Timing and tectonic setting of Grenvillian metamorphism—constraints from a transect along Georgian Bay,Ontario*

Systematic mapping of a transect along the well-exposed shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario, combined with the preliminary results of structural analysis, geochronology and metamorphic petrology, places some constraints on the geological setting of high-grade metamorphism in this part of the Central Gneiss Belt. Correlations within and between map units (gneiss associations) have allowed us to recognize five tectonic units that differ in various aspects of their lithology, metamorphic and plutonic history, and structural style. The lowest unit, which forms the footwall to a regional decollement, locally preserves relic pre-Grenvillian granulite facies assemblages reworked under amphibolite facies conditions during the Grenvillian orogeny. Tectonic units above the decollement apparently lack the early granulite facies metamorphism; out-of-sequence thrusting in the south produced a duplex-like structure. Two distinct stages of Grenvillian metamorphism are apparent. The earlier stage (c. 1160–1120 Ma) produced granulite facies assemblages in the Parry Sound domain and upper amphibolite facies assemblages in the Parry Island thrust sheet. The later stage (c. 1040–1020 Ma) involved widespread, dominantly upper amphibolite facies metamorphism within and beneath the duplex. Deformation and metamorphism recently reported from south and east of the Parry Sound domain at c. 1100–1040 Ma have not yet been documented along the Georgian Bay transect. The data suggest that early convergence was followed by a period of crustal thickening in the orogenic core south-east of the transect area, with further advance to the north-west during and after the waning stages of this deformation.     

富碱斑岩中超镁铁深源包体岩石的矿物学特征

在云南省鹤庆县六合乡富碱斑岩体中找到超镁铁深源岩石包体，这对于研究富碱斑岩的起源和演化及其成岩成矿作用具有重要意义。本文较系统地研究了深源包体岩石的矿物学特征，揭示该深源包体具有原始上地幔岩在地幔条件下受到一定程度富集地幔流体交代作用改造的特征，具有富集地幔低程度部分熔融属性，为富碱斑岩的成岩成矿演化提供了重要的矿物学依据。     

Melt loss and the preservation of granulite facies mineral assemblages

The loss of a metamorphic fluid via the partitioning of H₂O into silicate melt at higher metamorphic grade implies that, in the absence of open system behaviour of melt, the amount of H₂O contained within rocks remains constant at temperatures above the solidus. Thus, granulite facies rocks, composed of predominantly anhydrous minerals and a hydrous silicate melt should undergo considerable retrogression to hydrous upper amphibolite facies assemblages on cooling as the melt crystallizes and releases its H₂O. The common occurrence of weakly retrogressed granulite facies assemblages is consistent with substantial melt loss from the majority of granulite facies rocks. Phase diagram modelling of the effects of melt loss in hypothetical aluminous and subaluminous metapelitic compositions shows that the amount of melt that has to be removed from a rock to preserve a granulite facies assemblage varies markedly with rock composition, the number of partial melt loss events and the P–T conditions at which melt loss occurs. In an aluminous metapelite, the removal of nearly all of the melt at temperatures above the breakdown of biotite is required for the preservation of the peak mineral assemblage. In contrast, the proportion of melt loss required to preserve peak assemblages in a subaluminous metapelite is close to half that required for the aluminous metapelite. Thus, if a given proportion of melt is removed from a sequence of metapelitic granulites of varying composition, the degree of preservation of the peak metamorphic assemblage may vary widely.     

Continental crust and lithospheric mantle interaction beneath North China: isotopic evidence from granulite xenoliths in Hannuoba, Sino-Korean craton

Mafic granulite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Cenozoic alkaline basalts at Hannuoba, Hebei Province, North China have been selected for a systematic geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic study, which provides a unique opportunity to explore nature of the lower crust and the interaction between the continental crust and lithospheric mantle beneath an Archean craton. The major, compatible and incompatible elements and radiogenic isotopes of these xenoliths suggest great chemical heterogeneity of the lower crust beneath the Hannuoba region. Petrological and geochemical evidences indicate a clear cumulate origin, and most likely, they are related to basaltic underplating in different geological episodes. However, the Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the xenoliths reveal a profound enriched source signature (EM I) with some influence of EM II, which implies that some portion of pre-existing, old metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle could have played an important role in their genesis. It is suggested that the interaction between continental crust and subcontinental mantle as manifested by basaltic underplating would be closely related to regional tectonic episodes and geodynamic processes in the deep part of subcontinental lithospheric mantle.     

