Calculated phase equilibria for MORB compositions: a reappraisal of the metamorphic evolution of lawsonite eclogite

Pseudosections calculated with thermocalc predict that lawsonite‐bearing assemblages, including lawsonite eclogite, will be common for subducted oceanic crust that experiences cool, fluid‐saturated conditions. For glaucophane–lawsonite eclogite facies conditions (500–600 °C and 18–28 kbar), MORB compositions are predicted in the NCKMnFMASHO system to contain glaucophane, garnet, omphacite, lawsonite, phengite and quartz, with chlorite at lower temperature and talc at higher temperature. In these assemblages, the pyrope content in garnet is mostly controlled by variations in temperature, and grossular content is strongly controlled by pressure. The silica content in phengite increases linearly with pressure. As the P–T conditions for these given isopleths are only subtly affected by common variations in bulk‐rock compositions, the P–T pseudosections potentially present a robust geothermobarometric method for natural glaucophane‐bearing eclogites. Thermobarometric results recovered both by isopleth and conventional approaches indicate that most natural glaucophane–lawsonite eclogites (Type‐L) and glaucophane–epidote eclogites (Type‐E) record similar peak P–T conditions within the lawsonite stability field. Decompression from conditions appropriate for lawsonite stability should result in epidote‐bearing assemblages through dehydration reactions controlled by lawsonite + omphacite = glaucophane + epidote + H₂O. Lawsonite and omphacite breakdown will be accompanied by the release of a large amount of bound fluid, such that eclogite assemblages are variably recrystallized to glaucophane‐rich blueschist. Calculated pseudosections indicate that eclogite assemblages form most readily in Ca‐rich rocks and blueschist assemblages most readily in Ca‐poor rocks. This distinction in bulk‐rock composition can account for the co‐existence of low‐T eclogite and blueschist in high‐pressure terranes.     

中-低压泥质岩在KFMASH体系中的相平衡关系

利用内部一致热力学数据库、可靠的固溶体活度模型，用有关程序THERMOCALC 3．1计算了KFMASH(K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O)体系和亚体系KMASH、KFASH中的岩石成因格子。温压范围为P=0．05～1．2GPa，T=450～900℃．包括黑云母、白云母、钾长石、绿泥石、硬绿泥石、十字石、堇青石、斜方辉石、石榴石、尖晶石、红柱石、蓝晶石、矽线石、石英(过量)、熔体和水(固相线以下水过量、固相线以上水不过量)．．利用这些成因格子以及所计算的AFM图、P-T视剖面图，可以很好地阐明泥质岩石中低压变质作用的相平衡关系及P-T条件。所计算的结果与岩石学研究非常吻合，能解释从绿片岩相至麻粒岩相的一系列变化。尤其是熔体的引入，使我们能够定量计算高角闪岩相以上出现的混合岩化过程。     

Progress relating to calculation of partial melting equilibria for metapelites

Improved activity–composition relationships for biotite, garnet and silicate liquid are used to construct updated P–T grids and pseudosections for high‐grade metapelites. The biotite model involves Ti charge‐balanced by hydrogen deprotonation on the hydroxyl site, following the substitution , where HD represents the hydroxyl site. Relative to equivalent biotite‐breakdown melting reactions in P–T grids in K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (KFMASH), those in K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–TiO₂–O₂ (KFMASHTO) occur at temperatures close to 50 °C higher. A further consequence of the updated activity models is that spinel‐bearing equilibria occur to higher temperature and higher pressure. In contrast, the addition of Na₂O and CaO to KFMASH to make the Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (NCKFMASH) system lowers key biotite‐breakdown melting reactions in P–T space relative to KFMASH. Combination of the KFMASHTO and NCKFMASH systems to make Na₂O–CaO–K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–TiO₂–O₂ (NCKFMASHTO) results in key biotite‐breakdown melting reactions occurring at temperatures intermediate between those in KFMASHTO and those in NCKFMASH. Given such differences, the choice of model system will be critical to inferred P–T conditions in the application of mineral equilibria modelling to rocks. Further, pseudosections constructed in KFMASH, NCKFMASH and NCKFMASHTO for several representative rock compositions show substantial differences not only in the P–T conditions of key metamorphic assemblages but also overall topology, with the calculations in NCKFMASHTO more reliably reflecting equilibria in rocks. Application of mineral equilibria modelling to rocks should be undertaken in the most comprehensive system possible, if reliable quantitative P–T information is to be derived.     

