Nature of the archean midcrust in the core of the Vredefort dome, Central Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

Extreme uplift associated with the formation of the 2.02 Ga Vredefort dome has exposed a substantial cross section through the crystalline early Archean basement complex rocks of the Kaapvaal craton. The rocks comprise polydeformed high-grade tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses, migmatites and late-tectonic intrusive granitoids that straddle the upper amphibolite-to granulite-facies transition. Field, petrographic and geochemical data indicate that compositional heterogeneity occurs on a local scale and reflects the migmatitic character of the rocks rather than crustal-scale layering as has been previously proposed. No evidence has been found to support exposure of either a melt-depleted, refractory, lower crust or an upper crustal batholithic granite layer; however, the immense volume of granitic leucosome in the rocks suggests that the exposed section represents an intermediate level between these two zones. Granitic leucosomes in the upper amphibolite-facies migmatites appear to be intrusive into the predominantly trondhjemitic host rocks, rather than of in situ derivation. Leucosome compositions in the granulite-facies migmatites are more variable, ranging from granitic and charnockitic to enderbitic, probably reflecting at least some local derivation. Leucosomes and small granitoid bodies show local-scale geochemical variation that can be explained in terms of variable amounts of melt segregation and migration, and fractionation of minerals such as K-feldspar within the melts.     

Disequilibrium Melting and the Rate of Melt-Residuum Separation During Migmatization of Mafic Rocks from the Grenville Front, Quebec

Migmatites are developed in Archaean metabasites south of theGrenville Front. Relative to equivalent greenschist facies metabasites,those hosting the migmatites have undergone some mobilizationof CaO, Na₂O, and Sr, and, in the case of sheared metabasites,the introduction of K₂O, Ba, Cs, and Rb, before migmatization.Three types of anatectic migmatite are recognized, based ontheir leucosome-melanosome relationships: (1) non-segregatedmigmatites in which new leucocratic and magic phases are intimatelymixed in patches up to 15 cm across, (2) segregated migmatitesin which the leucosomes are located in boudin necks and shearbands, and are separated from their associated mafic selvedgesby 5–100 cm, and (3) vein-type migmatites where discordantleucosomes lack mafic selvedges. The non-segregated and segregatedmigmatites have a local and essentially isochemical origin,whereas the vein-type represent injected melt. Leucosomes fromthe segregated and vein-type migmatites have similar tonaliticmajor oxide compositions, but they differ greatly in their trace-elementcharacteristics. The vein-type leucosomes are enriched in K₂O, Ba, Cs, Rb, LREE,Th, Hf, Zr, and P2O5 relative to their metabasite hosts, andhave greater La/Yb_N ratios (27 compared with 0?6–17).These veins may have formed by between 5 and 25%equilibriumbatch partial melting of Archaean metabasalt, leaving garnet+ hornblende in the residuum. In contrast, leucosomes from the segregated migmatites are depletedin REE, Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Co, Ti, Th, Hf, Zr, Nb, and P₂O₅ relativeto their source rocks; the associated mafic selvedges are enrichedin these elements. The leucosomes and mafic selvedges both haveLa/Yb_N ratios that are similar to those of the source metabasitesirrespective of whether the source is LREE depleted or LREEenriched. The abundances of many trace elements in the leucosomesappear to be controlled by the degree of contamination withresiduum material. Zr concentrations in the leucosomes are between10 and 52% of the estimated equilibrium concentrations in felsicmelts at the temperature (750–775 ?C) of migmatization.A numerical simulation of disequilibrium melting using bothLREE-depleted and LREE-enriched sources yields model melts withtrace element abundances that match those of the natural leucosomes.Mafic selvedge compositions indicate that the segregated migmatitesrepresent a range of between 12 and 36% partial melting of theirhost metamatization. Based upon calculated dissolution times for zircon in wet melts,the melt and residuum were separated in less than 23a, otherwisemelts would have become saturated in Zr. Rapid melt extractionis thought to be driven by pressure gradients developed duringnon-coaxial deformation of the anisotropic palaeosome duringmigmatization. The common occurrence, based on published work, of disequilibriumcompositions in migmatite leucosomes implies that during mid-crustalmelting the melt-segregation rates are greater than the rateof chemical equilibration between melt and the residual solid.In contrast, at the higher temperatures of granite formation,the rate of chemical equilibration exceeds that of melt-segregationand equilibrium melt compositions are reached before segregationcan occur. On the basis of their trace element characteristics,the melt which forms segregated migmatites cannot be the sameas that which forms the vein-like migmatites, or granitoid plutons.     

