High fO2 During Sillimanite Zone Metamorphism of Part of the Barrovian Type Locality, Glen Clova, Scotland

The redox state of sillimanite zone (650–700°C, 5–6kbar) metasediments of the Barrovian type area, Scotland, wasinvestigated using estimates of metamorphic oxygen fugacity(f_O2), sulfur fugacity (f_S2), and fluid chemistry based on newdeterminations of mineral and rock compositions from 33 samples.A total of 94% of the samples lack graphite, contain both ilmenite–hematitesolid solutions (RHOMOX) and magnetite, and had metamorphicf_O2 about 2 log₁₀ units above the quartz–fayalite–magnetite(QFM) buffer. The regional variation in metamorphic f_O2 forthese rocks was minimal, about ±0·3 log₁₀ units,reflecting either a protolith that was homogeneous with respectto redox state, or an initially variable protolith whose redoxstate was homogenized by metamorphic fluid–rock interaction.RHOMOX inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts that become richerin ilmenite from the interior to the edge of the host porphyroblastsuggest that at least some syn-metamorphic reduction of rockoccurred. Significant variations in bulk-rock oxidation ratio(OR) that are probably inherited from sedimentary protolithsare found from one layer to the next; OR ranges mostly between