麻粒岩相变质作用与花岗岩成因-I:变质泥质岩/杂砂岩高温-超高温变质相平衡

麻粒岩相岩石作为洞察下地壳的窗口一直备受重视。二十世纪九十年代以来麻粒岩研究的一个重要进展是利用变质相平衡的定量研究方法模拟岩石中所发生的深熔变质反应、熔体成分变化、及熔体丢失对变质矿物组合的影响等。本文利用KASH、NKASH和KFMASH等简单体系的相平衡关系,做出P-T投影图、组分共生图解和基于固定全岩成分的P-T视剖面图解,并结合有关实验岩石学结果,讨论了高温和超高温条件下变质泥质岩和杂砂岩中的变质熔融反应、矿物组合、全岩成分与P-T条件之间的相互关系。多数变质泥质岩和杂砂岩中饱和流体固相线熔融反应可利用NKASH体系中有水流体参与的熔融反应模拟,在没有外来流体注入时,这些反应可形成<3mol%熔体。在不同体系中白云母脱水熔融反应型式及其P-T条件不同,如在NKASH和KFMASH体系中模拟计算的白云母脱水熔融反应与相应的实验结果相似,分别控制了白云母分解熔融的温度下限和上限;白云母的分解温度会随着其中Fe、Mg和Ti含量的增加而升高,也随着共生斜长石中钙长石组分增加而升高,泥质岩中白云母脱水熔融可以形成~10mol%熔体。在KFMASH体系中黑云母脱水熔融反应表现为4条单变反应,其理论计算的温度比实验模拟的结果低一些。在NCKFMASH体系或实际岩石中黑云母脱水熔融反应为滑动反应,如NCKFMASH体系中黑云母从其开始熔融到最后消失在泥质岩中可跨越~100℃,在杂砂岩中可跨越30~50℃。黑云母的稳定温度随着镁值升高而升高,其稳定上限受钛影响更大,黑云母脱水熔融可以形成超过30mol%~40mol%熔体。KFMASH体系中的相平衡模拟表明以出现斜方辉石+夕线石和假蓝宝石为特征的超高温组合易于出现于富镁泥质岩中,而对正常成分泥质岩在达到1000℃的超高温条件下,主要出现石榴石+夕线石(即夕线榴),该组合在更高温度反应形成假蓝宝石+尖晶石。利用饱和水固相线反应和白云母与黑云母分解反应可以更好地限定不同的变质相。如中压和低压条件下低角闪岩相和高角闪岩相的界限可利用NKASH体系中有水流体和白云母参与的熔融反应和亚固相线条件下的白云母分解反应限定;实验确定的泥质岩中黑云母开始熔融与消失的反应可分别用于限定高角闪岩相与(正常)麻粒岩相的界限,以及(正常)麻粒岩相和超高温麻粒岩相的界限。因此,从矿物组合角度,正常麻粒岩相可限定在黑云母开始熔融到完全消失的温度范围,超高温麻粒岩相可限定在黑云母消失(有石英存在)之后的温度范围。     

Calculated phase equilibria involving chemical potentials to investigate the textural evolution of metamorphic rocks

Evolving pressure–temperature conditions during metamorphism drive changes in the stable mineral assemblage, mineral proportions and mineral compositions in rocks. These changes are achieved via the diffusion of components between minerals, fluid and melt, the driving force for diffusion being the gradients in chemical potential of the components developed spatially within the rock. This study utilises recent developments in the software thermocalc to investigate quantitatively chemical potential relationships in rocks, with the phases involved being (solid) solutions. Phase diagrams with chemical potentials as axes are used to understand better the spatial rearrangement of components during the metamorphic evolution of rocks and the metamorphic textures that result. In contrast to qualitative chemical potential diagrams, quantitative diagrams can be contoured for mineral composition, allowing consideration of chemical zoning in minerals. Furthermore, the amount of material required to diffuse to equalise chemical potentials can be calculated. We start by demonstrating the approach via an example of retrograde corona development in an ultra-high-temperature granulite. Whereas the use of chemical potentials to consider the retrograde development of corona textures is well known, they are also significant in considering the prograde history. The role of chemical potentials in prograde metamorphic textural evolution is highlighted in consideration of the consumption and growth of aluminosilicates during the kyanite-to-sillimanite reaction, and the growth of garnet porphyroblasts.     

