An experimental investigation on the P-T stability of Mg-staurolite in the system MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O

The pressure-temperature stability field of Mg-staurolite, ideally Mg₄Al₁₈Si₈O₄₆(OH)₂, was bracketed for six possible breakdown reactions in the system MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O (MASH). Mg-staurolite is stable at water pressures between 12 and 66 kbar and temperatures of 608–918 °C, requiring linear geotherms between 3 and 18 °C/km. This phase occurs in rocks that were metamorphosed at high-pressure, low-temperature conditions, e.g. in subducted crustal material, provided they are of appropriate chemical composition. Mg-staurolite is formed from the assemblage chlorite + kyanite + corundum at pressures <24 kbar, whereas at pressures up to 27 kbar staurolite becomes stable by the breakdown of the assemblage Mg-chloritoid + kyanite + corundum. Beyond 27 kbar the reaction Mg-chloritoid + kyanite + diaspore = Mg-staurolite + vapour limits the staurolite field on its low-temperature side. The upper pressure limit of Mg-staurolite is marked by alternative assemblages containing pyrope + topaz-OH with either corundum or diaspore. At higher temperatures Mg-staurolite breaks down by complete dehydration to pyrope + kyanite + corundum and at pressures below 14 kbar to enstatite + kyanite + corundum. The reaction curve Mg-staurolite = talc + kyanite + corundum marks the low-pressure stability of staurolite at 12 kbar. Mg-staurolite does not coexist with quartz because alternative assemblages such as chlorite-kyanite, enstatite-kyanite, talc-kyanite, pyrope-kyanite, and MgMgAl-pumpellyite-kyanite are stable over the entire field of Mg-staurolite. Received: 16 April 1997 / Accepted: 24 September 1997