The role of water,mixing processes and metamorphic fabric in the genesis of the Baume migmatites (Ardèche,France)

The Baume migmatites arose from melting of a high-grade metamorphic sequence comprising quartzofeld-spathic and biotite-plagioclase gneisses. Geochemical data and REE modelling suggest that melting occurred under open-system conditions and was caused mainly either by the infiltration along shears of an alkali-rich (K, Rb) aqueous fluid phase or by the injection along foliation planes of granitic magma; some leucosomes result from mixing between in situ partial melts and externally derived granitic materials. Melting appears to be almost independent of the paleosome composition but rather is dependent on the amount of introduced material, itself controlled by the metamorphic fabrics of parent gneisses and/or tectonic structures.     

Partial Melting of Aluminous Metagreywackes in the Northern Sierra de Comechingones, Central Argentina

We describe a suite of metamorphic and migmatitic rocks fromthe Sierra de Comechingones (Sierras Pampeanas of Central Argentina)that include unmelted gneisses, migmatites and refractory granulites.The gneisses are aluminous greywackes metamorphosed in the amphibolitegrade and are likely to have been the protoliths for the higher-grademigmatites and granulites. Mineralogical characteristics andmajor and trace element compositions show that metatexite migmatites,diatexite migmatites and granulites are all melt-depleted rocks.The migmatites (both metatexites and diatexites) have undergoneH₂O-fluxed melting and lost     

Palaeoproterozoic evolution of the Challenger Au deposit, South Australia, from monazite geochronology

Monazite in granulite facies metatexite migmatites (Christie Gneiss) hosting the Challenger Au deposit, South Australia, records a series of growth and resorption stages over a c. 60 Myr period between 2470 and 2410 Ma. A combination of electron microprobe X‐ray mapping and in situ ion‐microprobe dating was used to delineate and date five compositional domains. The oldest prograde metamorphic components are preserved in granoblastic gneisses surrounding the deposit, and as small high‐Y cores in large monazite grains in Au‐bearing migmatites. In metatexite leucosomes, these cores were partially resorbed prior to the growth of large high‐Th monazite domains that crystallized during partial melting and stromatic migmatite development at c. 2443 Ma. Subsequent heating to biotite dehydration conditions (c. 850 °C at 7 kbar) caused further partial melting roughly 10–15 Myr later, giving rise to c. 2428 Ma domains surrounding partly resorbed 2443 Ma grains that were entrained in the higher‐temperature melts. This period of partial melting coincided with isoclinal folding culminating in dextral transpression and represents the most likely window for remobilization of Au‐bearing polymetallic sulphide melts into low‐strain domains. Localized reaction of residual melt with the granulite facies assemblage during cooling gave rise to narrow high‐Y rims dated at 2414 ± 7 Ma. Although monazite from unmineralized granoblastic gneisses and migmatitic ore zones display the same range of U‐Pb dates, monazite in migmatites displays a higher overall Ca + Th + U content, indicating that compositional heterogeneities between ore zones and host rocks developed prior to 2470 Ma, perhaps a consequence of the hydrothermal alteration inferred to have accompanied gold mineralization.     

Multi-stage Melting in the Lower Crust of the Serre (Southern Italy)

The lower-crustal section exposed in the Serre, southern Italy,consists mainly of Al-rich metasediments, which underwent granulite-faciesmetamorphism, partial melting and melt extraction. The paperconsiders the formation of melts in metapelites and metagreywackes.Leucosomes and host rocks have been studied to investigate themelting process. Biotite-rich and biotite-free melanosomes withscarce felsic components are present; the biotite-rich typesare widespread in the upper part of the section and the twotypes may occur side by side in the lower part. Na-rich andK-rich leucosomes including residual phases are interspersedwithin the metasediments; on the whole they do not show geochemicalsignatures suggestive of magmatic fractionation. Leucotonalitictypes prevail among the sampled leucosomes, which generallyare rare earth element (REE) depleted with positive Eu anomalieswhereas the host rocks are REE enriched with overall negativeEu anomalies. Melanosomes and migmatites show restitic chemistries.The precursor metagreywackes underwent depletion in Na₂O andenrichment in K₂O. The precursor metapelites document generaldepletion in Na₂O and they may be enriched or depleted in K₂O.All the characteristics of the migmatites and of their componentsreflect a two-stage melting: (1) H₂O-present melting, involvingmainly plagioclase, and (2) dehydration melting of micas. Allthe metasediments underwent H₂O-present melting, forming mostlysodic melts which, owing to their removal from the source asfast as they formed, did not accumulate in such proportionsas to allow migration and mostly remained within the lower-crustalmetasediments; metapelites also underwent variable dehydrationmelting, depending on chemical features and physical conditions,forming larger volumes of mobile granitic melts, most of whichmigrated far from the source. Extractions of 57–66 vol.% of total melts (sodic + potassic) from the most residual metapeliticmelanosomes and of about 27–44 vol. % of potassic meltsfrom metapelitic migmatites have been calculated. Higher volumesof the extracted melts have been calculated for the metapelitesof the lower part of the section; the most depleted metagreywackesunderwent melt extraction of about 9–13 vol. %. The two-stagemelting occurred during the prograde metamorphism and continuedduring the isothermal decompression. KEY WORDS: Calabria; lower crust; multi-stage melting     