低温平衡ZnS-PbS-FeS-H_2S四组分体系的热力学分析

本文介绍了热力学相图在浅成低温热液硫化物矿床中的应用,并以三江地区金顶铅锌矿床中的矿物含量为例进行定量分析。一方面在相同温度下,浓度与矿物(组合)之间存在对应关系,并且一些矿物(组合)对应特定的酸碱条件,例如在400K和105Pa条件下,黄铁矿与方铅矿的组合在碱性环境下稳定,而方铅矿与闪锌矿的组合在酸性环境中稳定,且酸性条件下当lg[Pb2+]≥-11.29时,才开始出现方铅矿;另一方面对比了298.15K和400K条件下矿物共生组合的及介质pH值的变化情况,并得到400K条件下形成矿物或矿物组合所需离子的浓度更高。     

Partial melting and phase relations in high-grade metapelites: an experimental petrogenetic grid in the KFMASH system

Petrogenetic grids are a powerful tool for understanding metamorphic terrains and many theoretical grids have been suggested for the process of granulite formation in metapelitic rocks, via fluid-absent biotite melting reactions. However, application of these grids has been difficult due to the lack of suitable experimental constraints. We present here an experimentally determined and tightly constrained petrogenetic grid for KFMASH system metapelites which extends from 840–1000°C and 5.0–12.5 kbar. Sixty four experiments on three KFMASH, mineral-mix, bulk compositions (X _Mg=0.62, 0.74, 0.86) provide phase composition and assemblage data from which a grid can be derived and constrained. Reversal experiments and consideration of the phase composition data show the experiments to be close to equilibrium. The KFMASH univariant fluid-absent biotite melting reactions occur between 850 and 870°C at 5 kbar and between 900 and 915°C at 10 kbar. These reactions are connected to equilibria beyond the stability of biotite to develop a fixed framework within which the phase assemblage evolution of metapelitic rocks can be interpreted. The effect of minor components on phase equilibria is evaluated using the experimentally determined grid as a simple-system reference. The temperature at which melting occurs in metapelites is strongly controlled by the concentrations of titanium and fluorine in biotite. Pressure-temperature pseudosections presented for each of the experimental compositions show both the univariant and divariant reactions available to a particular bulk composition, clearly illustrating the possible evolution of the phase assemblage. The pseudosections also constrain the stability limits of     

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

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

Calculated stabilities of sodic phases in the Sambagawa metapelites and their implications

Pressure (P)–temperature (T) pseudosection analyses were carried out on metapelites from Sambagawa belt by using Perple_X 07 so as to determine mineral equilibria and the stability of sodic phases, in the model system MnO–Na₂O–K₂O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–(CO₂) under high‐pressure (HP) conditions (0.5–2.5 GPa/400–600 °C). A pressure–X_NA [=Na/(Na+Al–2K–1.5Ca)] pseudosection at 500 °C is also calculated to examine the effect of Na/Al value of the bulk‐rock composition on the stabilities of sodic minerals. The bulk‐rock compositions of Sambagawa metapelite are variable in X_NA values. The calculation results of stable assemblages in metapelites under the blueschist and eclogite facies conditions indicate that: (i) paragonite and glaucophane are stable throughout the wide X_NA range of bulk‐rock compositions of host rocks; (ii) stable P–T conditions of sodic pyroxene enlarge with increasing X_NA value; and (iii) the stability field of paragonite enlarges with the presence of CO₂ in the metamorphic fluid. The suggested wide stability of paragonite in metapelites and the relationships between the stability of sodic pyroxene and the bulk‐rock compositions explain the reasons why (i) the occurrence of omphacite in metapelites from several subduction‐related terranes is rare; and (ii) paragonite commonly occurs as inclusions in garnet of metapelites from the Besshi region of the Sambagawa belt. Paragonite is an important sodic phase of HP metapelites, and a combination of paragonite and quartz with high residual pressure included in garnet may be a useful indicator to verify the evidence for the eclogite facies metamorphism recorded in metapelites.     

