Petrology of Granulites from Anakapalle--Evidence for Proterozoic Decompression in the Eastern Ghats, India

The granulite complex at Anakapalle, which was metamorphosedat 1000 Ma, comprises orthopyroxene granulites, leptynite, khondalite,mafic granulites, calc-silicate rock, spinel granulites, andtwo types of sapphirine granulites—one quartz-bearingand migmatitic and the other devoid of quartz and massive. Reactiontextures in conjunction with mineral-chemical data suggest severalcontinuous and discontinuous equilibria in these rocks. In orthopyroxenegranulites, dehydration-melting of biotite in the presence ofquartz occurred according to the reaction biotite+quartz= garnet (Py₃₇)+K-feldspar+orthopyroxene + liquid. Later, this garnet broke down by the reaction garnet (Py₃₇)+quartz= orthopyroxene + plagioclase. Subsequently, coronal garnet (Py₃₀) and quartz were producedby the same reaction but proceeding in the opposite direction.In spinel granulites, garnet (Py₄₂) and sillimanite were producedby the breakdown of spinel in the presence of quartz. In thetwo types of sapphirine granulites, garnet with variable pyropecontent broke down according to the reaction garnet = sapphirine + sillimanite + orthopyroxene. The highest pyrope content (59 mol %) was noted in garnets fromquartz-free sapphirine granulites compared with the quartz-bearingone (53 mol % pyrope). The calculated positions of the mineralreactions and diserete P-T points obtained by thermobarometrydefine a retrograde P-T trajectory during which a steep decompressionof 1.5 kbar from P-T_max of 8 kbar and 900C was followed bynear-isobaric cooling of 300C. During this decompression, garnetwith variable pyrope contents in different rocks broke downon intersection with various divariant equilibria. Near-isobariccooling resulted in the formation of coronal garnet around second-generationorthopyroxene and plagioclase replacing earlier porphyroblasticgarnet in orthopyroxene granulites. It has been argued thatthe deduced P-T trajectory originated in an extensional regimeinvolving either a crust of near-normal thickness of a slightlyoverthickened crust owing to magmatic underaccretion.     

Controls of mineral reactions in high-grade garnet–wollastonite–scapolite-bearing calcsilicate rocks: an example from Anakapalle, Eastern Ghats, India

ABSTRACT A suite of garnet-wollastonite-scapolite-bearing calcsilicate granulites from the Eastern Ghats has been investigated to document the controls of mineral reactions during the metamorphic evolution of the deep continental crust. The rocks studied show heterogeneity in modal mineralogy and phase compositions in millimetre-sized domains. Textural relations, and the compositional plots of the phases, established that the clinopyroxene exerts a strong influence on the formation and composition of garnet in the complex natural system. P-T estimates using the vapour-independent equilibria involving garnet define a near isobaric cooling path from c. 850C at c. 5.5–5.2 kbar. The deduced trajectory tallies well with the terminal segment of the overall retrograde P-T path construed from the associated rocks using well-calibrated thermobarometers. The ubiquitous occurrence of wollastonite and scapolite in the main calcsilicate body suggests low a_CO2 during peak metamorphic condition. Fluid compositions constrained from mineral-fluid equilibria of the garnet-bearing assemblages show domainal variations as a function of the compositions of the solid phases, e.g. garnet and clinopyroxene. A quantitative log/_CO2-log/_O2 diagram has been constructed to depict the stability of the different calcsilicate assemblages as functions of the compositions and the behaviour of these fugitive species. The results of the mineral-fluid equilibria and the quantitative fluid/rock ratio calculations, in conjunction with the topological constraints, imply vapour-deficient meta-morphism in the rocks studied. It is argued that f_O2 during peak metamorphism was monitored by the ambient f_O2. Subsequently, during retrogression, different domains evolved independently, whereas the fluid composition was controlled by the mineral-fluid equilibria.