The Sulu UHP Terrane: A Review of the Petrology and Structural Geology

Petrological and isotopic evidence suggests that the protolith of the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane was Precambrian continental crust consisting of granite, granodiorite, gabbro, marble, and basic dikes, with local granulite-facies assemblages. Around 220 Ma this unit of continental rocks was buried to depths up of ～120 km within the mantle. Structures formed during exhumation suggest highly mobile behavior of acidic rocks, even under conditions of very low water activity. Petrological studies show that the Sulu terrane underwent isothermal decompression, which implies relatively rapid exhumation, and suggests that the role of melting during exhumation may have been underestimated. The later stages of exhumation are associated with NW-SE-directed tectonic transport and the formation of at least one major normal detachment.