorphism evident in both terranes pre-dates Middle Jurassic low- P/T metamorphism resulting from regional tectonic contraction and magmatism.
The epidote- to lawsonite-zone Stuart Fork blueschists (and eclogites locally) formed at pressures of about 6-11 kbar and temperatures of 250-400° C. Deformed matrix material of the eastern Hayfork mélange formed at similar temperatures but lower pressures, on the order of 3-6 kbar. The mélange contains a diverse assemblage of tectonic blocks that formed under a range of P-T conditions, including those of the blueschist, pumpellyite-actinolite, greenschist and upper greenschist to amphibolite facies.
The succession of mineral parageneses and inferred P-T conditions of the eastern Hayfork blocks reflect those of igneous protolith formation, structural mixing, subduction-zone metamorphism, olistolith transport, and tectonic and erosional denudation. Although temporal relations are not well constrained, the evolution of these terranes is consistent with formation within a single convergent-margin system.     

Eolian deposits in the Neoproterozoic Big Bear Group,San Bernardino Mountains,California, USA

Strata interpreted to be eolian are recognized in the Neoproterozoic Big Bear Group in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, USA. The strata consist of medium- to large-scale (30 cm to > 6 m) cross-stratified quartzite considered to be eolian dune deposits and interstratified thinly laminated quartzite that are problematically interpreted as either eolian translatent climbing ripple laminae, or as tidal-flat deposits. High index ripples and adhesion structures considered to be eolian are associated with the thinly laminated and cross-stratified strata. The eolian strata are in a succession that is characterized by flaser bedding, aqueous ripple marks, mudcracks, and interstratified small-scale cross-strata that are suggestive of a tidal environment containing local fluvial deposits. The eolian strata may have formed in a near-shore environment inland of a tidal flat.The Neoproterozoic Big Bear Group is unusual in the western United States and may represent a remnant of strata that were originally more widespread and part of the hypothetical Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia. The Big Bear Group perhaps is preserved only in blocks that were downdropped along Neoproterozoic extensional faults. The eolian deposits of the Big Bear Group may have been deposited during arid conditions that preceded worldwide glacial events in the late Neoproterozoic. Possibly similar pre-glacial arid events are recognized in northern Mexico, northeast Washington, Australia, and northwest Canada.     

Chemically Distinct Mafic Dike/Sill Sequences of Contrasting Age Ranges, Sawyers Bar Area, Central Klamath Mountains, Northern California

Mafic hypabyssal rocks in the western Triassic and Paleozoicbelt provide important clues to the nature of accretion andarc evolution along this sector of the North American margin.In the east-central part of the belt, near Sawyers Bar, somediabases have been metamorphosed before and accompanying emplacementof the mid-Jurassic English Peak and Russian Peak granitoidswithin the North Fork/Salmon River + Stuart Fork amalgamatedterrane. Certain other dikes/sills, chiefly mafic microdiorites,cut the calc-alkaline plutons but are themselves deutericallyaltered; at least two of these mafic microdiorites near theEnglish Peak body possess hornfelsic textures. Thus, althoughmost mafic microdioritic hypabyssals seem to have been injectedafter granitoid emplacement, a few must have preceded plutonicintrusion. Macroscopic appearances, phase assemblages, mineralcompositions, and textures of the mafic microdioritic and metadiabasicdikes/sills are sufficiently alike to preclude the ready fieldand petrographic distinction of the different magma series.Bulk-rock chemistries fall into two groups, however, with slightlymore porphyritic, altered, synplutonic mafic microdiorite samplesbeing distinctly richer in Si, K, P, Rb, Sr, Zr, and light rareearth elements (LREE) relative to the Mg + Cr + Ni-rich, preplutonicmetadiabases. Analyzed mafic microdiorites have bulk-rock chemicaland isotopic compositions similar to the more ferromagnesianportions of the mid-Jurassic English Peak and Russian Peak plutoniccomplexes, whereas the metadiabases are comparable with theearly Mesozoic Salmon River metabasalts. Although the two groupsof dikes/sills probably overlap in age of emplacement, the maficmicrodiorite group is predominantly younger and uniform in oxygenisotopic composition (bulk-rock ¹⁸O 11•37, 11•4 and11•46) compared with the older, more intensely metamorphosed,and variably metasomatized Salmon River metadiabases (bulk-rock5¹⁸ 9•4, 11•0, and 15•3). Both types of maficdike/sill locally intrude the more easterly Stuart Fork terrane.Therefore, suturing and regional metamorphism of the outboardNorth Fork/Salmon River oceanic-island arc and inboard StuartFork subduction complex must have occurred during terminal stagesof injection of the pregranitoid diabases into the North Fork(oceanic-island basalts)/Salmon River (island-arc tholeiites)arc + Stuart Fork terrane, but before invasion of the amalgamatedterrane assembly by the calc-alkaline plutons and most compositionallyrelated synplutonic mafic microdiorite dikes/sills. Becauseof their lateral continuation both north and south of the SawyersBar area, the North Fork/Salmon River igneous suite documentsthe construction of an oceanic arc of considerable lateral extentin the central Klamaths before terrane accretion. Suturing wasimmediately followed by the mid-Jurassic intrusion of calc-alkalineplutons + syngranitoid mafic microdioritic hypabyssals.     

