P–T–t evidence for mechanisms of vertical tectonic motion in a contractional orogen: north-western US and Canadian Cordillera

The >1800 km long Coast Mountains–North Cascades orogen of the Canadian Cordillera and north-western US developed as a continental magmatic arc. Metamorphic rocks in the orogen contain widespread evidence for burial of supracrustal rocks to depths of c. 40 km, followed by nearly isothermal decompression to depths of <10 km. Near many shallowly-emplaced, mid-Cretaceous plutons, low-pressure contact metamorphic effects were overprinted by high-pressure regional metamorphic minerals and textures, as evidenced by kyanite±staurolite pseudomorphs after andalusite in metapelitic rocks. Therefore, near-pluton rocks record the loading history of the orogen. Metapelitic rocks not associated with plutons only preserve evidence for high-pressure conditions and/or high-temperature decompression, as indicated, for example, by sillimanite and cordierite after kyanite and garnet, respectively. Petrological evidence for burial and decompression is therefore recorded in different rocks. Various regions of the orogen differ in timing of metamorphism, the overall shape of P–T paths and the relative timing and regional extent of the high-pressure event, but most of these data and observations are consistent with thrusting and/or pure shear thickening as primary loading mechanisms throughout the orogen, as opposed to magma-dominated loading. This interpretation is further supported by comparison with thermal models, which demonstrate that the P–T paths are consistent with simultaneous thrusting and folding at a high initial geothermal gradient (35–40 °C km^?1) in much of the orogen. A high geothermal gradient supports tectonic models invoking intra-arc contraction and suggests that magmatism played an important role in regional temperature-time paths. This tectonic-thermal history may be typical of other contractional orogens and illustrates the importance of large vertical displacement of crust in magmatic arcs.     

Petrology and geothermobarometry of granulite facies metapelites from the Hisøy-Torungen area, south Norway: new data on the Sveconorvegian P–T–t path of the Bamble sector

ABSTRACT The high-grade rocks (metapelite, quartzite, metagabbro) of the Hisøy-Torungen area represent the south-westernmost exposures of granulites in the Proterozoic Bamble sector, south Norway. The area is isoclinally folded and a metamorphic P–T–t path through four successive stages (M1-M4) is recognized. Petrological evidence for a prograde metamorphic event (M1) is obtained from relict staurolite + chlorite + albite, staurolite + hercynite + ilmenite, cordierite + sillimanite, fine-grained felsic material + quartz and hercynite + biotite ± sillimanite within metapelitic garnet. The phase relations are consistent with a pressure of 3.6 ± 0.5 kbar and temperatures up to 750–850°C. M1 is connected to the thermal effect of the gabbroic intrusions prior to the main (M2) Sveconorwegian granulite facies metamorphism. The main M2 granulite facies mineral assemblages (quartz+ plagioclase + K-feldspar + garnet + biotite ± sillimanite) are best preserved in the several-metre-wide Al-rich metapelites, which represent conditions of 5.9–9.1 kbar and 790–884°C. These P–T conditions are consistent with a temperature increase of 80–100°C relative to the adjacent amphibolite facies terranes. No accompanying pressure variations are recorded. Up to 1-mm-wide fine-grained felsic veinlets appear in several units and represent remnants of a former melt formed by the reaction: Bt + Sil + Qtz→Grt + lq. This dehydration reaction, together with the absence of large-scale migmatites in the area, suggests a very reduced water activity in the rocks and XH₂O = 0.25 in the C–O–H fluid system was calculated for a metapelitic unit. A low but variable water activity can best explain the presence or absence of fine-grained felsic material representing a former melt in the different granulitic metapelites. The strongly peraluminous composition of the felsic veinlets is due to the reaction: Grt +former melt ± Sil→Crd + Bt ± Qtz + H₂O, which has given poorly crystalline cordierite aggregates intergrown with well-crystalline biotite. The cordierite- and biotite-producing reaction constrains a steep first-stage retrograde (relative to M2) uplift path. Decimetre- to metre-wide, strongly banded metapelites (quartz + plagioclase + biotite + garnet ± sillimanite) inter-layered with quartzites are retrograded to (M3) amphibolite facies assemblages. A P–T estimate of 1.7–5.6 kbar, 516–581°C is obtained from geothermobarometry based on rim-rim analyses of garnet–biotite–plagioclase–sillimanite–quartz assemblages, and can be related to the isoclinal folding of the rocks. M4 greenschist facies conditions are most extensively developed in millimetre-wide chlorite-rich, calcite-bearing veins cutting the foliation.     

