Silica mobility and fluid movement during metamorphism of the Connemara schists, Ireland

Quartz veins are developed in a wide range of metasediment types in the upper amphibolite facies rocks of Connemara, and attest to considerable migration of silica. Contrary to common assumptions, there is clear evidence that these veins do not primarily result from movement of fluid to regions of lower P–T down the regional geothermal gradient. Under amphibolite facies conditions, a dilute chloride fluid moving down temperature has the potential to alter 60g of plagioclase to muscovite for each gram of vein quartz precipitated, while cooling over the temperature interval from 650 to 500° C. The absence of significant metasomatic effects in the vein walls effectively precludes a simple origin from such through-flowing, externally derived fluids. The oxygen isotopic composition of matrix quartz shows considerable differences between different rock types (quartzite, pelite and marble), with a range of δ¹⁸O_SMOW from c.+ 11.5% (quartzite) to + 18.5% (marble). In each rock type, vein quartz compositions closely match those of the matrix quartz. These results demonstrate the importance of local segregation processes in the formation of veins, and suggest that fluid convection cells were not developed during metamorphism on a scale larger than the individual sedimentary formations, if at all. Both oxygen isotope data and the absence of metasomatism indicate that veins form primarily by segregation of quartz from the host lithologies, with only a relatively minor component of through flow of externally derived fluid. Veins are clearly not the major pathways of metamorphic dewatering. It is proposed that abundant veins in the predominantly pelitic Ballynakill Formation formed during peak metamorphic D3 folding because the formation was embrittled by high fluid pressures but was capped by impermeable marble. Hence the pelitic formation fractured repeatedly and the pore fluid drained through the fractures to form veins, while irreversible loss through the rest of the succession was a much less important process. In the central mountains of Connemara, rather pure, unreactive quartzites are cut by widely spaced, laterally extensive quartz veins that are axial planar to D3 folds. These veins may mark pathways whereby metamorphic fluid made its way through the massive impermeable quartzite from lower parts of the nappe pile, but here too, oxygen isotope data indicate considerable segregation of locally derived quartz, reflecting the importance of pumping of fluid between wail rocks and fractures relative to the component of through flow.     

EXTENSIVE-DILATANCY ANISOTROPY: RELATIVE INFORMATION IN VSPs AND REFLECTION SURVEYS1

Shear-waves have complicated interactions with the free surface, particularly in the presence of low-velocity surface layers, topographic irregularities, and the expected near-surface crack and stress anomalies. Consequently, it has been suggested that shear-waves should be recorded subsurface in vertical seismic profiles (VSPs), in order to extract accurate information about the in situ crack and stress geometry contained in shear-wave splitting. This paper compares the information in synthetic shear-waves in reflection gathers and VSPs, in order to assess the relative merits of the two techniques for investigating shear-wave splitting. Synthetic seismograms demonstrate that in the presence of even very simple surface layers, shear-waves recorded in reflection surveys at the surface have polarizations which may not indicate crack and stress geometry at depth. In contrast, shear-waves recorded in VSPs are relatively unaffected by surface layers and near-surface stress and crack anomalies, and the behaviour of shear-wave splitting is dominated by the structure of the rock mass in the vicinity of subsurface geophones. Matrix rotations of multicomponent-multisource shear-wave reflection data to extract the information contained in the split shear-waves, are found to be directly meaningful only in situations where crack orientations do not change with depth.     

U–Pb isotopic dating of fluid infiltration and metasomatism during Dalradian regional metamorphism in Connemara, western Ireland

Abstract A metasomatic diopside rock occurs at the top of the dolomitic Connemara Marble Formation of western Ireland and contains titanite and K-feldspar in addition to around 90% diopside ( X _Mg= 0.90–0.97). U–Pb isotopic measurements on this mineral assemblage show that the titanite is both unusually uranium-rich and isotopically concordant, with the result that a precise U–Pb age of 478 ± 2.5 Ma can be determined. The age is identical within error to a less precise Rb–Sr age of diopside–K-feldspar of 483 ± 6 Ma. Petrological evidence indicates that the assemblage crystallized at c . 620° C close to or below the closure temperature of titanite. The age thus provides a precise estimate of the time of metamorphism; this age is 11 ± 3 Ma younger than the 490 Ma age for nearby gabbroic plutons which has previously been used to constrain the peak metamorphic age. This difference accords well with geological evidence that the gabbros were emplaced prior to the metamorphic peak. Analysis of minerals with high closure temperature from assemblages whose crystallization is unambiguously associated with a specific episode of fluid infiltration at the peak of metamorphism provides the basis for a new approach to dating metamorphism. The success of this approach is demonstrated by the results from Connemara.     

