Critical shear stress for mechanical twinning of jadeite—an experimental study

Coarse-grained natural jadeitite samples from Myanmar were experimentally deformed in a Griggs-type solid-medium apparatus at strain rates of 2·10⁻⁵ and 5·10⁻⁶ s⁻¹ and temperatures of 900 and 1000 °C. The microfabrics of the deformed samples are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. The critical shear stress for twinning in the (100) 001] system is derived from the orientation distribution of jadeite crystals with and without mechanical twins. The results indicate a homogeneous stress field within the sample and a critical shear stress of 150±25 MPa, which compares well to that determined by Kollé and Blacic J. Geophys. Res. 87 (1982) 4019] for mechanical twinning of other clinopyroxenes. With the critical shear stress known, mechanical twinning of jadeite can be used as a paleopiezometer for high stress tectonic environments.