Pressure-induced incipient amorphization of α-quartz and transition to coesite in an eclogite from Antarctica: a first record and some consequences

Monocrystalline quartz inclusions in garnet and omphacite from various eclogite samples from the Lanterman Range (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica) have been investigated by cathodoluminescence (CL), Raman spectroscopy and imaging, and in situ X‐ray (XR) microdiffraction using the synchrotron. A few inclusions, with a clear‐to‐opalescent lustre, show ‘anomalous’ Raman spectra characterized by weak α‐quartz modes, the broadening of the main α‐quartz peak at 465 cm^?1, and additional vibrations at 480–485, 520–523 and 608 cm^?1. CL and Raman imaging indicate that this ‘anomalous’α‐quartz occurs as relicts within ordinary α‐quartz, and that it was preserved in the internal parts of small quartz inclusions. XR diffraction circular patterns display irregular and broad α‐quartz spots, some of which show an anomalous d‐spacing tightening of ～2%. They also show some very weak, hazy clouds that have d‐spacing compatible with coesite but not with α‐quartz. Raman spectrometry and XR microdiffraction characterize the anomalies with respect to α‐quartz as (i) a pressure‐induced disordering and incipient amorphization, mainly revealed by the 480–485 and 608‐cm^?1 Raman bands, together with (ii) a lattice densification, evidenced by d‐spacing tightening; (iii) the cryptic development of coesite, 520–523 cm^?1 being the main Raman peak of coesite and (iv) Brazil micro‐twinning. This ‘anomalous’α‐quartz represents the first example of pressure‐induced incipient amorphization of a metastable phase in a crustal rock. This issue is really surprising because pressure‐induced amorphization of metastable α‐quartz, observed in impactites and known to occur between 15 and 32 GPa during ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) experiments at room temperature, is in principle irrelevant under normal geological P–T conditions. A shock (due to a seism?) or a local overpressure at the inclusion scale (due to expansion mismatch between quartz and its host mineral) seem the only geological mechanisms that can produce such incipient amorphization in crustal rocks. This discovery throws new light on the modality of the quartz‐coesite transition and on the pressure regimes (non‐lithostatic v. lithostatic) during high‐pressure/UHP metamorphism. In particular, incipient amorphization of quartz could favour the quartz‐coesite transition, or allow the growth of metastable coesite, as already experimentally observed.     

Thaw modification of frost-fissure wedges,Richards Island,Pleistocene Mackenzie Delta,Western Arctic Canada

Thaw modification is the general process whereby frost-fissure wedges are modified during thaw, and by which frost-fissure pseudomorphs may develop. Specific processes of thaw modification are inferred from ice-wedge pseudomorphs, composite-wedge pseudomorphs and deformed sand wedges in the Pleistocene Mackenzie Delta: i.e. thermal erosion, collapse, subsidence, refreezing, loading, buoyancy, spreading, folding and shearing. Thaw modification is believed to result in selective preservation of pseudomorphs and wedges. Sand wedges are more likely to be preserved than are ice-wedge pseudomorphs or compositewedge pseudomorphs, because only those sand wedges that penetrate massive ice or icy sediments are prone to thaw modification. Furthermore, whereas ice wedges preferentially develop in ice-rich, fine-grained sediments (thaw-sensitive), their pseudomorphs appear to be selectively preserved in ice-poor, coarse-grained sediments (thaw-stable).     

High-pressure eclogites in northern Jiangsu – southern Shandong province, eastern China