Preliminary phase equilibria of the nepheline-diopside system under variable pressures (up to 28 kb) and temperatures

The nepheline-diopside join defines the ultra-alkaline portion of the basalt tetrahedron and the bulk composition of nephelinitic rocks lie in this join. Schairer and others established that under atmospheric pressure, the join cuts through the primary phase volumes of olivine_ss, carnegieite_ss and nepheline_ss. Melilite coexists with nepheline_ss, olivine_ss and diopside_ss below 1160±10°C and olivine reacts out at low temperature. Experimental studies on seven compositions show the presence of a pseudoeutectic at Ne₇₀Di₃₀ and 1420°C, where diopside_ss, nepheline_ss and liquid are in equilibrium. Olivine and melilite do not appear in the system and the assemblage below 1225±20°C is diopside_ss+nepheline_ss.     

Petrology of metapelites in the Bugaboo aureole,British Columbia,Canada

Contact metamorphism of greenschist facies Neoproterozoic turbidites by the Cretaceous Bugaboo Batholith in southeastern British Columbia has resulted in a well‐developed contact aureole. The aureole is about 1 km wide and can be divided into three main zones: (i) spotted phyllite zone, extending from the first appearance of spots of cordierite or andalusite to the last occurrence of primary chlorite; (ii) cordierite + andalusite + biotite zone, comprising hornfelses or schists with abundant porphyroblasts of cordierite and andalusite and, at higher grades, fibrolitic sillimanite; and (iii) K‐feldspar zone, characterized by hornfelses and schists that, in the inner part of this zone, are variably migmatitic. Four parts of the aureole were examined, three of which are characterized by schists, and one of which (Cobalt Lake area) is characterized by hornfelses and has exceptional exposure and comparatively unaltered rocks. Petrographic, modal, mineral‐compositional and whole rock‐compositional data were collected from the Cobalt Lake transect, allowing the prograde reaction sequence to be inferred. Notable features of the aureole at Cobalt Lake include: initial development of andalusite and plagioclase at the expense of paragonite‐rich white mica; a narrow interval across which cordierite, andalusite and biotite increase markedly at the expense of chlorite; gradual development of andalusite and biotite at the expense of cordierite and muscovite upgrade of chlorite consumption; and near‐simultaneous development of andalusite + K‐feldspar and sillimanite, the latter indicating a pressure of contact metamorphism of ~3 kbar. In other parts of the aureole, the development of sillimanite downgrade of the initial development of K‐feldspar suggests slightly higher pressures of contact metamorphism. Lack of correspondence between the observed sequence of reactions in the aureole and those predicted thermodynamically suggests that modifications to some of the thermodynamic data or activity–composition models may be required. Textural features in the aureole suggest the influence of kinetic factors on metamorphic recrystallization, including: (i) deformation‐catalysed reaction in the schists compared to the hornfelses, as indicated by different mineral‐growth sequences inferred from microstructures, and (ii) heating rate‐controlled recrystallization, as indicated by the decrease in grain size of hornfelses with increasing metamorphic grade.     

Eclogites from the south Tianshan, NW China: petrological characteristic and calculated mineral equilibria in the Na2O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O system

Eclogites from the south Tianshan, NW China are grouped into two types: glaucophane and hornblende eclogites, composed, respectively, of garnet + omphacite + glaucophane + paragonite + epidote + quartz and garnet + omphacite + hornblende (sensu lato) + paragonite + epidote + quartz, plus accessory rutile and ilmenite. These eclogites are diverse both in mineral composition and texture not only between the two types but also among the different selected samples within the glaucophane eclogite. Using thermocalc 3.1 and recent models of activity–composition relation for minerals, a P–T projection and a series of P–T pseudosections for specific samples of eclogite have been calculated in the system Na₂O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (NCFMASH) with quartz and water taken to be in excess. On the basis of these phase diagrams, the phase relations and P–T conditions are well delineated. The three selected samples of glaucophane eclogite AK05, AK11 and AK17 are estimated to have peak P–T conditions, respectively, of 540–550 °C at c. 16 kbar, c. 560 °C at 15–17 kbar and c. 580 °C at 15–19 kbar, and two samples of hornblende eclogite AK10 and AK30 of 610–630 °C and 17–18 kbar. Together with H₂O‐content contours in the related P–T pseudosections and textural relations, both types of eclogite are inferred to show clockwise P–T paths, with the hornblende eclogite being transformed from the glaucophane eclogite assemblage dominantly through increasing temperature.     

