Hydration of orthopyroxene–cordierite-bearing assemblages at Laouni, Central Hoggar, Algeria

In the Laouni region (Central Hoggar, Algeria), retrogression of high-grade orthopyroxene–cordierite-bearing rocks led to the crystallization of orthoamphibole and garnet, and at a later stage of chlorite, from the original paragenesis. Calculated phase diagrams show that this retrogression occurred at about 3  kbar with the simplest model involving hydration at 650–700°  C and at around 500°  C, with the rocks experiencing a H₂O less than 1, except possibly in the last stages of chlorite crystallization. As the other rock types occurring in the same area as the orthopyroxene–cordierite rocks display similar features, it is concluded that regional hydration occurred, presumably related to the release of fluids during the crystallization of the Pan-African granitic and mafic magmas that are widespread in the Laouni area.     

Metamorphic evolution of sapphirine‐ and orthoamphibole‐cordierite‐bearing gneiss,Okanogan dome,Washington, USA

Gneiss domes are commonly cored by quartzofeldspathic rocks that provide little information about the pressure–temperature–fluid history of the domes. Three northern Cordilleran migmatite domes (Thor‐Odin and Valhalla/Passmore, British Columbia, Canada; Okanogan, Washington, USA), however, contain Mg–Al‐rich orthoamphibole‐cordierite gneiss as layers and lenses that record metamorphic conditions and pressure–temperature (P–T) path information not preserved in the host migmatite. These Mg–Al‐rich rocks are therefore a valuable archive of metamorphic conditions during dome evolution, although refractory rocks such as these commonly contain reaction textures that may complicate the calculation of metamorphic conditions. In the Okanogan dome, Mg–Al‐rich layers are part of the Tunk Creek unit, which occurs at the periphery of an underlying migmatite domain. Bulk compositional layers (mm‐ to m‐scale) consist of gedrite‐dominated, hornblende‐dominated and biotite‐bearing layers that contain variable amounts of gedrite, hornblende, anorthite, cordierite, spinel, sapphirine, corundum, kyanite, biotite and/or staurolite. The presence of different compositional layers (some with reaction textures, some without) allows systematic analysis of metamorphic history by a combined petrographic and phase equilibrium analysis. Gedrite‐dominated layers containing relict kyanite preserve evidence of the highest‐P conditions; symplectitic and coronal reaction textures around kyanite indicate decompression at high temperature. Gedrite‐dominated layers lacking these reaction textures contain layers of sapphirine and spinel in apparent textural equilibrium and record a later high‐T–low‐P part of the path. Phase equilibria (pseudosection) analysis for layers that lack reaction textures indicates metamorphic conditions of 720–750 °C at a range of pressures (>8 to <4 kbar) following decompression. Elevated crustal temperatures and concordant structural fabrics in the Tunk Creek unit and underlying migmatite domain suggest that the calculated P–T conditions recorded in Tunk Creek rocks were coeval with anatexis, extension, and dome formation in Palaeocene–Eocene time. In contrast to orthoamphibole‐cordierite gneiss in the other Cordilleran domes, the Tunk Creek unit occurs as a discontinuous km‐scale layer rather than as smaller (m‐scale) pods, is more calcic, and lacks garnet. In addition, kyanite did not transform to sillimanite, and spinel commonly occurs as a blocky matrix phase in addition to vermicules in symplectite. These differences, along with the compositional layering, allow an analysis of bulk composition v. tectonic (P–T path) controls on mineral assemblages and textures. Pseudosection modelling of different layers in the Tunk Creek unit provides a basis for understanding the metamorphic history of these texturally complex, refractory rocks and their host gneiss domes, and other such rocks in similar tectonic settings.     

山西恒山巨晶状直闪石岩的成因:来自地球化学和Sm-Nd同位素的证据

山西恒山地区的巨晶状直闪石岩由石榴石、直闪石、蓝晶石、十字石、堇青石、石英、金红石、钛铁矿和少量斜长石和普通角闪石组成,岩石SiO2含量类似于中-基性岩,但比后者更富镁铁而贫钙和碱。岩石可分为Ⅰ、Ⅱ两种类型:Ⅰ类直闪石岩含有石榴石变斑晶,并相对低镁、钛和碱,而含有较高铝、铁,其高场强和稀土元素特征类似于岛弧玄武岩,岩石的143Nd/144Nd为0.511361～0.511894,tDM(Nd)=2.39～2.60Ga,Nd同位素特征与五台杂岩中的基性变质岩一致。Ⅱ类直闪石岩富含直闪石,一般不出现石榴石,相对高镁、钛和碱,而含有较低铝和铁,高场强和稀土元素特征类似于大洋中脊拉斑玄武岩。岩相学和地球化学对比表明,本区直闪石岩的原岩是由与五台杂岩变质基性岩类似的火山岩经受海水热液蚀变的产物,这种水热蚀变引起基性岩中钙、碱丢失和镁(铁)富集,并可能形成大量绿泥石等富水矿物。直闪石岩的现有矿物组合是经历高压角闪岩相变质和接续的等温降压作用形成的,其中巨晶结构是由于这种极富流体岩石在峰期之前的前进变质过程中大量脱水所致,与这种大量脱水伴随的变质分异作用导致了直闪石岩成分的进一步改造。     

斜方角闪石组合的变质压力类型

斜方角闪石组合是前寒武纪变质岩系中的一种特殊的岩石类型，以富Mg、Al，贫Ca、K为特征，矿物组成为堇青石、斜方角闪石和富铝矿物如Al2SiO5、十字石、石榴石、斜长石、云母类和单斜角闪石类。其分布遍及欧亚及大洋洲各地的古老岩系中，在许多产地与硫化物矿床有密切关系。按其变质条件可以分为低压和高压两种类型：低压型以堇青石-直闪石-镁铁闪石组合为特征；高压型以蓝晶石、铝直闪石组合为特征，有时有石榴石。堇青石、十字石构成围绕蓝晶石周围的冠状体，成为变质地体经历近绝热抬升的极好证据。本文论述其特征矿物组合、结构的演化、所涉及的变质反应及其形成的构造环境。     

A new thermodynamic model for clino- and orthoamphiboles in the system Na2O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–O

A recent thermodynamic model for the Na–Ca clinoamphiboles in the system Na₂O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–O (NCFMASHO), is improved, and extended to include cummingtonite–grunerite and the orthoamphiboles, anthophyllite and gedrite. The clinoamphibole model in NCMASH is adopted, but the extension into the FeO- and Fe₂O₃-bearing systems is revised to provide thermodynamic consistency and better agreement with natural assemblage data. The new model involves order–disorder of Fe–Mg between the M2, M13 and M4 sites in the amphibole structure, calibrated using the experimental data on site distributions in cummingtonite–grunerite. In the independent set of end-members used to represent the thermodynamics, grunerite (rather than ferroactinolite) is used for FeO, with two ordered Fe–Mg end-members, and magnesioriebeckite (rather than ferritschermakite) is used for Fe₂O₃. Natural assemblage data for coexisting clinoamphiboles are used to constrain the interaction energies between the various amphibole end-members. For orthamphibole, the assumption is made that the site distributions and the non-ideal formulation is the same as for clinoamphibole. The data set end-members anthophyllite, ferroanthophyllite and gedrite, are used; for the others, they are based on the clinoamphibole end-members, with the necessary adjustments to their enthalpies constrained by natural assemblage data for coexisting clino- and orthoamphiboles. The efficacy of the models is illustrated with P – T grids and various pseudosections, with a particular emphasis on the prediction of mineral assemblages in ferric-bearing systems.