Zur Genese der Migmatite des Beaume-Tales (Mittlere Cévennen,Dép. Ardèche)

Samples of micaschists, gneisses, and migmatites from a sequence of metamorphic subfacies of the Gévennes Médianes (Dép. Ardèche, France) are characterized chemically by

1. a high and only slightly varying Al₂O₃ content (m.v.=17.5₇ wt.-%, stand, dev.=1.804, var. coeff.=0.103).
2. a negligible variation of the molar MgO/MgO+FeO ratio (m.v.=0.504, stand. dev.= 0.066, var. coeff.=0.130), and
3. an insignificant variation of the molar CaO/CaO + Na₂O ratio (m.v.=0.360, stand. dev.=0.014, var. coeff.=0.039).

The Na₂O and K₂O values of the migmatite samples are respectively 14 and 30% higher than those of the samples of the neighbouring gneisses and schists. The concentrations of all other major elements of the migmatites are within the variation limits determined for the gneisses and schists. Samples displaying initial migmatization have the following petrography:

1. The light-coloured portions of the migmatites (leueosome) contain alkalifeldspar, plagioclase, and quartz, the dark-coloured ones (melanosome) are always free of alkalifeldspar and contain, besides ferromagnesian constituents, both plagioclase and quartz.
2. The plagioclase of the melanosome has a remarkably higher An-content (An30–40mol.-%) than that one of the leueosome (An 9–14 mol.-%).

These observations seem to represent petrographic evidence that leueosome and melanosome have been in a restite-melt-relation at a temperature that just reached or slightly exceeded the value necessary to produce the beginning of melting. In addition, major element analyses of separated leueosome portions of samples displaying the petrography mentioned above have been undertaken. Normative Qz ∶ Ab: Or-ratios calculated from these analyses vary within very narrow limits about the average value of Qz ∶ Ab ∶ Or=36 ∶ 31 ∶ 33. Using the diagrams of von Platen (1965) concerning the crystallization of granitic melts the petrographic findings can be verified from analytical results, i.e. the migmatites of the Beaume valley are considered to be products of minimum temperature melting of the gneisses which still occur unaltered in adjoining areas of lower metamorphic grade.