Amphibolites with staurolite and other aluminous minerals: calculated mineral equilibria in NCFMASH

Amphibolite facies mafic rocks that consist mainly of hornblende, plagioclase and quartz may also contain combinations of chlorite, garnet, epidote, and, more unusually, staurolite, kyanite, sillimanite, cordierite and orthoamphiboles. Such assemblages can provide tighter constraints on the pressure and temperature evolution of metamorphic terranes than is usually possible from metabasites. Because of the high variance of most of the assemblages, the phase relationships in amphibolites depend on rock composition, in addition to pressure, temperature and fluid composition. The mineral equilibria in the Na₂O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O (NCFMASH) model system demonstrate that aluminium content is critical in controlling the occurrence of assemblages involving hornblende with aluminous minerals such as sillimanite, kyanite, staurolite and cordierite. Except in aluminous compositions, these assemblages are restricted to higher pressures. The iron to magnesium ratio (X_Fe), and to a lesser extent, sodium to calcium ratio, have important roles in determining which (if any) of the aluminous minerals occur under particular pressure–temperature conditions. Where aluminous minerals occur in amphibolites, the P–T–X dependence of their phase relationships is remarkably similar to that in metapelitic rocks. The mineral assemblages of Fe‐rich amphibolites are typically dominated by garnet‐ and staurolite‐bearing assemblages, whereas their more Mg‐rich counterparts contain chlorite and cordierite. Assemblages involving staurolite–hornblende can occur over a wide range of pressures (4–10 kbar) at temperatures of 560–650 °C; however, except in the more aluminous, iron‐rich compositions, they occupy a narrow pressure–temperature window. Thus, although their occurrence in ‘typical’ amphibolites may be indicative of relatively high pressure metamorphism, in more aluminous compositions their interpretation is less straightforward.     

P-T-X conditions of calc-silicate formation: evidence from fluid inclusions and phase equilibria; Llano Uplift, central Texas, USA

Abstract The Llano Uplift in central Texas is a Grenville aged (c. 1.1 Ga) metamorphic terrane consisting predominantly of amphibolite facies mineral assemblages. The formation of these assemblages has been attributed to the emplacement of relatively late granite plutons throughout the area. Two types of granitic intrusion have previously been recognized: (1) Town Mountain Granites, which occur as relatively large, circular-shaped bodies of coarse-grained granite, and (2) Younger Granites which are present as smaller and more irregular bodies of finer-grained granite. In the central part of the uplift, wollastonite-bearing calc-silicate rocks occur within the Valley Spring Gneiss. The development of these calc-silicate rocks has been linked to infiltrating fluids presumably derived from spatially associated Younger Granites. The stability of coexisting quartz, calcite, wollastonite, grossular and anorthite and coexisting quartz, calcite, wollastonite, andradite and hedenbergite shows that the calc-silicate rocks equilibrated under H₂O-rich conditions with χCO₂ <0.10. Fluid inclusions present within the calc-silicate minerals are H₂O-rich with salinities of <17 wt% equivalent NaCl. The absence of any detectable CO₂ in the fluid inclusions may indicate entrapment of the inclusions at lower pressures and more H₂O-rich conditions compared to the stability of the peak metamorphic mineral assemblage. Homogenization temperatures, measured for texturally primary inclusions, range from 360 to 368° C corresponding to a density range from 0.53 to 0.82 g/cm³. Isochores for these fluid inclusions, when combined with the stability of the solid-solid equilibria Grs + Qtz = Wo + An, yield formation conditions of 500–550° C at 1–2 kbar. This indicates that the granitic intrusions involved in the formation of the Blount Mountain calc-silicates were emplaced at a pressure of at least 1–2 kbar.     