Trace element behaviour during migmatization. Evidence for a complex melt-residuum-fluid interaction in the St. Malo migmatitic dome (France)

The St. Malo migmatitic dome represents an interesting example wherein migmatites arise from the anatexis of the surrounding gneisses. Petrographical and chemical data suggest that leucosome compositions are compatible with partial melting of the quartzo-feldsphathic fraction of the parent gneiss. The contribution of the incongruent melting of biotite to the melt does not exceed 5% of the parent rock.Petrogenetic modelling based on experimental data and assuming non modal batch melting show that the K, Rb, Ca, Sr, U and Th chemical patterns of these migmatites result in fact from the interaction of several mechanisms, namely: equilibrium partial melting, mixing between melts and refractory minerals (biotite and accessories), melt removal and late hydrothermal alteration. Zr, Y and Th which are mostly hosted in accessory minerals are significantly withheld from the melts and remain stored in melanosomes (metatexites) except when leucosomes are affected by mixing (diatexites). U is frequently enriched in the leucosomes as well as in some melanosomes suggesting external supply.     

Internal Differentiation of the Archean Continental Crust: Fluid-Controlled Partial Melting of Granulites and TTG-Amphibolite Associations in Central Finland

Fault bound blocks of granulite and enderbite occur within upperamphibolite-facies migmatitic tonalitic–trondhjemitic–granodioritic(TTG) gneisses of the Iisalmi block of Central Finland. Theseunits record reworking and partial melting of different levelsof the Archean crust during a major tectonothermal event at2·6–2·7 Ga. Anhydrous mineral assemblagesand tonalitic melts in the granulites formed as a result ofhydrous phase breakdown melting reactions involving amphiboleat peak metamorphic conditions of 8–11 kbar and 750–900°C.A nominally fluid-absent melting regime in the granulites issupported by the presence of carbonic fluid inclusions. Thegeochemical signature of light rare earth element (LREE)-depletedmafic granulites can be modelled by 10–30 wt % partialmelting of an amphibolite source rock leaving a garnet-bearingresidue. The degree of melting in intermediate granulites isinferred to be less than 10 wt % and was restricted by the availabilityof quartz. Pressure–temperature estimates for the TTGgneisses are significantly lower than for the granulites at660–770°C and 5–6 kbar. Based on the P–Tconditions, melting of the TTG gneisses is inferred to haveoccurred at the wet solidus in the presence of an H₂O-rich fluid.A hydrous mineralogy, abundant aqueous fluid inclusions andthe absence of carbonic inclusions in the gneisses are in accordancewith a water-fluxed melting regime. Low REE contents and strongpositive Eu anomalies in most leucosomes irrespective of thehost rock composition suggest that the leucosomes are not meltcompositions, but represent plagioclase–quartz assemblagesthat crystallized early from felsic melts. Furthermore, similarplagioclase compositions in leucosomes and adjacent mesosomesare not a ‘migmatite paradox’, as both record equilibrationwith the same melt phase percolating along grain boundaries. KEY WORDS: Archean continental crust; fluid inclusion; granulite; migmatite; partial melting     

Formation, Crystallization, and Migration of Melt in the Mid-orogenic Crust: Muskoka Domain Migmatites, Grenville Province, Ontario