辽宁宽甸新生代火山岩和地幔包体He-Ar同位素组成

宽甸新生代碱性玄武岩、地幔包体及辉石巨晶的稀有气体同位素组成和流体含量分析表明，不同岩性稀有气体含量的差异反映了岩浆作用过程中轻、重稀有气体的分馏特性，较轻的稀有气体(He、Ne)比较重的稀有气体(Kr、Xe)具有更高的活动性和不相容性；该地区上地幔源区具有典型的MORB型源区特征，以辉石巨晶为代表；地幔包体的3^He／^4He值较低，可能与地幔上隆过程中富集地幔流体的交代作用或地幔塑性变形作用丢失了部分原始He有关；大陆碱性玄武岩具有与大洋玄武岩截然不同的He同位素组成，反映了大陆区地幔岩浆上升过程中受到了陆壳物质混染。地幔源区^40Ar／^36Ar值为350左右，二辉橄榄岩和碱性火山岩的^40Ar／^36Ar值比大气略高，可能有大气组分的混入。部分样品中有^21Ne、^22Ne、^129Xe、^134Xe和^136Xe相对于大气的过剩现象。     

Petrological and geochronological constraints on high pressure, high temperature metamorphism in the Snowbird tectonic zone, Canada

The upper deck of the East Athabasca mylonite triangle (EAmt), northern Saskatchewan, Canada, contains mafic granulites that have undergone high P–T metamorphism at conditions ranging from 1.3 to 1.9 GPa, 890–960 °C. Coronitic textures in these mafic granulites indicate a near‐isothermal decompression path to 0.9 GPa, 800 °C. The Godfrey granite occurs to the north adjacent to the upper deck high P–T domain. Well‐preserved corona textures in the Godfrey granite constrain igneous crystallization and early metamorphism in the intermediate‐pressure granulite field (Opx + Pl) at 1.0 GPa, 775 °C followed by metamorphism in the high pressure granulite field (Grt + Cpx + Pl) at 1.2 GPa, 860 °C. U–Pb geochronology of zircon in upper deck mafic granulite yields evidence for events at both c. 2.5 Ga and c. 1.9 Ga. The oldest zircon dates are interpreted to constrain a minimum age for crystallization or early metamorphism of the protolith. A population of 1.9 Ga zircon in one mafic granulite is interpreted to constrain the timing of high P–T metamorphism. Titanite from the mafic granulites yields dates ranging from 1900 to 1894 Ma, and is interpreted to have grown along the decompression path, but still above its closure temperature, indicating cooling following the high P–T metamorphism from c. 960–650 °C in 4–10 Myr. Zircon dates from the Godfrey granite indicate a minimum crystallization age of 2.61 Ga, without any evidence for 1.9 Ga overgrowths. The data indicate that an early granulite facies event occurred at c. 2.55–2.52 Ga in the lower crust (c. 1.0 GPa), but at 1.9 Ga the upper deck underwent high P–T metamorphism, then decompressed to 0.9–1.0 GPa. Juxtaposition of the upper deck and Godfrey granite would have occurred after or been related to this decompression. In this model, the high P–T rocks are exhumed quickly following the high pressure metamorphism. This type of metamorphism is typically associated with collisional orogenesis, which has important implications for the Snowbird tectonic zone as a fundamental boundary in the Canadian Shield.     

Tectonic controls on metamorphism, partial melting, and intrusion: timing and duration of regional metamorphism and magmatism in the Ni de Massif, Turkey

Mafic high-pressure granulite, eclogite and pyroxenite xenoliths have been collected from a Mesozoic volcaniclastic diatreme in Xinyang, near south margin of the Sino-Korean Craton (SKC). The high-pressure granulite xenoliths are mainly composed of fine-grained granoblasts of Grt+Cpx+Pl+Hbl±Kfs±Q±Ilm with relict porphyritic mineral assemblage of Grt+Cpx±Pl±Rt. P–T estimation indicates that the granoblastic assemblage crystallized at 765–890 °C and 1.25–1.59 GPa, corresponding to crustal depths of ca. 41–52 km with a geotherm of 75–80 mW/m². Calculated seismic velocities (V_p) of high-pressure granulites range from 7.04 to 7.56 km/s and densities (D) from 3.05 to 3.30 g/cm³. These high-pressure granulite xenoliths have different petrographic and geochemical features from the Archean mafic granulites. Elevated geotherm and petrographic evidence imply that the lithosphere of this craton was thermally disturbed in the Mesozoic prior to eruption of the host diatreme. These samples have sub-alkaline basaltic compositions, equivalent to olivine– and quartz–tholeiite. REE patterns are flat to variably LREE-enriched (La_N/Yb_N=0.98–9.47) without Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*=0.95–1.11). They possess 48–127 ppm Ni and 2–20 ppm Nb with Nb/U and La/Nb ratios of 13–54 and 0.93–4.75, respectively, suggesting that these high-pressure granulites may be products of mantle-derived magma underplated and contaminated at the base of the lower crust. This study also implies that up to 10 km Mesozoic lowermost crust was delaminated prior to eruption of the Cenozoic basalts on the craton.     

A review of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic evolution of the In Ouzzal granulitic terrane (Western Hoggar, Algeria)

The In Ouzzal terrane (Western Hoggar) is an example of Archaean crust remobilized during a very-high-temperature metamorphism related to the Paleoproterozoic orogeny (2 Ga). Pan-African events (≈0.6 Ga) are localized and generally of low intensity. The In Ouzzal terrane is composed of two Archaean units, a lower crustal unit made up essentially of enderbites and charnockites, and a supracrustal unit of quartzites, banded iron formations, marbles, Al–Mg and Al–Fe granulites commonly associated with mafic (metanorites and garnet pyroxenites) and ultramafic (pyroxenites, lherzolites and harzburgites) lenses. Cordierite-bearing monzogranitic gneisses and anorthosites occur also in this unit. The continental crust represented by the granulitic unit of In Ouzzal was formed during various orogenic reworking events spread between 3200 and 2000 Ma. The formation of a continental crust made up of tonalites and trondhjemites took place between 3200 and 2700 Ma. Towards 2650 Ma, extension-related alkali-granites were emplaced. The deposition of the metasedimentary protoliths between 2700 and 2650 Ma, was coeval with rifting. The metasedimentary rocks such as quartzites and Al–Mg pelites anomalously rich in Cr and Ni, are interpreted as a mixture between an immature component resulting from the erosion and hydrothermal alteration of mafic to ultramafic materials, and a granitic mature component. The youngest Archaean igneous event at 2500 Ma includes calc-alkaline granites resulting from partial melting of a predominantly tonalitic continental crust. These granites were subsequently converted into charnockitic orthogneisses. This indicates crustal thickening or heating, and probably late Archaean high-grade metamorphism coeval with the development of domes and basins. The Paleoproterozoic deformation consists essentially of a re-activation of the pre-existing Archaean structures. The structural features observed at the base of the crust argue in favour of deformation under granulite-facies. These features are compatible with homogeneous horizontal shortening of overall NW–SE trend that accentuated the vertical stretching and flattening of old structures in the form of basins and domes. This shortening was accommodated by horizontal displacements along transpressive shear corridors. Reactional textures and the development of parageneses during the Paleoproterozoic suggest a clockwise P–T path characterized by prograde evolution at high pressures (800–1050 °C at 10–11 kbar), leading to the appearance of exceptional parageneses with corundum–quartz, sapphirine–quartz and sapphirine–spinel–quartz. This was followed by an isothermal decompression (9–5 kbar). Despite the high temperatures attained, the dehydrated continental crust did not undergo any significant partial melting. The P–T path followed by the granulites is compatible with a continental collision, followed by delamination of the lithosphere and uprise of the asthenosphere. During exhumation of this chain, the shear zones controlled the emplacement of carbonatites associated with fenites.     

Partial melting during tectonic exhumation of a granulite terrane: an example from the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

Anatectic migmatites in medium- to low-pressure granulite facies metasediments exposed in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, contain leucosomes with abundant quartz and plagioclase and minor interstitial K-feldspar, and assemblages of garnet–cordierite–spinel–ilmenite–sillimanite. Qualitative modelling in the system K₂O–FeO–MgO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O–TiO₂–O₂, in conjunction with various P–T calculations indicate that the high-grade retrograde evolution of the terrane was dominated by decompression from peak conditions of c. 7 kbar at c. 800 °C to 4–5 kbar at c. 750 °C. Extensive partial melting during decompression involved the replacement of biotite by the assemblage cordierite–garnet–spinel within the leucosomes. These leucosomes represent the site of partial melt generation, the cordierite–garnet–spinel–ilmenite assemblage representing the solid products and excess reactants from the melting reaction. The extraction and accumulation of this decompression-generated melt led to the formation of syntectonic pegmatites and extensive granitic plutons. Leucosome development and terrane decompression proceeded during crustal transpression, synchronous with upper crustal extension, during a progressive Early Palaeozoic collisional event. Subsequent retrograde evolution was characterized by cooling, as indicated by the growth of biotite replacing spinel and garnet, thin mantles of cordierite replacing spinel and quartz within metapelites, and garnet replacing orthopyroxene and hornblende within metabasites. P–T calculations on late mylonites indicate lower grade conditions of formation of c. 3.5 kbar at c. 650 °C, consistent with the development of late cooling textures.     

Ultra-high-temperature metamorphism and multistage decompressional evolution of sapphirine granulites from the Palni Hill Ranges, southern India

Sapphirine granulites from a new locality in the Palni Hill Ranges, southern India, occur in a small enclave of migmatitic, highly magnesian metapelites (mg=85–72) within massive enderbitic orthogneiss. They show a variety of multiphase reaction textures that partially overprint a coarse-grained high-pressure assemblage of Bt+Opx+Ky+Grt+Pl+Qtz. The sequence of reactions as deduced from the corona and symplectite assemblages, together with petrogenetic grid considerations, records a clockwise P–T evolution with four distinct stages. (1) Equilibration of the initial high-P assemblage in deep overthickened crust (12 kbar/800–900 °C) was followed by a stage of near-isobaric heating, presumably as a consequence of input of extra heat provided by the voluminous enderbitic intrusives. During heating, kyanite was converted to sillimanite, and biotite was involved in a series of vapour-phase-absent melting reactions, which resulted in the ultra-high-temperature assemblage Opx+Crd+Kfs+Spr±Sil, Grt, Qtz, Bt, coexisting with melt (equilibration at c. 950–1000° C/11–10 kbar). (2) Subsequently, as a result of decompression of the order of 4 kbar at ultra-high temperature, a sequence of symplectite assemblages (Opx+Sil+Spr/Spr+Crd→Opx+Spr+Crd→Opx+Crd→Opx+Crd+Spl/Crd+Spl) developed at the expense of garnet, orthopyroxene and sillimanite. This stage of near-isothermal decompression implies rapid ascent of the granulites into mid-crustal levels, possibly due to extensional collapse and erosion of the overthickened crust. (3) Development of late biotite through back-reaction of melt with residual garnet indicates a stage of near-isobaric cooling to c. 875 °C at 7–8 kbar, i.e. relaxation of the rapidly ascended crust to the stable geotherm. (4) A second period of near-isothermal exhumation up to c. 6–5 kbar/850 °C is indicated by the partial breakdown of late biotite through volatile phase-absent melting reactions. Available isotope data suggest that the early part of the evolutionary history (stages 1–3) is presumably coeval with the early Proterozoic metamorphism in the extended granulite terrane of the Nilgiri, Biligirirangan and Shevaroy Hills to the north, while the exhumation of the granulites from mid-crustal levels (stage 4) occurred only during the Pan-African thermotectonic event, which led to the accretion of the Kerala Khondalite Belt to the south.