Ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the Achankovil Zone: Implications for the correlation of crustal blocks in southern India

The Achankovil Zone of southern India, a NW–SE trending lineament of 8–10 km in width and > 100 km length, is a kinematically debated crustal feature, considered to mark the boundary between the Madurai Granulite Block in the north and the Trivandrum Granulite Block in the south. Both these crustal blocks show evidence for ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism during the Pan-African orogeny, although the exhumation styles are markedly different. The Achankovil Zone is characterized by discontinuous strands of cordierite-bearing gneiss with an assemblage of cordierite + garnet + quartz + plagioclase + spinel + ilmenite + magnetite ± orthopyroxene ± biotite ± K-feldspar ± sillimanite. The lithology preserves several peak and post-peak metamorphic assemblages including: (1) orthopyroxene + garnet, (2) perthite and/or anti-perthite, (3) cordierite ± orthopyroxene corona around garnet, and (4) cordierite + quartz symplectite after garnet. We estimate the peak metamorphic conditions of these rocks using orthopyroxene-bearing geothermobarometers and feldspar solvus which yield 8.5–9.5 kbar and 940–1040 °C, the highest P–T conditions so far recorded from the Achankovil Zone. The retrograde conditions were obtained from cordierite-bearing geothermobarometers at 3.5–4.5 kbar and 720 ± 60 °C. From orthopyroxene chemistry, we record a multistage exhumation history for these rocks, which is closely comparable with those reported in recent studies from the Madurai Granulite Block, but different from those documented from the Trivandrum Granulite Block. An evaluation of the petrologic and geochronologic data, together with the nature of exhumation paths leads us to propose that the Achankovil Zone is probably the southern flank of the Madurai Granulite Block, and not a unit of the Trivandrum Granulite Block as presently believed. Post-tectonic alkali granites that form an array of “suturing plutons” along the margin of the Madurai Granulite Block and within the Achankovil Zone, but are absent in the Trivandrum Granulite Block, suggest that the boundary between the Madurai Granulite Block and the Trivandrum Granulite Block might lie along the Tenmalai shear zone at the southern extremity of the Achankovil Zone.     

Time evolution of twin domains in cordierite: a computer simulation study

The time and temperature evolution of twinning in cordierite is simulated using three computer models. The orientation of walls between twin domains in natural cordierite follows mainly the ferroelastic pattern which minimises the strain energy of the walls between twin-related domains. Such ferroelastic twinning is simulated in an elastic three-states Potts model in which each structural six-membered ring is represented by a three state pseudo-spin. The resulting twin pattern in a sample with 3169 structural rings shows sector trilling and fine scale ferroelastic wall patterns which coarsen with increasing annealing time. The poorly defined wall directions observed in cordierite were found to be related to twin walls which do not minimise the strain energy. Instead, these walls are located along the corners of pseudo-hexagonal rings and appear as the consequence of local rather than global interatomic interactions. Simulations using two-dimensional (38028 atoms) and three-dimensional (408 228 atoms) structural models show a predominance of these topological walls over the strain walls at early stages in the ordering process. The domain structure in the simulation is patchy rather than corresponding to repeated stripe structures found in other ferroelastic and co-elastic materials. In all models, a strong tendency for sector trilling is observed. In kinetic tweed patterns a novel 60o tweed is found at atomic length scales while the usual strain-mediated 90o tweed appears at mesoscopic length scales. An unusual surface tension effect in domain formation and ’writhing’, fluid-like motion was found in the three-dimensional structural model. This motion, along with the existence of non strain-mediated walls may contribute to cordierite’s poorly defined domain wall directions at the early stages of domain coarsening. Received: 11 March 1998 / Revised, accepted: 28 August 1998     

麻山群孔兹岩系中的堇青片麻岩

黑龙江省东部麻山群中堇青片麻岩的主要矿物组合有石榴石＋夕线石＋堇青石＋石英＋钾长石＋黑云母；石榴石＋夕线石＋堇青石＋钾长石＋尖晶石；堇青石＋夕线石＋斜长石；柱晶石＋堇青石＋斜长石＋夕线石＋石榴石＋电气石；堇青石＋紫苏辉石＋石榴石＋斜长石＋黑云母＋石英。这些含堇青石组合是在麻粒岩相条件下已存石榴石＋夕线石＋石英矿物组合分解反应的产物，其形成压力（０．４５－０．５ＧＰａ＿比麻粒岩相“高峰”压力明显低，     

日本西南冲岛新生代过铝质花岗岩类的特征和成因

日本西南冲岛花岗岩类按岩性可划分出两种类型:谷尻型(Tanijiri type)堇青石-紫苏辉石花岗闪长岩和母岛型(Mashima type)电气石-石榴石黑云母花岗岩。两者均以中等过铝质,高的钛铁矿/磁铁矿比值、高的Rb/Sr比值和中等至强的负铕异常等指示其成因上应归属于钛铁矿系列花岗岩,与澳大利亚的S型花岗岩有相似之处。谷尻型花岗闪长岩的源岩主要为一套中性-中基性变质火山岩和火山沉积岩。由于未经充分的沉积分异,成熟度低,含放射成因~(87)Sr较少,由这种源岩经部分熔融形成的初始岩浆具有较低的I_(Sr)~t值(0.70765)和较高的ε_(Nd)~t值(-6.3),这些又不同于典型的S型花岗岩。根据Rb/Sr模拟计算,母岛型花岗岩可能是谷尻型花岗闪长岩浆经26～65％结晶相分离结晶后的产物。     