Migmatitic orthogneisses in the Muskoka domain, southwesternGrenville Province, Ontario, formed during the Ottawan stage(c. 1080–1050 Ma) of the Grenvillian orogeny. Stromaticmigmatites are volumetrically dominant, comprising granodioriticgneisses with 2–5 cm thick granitic leucosomes, locallyrimmed by thin melanosomes, that constitute 20–30 vol.%, and locally 40–50 vol. %, of the outcrops. Patch migmatitesin dioritic gneisses form large (>10 m) pinch-and-swell structureswithin the stromatic migmatites, and consist of decimetre-scale,irregular patches of granitic leucosome, surrounded by medium-grainedhornblende–plagioclase melanosomes interpreted as restite.The patches connect to larger networks of zoned pegmatite dykes.Petrographic and geochemical evidence suggests that the patchleucosomes formed by 20–40% fluid-present, equilibriummelting of the dioritic gneiss, followed by feldspar-dominatedcrystallization. The dyke networks may have resulted from hydraulicfracturing, probably when the melts reached water saturationduring crystallization. Field and geochemical data from thestromatic migmatites suggest a similar petrogenesis to the patchmigmatites, but with significant additions of externally derivedmelts, indicating that they acted as conduits for melts derivedfrom deeper structural levels within the orogen. We hypothesizethat the Muskoka domain represents a transfer zone for meltsmigrating to higher structural levels during Grenvillian deformation. KEY WORDS: migmatite geochemistry; partial melting; melt crystallization; melt transport; Grenville orogen     

MnNCKFMASH phase relations in cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses, southern india: implications for low-pressure crustal melting under granulite-facies

Cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses exposed in Achankovil unit of the Kerala Khondalite Belt, southern India show evidences of melting, melt extraction and in-situ crystallization of melt under granulite-facies conditions. The sequential mineral assemblages garnet + biotite + orthopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz (± melt) in the mesosomes and garnet + biotite + orthopyroxene + cordierite + plagioclase + K-feldspar + quartz + melt in the melanosomes makes the Achankovil cordierite-orthopyroxene migmatitic gneisses a good example of anatectic rocks, where substantial melt fractions remained in-situ during decompression and cooling. Therefore, the rocks provide an opportunity to investigate deep crustal processes and record of rheological (thermal and mechanical) reequilibration prevailed during the final stages of orogeny. The significance of cordierite formation and its possible relationship with melt formation are investigated applying theoretical calculations in the MnO-Na₂O-CaO-K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (MnNCKFMASH) system. Results of numerical modelling of the mineral assemblages in pressure-temperature-composition (P-T-X) pseudosections using Perple_X infer that the sequence of reactions involving formation of cordierite-orthopyroxene-melt assemblage is consistent with an isothermal decompression (with a pressure drop of >1.5 kbars) at high temperatures (>800 °C), forming leucosomes. Biotite dehydration melting reactions, occurring above 4.5 kbars constrain prograde arm of the P-T trajectory and is interpreted as a product of crustal thickening, which was followed by rapid decompression. The final stage of exhumation is characterized by rehydration of cordierites in the melanosome by melt-solid interactions at exceptionally low-pressure (??3.2 kbars) conditions. The high-temperature isothermal decompression inferred from the mineral reactions and P-T-X pseudosections constitute a clockwise P-T path for the exhumation of the lower crust. This clockwise P-T path is consistent with the common tectonic model accepted for the genesis of granulite-facies migmatites during crustal thickening and later unroofing, accompanied with arc-continent collision. Our conclusions indicate low-P metamorphism and anatexis can be traced to convergent setting, where melt buoyancy considerably decreases density of the lithosphere and modifies rheology leading to rapid exhumation of the lower crust. Therefore, the crustal evolution in the Kerala Khondalite Belt is correlated with two stage processes: (i) thickening of the crust in relation to a continental-arc setting, followed by (ii) exhumation along a high-temperature stable geotherm with sufficient pressure release associated with syn- to post-convergence transpression and transtension.     

Contrasting textures in metamorphic and anatectic migmatites: an example from the Scottish Caledonides

Abstract. A method for the quantitative analysis of the spatial relations of minerals is described. Dispersed distributions are formed by annealing and destroyed in post-tectonic migmatization. Aggregate distributions characterize solid-state differentiation, whereas leucosomes formed in systems of high fluid:rock ratio (in the examples studied, anatectic melts) show random distributions.
Quantitative textural analysis can be used to indicate whether migmatization was post-tectonic or earlier, though caution is necessary if post-migmatite cooling is slow or if there is some minor deformation. More importantly, it can be used to discriminate melt-present from melt-absent leucosomes; this is exemplified by a suite of metamorphic and anatectic migmatites from the Scottish Caledonides.
The textural evolution of anatexites with increasing melt percentage is traced. Initial feldspar porphyroblastesis occurs by Ostwald ripening via grain boundary melts; subsequently ophthalmites develop with fabrics and chemistry inherited from the palaeosome. At greater than 30% melt these inherited fabrics are wholly destroyed. Deformation prompts segregation into melanosome and leucosome; resultant leucosomes contain no inherited crystals. The scale of anatectic systems is fixed at the point at which segregation begins; ophthalmites provide evidence for melt and crystal transfer beyond original palaeosome boundaries. In contrast, metamorphic migmatites are necessarily small-scale systems because of diffusive constraints, and melanosomes are invariably produced.     

