Crystal chemistry and reaction relations of piemontites and thulites from highly oxidized low grade metamorphic rocks at Vitali,Andros Island,Greece

Piemontite- and thulite-bearing assemblages from highly oxidized metapelitic and metacalcareous schists associated with braunite quartzites at Vitali, Andros island, Greece, were chemically investigated. The Mn-rich metasediments are intercalated in a series of metapelitic quartzose schists, marbles, and basic metavolcanites which were affected by a regional metamorphism of the highP/T type (T=400–500° C,P>9 kb) and a later Barrovian-type greenschist metamorphism (T=400–500° C,P～-5–6 kb). Texturally and chemically two generations of piemontite (I and II) can be distinguished which may show complex compositional zoning. Piemontite I coexisted at highP/T conditions with braunite, manganian phengite (alurgite), Mn³⁺-Mn²⁺-bearing Na-pyroxene (violan), carbonate, quartz, hollandite, and hematite. Zoned grains generally exhibit a decreasing Mn³⁺ and an increasing Fe³⁺ and Al content towards the rim. Chemical compositions of piemontite I range from 2.0 to 32.1 mole % Mn³⁺, 0 to 25.6 mole % Fe³⁺, and 60.2 to 81.2 mole % Al. Up to 12.5 mole % Ca on the A(2) site can be substituted by Sr. Piemontites formed in contact or close to braunite (±hematite) attained maximum (Mn³⁺+Fe³⁺)Al_?1 substitution corrresponding to about 33 mole % Mn³⁺+Fe³⁺ in lowiron compositions and up to about 39 mole % Mn³⁺+ Fe³⁺ at intermediate Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Mn³⁺) ratios. Piemontite II which discontinuously overgrows piemontite I or occurs as separate grains may have been formed by greenschist facies decomposition of manganian Na-pyroxenes according to the reaction: (1) $$begin{gathered} {text{Mn}}^{{text{3 + }}} - Mn^{2 + } - bearing omphacite/chloromelanite hfill + CO_2 + H_2 O + HCl pm hermatite hfill = piemontite + tremolite + albite + chlorite hfill + calcite + quartz + NaCl pm O_2 . hfill end{gathered} $$ Thulites crystallized in coexistence with Al-rich piemontite II. All thulites analysed are low-Fe³⁺ manganian orthozoisites with Mn^tot～-Mn³⁺ substituting for Al on the M(3) site. Their compositions range from 2.9 to 7.2 mole % Mn³⁺, 0 to 1.2 mole % Fe³⁺, and 91.8 to 96.7 mole % Al. Piemontites II in thulite-bearing assemblages range from 5.8 to 15.9 mole % Mn³⁺, 0 to 3.7 mole % Fe³⁺, and 83.7 to 93.6 mole % Al. By contrast, piemontites II in thulite-free assemblages are similarly enriched in Mn³⁺ + Fe³⁺ — and partially in Sr²⁺ — as core compositions of piemontite I (21.1 to 29.6 mole % Mn³⁺, 2.0 to 16.5 mole % Fe³⁺, 60.6 to 68.4 mole % Al, 0 to 29.4 mole % Sr in the A(2) site). The analytical data presented in this paper document for the first time a continuous low-Fe³⁺ piemontite solid solution series from 5.8 to 32.1 mole % Mn³⁺. Aluminous piemontite II is enriched by about 3 mole % Mn³⁺+Fe³⁺ relative to coexisting thulite in Fe³⁺-poor samples and by about 6 mole % Mn³⁺+Fe³⁺ in more Fe³⁺-rich samples. Mineral pairs from different samples form a continuous compositional loop. Compositional shift of mineral pairs is attributed to the effect of a variable fluid composition at constantP _fluid andT on the continuous reaction: (2) $$begin{gathered} piemontite + CO_2 hfill = thulite + calcite + quartz hfill + Mn^{2 + } Ca_{ - 1} [calcite] + H{_2} O + O{_2} hfill end{gathered} $$ Further evidence for a variable (x_{H_2 O} ) and/or (f_{O_2 } ) possibly resulting from fluid infiltration and local buffering during the greenschist metamorphism is derived from the local decomposition of piemontite, braunite, and rutile to form spessartine, calcite, titanite, and hematite by the reactions: (3) $$begin{gathered} piemontite + braunite + CO_2 hfill = sperssartine + calcite + quartz pm hermatite hfill + H{_2} O + O{_2} hfill end{gathered} $$ and more rarely: (4) $$begin{gathered} piemontite + quartz + rutile + braunite hfill = spessartine + titanite + hematite + H{_2} O + O{_2} . hfill end{gathered} $$