Transition of metamorphic series from the Kyanite- to andalusite-types in the Altai orogen, Xinjiang, China: Evidence from petrography and calculated KMnFMASH and KFMASH phase relations

Metamorphic zones in the Chinese Altai orogen have previously been separated into the kyanite- and andalusite-types, the andalusite-type being spatially more extensive. The kyanite-type involves a zonal sequence of biotite, garnet, staurolite, kyanite, sillimanite and, locally, garnet–cordierite zones. The andalusite-type zonal sequence is similar: it includes biotite, garnet and staurolite zones at lower-T conditions and sillimanite and garnet–cordierite zones at higher-T conditions, but additionally contains staurolite–andalusite and andalusite–sillimanite zones at intermediate-T conditions. As relic kyanite-bearing assemblages commonly persist in the staurolite–andalusite, andalusite–sillimanite and sillimanite zones, it is not clear that the distinction is valid. On the basis of a reevaluation of phase relations modelled in KMnFMASH and KFMASH pseudosections, kyanite and andalusite-bearing rocks of the Chinese Altai orogen record, respectively, the typical burial and exhumation history of the terrane. Mineral assemblages distributed through the various zones reflect a mix of portions of the ambient P–T array and the effects of evolving P–T conditions. The comparatively low-T biotite, garnet and staurolite zones mostly preserve kyanite-type peak assemblages that only experienced minor changes during exhumation. Rocks in the comparatively high-T sillimanite and garnet–cordierite zones are dominated by mineral assemblages of a transitional sillimanite type, having formed by the extensive modification of earlier higher pressure assemblages during exhumation. Only rocks in the intermediate-T kyanite and probably some lower sillimanite zones were clearly recrystallized by late stage andalusite metamorphism, producing the staurolite–andalusite and andalusite–sillimanite zones. This andalusite metamorphism could not reach an equilibrium state because of limited fluid availability.     

Metamorphism of ultrahigh‐pressure eclogites from the Kebuerte Valley,South Tianshan,NW China: phase equilibria and P–T path

Eclogites from the Kebuerte Valley, Chinese South Tianshan, consist of garnet, omphacite, phengite, paragonite, glaucophane, hornblendic amphibole, epidote, quartz and accessory rutile, titanite, apatite and carbonate minerals with occasional presence of coesite or quartz pseudomorphs after coesite. The eclogites are grouped into two: type I contains porphyroblastic garnet, epidote, paragonite and glaucophane in a matrix dominated by omphacite where the proportion of omphacite and garnet is >50 vol.%; and type II contains porphyroblastic epidote in a matrix consisting mainly of fine‐grained garnet, omphacite and glaucophane where the proportion of omphacite and garnet is <50 vol.%. Garnet in both types of eclogites mostly exhibits core–rim zoning with increasing grossular (X_gr) and pyrope (X_py) contents, but a few porphyroblastic garnet grains in type I eclogite shows core–mantle zoning with increasing X_py and a slight decrease in X_gr, and mantle–rim zoning with increases in both X_gr and X_py. Garnet rims in type I eclogite have higher X_py than in type II. Petrographic observations and phase equilibria modelling with pseudosections calculated using thermocalc in the NCKMnFMASHO system for three representative samples suggest that the eclogites have experienced four stages of metamorphism: stage I is the pre‐peak temperature prograde heating to the pressure peak (P_max) which was recognized by the garnet core–mantle zoning with increasing X_py and decreasing X_gr. The P–T conditions at P_max constrained from garnet mantle or core compositions with minimum X_gr content are 29–30 kbar at 526–540 °C for type I and 28.2 kbar at 518 °C for type II, suggesting an apparent thermal gradient of ～5.5 °C km^?1. Stage II is the post‐P_max decompression and heating to the temperature peak (T_max), which was modelled from the garnet zoning with increasing X_gr and X_py contents. The P–T conditions at T_max, defined using the garnet rim compositions with maximum X_py content and the Si content in phengite, are 24–27 kbar at 590 °C for type I and 22 kbar at 540 °C for type II. Stage III is the post‐T_max isothermal decompression characterized by the decomposition of lawsonite, which may have resulted in the release of a large amount of fluid bound in the rocks, leading to the formation of epidote, paragonite and glaucophane porphyroblasts. Stage IV is the late retrograde evolution characterized by the overprint of hornblendic amphibole in eclogite and the occurrence of epidote–amphibole facies mineral assemblages in the margins or in the strongly foliated domains of eclogite blocks due to fluid infiltration. The P–T estimates obtained from conventional garnet–clinopyroxene–phengite thermobarometry for the Tianshan eclogites are roughly consistent with the P–T conditions of stage II at T_max, but with large uncertainties in temperature. On the basis of these metamorphic stages or P–T paths, we reinterpreted that the recently reported zircon U–Pb ages for eclogite may date the T_max stage or the later decompression stage, and the widely distributed (rutile‐bearing) quartz veins in the eclogite terrane may have originated from the lawsonite decomposition during the decompression stage rather than from the transition from blueschist to eclogite as previously proposed.     