Geochronology and geochemistry of leucosomes in the North Dabie Terrane, East China: implication for post-UHPM crustal melting during exhumation

Migmatites are widespread in the North Dabie ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic terrane (NDT) of Dabie orogen, East China. Idiomorphic and poikilitic amphibole grains in both leucosome and melanosome contain inclusions of plagioclase, quartz and biotite, suggesting formation of leucosome by fluid-present melting of biotite + plagioclase + quartz-bearing protoliths at P = 5–7 kbar, T = 700–800 °C. Precise SIMS zircon U–Pb dating indicates that migmatization of Dabie orogen initiated at ~140 Ma and lasted for ~10 Ma, coeval with the formation of low-Mg^# adakitic intrusions in Dabie orogen. Based on mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical data, leucosomes in NDT can be subdivided into three groups. (1) High La/Yb_(N)–Medium Sr/Y group (Group I), whose high Dy/Yb_(N) but medium Sr/Y ratios are caused by amphibole and plagioclase residual during partial melting of dioritic to granodioritic gneisses. (2) Low La/Yb_(N)–Low Sr/Y group (Group II), whose flat HREE patterns are produced by entrainment of peritectic amphiboles into melts derived from partial melting of dioritic gneiss. (3) High La/Yb_(N)–High Sr/Y and Eu^# group (Group III), whose extremely high Sr and Eu but low other REE concentrations are caused by accumulation of plagioclase and quartz. Although Group I and III fall in the adakitic fields on La/Yb_(N)–Yb_(N) and Sr/Y–Y diagrams, they are chemically distinct from contemporary high-pressure adakitic intrusions in Dabie orogen in a series of geochemical indexes, for example, lower Dy/Yb_(N) and/or Sr/Y ratios at given La/Yb_(N) ratio, lower Sr/CaO ratios, lower Rb concentration but higher K/Rb ratios. Therefore, leucosomes are produced by anatexis of the exhumed ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks at middle crustal level, instead of partial melting of thickened lower crust with garnet-rich and plagioclase-poor residual. The coeval occurrence of migmatites and high-pressure adakitic intrusions in Dabie orogen indicates large-scale partial melting of middle to thickened lower crustal column in the early Cretaceous. The required heat source may be the mantle heat conducting through the lithospheric mantle whose lower parts have been convectively removed.     

Petrogenesis of a Stromatic Migmatite (Nelaug, Southern Norway)

The stromatic migmatites of Nelaug (Tvedestrand area, SouthernNorway) are investigated in detail. They show well developedlayers of leucosomes, mesosomes and melanosomes. It is establishedthat the mesosomes and leucosomes of these migmatites are differentfrom each other texturally, mineralogically, and chemically.Also combinations of leucosome plus adjacent melanosome portionsare chemically different from those of the mesosomes. Theseobservations do not agree with the findings of Mehnert (1971)and do not fit into his genetic model. The mesosome layers and the leucosome + melanosome combinationsare taken to represent the chemical compositions of the countryrock, a metagraywacke with relicts of primary rhythmic layering(Touret, 1965). The mineralogical composition of the layersvaries from granitic to tonalitic. Relict textures indicatethat the leucosome portions were initially occupied by layersof granitic composition relatively rich in K-feldspar, whereasthe mesosomes are the representatives of those metagraywackelayers which were relatively rich in plagioclase. An almostisochemical transformation of a paragneiss into the investigatedstromatic migmatite is established. Melting experiments performed at PH₂O= 5 Kb yielded solidustemperatures of 640±7 °C for all layers. The Composition of plagioclases present in the different layersis explained by isochemical partial melting and in situ crystallization.The chemical, mineralogical, and textural findings support themodel of almost isochemical transformation already establishedfor the Arvika migmatites (Johannes & Gupta, 1982).     

