Fluid inclusions in coesite-bearing eclogites and jadeite quartzite at Shuanghe, Dabie Shan (China)

Fluid inclusions in coesite‐bearing eclogites and jadeite quartzite at Shuanghe in Dabie Shan, East‐central China, have preserved remnants of early, prograde and/or peak metamorphic fluids, reset during post‐UHP (ultrahigh‐pressure) metamorphic uplift. Inclusions occur in several minerals (e.g. omphacite & epidote), notably as isolated, primary inclusions in quartz included in various host minerals. Two major fluid types have been identified: non‐polar fluid species (N₂ or CO₂) and aqueous, the latter is by far the most predominant. Aqueous fluids cover a wide range of salinity, from halite‐bearing brines to low salinity fluids. For non‐polar fluids, few N₂ inclusions occur in undeformed eclogite, whereas a number of CO₂‐rich inclusions have been found in microshear zones of eclogite or jadeite quartzite in close proximity to marble occurrences. The primary character of N₂ and high‐salinity aqueous inclusions indicates that they are remnants from UHP metamorphic fluids and for some there is the distinct possibility that they are ultimately derived from pre‐metamorphic fluids. This conclusion is supported by the preservation, in some samples, of microdomains containing synchronous inclusions of variable salinities, which tend to relate to the chemical composition of the host crystal. Carbonic fluids may be derived from neighbouring rocks, notably marble and carbonate‐bearing metasediments, during post‐metamorphic uplift. During post‐UHP exhumation, a limited decrease of the fluid density has occurred, with formation of new sets of fluid inclusions. Fluid movements, however, remained exceedingly limited, at the scale of the enclosing crystal.