Metamorphism of high‐P metagreywacke from the Eastern Himalayan syntaxis: phase equilibria and P–T path

High‐pressure (HP) metagreywacke from the Namche Barwa Complex, Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS), consists of garnet, biotite, plagioclase, quartz, rutile and ilmenite with or without K‐feldspar, sillimanite, cordierite, spinel and orthopyroxene. Two types of metagreywacke are recognized: medium‐temperature (MT) and high‐temperature (HT) types. Garnet in the MT metagreywacke shows significant growth zoning and contains lower MgO than the weakly zoned garnet in the HT metagreywacke. Petrographic observations and phase equilibria modelling for four representative samples indicate that both types of metagreywacke experienced clockwise P–T paths subdivided into three stages: stage I is the pre‐peak prograde to pressure peak (P_max) stage characterized by progressive increase in P–T conditions. The P_max conditions are estimated using the garnet composition with maximum CaO, being 12.5–13.5 kbar and 685–725 °C for the MT metagreywacke, and 15–16 kbar and 825–835 °C for the HT one. Stage II is the post‐P_max decompression with heating or near‐isothermal to T_max stage and the T_max conditions, constrained using the garnet compositions with maximum MgO, are 11 kbar and 760 °C for the MT metagreywacke, and ~12 kbar and 830–845 °C for the HT one. The modelled mineral assemblages at T_max are garnet + biotite + K‐feldspar + rutile + plagioclase ± ilmenite in the presence of melt for both types of metagreywacke, consistent with the petrographic observations. Stage III is the post‐T_max retrograde metamorphism, characterized by decompression and cooling. The modelling suggests that the melts with high Na/K ratios (1.7–5.2) have been produced during stages I and II, which could be responsible for the formation of sodium‐rich leucogranites. This study and previous results indicate that the Higher Himalayan Crystallines in the EHS consist of MT–HP and HT–HP metamorphic units separated by a speculated tectonic contact. Petrological and structural discontinuities within the EHS cannot be easily interpreted with ‘tectonic aneurysm’ model.     

Constraining peak P–T conditions in UHP eclogites: calculated phase equilibria in kyanite‐ and phengite‐bearing eclogite of the Tromsø Nappe,Norway

Kyanite‐ and phengite‐bearing eclogites have better potential to constrain the peak metamorphic P–T conditions from phase equilibria between garnet + omphacite + kyanite + phengite + quartz/coesite than common, mostly bimineralic (garnet + omphacite) eclogites, as exemplified by this study. Textural relationships, conventional geothermobarometry and thermodynamic modelling have been used to constrain the metamorphic evolution of the Tromsdalstind eclogite from the Tromsø Nappe, one of the biggest exposures of eclogite in the Scandinavian Caledonides. The phase relationships demonstrate that the rock progressively dehydrated, resulting in breakdown of amphibole and zoisite at increasing pressure. The peak‐pressure mineral assemblage was garnet + omphacite + kyanite + phengite + coesite, inferred from polycrystalline quartz included in radially fractured omphacite. This omphacite, with up to 37 mol.% of jadeite and 3% of the Ca‐Eskola component, contains oriented rods of silica composition. Garnet shows higher grossular (X_Grs = 0.25–0.29), but lower pyrope‐content (X_Prp = 0. 37–0.39) in the core than the rim, while phengite contains up to 3.5 Si pfu. The compositional isopleths for garnet core, phengite and omphacite constrain the P–T conditions to 3.2–3.5 GPa and 720–800 °C, in good agreement with the results obtained from conventional geothermobarometry (3.2–3.5 GPa & 730–780 °C). Peak‐pressure assemblage is variably overprinted by symplectites of diopside + plagioclase after omphacite, biotite and plagioclase after phengite, and sapphirine + spinel + corundum + plagioclase after kyanite. Exhumation from ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) conditions to 1.3–1.5 GPa at 740–770 °C is constrained by the garnet rim (X_Ca^Grt = 0.18–0.21) and symplectite clinopyroxene (X_Na^Cpx = 0.13–0.21), and to 0.5–0.7 GPa at 700–800 °C by sapphirine (X_Mg = 0.86–0.87) and spinel (X_Mg = 0.60–0.62) compositional isopleths. UHP metamorphism in the Tromsø Nappe is more widespread than previously known. Available data suggest that UHP eclogites were uplifted to lower crustal levels rapidly, within a short time interval (452–449 Ma) prior to the Scandian collision between Laurentia and Baltica. The Tromsø Nappe as the highest tectonic unit of the North Norwegian Caledonides is considered to be of Laurentian origin and UHP metamorphism could have resulted from subduction along the Laurentian continental margin. An alternative is that the Tromsø Nappe belonged to a continental margin of Baltica, which had already been subducted before the terminal Scandian collision, and was emplaced as an out‐of‐sequence thrust during the Scandian lateral transport of nappes.     