The Ballachulish Igneous Complex, Scotland: Petrography, Mineral Chemistry, and Order of Crystallization in the Monzodiorite-Quartz Diorite Suite and in the Granite

The igneous complex of Ballachulish is a composite calc-alkalinepluton of Caledonian age (412 ? 28 Ma), emplaced in Dalradianmetasediments at a pressure of 3 ? 0–5 kb (c. 10 km depth).The 4 by 7 km intrusion is composed of a zoned monzodiorite-quartzdiorite envelope with a distinct flowand deformation-foliation,surrounding a younger core of porphyritic granite. Two-pyroxene thermometry, Fe-Ti oxide thermobarometry, and stabilityrelationships of ternary feldspars, biotite, and amphibolesare used to calibrate the 3 kb isobaric crystallization sequencewith respect to the following parameters: the fractionationstage of the host rocks, the water content of the magmas, phasecompositions, and oxygen fugacity. Plagioclase, augite, andoxides generally yielded submagmatic temperatures due to theextensive recrystallization and re-equilibration of these phasesin the 900–l550?C subsolidus range. The ‘dry’monzodiorites apparently contained less than 1 wt. % initialmagmatic water, and remained H₂O-deficient and vapor-absentthroughout their entire crystallization range. In contrast,2.5–3 wt.% initial H₂O is estimated for the more fractionatedquartz diorites and the younger granites. The main crystallizationinterval for Opx–Cpx–Plg primocrysts in the dioritescovers c. 1100–950?C. Late-magmatic biotite and alkalifeldspar join the paragenetic sequence below 980?860?C, at fO₂near NNO. A solidus temperature of c. 900?C is inferred forthis ‘dry’ system, in which amphiboles are entirelysubsolidus. At the present level of emplacement, crystallizationintervals of {small tilde} 1050–690?C and{small tilde}900–680?C are suggested for the quartz diorites and thegranites, which probably terminated crystallization in the presenceof a hydrous fluid.     

The Grayback Pluton: Magmatism in a Jurassic Back-Arc Environment, Klamath Mountains, Oregon

The Jurassic Grayback pluton was emplaced in a back-arc settingbehind a contemporaneous oceanic arc. Th\alphae main stage ofthe pluton consists of an early, reversely zoned tonalite togabbro that was intruded by synplutonic noritic and gabbroicmagmas. Late-stage activity was characterized by intrusion oftonalitic and granitic dikes, many of which contain mafic enclavesand hybrid zones. Most mafic rocks in the pluton are calc-alkaline,with characteristic magnesian clinopyroxene, calcic cores inplagioclase, and elemental abundances similar to H₂O-rich arcbasalts. However, some mafic rocks contain relatively Fe-richclinopyroxene, lack calcic cores in plagioclase, and are compositionallysimilar to evolved high-alumina tholeiite. Compositional variation in the main stage can be modeled inpart by fractional crystallization and crusted assimilationduring which parental calc-alkaline basalt evolved to graniticcompositions. Cumulates related to this process are representedby modally variable melagabbro and pyroxenite. Mixing of basalticand tonalitic magmas accounts for the compositions of most main-stageintermediate rocks, but mixing of basaltic and granitic magmaswas uncommon until late in the pluton's history. Oxygen, Sr and Nd isotopic data indicate that virtually allmain-stage magmas in the pluton contain a crustal component.Isotopic and trace element data further suggest that late-stagetonalitic dikes represent melts derived from older, metavolcanicarc crust Deep crustal contamination of main-stage rocks tookplace below the level of emplacement, probably in a magma-richzone where basalts ponded and mixed with crustal melts. The Grayback pluton illustrates the diversity of Jurassic back-arcmagmatism in the Klamath province and demonstrates that ancientmagmatism with arc-like features need not be situated in anarc setting. KEY WORDS: Grayback Pluton; Klamath Mountains; Oregon; back arc; crustal contamination ^*Corresponding author     