Crust-mantle relationships in the French Variscan chain: the example of the Southern Monts du Lyonnais unit (eastern French Massif Central)

Garnet lherzolite from the Lyonnais area (eastern French Massif Central) occurs as several lenses elongated within the regional foliation of garnet-biotite-sillimanite gneisses. Within the peridotites a mylonitic foliation can be observed which clearly is oblique to the regional foliation of the surrounding gneisses. Petrological and thermobarometric studies emphasize a tectonometamorphic re-equilibration for both crustal and mantle rocks characterized by a prograde metamorphic stage followed by retrograde evolution. During the burial stage, interpreted as lithospheric subduction, the peridotites underwent their mylonitic deformation, under high-pressure conditions (23–30 kbar). In contrast, the paragneisses have suffered their deformation during the retromorphic evolution under mesozonal conditions (6–8 kbar, 700°C). Our thermobarometric investigations allow us to interpret the granulitic/ultramafic association from the Monts du Lyonnais area as a lithospheric section buried into a Palaeozoic subduction zone, laminated during continental collision and uplifted by erosion processes.     

Clasts of high-grade Sanbagawa schist in Middle Eocene conglomerates from the Kuma Group, central Shikoku, south-west Japan

Middle Eocene conglomerates which overlie the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks contain clasts of metamorphic rock with isotope ages of 120-85 Ma, which fall within the age range reported from the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks. They were derived from the chlorite to oligoclase zones of the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt. Clasts of garnet amphibolite and oligoclase-biotite schist show a mineral assemblage similar to the highest grade Sanbagawa schists. However, the metamorphic temperatures estimated by various mineralogical thermometers show that some of the clasts were formed at higher temperatures than the in situ Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks. Such higher grade rocks were at the surface by the Middle Eocene and for the most part they have been eroded away. Cretaceous and post-Cretaceous sediments overlie, or are in fault contact with, the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks which suggests that rocks in the belt were uplifted and eroded from the latest Cretaceous to Middle Eocene time after strike-slip movement along the Median Tectonic Line. Since the Middle Eocene, the belt has experienced relatively slow uplift which was locally around 2 km in central Shikoku.     

Calibration of Infrared Absorption Coefficients for Structural Hydroxyl in Garnet by a Combined Study of Isotope Ratio Spectrometry and Vibrational Spectroscopy

An accurate determination of water content in garnet is critical to quantify the transport of water to the deep mantle by the subducted oceanic crust beyond the breakdown of hydrous phases. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is the most widely used approach to determine the species and contents of water in garnet. Accurate quantification of OH in garnet requires independent calibration using an external method, as OH absorbance is mineral and composition specific. To obtain the infrared absorption coefficients of structural hydroxyl in garnet, a combined study of spectrometric analyses by FTIR and a method combining a thermal conversion elemental analyser with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (TC/EA-MS) was carried out for fourteen gem-quality natural garnet crystals with variable compositions. The obtained molar absorption coefficients were 9322 ± 338 and 240 ± 26 l mol⁻¹ cm⁻² for grossular- and spessartine-rich garnet and pyrope-almandine garnet, respectively. These results are within the range of previous studies. A new molar absorption coefficient of 689 ± 177 l mol⁻¹ cm⁻² was obtained for pyrope-spessartine garnet. The large variation in the absorption coefficient indicates it is controlled by both garnet composition and OH-absorption bands. The obtained absorption coefficients are only appropriate for certain types of eclogitic garnet, and more studies should be carried out on eclogitic garnets.     

