Low-Temperature, Low-Pressure Metamorphism of Mn-rich Rocks in the Lienne Syncline, Venn--Stavelot Massif (Belgian Ardennes), and the Role of Carpholite

Low-grade Mn-rich metamorphic rocks of the Lienne syncline (westernpart of the Venn–Stavelot Massif, Belgian Ardennes) havebeen re-examined to evaluate the petrological significance ofcarpholite proper, Mn^2$ Al₂Si₂O₆](OH)₄. Metamorphic P–Tconditions of these rocks are estimated to be {small tilde}300C1–2 kbar, which is in accordance with the exclusive occurrenceof carpholite in low-P rocks such as hydrothermal environmentselsewhere. Carpholite of the Lienne syncline exclusively occursin quartz-rich segregations. Its composition is close to end-member.Thermodynamic calculations confirm that carpholite is a stablephase at low-pressure–low-temperature conditions, in contrastto ferro- and magnesiocarpholite, which are high-pressure minerals.No information is available on the high-P behaviour of carpholite.The occurrence of carpholite is partly closely associated withspessartine-bearing country rocks, or carpholite is alteredto assemblages with spessartine, sudoite, chlorite, muscoviteand paragonite. Spessartine in these rocks contains minor amountsof hydrogarnet component {(H/4)/Si$(H/4)] = 0.03–0.06}.The presence of carpholite-spessartine assemblages in theselow-P rocks is in contrast to high-pressure metamorphic rocksfrom other areas, where parageneses such as fem/magnesiocarpholite–chloritoidor magnesiocarpholite–chlorite–kyanite occur. Theappearance of carpholite–garnet assemblages in low-P Mn-richrocks can be explained by contrasting phase relations becauseof a high Mn–Mg partition coefficient between the mineralsunder consideration. In rhodo-chrosite-bearing veins in theLienne syncline, nearly complete replacement of carpholite byspessartine and chlorite is due to the continuous reaction carpholite$ rhodochrosite $ quartz = spessartine $ chlorite $ H₂O $ CO₂,which defines a very low X_co, in the temperature range underconsideration. It is suggested that spessartine (possibly containingsome hydrogarnet component), during prograde metamorphism atlow pressure, becomes stable at a temperature of {small tilde}300C KEY WORDS: carpholite; spessartine; sudoite; Venn–Stavelot Massif; Ardemes ^*Corresponding author. Fax: x49/531/3918131. e-mail: t.theye{at}tu.bs.de