Abstract Eclogites are distributed for more than 500 km along a major tectonic boundary between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons in central and eastern China. These eclogites usually have high-P assemblages including omphacite + kyanite and/or coesite (or its pseudomorph), and form a high-P eclogite terrane. They occur as isolated lenses or blocks 10 cm to 300 m long in gneisses (Type I), serpentinized garnet peridotites (Type II) and marbles (Type III). Type I eclogites were formed by prograde metamorphism, and their primary metamorphic mineral assemblage consists mainly of garnet [pyrope (Prp) = 15–40 mol%], omphacite [jadeite (Jd) = 34–64 mol%], pargasitic amphibole, kyanite, phengitic muscovite, zoisite, an SiO₂ phase, apatite, rutile and zircon. Type II eclogites characteristically contain no SiO₂ phase, and are divided into prograde eclogites and mantle-derived eclogites. The prograde eclogites of Type II are petrographically similar to Type I eclogites. The mantle-derived eclogites have high MgO/(FeO + Fe₂O₃) and Cr₂O₃ compositions in bulk rock and minerals, and consist mainly of pyrope-rich garnet (Prp = 48–60 mol%), sodic augite (Jd = 10–27 mol%) and rutile. Type III eclogites have an unusual mineral assemblage of grossular-rich (Grs = 57 mol%) garnet + omphacite (Jd = 30–34 mol%) + pargasite + rutile. Pargasitic and taramitic amphiboles, calcic plagioclase (An₆₈), epidote, zoisite, K-feldspar and paragonite occur as inclusions in garnet and omphacite in the prograde eclogites. This suggests that the prograde eclogites were formed by recrystallization of epidote amphibolite and/or amphibolite facies rocks with near-isothermal compression reflecting crustal thickening during continent–continent collision of late Proterozoic age. Equilibrium conditions of the prograde eclogites range from P > 26 kbar and T= 500–750°C in the western part to P > 28 kbar and T= 810–880°C in the eastern part of the high-P eclogite terrane. The prograde eclogites in the eastern part are considered to have been derived from a deeper position than those in the western part. Subsequent reactions, manifested by (1) narrow rims of sodic plagioclase or paragonite on kyanite and (2) symplectites between omphacite and quartz are interpreted as an effect of near-isothermal decompression during the retrograde stage. The conditions at which symplectites re-equilibrated tend to increase from west (P < 10 kbar and T < 580°C) to east (P > 9 kbar and T > 680°C). Equilibrium temperatures of Type II mantle-derived eclogites and Type III eclogite are 730–750°C and 680°C, respectively.     

中国大别山东南缘首次发现大坝陨坑构造

简介首次在大别山东南缘安徽省境内发现的大坝陨坑构造。经初步评价,知陨坑呈椭圆形,长轴呈北北东向,长约19km,短轴长约12km,最大坑深约2km,是一个有中央隆起区的复杂型陨坑。在卫片上陨坑显示环形影像,地貌形态为一洼地。陨坑基座保存尚好,可对它直观和追索陨坑构造边界。形成于230Ma左右的各类撞击变质岩石系列齐全,其中含有柯石英等典型的撞击变质矿物及撞击碎理等超微构造,特别是在陨坑基座内壁普遍发现有鉴别陨坑构造最可靠的标志——干裂自角砾岩,都证明大坝环形影像是一个典型的陨星撞击坑构造。它的发现,具有很大的科学及经济意义,对今后褶皱山区寻找和研究陨坑构造具有示范和指导作用,同时大大丰富了建设大别山世界地质公园的地质依据。无庸置疑此发现将促进大别山旅游业的发展及陨星撞击科普知识的传播。     

合肥盆地早侏罗世防虎山组沉积岩碎屑锆石的矿物包裹体及内部结构

防虎山组的下部砂岩地层是合肥盆地最古老的中生代沉积地层,在样品FH4中选出了碎屑锆石,通过显微激光拉曼光谱、电子探针的研究发现,锆石中含有柯石英、绿辉石、多硅白云母等典型的高压-超高压(HP-UHP)矿物包裹体、熔体玻璃包裹体以及磷灰石、石英、斜长石、白云母等矿物包裹体。结合阴极发光图像所揭示的锆石内部结构的分析以及锆石的微区测年数据,对碎屑锆石的物源进行了讨论。HP-UHP矿物包裹体在具有三叠纪年龄的变质碎屑锆石中的发现,进一步证明大别造山带高压-超高压岩石在早侏罗世时期已经出露地表并为合肥盆地提供了重要物源;碎屑锆石内部结构及成因的多样性表明当时作为源区的大别造山带岩石的复杂性。     

榴辉岩中石英出溶体的拉曼光谱学研究及其构造意义

利用拉曼光谱学和费氏台方法对若干地区超高压榴辉岩中柯石英和榴辉岩中石英出溶体的超显微构造特征进行了研究.研究结果表明, 石榴石(或绿辉石) 中柯石英向石英相变是一个连续变化过程.绿辉石中石英出溶体和主晶具有一定的晶体学拓扑关系, 即石英出溶体长轴有两个展布方向: 平行于绿辉石(10 0) 裂理面和平行于绿辉石(- 10 1) 面.目前, 部分学者推断榴辉岩绿辉石中石英出溶体可作为超高压变质作用的标志.笔者认为, 棒状定向石英在绿辉石中出溶的温压条件和出溶机理尚未查明.因此, 需加强过量二氧化硅单斜辉石出溶机理的超高压实验研究, 从而为证实石英出溶体作为超高压标志提供实验定量约束.      