Polymetamorphism in the mainland Lewisian complex,NW Scotland – phase equilibria and geochronological constraints from the Cnoc an t’Sidhean suite

The metamorphic evolution of rocks cropping out near Stoer, within the Assynt terrane of the central region of the mainland Lewisian complex of NW Scotland, is investigated using phase equilibria modelling in the NCKFMASHTO and MnNCKFMASHTO model systems. The focus is on the Cnoc an t’Sidhean suite, garnet‐bearing biotite‐rich rocks (brown gneiss) with rare layers of white mica gneiss, which have been interpreted as sedimentary in origin. The results show that these rocks are polymetamorphic and experienced granulite facies peak metamorphism (Badcallian) followed by retrograde fluid‐driven metamorphism (Inverian) under amphibolite facies conditions. The brown gneisses are inferred to have contained an essentially anhydrous granulite facies peak metamorphic assemblage of garnet, quartz, plagioclase and ilmenite (±rutile, K‐feldspar and pyroxene) with biotite, hornblende, muscovite, chlorite and/or epidote as hydrous retrograde minerals. P–T constraints imposed by phase equilibria modelling imply conditions of 13–16 kbar at >900 °C for the Badcallian granulite facies metamorphic peak, consistent with the field evidence for partial melting in most lithologies. The white mica gneiss comprises a muscovite‐dominated matrix containing porphyroblasts of staurolite, corundum, kyanite and rare garnet. Previous studies have suggested that staurolite, corundum, kyanite and muscovite all grew at the granulite facies peak, with partial melting and melt loss producing a highly aluminous residue. However, at the inferred peak P–T conditions, staurolite and muscovite are not predicted to be stable, suggesting they are retrograde phases that grew during amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism. The large proportion of mica suggests extensive H₂O‐rich fluid‐influx, consistent with the retrograde growth of hornblende, biotite, epidote and chlorite in the brown gneisses. P–T conditions of 5.0–6.5 kbar at 520–550 °C are derived for the Inverian event. In situ dating of zircon from samples of the white mica gneiss yield apparent ages that are difficult to interpret. However, the data are permissive of granulite facies (Badcallian) metamorphism having occurred at c. 2.7–2.8 Ga with subsequent fluid driven (Inverian) retrogression at c. 2.5–2.6 Ga, consistent with previous interpretations.     

Petrology of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain, Japan: phase equilibria in the highest grade zone of a high-pressure intermediate type of metamorphic belt

The oligoclase-biotite zone of the Bessi area, central Shikoku is characterized by sodic plagioclase (X_Ca= 0.10–0.28)-bearing assemblages in pelitic schists, and represents the highest-grade zone of the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain. Mineral assemblages in pelitic schists of this zone, all with quartz, sodic plagioclase, muscovite and clinozoisite (or zoisite), are garnet + biotite + chlorite + paragonite, garnet + biotite + hornblende + chlorite, and partial assemblages of these two types. Correlations between mineral compositions, mineral assemblages and mineral stability data assuming PH₂O = P_solid suggests that metamorphic conditions of this zone are about 610 ± 25°C and 10 ± 1 kbar.
Based upon a comparative study of mineralogy and chemistry of pelitic schists in the oligoclase-biotite zone of the Sanbagawa terrain with those in the New Caledonia omphacite zone as an example of a typical high-pressure type of metamorphic belt and with those in a generalized'upper staurolite zone'as an example of a medium-pressure type of metamorphic belt, progressive assemblages within these three zones can be related by reactions such as: