P-T-t-deformation paths recorded by kinzigites during diapirism in the western Variscan belt (Golfe du Morbihan, southern Brittany, France)

Abstract The high-grade metamorphic rocks of southern Brittany underwent a complex tectonic evolution under various P-T conditions (high-P, high-T), related to stacking of nappes during Palaeozoic continentcontinent collision. The east to west thrusting observed in the whole belt is strongly perturbed by vertical movements attributed to the ascent of anatectic granites in the high-T area. The field reconstruction of subvertical, closed elliptical structures in gneisses and migmatites, associated with the subhorizontal, doubly radial pattern of stretching lineation in the mica schists, suggests the existence of an elliptical diapiric body buried at depth beneath the present erosion level. Deformation is associated with a complex P-T evolution partly recorded in aluminous gneisses (kinzigites, e.g. morbihanites). A chronology of successive episodes of mineral growth at different compositions is established by detailed studies of the mineral-microstructure relationships in X-Z sections, using the deformation-partitioning concept (low- and high-strain zones). Several thermometric and barometric calibrations are applied to mineral pairs either in contact or not in contact but in equivalent microstructiiral positions with respect to the deformation history. This methodology provides a continuous microstructural control of P-T variations through time and leads to three P-T-t-d paths constructed from numerous successive P-T estimations. Path 1 is a clockwise retrograde path preserved in low-strain zones, which records general exhumation movements after crustal thickening. Paths 2 and 3 are clockwise prograde/retrograde paths from high-strain zones; they are interpreted and discussed in the light of models of crustal anatexis and upward movement of magma (diapirism). Deformation and P-T effects induced by diapirism can be distinguished from the general deformation-metamorphic history of a belt, and would seem to be produced during a late stage of its history. The present microstructural-petrological approach to defining successive mineral equilibria in relation to progressive deformation steps provides a far more accurate evaluation of the metamorphic evolution than is possible by ‘standard’thermobarometry.     

La vallée d'Ys : un paléoréseau hydrographique immergé en baie de Douarnenez (Finistère,France)

Interpretation of the recent high-resolution survey, CANADOU 2000, in the Bay of Douarnenez (Finistère, France) allowed us to restore the morphology of the substratum and the sedimentary filling of the bay. The Brioverian and Palaeozoic substratum reveals a well-defined network of incised valleys as results of successive emergence stages of the Bay during the Quaternary. Valleys join in a westward-widened mean valley, called Ys Valley. The present-day sedimentary fill of the bay of Douarnenez appears mainly controlled by the Holocene rise and the consecutive highstand. It comprises fluvial and estuarine deposits filling up incised valleys and marine sedimentation extending out of the incised valleys. To cite this article: G. Jouet et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).To cite this article: G. Jouet et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Sedimentary facies,production rates and facies models for recent coralline algal gravels,Co. Galway,Ireland

Five sedimentary facies are described from SCUBA diving examination and sampling of Mannin Bay, Ireland. A Bank facies is built up by the unattached coralline algae Lithothamnium corallioides and Phymatolithon calcareum. This autochthonous facies occurs in shallow sheltered environments. In exposed areas a rippled Clean Algal Gravel facies is found composed of coralline and molluscan debris. In intermediate energy areas a Muddy Algal Gravel facies is found with small amounts of live corallines. Sheltered creeks have a Mud facies which is partly carbonate and partly terrigenous. The shallow water coralline algal sediments are overlapped by a Fine Sand facies of mixed biogenic composition. Each facies is characterized by particular phenotypic growth forms of the unattached corallines. Rates of organic calcium carbonate production are obtained which are found to be similar to rates from shallow tropical non-reef environments. The carbonate sediments of Mannin Bay are compared with similar sediments from Kilkerrin Bay. Ireland, from Brittany and from Falmouth Harbour. From these comparisons, facies models are proposed for these carbonate sediments. The major factor controlling facies distribution is coastal morphology. The present day shelf is considered to be too exposed to preserve complete sequences of the shallow water sediments.     

Progressive metamorphism in a crustal-scale shear zone: an example from the Léon region, north-west Brittany, France

This paper describes the progressive metamorphism and deformation of a series of metasediments, Le Conquet Schists and their higher grade equivalents, which occur as tectonically emplaced screens within a sequence of foliated gneisses, the Gneiss de Brest and Gneiss de Lesneven. The sequence exhibits a steep south to north increase in metamorphic grade from garnet-staurolite schist to sillimanite gneiss and sillimanite-K-feldspar migmatite. The relationship of mineral growth to foliation development has been established for individual screens. At least five phases of deformation (D1-D5) are preserved. Analysis of porphyroblast inclusion trails is used to demonstrate sequential mineral growth during the successive development of orthogonal foliations S1-S4. Porphyroblasts continued to grow during the subsequent development of C-S mylonite fabrics and extensional crenulation cleavages which are genetically related to a series of high-strain zones (D5). Mineral assemblages, phase relations and mineral chemistry are consistent with porphyroblast growth being the result of continuous reactions. Microstructure-porphyroblast relations are used to show that although mineral growth proceeded during continuous reactions, these only operated episodically. Phase relations, mineral chemistry and P-T estimates are used to constrain P-T trajectories and these are linked to the deformation histories within individual screens. A comparison between the resulting pressure-temperature-deformation paths is used to demonstrate that the metamorphic peak occurred progressively later and at successively lower pressures with increasing metamorphic grade. It is suggested that the early evolution of the belt is the result of crustal thickening by overthrusting. The subsequent history is one of progressive heating and unroofing of the higher grade rocks in a dextral strike-slip transtensional shear zone.     

Controls on P–T–t deformation path from amphibole zonation during progressive metamorphism of basic rocks (estuary of the River Vilaine, South Brittany, France)

Abstract Edenite/tremolite and edenite/magnesio-hornblende in equilibrium with plagioclase, chlorite, epidote, quartz and vapour involve several types of reactions for which K _D can be related to T and P. Thermodynamic calculation of these equilibria leads to isopleth systems. Given knowledge of the progressive changes of end-member activities in zoned Ca–Mg amphiboles (based on microprobe analyses), it is possible to construct precise pressure–temperature–time paths ( P–T–t paths) which have been followed by metabasites during polyphase metamorphism. When applied to basic rocks from the River Vilaine area, this method allows us to construct a P–T–t path that can be compared directly to the P–T–t path constructed from interbedded acid rocks (aluminous micaschists) in the same structural unit. Through time, both basic and acid rocks underwent the same complex deformation history that can be described conveniently in the L–S fabric system of Flinn. This allows us to construct a P–T–t deformation path for this structural unit.
These paths are interpreted in terms of an under/overthrusting continental collision belt (the Hercynian belt), and represent an illustration of the time delay caused by stacking of more than two crustal units.     

Middle Pleistocene temperate deposits at Dingé, Ille-et-Vilaine,northwest France: pollen,plant and insect macrofossil analysis

Nine cores were taken from a damp depression at Dingé, Ille-et-Vilaine, northwest France. Analyses of the pollen, plant macrofossil and Coleoptera remains preserved in the same organic samples of two profiles suggest a temperate vegetation characterised by a mixed deciduous forest with mesophilous taxa (Carpinus, Fagus, Quercus) followed by a coniferous forest with Pinus and Picea. The determination of plant taxa to species was made either directly through the identification of plant macrofossil remains and pollen or indirectly through the identification of phytophagous Coleoptera specifically related to certain plants. Stratigraphical information derived from pollen, plant macrofossil and insect data indicates that this sequence may be correlated with a temperate episode older than the Eemian and younger than the Holsteinian, possibly the Bouchet 2 (Oxygen Isotope Stage 7c) or Bouchet 3 (Oxygen Isotope Stage 7a) temperate periods or the Landos Interglacial (Oxygen Isotope Stage 9 pro parte). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of katabatic winds on the environment of Neanderthals during the Middle Palaeolithic in westernmost Europe

Compilation of the offshore and onshore altitudinal limits of the loess deposits of western France and southern England shows that they were deposited by low-level wind fields. These relate to (i) the deflation of silt-rich sediment extracted from the outwash plains of the not far distant British–Irish Ice Sheet and from the palaeo-rivers of the Channel, and (ii) the existence of north and north-western palaeo-winds deduced from particle size analysis and heavy mineral distribution, and suggest (iii) that loess particles were transported by strong katabatic winds blowing from the northern ice-covered regions towards Brittany and Normandy. Comparison between the main orientation of Neanderthal shelters and the direction of the katabatic winds shows that they were perpendicular to each other. The dominant orientation of the shelters was apparently ruled by these winds. A small-scale study concentrating on the penultimate glaciation shows that in contrast to Brittany and Normandy where loess deposits accumulated on north-facing cliffs, in England the same particles were deposited on the leeside of the hills. The existence of deflation zones, violently swept by Marine Isotope Stage 6 katabatic winds south of the British–Irish ice sheet, was probably at the origin of the restricted number of Neanderthals at that time in England. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial distribution of melt-bearing structures in anatectic rocks from Southern Brittany, France: implications for melt transfer at grain- to orogen-scale