Fluid evolution during metamorphism of the Otago Schist, New Zealand: (I) Evidence from fluid inclusions

Fluid inclusion salinities from quartz veins in the Otago Schist, New Zealand, range from 1.0 to 7.3 wt% NaCl eq. in the Torlesse terrane, and from 0.4 to 3.1 wt% NaCl eq. in the Caples terrane. Homogenization temperatures from these inclusions range from 124 to 350  °C, with modal values for individual samples ranging from 163 to 229  °C, but coexisting, low-salinity inclusions exhibiting metastable ice melting show a narrower range of T  _h from 86 to 170  °C with modes from 116 to 141  °C. These data have been used in conjunction with chlorite chemistry to suggest trapping conditions of ≈350–400  °C and 4.1–6.0  kbar for inclusions showing metastable melting from lower greenschist facies rocks, with the densities of many other inclusions reset at lower pressures during exhumation of the schist. The fluid inclusion salinities and Br/Cl ratios from veins from the Torlesse terrane are comparable to those of modern sea-water, and this suggests direct derivation of the vein fluid from the original sedimentary pore fluid. Some modification of the fluid may have taken place as a result of interaction with halogen-bearing minerals and dehydration and hydration reactions. The salinity of fluids in the Caples terrane is uniformly lower than that of modern sea-water, and this is interpreted as a result of the dilution of the pore fluid by dehydration of clays and zeolites. The contrast between the two terranes may be a result of the original sedimentary provenance, as the Torlesse terrane consists mainly of quartzofeldspathic sediments, whilst the Caples terrane consists of andesitic volcanogenic sediments and metabasites which are more prone to hydration during diagenesis, and hence may provide more fluid via dehydration at higher grades.     

OPTIMAL ESTIMATION OF CRACK-STRIKE1

The accuracy of estimating crack-strike from the algebraic equivalent of a popular technique, the dual source cumulative technique (DCT), for analysing shear-wave splitting in seismic experiments is evaluated for earth models permeated by different alignments of micro-cracks. A complementary analysis is performed using another analysis procedure, the dual-independent source-geophone technique (DIT), to investigate any benefits of the alternative formulation. The investigation considers synthetic vertical seismic profile (VSP) and reflection data for an earth model with two layers over a half-space, and three different classes of crack-strike variation with depth: uniform crack-strike, an abrupt change of crack-strike between the upper and lower layer, and a continuous increase over both layers. The synthetic data for zero-offset and near-offset VSPs and a reflection profile are computed using a full-wave modelling package in which equivalent anisotropic media simulate distributions of aligned vertical, parallel, water-filled microcracks. Estimates from the two techniques agree for the constant crack-strike model, but differ for the VSP data with crack-strike changes. The asymptotic behaviour of the two angular parameters θ_G and θ_S from DIT suggest that it may be used to determine crack-strike under appropriate circumstances in these VSPs, when the time-delay between the split shear-waves for the layer of interest exceeds the peak period of the wavelet. In this limit, θ_G tends to follow the crack-strike change with θ_S tending to a constant value, whereas DCT will give a misleading value between the upper and lower crack-strike. Although the behaviour of DIT is not understood in all cases, θ_G and θ_S values from the VSP data always appear to diverge near the point where an abrupt crack-strike change takes place. This could be used as a qualitative indicator for layer stripping. Both techniques agree for the reflection data as the recorded data matrix is necessarily symmetric, but still give misleading results for deeper layers in the presence of crack-strike changes. This study suggests that more care should be taken when designing and analysing experimental configurations for detecting crack properties in reservoir rocks, to consider the response and resolution limits of the analysis techniques. A note of caution is offered to those who directly interpret polarization estimates as crack-strike.     

The Metamorphism of Fe-rich Pelites from Connemara, Ireland

Connemara pelites show progressive metamorphism from stauroliteto upper sillimanite zones and possess low Mg/(Fe + Mg) values,typically 0.30 to 0.35 from about 100 analyses. As a consequenceof their composition, many sillimanite zone pelites lack bothmuscovite and K-feldspar. Staurolite, garnet, biotite, muscovite,feldspars and iron ores have been microprobe analysed in 48samples. Assemblages, textures and mineral compositions indicatethat metamorphism followed a sequence of continuous and discontinuousreactions with systematic variations in mineral Mg/(Mg + Fe)as predicted by theory. Contrary to some common assumptions,most reaction takes place along divariant equilibria; univariantreactions are seldom reached because reactants such as chloriteor muscovite are first consumed along divariant curves. Pelitepetrogenetic grids showing univariant curves can only indicatelimits to natural assemblages; they typically do not show whichreactions have actually taken place. Physical conditions of metamorphism have been calculated bya variety of means; temperatures range from 550° for thestaurolite zone to 650° for the upper silimanite zone, withthe first appearance of sillimanite near 580°. An earlykyanite-staurolite metamorphism at pressures above about 5 kbwas followed by a steepening of the thermal gradient leadingto regional cordierite and andalusite. This was probably accompaniedby uplift with pressures of around 4 kb for roeks near the sillimanite-inisograd.     