The link between oxygen isotope resetting, partial melting, and fluid flow in metamorphic terrains

A correlation between the style of partial melting and synmeta-morphic fluid flow exists in metapelites from the Mount Lofty Ranges, Reynolds Range, and Omeo Zone (Australia). Mount Lofty Ranges migmatites comprise granitic leucosomes in rocks that are still biotite rich, with no indications of other mafic minerals being formed along with the melts. By contrast, in the Reynolds and Omeo migmatites, garnet, cordierite, and/or spinel formed along with the melts. Oxygen isotope data are most consistent with the Mount Lofty Ranges undergoing significant fluid–rock interaction during regional metamorphism, which may have fluxed fluid-present partial melting. By contrast regional metamorphic fluid flow in the Reynolds Range and Omeo Zone was limited, leading to partial melting via fluid-absent reactions. The style of melting reactions may help to constrain the timing of isotopic resetting and fluid flow in metamorphic terrains, which is currently a contentious issue.     

Petrogenesis of a high-temperature metamorphic terrane: a new tectonic interpretation for the north Dabieshan, central China

ABSTRACT The northern Dabie terrane consists of a variety of metamorphic rocks with minor mafic-ultramafic blocks, and abundant Jurassic-Cretaceous granitic plutons. The metamorphic rocks include orthogneisses, amphibolite, migmatitic gneiss with minor granulite and metasediments; no eclogite or other high-pressure metamorphic rocks have been found. Granulites of various compositions occur either as lenses, blocks or layers within clinopyroxene-bearing amphibolite or gneiss. The palaeosomes of most migmatitic gneisses contain clinopyroxene; melanosomes and leucosomes are intimately intermingled, tightly folded and may have formed in situ. The granulites formed at about 800–830 °C and 10–14 kbar and display near-isothermal decompression P–T paths that may have resulted from crust thickened by collision. Plagioclase-amphibole coronae around garnets and matrix PI + Hbl assemblages from mafic and ultramafic granulites formed at about 750–800 °C. Partial replacement of clinopyroxene by amphibole in gneiss marks amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism. Amphibolite facies orthogneisses and interlayered amphibolites formed at 680–750 °C and c. 6 kbar. Formation of oligoclase + orthoclase antiperthite after plagioclase took place in migmatitic gneisses at T ≤ 490°C in response to a final stage of retrograde recrystallization. These P–T estimates indicate that the northern Dabie metamorphic granulite-amphibolite facies terrane formed in a metamorphic field gradient of 20–35 °C km^-1 at intermediate to low pressures, and may represent the Sino-Korean hangingwall during Triassic subduction for formation of the ultrahigh- and high-P units to the south. Post-collisional intrusion of a mafic-ultramafic cumulate complex occurred due to breakoff of the subducting slab.     

Dehydration--Melting Phenomena in Leptynitic Gneisses and the Generation of Leucogranites: a Case Study from the Kerala Khondalite Belt, Southern India

Pan-African high-grade metamorphism in the Kerala KhondaliteBelt (South India) led to the in situ formation of garnet-bearingleucosomes (L1) in sodic quartz—alkali feldspar—biotitegneisses. Microtextures, mineralogy and the geochemical characteristicsof in situ leucosomes (L1) and gneiss domains (GnD) indicatethat the development of leucosomes was mainly controlled bythe growth of garnet at the expense of biotite. This is documentedby the selective transfer of FeO, MgO, , Sm and the heavy rareearth elements into the L1 domains. P-T constraints (T>800C,P>6kbar, aH₂O0.3) suggest that the leucosomes were formedthrough complete melting of biotite in fluid-absent conditions,following the model reaction Biotite+Alkali feldspar+QuartzlGarnet+Ilmenite+Melt.The fraction of melt generated during this process was low (<10vol.%). The identical size of the leucosomes as well as theirhomogeneous and isotropic distribution at outcrop scale, whichlacks any evidence for melt segregation, suggest that the migmatiteremained a closed system. Subsequent to migmatization, the leptyniticgneisses were intruded by garnet-bearing leucogranitic melts(L2), forming veins parallel and subperpendicular to the foliation.The leucogranites are rich in potassium (K₂O5.5 wt%), (Ba400p.p.m.) and Sr (300 p.p.m.), and exhibit low concentrationsof Zr (40 p.p.m.), Th (<1 p.p.m.) and (<10 p.p.m.). Thechondrite-normalized REE spectra show low abundances (La_N20,Lu_N3) and are moderately fractionated (La_N/Lu_N7). An Eu anomalyis absent or weakly negative. The higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio at550 Ma (0.7345) compared with the migmatite (0.7164) precludesa direct genetic relationship between leptynitic gneisses andleucogranites at Manali.Nevertheless, the chemical and mineralogicalcompositions of the leuocogranites strongly favour a derivationthrough fluid-absent biotite melting of isotopically distinctbut chemically comparable Manali-type gneisses. The undersaturationof Zr, Th and REE, a typical feature of leucogranitic meltsgenerated during granulite facies anatexis of psammo-peliticlithologies and attributed to disequilibrium melting with incompletedissolution of accessory phases (zircon, monazite), is weaklydeveloped in the leucogranites of Manali.It is concluded thatthis is mainly due to the sluggish migration of the melts instatic conditions, which facilitated equilibration with therestitic gneisses. ^*Fax: 0228-732763; e-mail: ingo.braun{at}uni-bonn.de     

Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotope studies on migmatites from the Schwarzwald (Germany): constraints on isotopic resetting during Variscan high-temperature metamorphism

Mineral and isotope studies were undertaken on migmatites from the Schwarzwald, Moldanubian zone of the Variscan belt. The aims of the study were to date the migmatite formation and to determine the processes involved in migmatization in order to evaluate their influence on isotopic resetting. Textural evidence and the comparison of mineral compositions from leucosomes and mesosomes of two centimetre-scale migmatite profiles, respectively, suggest that migmatitic textures and mineral assemblages were formed by metamorphic segregation (deformation-enhanced mass transport) rather than by partial melting (anatexis). The results of Rb-Sr thin-slab dating on these profiles indicate that Sr isotopes were not completely reset during migmatization. No true isochron ages, but ages of approximate isotopic homogenization were obtained on the thin slabs by calculating ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios back to various stages in their evolution. The coincidence of these Rb-Sr data with U-Pb ages of monazites from migmatites and non-migmatitic gneisses shows that gneisses and migmatites were formed during the same high-temperature event in the Carboniferous (330-335 Ma). The observation that high-temperature metamorphism failed to equilibrate Sr isotopes on the centimetre-scale imposes limitations on the use of conventional whole-rock isochron techniques in dating migmatites.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000565

During granulite-facies metamorphism of metasedimentary rocks by the infiltration of carbonic fluids, the disappearance of hydrated minerals leads to the liberation of aqueous fluids. These fluids are strongly enriched in F and C1, and a series of Large-lon-Lithophile （LIL） elements and rare metals, resulting in their depletion in granulites. To sum up the fate of these elements, we focus on three domains representing different crustal levels and showing distinct behaviours with respect to these elements. The Lapland metasedimentary granulites illustrate the behaviour of the LILE and rare metals during lower crustal metamorphism. There is no change in Ba, moderate loss in Rb, and extreme depletion in Cs, Li, and Sn. F and CI contents are also very low compared to the protoliths or average upper continental crust. Biotite and amphibole breakdown leads to the incorporation of their partitioning into a fluid or a melt. The Tranomaro metasomatized marbles recrystallizing under granulite-facies conditions represent a demonstrative example of fluid transfer from granulite-facies supracrustals to traps represented by regional scale skarns. Such fluids may be at the origin of the incompatible element enrichment detected in leucosomes of migmatites from St Malo in Brittany （France） and Black Hills in South Dakota, The northern French Massif Central provides us with an example of a potential association between incompatible element enrichment of granitic melts and granulite-facies metamorphism. U- and F- enriched fine-grained granites are emplaced along a crustal scale shear zone active during the emplacement within the St Sylvestre peraluminous leucogranitic complex, We propose that during granulite-facies metamorphism dominated by carbonic waves in a deep segment of the continental crust, these shear zones control： （i） the percolation of F-, LILE-, rare metal-rich fluids liberated primarily by the breakdown of biotite; （ii） the enhancement of partial melting by F-rich fluids at intermediate crustal lev     

