Petrogenesis of Glaucophane Schists

Some glaucophane schists are chemically indistinguishable fromgreenschists and epidote amphibolites. Provided all three rocktypes represent equilibrium assemblages, they must have formedunder differing physical conditions. The mineralogy of suchglaucophane schists taken in conjunction with experimental evidencesuggests that these rocks formed at low temperatures and atrelatively elevated pressures. The relatively high-pressure,low-temperature phases lawsonite, jadeitic pyroxene, and metamorphicaragonite are diagnostic of physical conditions attending thismetamorphism. Differential stress may aid in the attainmentof the appropriate mean pressure necessary for the productionof these phases. Graphic analysis and approximated thermodynamic calculationsindicate that relatively elevated pressures, or relatively lowtemperatures, or both, promote the formation of glaucophanein rocks of a wide range of bulk compositions while restrictingthe compositional range of albite-bearing rocks. It is concludedthat the coexistence of glaucophane with carbonate, calcium-aluminumsilicate or paragonite results from such physical conditions,and it is on the basis of these associations or, equally well,the presence of lawsonite, jadeitic pyroxene, or metamorphicaragonite that the blueschist facies should be defined. High pressures are not required for the production of glaucophaneitself. It is stable under physical conditions present in thegreenschist and epidote amphibolite facies in rocks deficientin CaO and rich in Na₂O and MgO relative to A1₂O₃. Such bulkcompositions might result from exchange of material betweenserpentinite and albite-bearing country rocks, and could accountfor glaucophane aureoles around, and inclusions of glaucophanerock within, some serpentinites.