Metamorphic evolution of the Central Metamorphic Belt, Klamath Province, California: an inverted metamorphic gradient beneath the Trinity peridotite

ABSTRACT Metabasalts and metasedimentary rocks of the Devonian Central Metamorphic Belt comprise the lower plate of the east-dipping Trinity thrust system in the Klamath province. An inverted metamorphic gradient is preserved in the Central Metamorphic Belt; metamorphic conditions decrease from amphibolite facies adjacent to the Trinity thrust, through albite-epidote amphibolite facies, to upper greenschist facies at the base of the Central Metamorphic Belt. Mineral chemistry, mineral assemblages and limited geothermometry suggest that peak metamorphic conditions decrease structurally downward from 650 ± 50° C at the Trinity thrust to 500 ± 50° C at the base of the Central Metamorphic Belt, under pressures of 5 ± 3 kbar. Synmetamorphic Ab + Qtz veins, up to 1 m thick, increase in abundance towards the Trinity thrust. Infiltration of H₂O-CO₂ fluids derived from prograde devolatilization reactions in the Central Metamorphic Belt caused extensive hydration and metasomatism of the Trinity peridotite; the hanging wall block of the Trinity thrust zone. Geological relationships and the preserved inverted metamorphic gradient suggest that the Central Metamorphic Belt formed in an east-dipping Devonian subduction zone in an oceanic environment. The Central Metamorphic Belt appears to represent a discrete slice of accreted oceanic crust several km thick, rather than progressively accreted material. Metamorphic pressures recorded by the Central Metamorphic Belt are intermediate between the ∼2 kbar pressures recorded in dynamothermal aureoles beneath obducted ophiolites and the 7–10 kbar preserved in subduction-related inverted metamorphic gradients. The lack of blueschist facies mineral assemblages in the Central Metamorphic Belt may possibly be explained by an anomalously warm geotherm prior to subduction or early shear heating prior to the arrival of wet rocks at depth.     

Petrology of an Andalusite-Type Regional Metamorphic Terrane, Panamint Mountains, California

The terrane in the Panamint Mountains, California, was regionallymetamorphosed under low-pressure conditions and subsequentlyunderwent retrograde metamorphism. Prograde metamorphic isogradsthat mark the stability of tremolite + calcite, diopside, andsillimanite indicate a westward increase in grade. The studywas undertaken to determine the effects of the addition of Caon the types of assemblages that may occur in pelitic schists,to contribute to the understanding of the stability limits inP – T – aH₂O – X_Fe of the pelitic assemblagechlorite + muscovite + quartz, and to estimate the change inenvironment from prograde to retrograde metamorphism. Peliticassemblages are characterized by andalusite + biotite + stauroliteand andalusite + biotite + cordierite. Within a small changein grade, chlorite breaks down over nearly the entire rangein Mg/(Mg + Fe) to biotite + aluminous mineral. Chlorite withMg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.55 is stable to the highest grade, and thegeneralized terminal reaction is chlorite + muscovite + quartz= andalusite + biotite + cordierite + H₂O. Calcic schists arecharacterized by the assemblage epidote + muscovite + quartz+ chlorite + actinolite + biotite + calcite + plagioclase atlow grades and by epidote + muscovite + quartz + garnet + hornblende+ biotite + calcite + plagioclase at high grades. Epidote doesnot coexist with any AFM phase that is more aluminous than garnetor chlorite. Lithostatic pressure ranged from 2.3 kb to 3.0kb. During prograde-metamorphism temperatures ranged from lessthan 400° to nearly 700°C, and X_H2O (assuming P_H2O +P_CO3 = P_total) is estimated to be 0.25 in siliceous dolomite,0.8 in pelitic schist, and 1.0 in calcic schist. Temperatureduring retrograde metamorphism was 450° ± 50°C,and all fluid were H₂O-rich. A flux of H₂O-rich fluid duringfolding is believed to have caused retrograde metamorphism.The petrogenetic grid of Albee (1965b) is modified to positionthe (A, Cd) invariant point relative to the aluminosilicatetriple point, which allows the comparison of facies series thatinvolve different chloritoid-reactions.     