赣西石竹山硅灰石矿床石榴子石特征及其地质意义

江西省石竹山硅灰石矿床位于钦杭成矿带东段的萍乐坳陷带内,是世界资源储量规模最大的硅灰石矿床。为了厘清区内成矿流体性质及进一步找矿潜力,本文根据矿物间的穿插关系和光学特征,将该矿床的石榴子石分为早(GrtⅠ)、晚(GrtⅡ)两个世代,在详细的野外工作基础上,利用电子探针(EMPA)和LA-ICP-MS原位微区分析技术,对石竹山矿床中的石榴子石开展了系统研究。结果表明,石竹山硅灰石矿床石榴子石属于钙铝榴石-钙铁榴石固溶体系列,早期形成的石榴子石(GrtⅠ)Fe含量更高,且震荡环带发育,而晚期形成的石榴子石(GrtⅡ)则发育复杂环带。石榴子石GrtⅠ和GrtⅡ都亏损大离子亲石元素K、Rb、Ba、Sr等,而Nb、Ta、Zr等高场强元素相对含量较高,U含量与∑REE成正比。GrtⅡ的∑REE较低(12.92×10^-6~21.12×10^-6),具有较平坦的稀土元素配分模式,轻微富集轻稀土元素(Ce、Pr、Nd、Sm),微弱负铕异常;GrtⅠ的∑REE相对较高(13.78×10^-6~73.52×10^-6),更富集轻稀土元素(Ce、Pr、Nd、Sm),呈右倾的稀土元素配分模式,负铕异常明显。推测石榴子石GrtⅠ形成于相对开放、水岩比值较高、高氧逸度的酸性体系中,GrtⅡ则形成于相对封闭、水岩比值较低、高氧逸度的中酸性体系中。此外,将石榴子石的端员组分和微量元素特征与国内外不同矿种的接触交代型金属矿床进行对比,结果显示该矿床存在成Cu、Fe、Mo矿体的潜力。     

大青山地区2.5 Ga紫苏花岗岩——对深熔石榴花岗岩成因模式的启示

华北克拉通北缘西部陆块早前寒武纪基底分布广泛,现有的研究普遍认为经历 2.5 Ga,2.45~2.37 Ga,1.95 Ga和1.85 Ga变质热事件影响。华北克拉通北缘阴山陆块中2.5 Ga的紫苏花岗岩研究已经成为了揭示华北克拉通北缘早前寒武纪构造演化的一个热点,但孔兹岩带中却鲜少有新太古代晚期构造热事件的相关报道。近年来,相继从大青山地区的孔兹岩带石榴黑云母片麻岩中分辨出一期具有2.45~2.37 Ga变质锆石年龄的大青山表壳岩,同时出露与其成因关系密切的深熔石榴花岗岩,但其深熔成因的模式存在争议。本文对大青山地区新发现的新太古代晚期紫苏花岗岩、石榴花岗岩及其围岩的野外空间产出关系和锆石年代学进行对比分析,为探究深熔石榴花岗岩成因模式提供重要的启示。     

Melt Pockets in Garnet Megacrysts from Cenozoic Alkali Basalts of the Shavaryn Tsaram Vicinity, Mongolia

Garnet megacryst with a multiphase inclusion from intraplate alkali basalts of the Shavaryn Tsaram(Tariat,Mongolia)was the object of the study.This unusual aggregate consists of porous glass,Ti-rich biotite,orthopyroxene,spinel,clinopyroxene,olivine,and ilmenite.Win TWQ 2.32 thermodynamic simulation of this system revealed a few intervals of equilibrium.Pressure and temperature adjustment reflected in the paragenetic minerals of the melt pocket.The capture of already crystallised garnet megacryst was at P=0.8-1 GPa and T=1120-1160℃.Mineral crystallisation inside the melt pocket,accompanied by external inputs,occurred at P=0.75-0.95 GPa;T=790-1120℃.Symplectite assemblage formed in the garnet megacryst due to decomposition at(P=0.55-0.7 GPa;T=850-930℃).The study of the oxygen isotope content in primary garnet and biotite of the melt pocket showed that the δ¹⁸O_VSMOW values are the same and correspond to that of typical mantle xenoliths.However,the chemical and microcomponent composition of the melt pocket minerals reveals a material that differs from basalts and peridotites.Thus,it has been revealed that the multiphase inclusion in the garnet megacryst formed not only on account of the garnet’s substance,but also due to the entrapped material of the Earth’s interior.     