Subduction of Continental Crust in the Early Palaeozoic North Qaidam Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Belt, NW China:Evidence from the Discovery of Coesite in the Belt

Coesite was discovered as inclusions in zircon separates from pelitic gneiss associated with a large eclogite body in the North Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane. Some graphite inclusions were also found. This finding suggested the occurrence of in-situ UHP metamorphism and that the terrane was most likely recrystallized at pressures below the diamond stability field. It supported other previous indirect UHP evidence, such as polycrystalline quartz inclusions in eclogitic garnet, quartz lamellae in omphacite and P-T estimates for both eclogite and garnet peridotite. The U-Pb and Sm-Nd ages of the North Qaidam eclogite indicated that subduction of continental crust occurred in the Early Palaeozoic, which probably recorded a collision between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze plates.     

北秦岭官坡地区高压—超高压榴辉岩岩相学及变质作用研究

北秦岭官坡地区的榴辉岩及含柯石英榴辉岩产在帮岭岩群的北侧，主要由绿辉石和石榴石组成，部分石榴石和绿辉石中含柯石英包体。此外还含有退变质的多硅白云母、角闪石、黝帘石和纳长石等矿物，根据变质矿物之间的替代关系及共生组合规律，榴辉岩退变质作用可划分为四个阶段，各阶段代表性矿物组合依次为：柯石英＋绿辉石＋石榴石；石英＋绿辉石＋石榴石；多硅白云母＋绿辉石＋石榴石＋石英；角闪石＋斜长石＋白云母＋黑云母。这四个     

Calculation of the Model of Coesite Inclusions and Analysis of Their Retrometamorphic Paths

The process and path of retrometamorphism of coesite have great significance to our understanding of the P-T tracks of the exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks. Most of the coesites in the eclogite from Shima, Anhui Province, the Dabie Mountains, China, are found degraded to quartz partly or wholly, with ruptures occurring in the shells, outside which include the coesite and quartz. According to the microscopic observation, the sample of coesite inclusion is composed of garnet, quartz and coesite, based on which we have built a three-shelled composite sphere model to compute the transition of coesite. Based on the crystal growth formulas and pressure conditions of the ruptures in the garnet, we have calculated the radius of the quartz sphere, which depends on temperature, and eventually drawn the different retrometamorphic paths for different retrometamorphism rates.     

Prograde pressure–temperature records from inclusions in zircons from ultrahigh-pressure–high-pressure rocks of the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

Abstract In the first extensive, systematic study of inclusions in zircons from ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) and high-pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks of the Kokchetav Massif of Kazakhstan (separated from 232 rock samples from all representative lithologies and geographic regions), we identified graphite, quartz, garnet, phengite, phlogopite, rutile, albite, K-feldspar, amphibole, zoisite, kyanite, calcite, dolomite, apatite, monazite, omphacite and jadeite, as well as the diagnostic UHP metamorphic minerals (i.e. microdiamond and coesite) by laser Raman spectroscopy. In some instances, coesite + quartz and diamond + graphite occur together in a single rock sample, and inclusion aggregates also comprise polycrystalline diamond crystals overgrowing graphite. Secondary electron microscope and cathodoluminescence studies reveal that many zircons display distinct zonation textures, which comprise core and wide mantle, each with distinctive inclusion microassemblages. Pre-UHP metamorphic minerals such as graphite, quartz, phengite and apatite are common in the core, whereas diamond, coesite, garnet and jadeite occupy the mantle. The inclusions in core are irrelevant to the UHP metamorphism. The zircon core is of detrital or relatively low-grade metamorphic origin, whereas the mantle is of HP to UHP metamorphic origin. The zonal arrangement of inclusions and the presence of coesite and diamond without back-reaction imply that aqueous fluids were low to absent within the zircons during both prograde and retrograde metamorphism, and that the zircon preserves a prograde pressure–temperature record of the Kokchetav metamorphism which, elsewhere, has been more or less obliterated in the host rock.