A Complex Petrogenesis for an Arc Magmatic Suite, St Kitts, Lesser Antilles

St Kitts forms one of the northern group of volcanic islandsin the Lesser Antilles arc. Eruptive products from the Mt Liamuigacentre are predominantly olivine + hypersthene-normative, low-Kbasalts through basaltic andesites to quartz-normative, low-Kandesites. Higher-Al and lower-Al groups can be distinguishedin the suite. Mineral assemblages include olivine, clinopyroxene,orthopyroxene, plagioclase and titanomagnetite with rarer amphibole,ilmenite and apatite. Eruptive temperatures of the andesitesare estimated as 963–950°C at fO₂ NNO + 1 (whereNNO is the nickel–nickel oxide buffer). Field and mineralchemical data provide evidence for magma mixing. Glass (melt)inclusions in the phenocrysts range in composition from andesiteto high-silica rhyolite. Compositional variations are broadlyconsistent with the evolution of more evolved magmas by crystalfractionation of basaltic parental magmas. The absence of anycovariation between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr or ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd and SiO₂ rulesout assimilation of older silicic crust. However, positive correlationsbetween Ba/La, La/Sm and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and between ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pband SiO₂ are consistent with assimilation of small amounts (<10%)of biogenic sediments. Trace element and Sr–Nd–Pbisotope data suggest derivation from a normal mid-ocean ridgebasalt (N-MORB)-type mantle source metasomatized by subductedsediment or sediment melt and fluid. The eruptive rocks arecharacterized by ²³⁸U excesses that indicate that fluid additionof U occurred <350 kyr ago; U–Th isotope data for mineralseparates are dominated by melt inclusions but would allow crystallizationages of 13–68 ka. However, plagioclase is consistentlydisplaced above these ‘isochrons’, with apparentages of 39–236 ka, and plagioclase crystal size distributionsare concave-upwards. These observations suggest that mixingprocesses are important. The presence of ²²⁶Ra excesses in twosamples indicates some fluid addition <8 kyr ago and thatthe magma residence times must also have been less than 8 kyr. KEY WORDS: Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes; U-series isotopes; crystal size distribution; petrogenesis     

Serpentinization and infiltration metasomatism in the Trinity peridotite,Klamath province,northern California: implications for subduction zones

The Trinity peridotite was emplaced over metabasalts and metasedimentary rocks of the central metamorphic belt along the Devonian Trinity thrust zone. Three metamorphic events can be recognized in the Trinity peridotite: (1) antigorite (D= –63 to –65%.) formation related to regional underthrusting of the central metamorphic belt; (2) contact metamorphism associated with Mesozoic dioritic plutons; and (3) late-stage formation of lizardite ± brucite and chrysotile (D= –127 to –175%.) due to infiltration of meteoric waters. Abundant relict phases indicate incomplete reactions and strongly suggest that the availability of H₂O was a controlling factor during serpentinization.Antigorite (event 1) formed as a result of infiltration into the Trinity peridotite of mixed H₂O-CO₂ fluids derived from the underlying central metamorphic belt. Foliation defined by magnetite veins and shear zones within antigorite serpentinites are subparallel to the Trinity thrust. The assemblage Fo + Atg + Chl + Mag ± Tr ± Carb reflects partial hydration of peridotite at 425–570° C. Talc-rich serpentinite formed along the thrust as a result of the infiltration of silica-bearing fluids. Metasomatic mass-balance calculations based on silica solubilities and the extent of antigorite serpentinization suggest that 80–175 volumes of fluid have passed through a given volume of original peridotite at the Trinity thrust.The Trinity thrust probably represents a Devonian subduction zone. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that hydration reactions account for 30–35% of the total heat released by the cooling Trinity peridotite. By analogy, similar hydration reactions are to be expected in the overlying mantle wedge of a subduction zone which act to retard cooling of the hanging wall, just as dehydration reactions delay heating of the downgoing slab. Metasomatic zones formed in peridotite at the Trinity thrust may reflect similar metasomatic processes to those proposed to occur in the mantle wedge above a subducting slab.     

Geochemistry of an Island-Arc Plutonic Suite: the Uasilau-Yau Yau Intrusive Complex, New Britain, P.N.G