柴西缘花土沟超高温变质地体中的镁铝麻粒岩岩石成因及其与熔体行为的关系

镁铝麻粒岩泛指一类全岩化学成分富镁、铝的麻粒岩相变质岩,是研究超高温变质作用的峰期变质条件和变质演化历史的重要对象,但目前对它的原岩属性和岩石成因的认识仍十分有限。本文以柴达木地块西缘的花土沟超高温变质地体为例,在野外调查基础上,对镁铝麻粒岩和泥质片麻岩进行了岩相学和全岩地球化学分析,发现镁铝麻粒岩与含浅色体的泥质片麻岩的SiO₂、TiO₂、P₂O₅ 含量相似,^TFe₂O₃、Al₂O₃、MnO、CaO、Na₂O含量虽有差异但变化范围存在交集。此外,两类岩石具有相似的微量和稀土元素配分曲线,结合两者的矿物组合也存在相似性,提出花土沟镁铝麻粒岩的原岩可能是与泥质片麻岩类似的泥质沉积岩。从低角闪岩相变泥质岩到含浅色体的泥质片麻岩,再到镁铝麻粒岩,其全岩化学成分向着贫铝、钙、钾、钠,富铁、镁的趋势变化。其中,高X_Mg值（0.51~0.69）是镁铝麻粒岩与其他泥质片麻岩（X_Mg=0.34~0.43）的最大差别。通过对变泥质岩的相平衡模拟和理论计算,发现部分熔融和熔体丢失能解释大部分的变化趋势,但基本不影响全岩X_Mg值;只有在进变质升温过程中丢失含石榴子石的熔体才能造成变泥质岩的镁铝麻粒岩化。此外,富石榴子石的泥质残留体相比附近的含浅色体泥质片麻岩,贫硅、钠、钾,富集铝、铁、镁、锰、钙,重稀土元素含量显著高于后者,上述地球化学特征对应石榴子石熔体的加入而后长英质熔体的丢失,支持野外观察到的熔体携带石榴子石迁移的现象。最后,对镁铝麻粒岩只呈透镜体产出的原因做出了推测,即熔体很难带着石榴子石完成长距离迁移,只有被长英质正片麻岩包围的泥质沉积物,其进变质加热阶段形成的熔体才能携带石榴子石完全迁出原岩,促成变泥质岩透镜体的镁铝麻粒岩化,目前仍需更多的相关研究来验证这一推测。在世界其他高温-超高温变质岩区,石榴子石熔体的迁出和泥质岩的镁铝麻粒岩化可能也不同程度有所保留和记录。     

Migmatites record multiple episodes of crustal anatexis and geochemical differentiation in the Sulu ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic zone,eastern China

Partial melting of ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks is common during collisional orogenesis and post‐collisional reworking, indicating that determining the timing and processes involved in this partial melting can provide insights into the tectonic evolution of collisional orogens. This study presents the results of a combined whole‐rock geochemical and zirconological study of migmatites from the Sulu orogen in eastern China. These data provide evidence of multiple episodes of crustal anatexis and geochemical differentiation within the UHP metamorphic rocks. The leucosomes contain higher concentrations of Ba and K and lower concentrations of the rare earth elements (REE), Th and Y, than associated melanosomes and granitic gneisses. The leucosomes also have homogenous Sr–Nd–O isotopic compositions that are similar to proximal (i.e. within the same outcrop) melanosomes, suggesting that the anatectic melts were generated by the partial melting of source rocks that are located within individual outcrops. The migmatites contain zircons with six different types of domains that can be categorized using differences in structures, trace element compositions, and U–Pb ages. Group I domains are relict magmatic zircons that yield middle Neoproterozoic U–Pb ages and contain high REE concentrations. Group II domains represent newly grown metamorphic zircons that formed at 230 ± 1 Ma during the collisional orogenesis. Groups III, IV, V, and VI zircons are newly grown anatectic zircons that formed at 222 ± 2 Ma, 215 ± 1 Ma, 177 ± 2 Ma, and 152 ± 2 Ma, respectively. The metamorphic zircons have higher Th/U and lower (Yb/Gd)_N values, flat heavy REE (HREE) patterns with no significantly negative Eu anomalies relative to the anatectic zircons, which are characterized by low Th/U ratios, steep HREE patterns, and negative Eu anomalies. The first two episodes of crustal anatexis occurred during the Late Triassic at c. 222 Ma and c. 215 Ma as a result of phengite breakdown. The other two episodes of anatexis occurred during the Jurassic period at c. 177 Ma and c. 152 Ma and were associated with extensional collapse of the collision‐thickened orogen. The majority of Triassic anatectic zircons and all of the Jurassic zircons are located within the leucosomes, whereas the melanosomes are dominated by Triassic metamorphic zircons, suggesting that the leucosomes within the migmatites record more episodes of crustal anatexis. Both metamorphic and anatectic zircons have elevated ε_Hf(t) values compared with relict magmatic zircon cores, suggesting that these zircons contain non‐zircon Hf derived from material with more radiogenic Hf isotope compositions. Therefore, the Sulu and Dabie orogens experienced different episodes of reworking during the exhumation and post‐collisional stages.