有关埃达克岩实验应用中几个问题的探讨

实验研究非常重要,是花岗岩(和埃达克岩)理论创新的源泉之一。近年来,国内在埃达克岩实验研究方面取得了很大的成绩。在这个领域,中国在国际上是处于领先水平的,虽然得到的认识并不相同,这是很正常的。本文讨论了与埃达克岩有关的一些实验研究问题,认为:1下地壳底部是缺水的,花岗岩是在缺水条件下部分熔融的,应当慎重对待在饱和水和有水加入情况下的实验结果。2要注意残留相组分中是否有斜长石出现,不能只关注石榴石,石榴石与斜长石配合起来才能得出正确的认识。3 1.0 GPa压力下石榴石出现线的真实含义是什么?它只表明与之平衡的熔体是贫Yb的。但是,贫Yb的花岗岩不只是埃达克岩,喜马拉雅型花岗岩也贫Yb,因此,还需要考虑斜长石消失的情况,如果石榴石出现而斜长石消失了,熔体是埃达克岩;如果石榴石出现而斜长石没有消失,则熔体为喜马拉雅型花岗岩。由于国外没有喜马拉雅型花岗岩的概念,因此,对国外某些在1 GPa条件下得到的实验资料应当仔细鉴别,也许其中有一些熔体并非埃达克岩,而是喜马拉雅型花岗岩。4相变反应不同于部分熔融反应,不能把相变反应的结果解释为部分熔融的结果。相变反应是在温度压力增加的情况下发生的,不是产生花岗岩的主要方式;部分熔融反应主要是在温度增加压力不变的条件下发生的,是产生花岗岩的主要方式。5实验研究得出的一个重要的结论是:与榴辉岩平衡的熔体是埃达克岩,因此,埃达克岩的真谛可能就是非常简单的一句话:源区有石榴石无斜长石。只要符合这个标志,与其平衡的熔体必然是高Sr低Yb的;只要符合这个标志,与其平衡的熔体必然是在较高的压力下形成的。高压可能就是埃达克岩最重要的构造意义。     

西藏日喀则地区白朗蛇绿岩中石榴辉石岩的岩石地球化学、年代学及其构造意义

白朗石榴辉石岩位于西藏南部雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带上,地处于日喀则地区白朗县境内,因其具有重要的大地构造位置和意义,得到了国内外诸多学者关注。国内外学者对该岩体的研究有助于深入剖析雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带的就位机制。本文以白朗石榴辉石岩为研究对象,其野外产出为构造岩块,围岩为没有变形特征的蛇纹石化地幔橄榄岩,早白垩世昂仁组和紫红色硅质岩也没有构造变质现象,且石榴辉石岩与蛇纹石化地幔橄榄岩间界限截然。通过对其进行岩石地球化学和年代学的研究,并结合大地构造动力学观点,认为西藏日喀则地区石榴辉石岩属钙碱性超基性岩,形成于无流体无水的稳定物理化学环境中,略亏损高场强元素Th、Ta、Nb等,锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄为149.0±3.1Ma,且锆石εHf(t)平均值为+17.7,说明原始岩浆主要源于亏损地幔,且没有发生岩浆混染。总结:本文确定白朗石榴辉石岩原始岩浆来源于上地幔,并且该岩石的形成与印度板块和欧亚板块俯冲有关,但在该岩石形成过程中印度板块和欧亚板块没有发生陆陆碰撞。