堇青石低热膨胀机理研究

本文根据垄青石晶体结构特点和有关热力学资料,建立了堇青石热膨胀系数的理论计算模式:半定量计算方法,α=α_MgO × 1/3 × 2/3;定量计算方法,α=ΔS/ΔT/2/(a × b).分别计算了堇青石、印度石的线热膨胀系数,半定量计算结果:α=3.31 × 10^-6℃^-1(堇青石、印度石);定量计算结果,a=1.54 × 10-6℃^-1(堇青石),α=0.85 × 10-6℃^-1(印度石),与实验测定结果(堇青石:α=2.3 × 10-6℃^-1,印度石:α=1.0 × 10^-6℃^-1)吻合。     

东南极拉斯曼丘陵柱晶紫苏堇青麻粒岩中堇青石的矿物学特征

东南极拉斯曼丘陵晚元古代（１０００Ｍａ）高级变质杂岩中区域性产出一套粗粒柱晶紫苏堇青麻粒岩，其原岩为含硼的富镁铝泥质岩。岩石中结晶粗大的堇青石在矿物化学成分上属于镁堇青石，其成分显示不均匀且具较明显成分环带的特征，从核部到边缘，其ＸＭｇ（Ｍｇ／Ｍｇ＋Ｆｅ２＋）比值由０．８５５变化为０．８１６。温压计算结果表明，所研究堇青石形成的Ｐ－Ｔ条件约为０．７６～０．７２ＧＰａ和８６０℃～８３０℃（核部至边缘）。Ｘ－射线粉晶结构分析证明这种堇青石属于低位结构状态的堇青石，晶体结构扭曲指数Δ＝０．２８～０．３０，在自然界比较少见。实验室合成的低位结构状态的堇青石只在持续较长时间的１３００℃～１４００℃的高温条件下稳定存在。因此，这意味着低位堇青石可能是由很高温变质作用及缓慢冷却的条件下结晶形成，这对于研究该区的地壳演化具有极其重要的意义。     

Metamorphic phase equilibria modelling and zircon U–Pb geochronology of ultrahigh-temperature cordierite granulites from the Madurai Block,India: implications for hot Gondwana crust

The Madurai Block (MB) is the largest Precambrian crustal block in the Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) of India and hosts rare cordierite- and orthopyroxene-bearing granulites. Investigations based on field study, petrology, metamorphic P–T estimation, and detrital zircon geochronology of these granulites are crucial for understanding the ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism and crustal evolution in this block. Here we investigate the petrology and zircon U–Pb geochronology of two new localities of cordierite granulites at Kottayam (southern MB; SMB) and Munnar (central MB; CMB). Petrographic observations and phase equilibria modelling results indicate that these rocks experienced UHT metamorphism with the peak temperature exceeding 950℃ and involving clockwise P–T paths. The prograde mineral assemblages define the P–T conditions of 6.8–8.7 kbar and 750–875℃. The peak conditions are estimated using pseudosection modelling and geothermometry, which yield P–T estimates of 7.1–9.1 kbar and 955–985℃. The retrograde cooling and decompression are inferred at 860–790℃ and <6.5 kbar, respectively. Partial melting played an important role during metamorphism and contributed to the overgrowth around detrital zircons. The melt production process was probably related to biotite dehydration melting, and was mainly triggered by heating, with or without the effect of decompression. Detrital zircons in cordierite granulite samples from the two localities show similar age distributions and have dominantly Neoproterozoic ages (1024–760 Ma). The zircon cores show oscillatory zoning with a wide range of Th/U ratios (0.01–0.96), implying complex protoliths from multiple Neoproterozoic provenances from both southern and central domains of the MBs. Zircon rims and homogeneous bright zircons yield mean ages of 549 ± 5 Ma, 536 ± 6 Ma, and 544 ± 6 Ma, which are interpreted to represent zircon overgrowths during the post-peak cooling and decompression process. The timing of peak UHT metamorphism is constrained as 549–599 Ma, which coincides with the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.     

曹庄群中几种少见岩石及其地质意义

太古代曹庄群中少见的铬云母石英岩、堇青石石英岩、钡冰长石片麻岩、方柱石角闪岩等为中国太古代早期地壳的性质提供了信息和证据。这些岩石的存在表明早在曹庄群原岩沉积之前华北准地台就存在原始的硅铝壳;早太古代冀东地区曾出现蒸发岩岔地。堇青石石英岩中的堇青石-夕线石组合为曹庄群低压麻粒岩相变质作用提供了矿物学证据。     

皖南低~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr初始比的过铝花岗闪长岩及其成因

本文从野外地质、岩相学、矿物化学、岩石化学和稳定同位素等诸方面资料,论证了安徽休宁、歙县地区三个强过铝花岗闪长岩体的基本特点、侵入方式和岩浆起源,确认它们的成因既不与区域变质作用有关,也不与火山作用有联系,而是与中、基性的火山-沉积柱部分熔融的中深成碰撞后岩株式花岗岩类有关。