In this study, we present quantitative spatial information on the one- and two-dimensional distribution of inferred melt-bearing structures in anatectic supracrustal rocks of the Southern Brittany Migmatite Belt, south of the transcurrent South Armorican Shear Zone (SASZ); based on these data, we infer the mechanism of melt extraction from partially molten crust. Former melt-bearing structures include foliation-parallel leucosomes and cross-cutting granitic leucosomes that infill inter-boudin partitions and extensional shear surfaces, as well as discordant dykes of granite. Petrographic (i.e., mineralogical and microstructural) continuity of granite from structure to structure suggests that they once formed a continuous melt-bearing network. Measurements along one-dimensional line traverses perpendicular to layering of stromatic migmatite exposed in clean, sub-horizontal outcrop surfaces provide information about thickness and spacing distributions of foliation-parallel leucosomes. Most leucosome thicknesses fall in the range of 1–10 mm, with upper limits around 20–30 mm. The number of thicker layers decreases abruptly with increasing thickness, which is inconsistent with scale-invariance. This suggests that leucosome formation was controlled by short-range melt movement along grain boundaries to form melt-rich layers constrained by pre-existing compositional layering. Spacing distributions also are not scale-invariant; however, the large percentage of leucosomes (40–60%) in these line traverses suggests that spacing distributions may be controlled in part by impingement of leucosomes, making it difficult to derive genetic information from these data. Qualitative observation of inferred melt-bearing structures in mutually perpendicular two-dimensional exposures from the same outcrop reveals anisotropy of the leucosome network related to a well-developed sub-horizontal quartz–feldspar lineation reflecting stretching associated with transcurrent movement along the SASZ. Analysis of these two-dimensional distributions using the box-counting method corroborates the observed anisotropy, but indicates that leucosome morphology (and perhaps distribution) is not scale-invariant. The applicability of the box-counting method, or of fractal analysis, to understanding melt movement in migmatites is discussed in light of these results. Based on the anisotropy of melt-bearing structures, we infer that melt-movement in structures now represented by layer-parallel leucosomes was primarily sub-horizontal. These layers fed steeply dipping structures now represented by cross-cutting leucosomes, in particular those developed at inter-boudin partitions, and granite dykes. The formation and orientation of these steeply dipping structures was in part controlled by far-field stresses related to dextral displacement along the SASZ. Melt extraction is inferred to have occurred along these steeply dipping structures; extracted melt accumulated in plutons at higher crustal levels, such as the Quiberon, Sarzeau, and Guérande granites.     

Solute concentrations of overland flow water in a cultivated field: spatial variations,intra‐ and inter‐storm trends

Major solute concentrations in overland flow water (OFW) were measured in an agricultural field of Brittany (western France). Two storm events were monitored in detail to examine the short time‐scale processes. During one year, samples were taken at different positions on the slope after each storm event to describe the spatial and seasonal variations of OFW chemistry. Although the total dissolved load in OFW is not much higher than in rain water, distinctive features are observed. K⁺, Ca²⁺, NH₄ , Cl⁻ and SOare the major solutes. The main origin of the elements (sea salts, exchangeable soil complex or fertilizers) determined most of the variations observed. Spatial variations along the slope are mainly seen for exchangeable cations, while seasonal variations are predominant for sea salts. Rainfall intensity and suspended sediment load induce strong differences between the two storm events studied in detail. However, the within‐storm variations and the seasonal monitoring show that this relationship is complex. Within‐storm variations suggest that, in addition to desorption processes, mixing with pre‐event water may occur. The lack of a relationship between sediment load and dissolved load is attributed to the high rate of the exchange processes, which has been checked by a simple experiment in vitro. It is concluded that the conditions of the transit of water on the field (velocity, length, status of the surface, crusted or not) may well play a major role in the chemical changes between rain water and OFW. The results suggest that vegetated buffer strips designed to reduce the sediment load only, and not the amount of overland flow, will have little effect on the transfer of dissolved pollutants to the watercourses. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Continuous reactions between biotite, garnet, staurolite, kyanite-sillimanite-andalusite and P-T-time-deformation path in micaschists from the estuary of the river Vilaine, South Brittany, France

Abstract Microprobe analysis of the continuous chemical evolution of coexisting biotite-garnet and biotite-garnet-staurolite has been undertaken from interbedded micaschists of the volcanodetrital group of the Vilaine. A thermobarometric study using pertinent mineralogical equilibria reveals a complex P-T evolution, continuous throughout time, from high pressure, medium temperature (kyanite zone) to medium pressure, high temperature (sillimanite zone), then low pressure, medium temperature (andalusite zone). The T, P, f_H2o and X_H2o variations have been calculated from coexisting biotite-garnet pairs, and from the equilibria: paragonite (in white mica) + quartz ± albite (in plagioclase) + Al silicate + H₂O; and, 3 anorthite ± grossular + 2 Alsilicate + quartz. The P-T evolution is correlated with the continuous change in composition of minerals (using P–X_Mg and T–X_Mg diagrams) and with the evolution of assemblages. This continuous P-T-time evolution, correlated with the successive formation of S₁-S₂ foliations, allows us to propose a P-T-time-deformation path for the micaschists and to relate the growth of its mineral components to tectonic processes.