Metamorphic and post-metamorphic fluid flow in the low-grade rocks of the Harlech Dome, north Wales

A combination of fluid inclusion, stable isotope and geochemical techniques has been used to study the nature of fluids present and their behaviour during Caledonian low-grade metamorphism of the Harlech Dome, north Wales. Fluid inclusion studies show that in most of the metasedimentary sequence the peak metamorphic fluid was an aqueous Na–K–Cl brine but in the graphitic Clogau Formation and in parts of the overlying Maentwrog Formation immiscible H₂O-rich and CH₄-rich fluids coexisted. Late-stage inclusions are of calcium-rich brine and a dilute aqueous fluid. The chemical composition of chlorite in metamorphic veins and rocks varies between different formations and quartz-oxygen isotopic compositions show considerable variation between different units. Both of these features are taken to indicate that there was little or no pervasive movement of fluid between different units at the peak of metamorphism. After the metamorphic peak there was focused flow of fluid upward through the sequence along fractures, in response to end-Caledonian uplift and unloading. Where the migrating fluid crossed the graphitic shales, interaction between the fluid and the shales gave rise to the formation of the auriferous veins of the Dolgellau Gold Belt. Subsequent to this mineralizing event there was widespread development of ¹⁸O-enriched calcites and micas. In the case of vein minerals it is possible that these crystallized directly from late-stage fluids at lower temperature than the quartz in the same veins. Alternatively, the original vein minerals may have re-equilibrated with later ¹⁸O-enriched or cooler fluid. In the case of muscovites in the rock matrix it is proposed that the isotopically heavy compositions are the result of re-equilibration of initially light grains with an introduced fluid, requiring considerable influx of fluid. This event may relate to either of two late-stage fluids observed as inclusions.     

Incipient metamorphism and deformation in the Variscides of SW Dyfed, Wales: first steps towards isotopic equilibrium

Incipient metamorphism accompanying thrusting, folding and cleavage development has been investigated in a varied sequence of Palaeozoic sediments near the Variscan front in SW Dyfed, Wales. The aim was to evaluate a critical stage in the progression from heterogeneous sediment, whose detrital phases are neither in equilibrium with one another, nor with pore fluids, through indurated sedimentary rock to metamorphic rock comprising newly formed crystals that equilibrated with one another as they grew. Quartz veins are widely developed in the area, especially in the more psammitic lithologies, while finer grained rocks became cleaved during tectonic deformation. Mineralogical constraints and fluid inclusion measurements suggest maximum temperatures around 200-310d? C (slightly higher in the Marloes-Musselwick Thrust Sheet than in other parts of the structural succession) at depths of the order of 6-13 km. Quartz veins yield distinctly heavier oxygen isotopic compositions than detrital quartz grains in the adjacent wall rocks, although care must be taken in interpreting the data because slivers of detrital grains may become incorporated into veins, while matrix detrital grains may incorporate veinlets or rims of newly formed quartz. It is concluded that vein quartz grew in isotopic equilibrium with a fluid phase whose isotopic composition was primarily controlled by exchange with phyllosilicates, not detrital quartz grains. Vein and matrix quartzes from the Marloes-Musselwick Thrust Sheet are distinctly lighter (δ¹⁸O_veins=+14 to +18% and δ¹⁸O_matrix=+11 to +14%) than those from other thrust sheets (δ¹⁸O =+17 to +20% and +14 to +17%, respectively). We conclude that vein quartz and phyllosilicate grains in cleavage domains probably attained equilibrium with a locally buffered pore fluid at the peak of metamorphism, but many relict grains of different chemical and isotopic composition remained elsewhere in the rock. Local fluid migration along veins and through cleavage lamellae facilitated the attainment of equilibrium, but there is little evidence for large-scale infiltration of externally derived fluids. With further metamorphism the quartz in these rocks would attain an isotopic composition intermediate between that of the heavy vein material and light detritus which coexist here.     

Fluid evolution during metamorphism of the Otago Schist, New Zealand: (II) Influence of detrital apatite on fluid salinity

Apatite occurs in the zeolite to greenschist facies metamorphic rocks of the Otago Schist, South Island, New Zealand, as both a groundmass constituent and as a hydrothermal phase hosted in metamorphic quartz veins. Groundmass apatite from low-grade rocks, ranging from the zeolite facies to the pumpellyite–actinolite zone, has chloride contents ranging from 0–1.4 wt%, and fluoride contents ranging from 2.2–4.2 wt%, whilst groundmass apatite from the greenschist facies (chlorite to biotite zone) is virtually pure fluorapatite. Vein apatite from all grades is also fluorapatite with little or no chloride. This difference in composition is interpreted as resulting from the preservation of the primary magmatic compositions of detrital Cl-apatite grains, out of equilibrium with the metamorphic fluid, at low grades, whilst higher-grade groundmass apatite and neoformed apatite in quartz veins have compositions in equilibrium with an aqueous metamorphic fluid. The presence of detrital Cl-bearing apatite during the early stages of metamorphism may constitute a significant reservoir of Cl, given the low porosities of compacted sediments undergoing prograde metamorphism. Calculations indicate that the release of Cl from detrital apatite in the Otago Schist, as a result of re-equilibration of apatite with the pore fluid, may have had a significant effect on the salinity of the metamorphic fluid.