In the Uasilau-Yau Yau intrusive complex of central New Britain,Papua New Guinea, there is a compositional continuum in intrusiverock-types from gabbro to granodiorite and K-Ar mineral agesof the most mafic and most felsic components are not significantlydifferent (29?0.6 Ma versus 28.3?0.5 Ma, respectively). Tonaliteporphyry, the progenitor of porphyry copper mineralization inthe complex, represents a significantly younger intrusive eventat 24 Ma. Relatively calcic (An_95—50) plagioclase coresand salite to augite composition clinopyroxene are texturallyearly phases in the intrusive rocks. The main mafic mineral,calcic amphibole, generally has corroded clinopyroxene coresand may, like biotite, K-feldspar and quartz, generally be alate-stage, not a primary liquidus phase. Petrographic featuresindicate that the mafic minerals in the plutonic rocks crystallizedfrom melt, rather than being restite phases. The intrusive rocks cover an extensive silica range (45–75wt. per cent), do not exhibit simple straight-line variationon Harker diagrams for many elements (e.g. TiO₂, FeO, P₂O₅ andSr), and most are relatively depleted in incompatible traceelements (Rb, Zr, and REE). Major and trace element modellingsupports derivation of the complex by shallow level fractionalcrystallization dominated by removal of the phases calcic plagioclase,clinopyroxene, and magnetite from a parental magma closely resemblingrecent basaltic rocks in New Britain. The fact that the plutonicrocks are almost chemically indistinguishable from late Cainozoiccalc-alkaline volcanic rocks of New Britain supports fractionalcrystallization as a viable mechanism for generating these island-arcvolcanic rocks and indicates an analogous origin for the initialmagma. Granites, such as those of the Uasilau-Yau Yau intrusive complex,which are probably generated by partial melting of subductedoceanic crust or the overlying mantle, may be termed mantleor M-type granites. Documentation of the characteristics ofM-type versus normal I-type granites may enable the recognitionof M-type plutonic rocks in older, possibly more deeply erodedgeologic terrains. This would, by analogy to their volcanicequivalents, be very helpful in tectonic interpretations. Also,such plutonic rocks have known potential for Cu-Au mineralization.     

S-type ignimbrites with polybaric crystallisation histories: the Tolmie Igneous Complex,Central Victoria,Australia

The Late Devonian Tolmie Igneous Complex (in north-eastern Victoria, Australia) contains S-type, intracaldera, rhyolitic ignimbrites with multiple generations of phenocrysts of biotite, garnet, cordierite and orthopyroxene; one unit also contains fayalitic olivine. Geothermometry and calculated phase relations indicate high-T deep- to mid-crustal origins for the magmas, with crystallisation at several levels. At least four separate magma groups make up the complex. Compositional variations within and between ignimbrites are adequately modelled by selective entrainment of peritectic garnet, ilmenite, orthopyroxene and plagioclase into the magmas. Neither crystal fractionation nor mafic-felsic magma mixing played a role. Chemical and isotope data suggest that the magma sources were once variably Ba-enriched arc greywackes with different proportions of clay. The deep origin of some of the Tolmie Complex magmas means that supracrustal rocks underlie parts of north-eastern Victoria at depths of around 35 km. This has important implications for understanding the region’s tectonic development.     

Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry of an Ultrapotassic Basaltic Suite, Central Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A.

Ultrapotassic basaltic lavas erupted 3.4–3.6 m.y. ago(K/Ar) in the central Sierra Nevada and originated by partialmelting of a phlogopite-enriched, garnet-bearing upper mantlesource. Ultrapotassic basanites (K₂O: 5–9 per cent), whichare spatially related to contemporaneous potassic olivine basalts(K₂O: 3–5 per cent) and alkali olivine basalts (K₂O: 1–3per cent), contain the K₂O-bearing minerals phlogopite, sanidine,and leucite as well as olivine, diopside, apatite, magnetite,and pseudobrookite. The presence and modal abundance of theK₂O-bearing minerals closely reflects the east to west increasein K₂O throughout the basaltic suite. Many lines of evidence support the derivation of the ultrapotassicbasanites and the related basalts from an upper mantle source:TiO₂ in phlogopite phenocrysts and groundmass crystals, 2–3and 7–9 per cent respectively, support phlogopite phenocrystcrystallization at high pressure, whole rock Mg values (100Mg/Mg + 0.85 Fe) range from 66–78, phlogopite-rich pyroxeniticand periodotitic nodules are included in some flows, and geobarometriccalculations indicate depths of generation at 100–125km. Also, model calculations show that the major, rare earth,and trace elements, except for Ba, Rb, and Sr, can be accuratelygenerated by 1.0–2.5 per cent melting of a phiogopite-and garnet-bearing clinopyroxene-rich upper mantle source. Partialmelting occurred after a general upper mantle enrichment beneaththe Sierra Nevada, the phlogopite- and clinopyroxene-rich sourceof the ultrapotassic lavas being the extreme result of the enrichmentprocess. Clinopyroxene enrichment of the upper mantle probablyoccurred by introduction of a partial melting fraction intothe upper mantle source areas. Enrichment of the upper mantlein the alkali and alkali-earth elements was not accomplishedby a partial melt, but resulted from influx of a fluid phaserich in Ba, K, Rb, Sr, and, probably, H₂O The continuous rangein K₂O of the erupted lavas implies that the upper mantle enrichmentis a cumulative process. The inverse relationship in the SierraNevada between uplift and the K₂O content of the erupted basaltsimplies that a critical relationship may exist between upliftand upper mantle enrichment.