Showing papers on "Granulite published in 2011"

Cratonization and the Ancient North China Continent: A summary and review

Abstract: Cratonization is a key geological process to form stable continental masses with a considerable scale. The Precambrian global cratonization and formation of supercratons in the world is an unrepeated event in the history of the Earth’s formation and evolution. Mainly based on study of early Precambrian geology in Eastern Hebei Region and combining other Archean regions in the North China Craton (NCC), the author proposes a two-stage cratonization model of the NCC. The first stage took place at the end of Neoarchean of ∼2.5 Ga (boundary time between Archean and Proterozoic), when several micro-blocks were amalgamated together with amphibolite-granulite facies metamorphism and intrusion of crustal-melting granites to form the present-scale NCC. The second cratonization event is cratonic reworking, corresponding to rifting-subduction-collision at 2.3–1.97 Ga and subsequent extension-uplifting related to upwelling mantle at 1.97–1.82 Ga, which could be linked to, respectively, assembly and breaking up of the Columbia Supercontinent. Three main Paleoproterozoic mobile belts in the NCC record that small remnant Neoarchean ocean basins and continental rift basins within the craton were opened and finally closed, and metamorphosed to greenschist-amphibolite facies at ∼2.0–1.97 Ga. After that, high-grade granulite facies (HT-HP and HT-UHT) metamorphism with abnormally high heat occurred at 1.97–1.82 Ga. A metamorphism-migmatization event that includes lower crust of the NCC uplifting as a whole, intrusion of mafic dyke swarms, continental rifting and anorogenic magmatic action took place in 1.82–1.65 Ga, marking that the second cratonization of the NCC was finally accomplished and started to evolve to a period of stable continent (platform).

In situ U–Pb rutile dating by LA-ICP-MS: 208Pb correction and prospects for geological applications

Abstract: Rutile is a common accessory mineral that occurs in a wide spectrum of metamorphic rocks, such as in blueschists, eclogites, and granulites and as one of the most stable detrital heavy minerals in sedimentary rocks. The advent of rutile trace element thermometry has generated increased interest in a better understanding of rutile formation. This study documents important analytical advances in in situ LA-ICP-MS U/Pb geochronology of rutile: (1) Matrix matching, necessary for robust in situ dating is fulfilled by calibrating and testing several rutile standards (R10, R19, WH-1), including the presentation of new TIMS ages for the rutile standard R19 (489.5 ± 0.9 Ma; errors always stated as 2 s). (2) Initial common lead correction is routinely applied via 208Pb, which is possible due to extremely low Th/U ratios (usually <0.003) in most rutiles. Employing a 213 nm Nd:YAG laser coupled to a quadrupole ICP-MS and using R10 as a primary standard, rutile U/Pb concordia ages for the two other rutile standards (493 ± 10 Ma for R19; 2640 ± 50 Ma for WH-1) and four rutile-bearing metamorphic rocks (181 ± 4 Ma for Ivrea metapelitic granulite; 339 ± 7 Ma for Saidenbach coesite eclogite; 386 ± 8 Ma for Fjortoft UHP metapelite; 606 ± 12 Ma for Andrelandia metepelitic granulite) always agree within 2% with the reported TIMS ages and other dating studies from the same localities. The power of in situ U/Pb rutile dating is illustrated by comparing ages of detrital rutile and zircon from a recent sediment from the Christie Domain of the Gawler Craton, Australia. While the U/Pb age spectrum from zircons show several pronounced peaks that are correlated with magmatic episodes, rutile U/Pb ages are marked by only one pronounced peak (at ca 1,675 Ma) interpreted to represent cooling ages of this part of the craton. Rutile thermometry of the same detrital grains indicates former granulite-facies conditions. The methods outlined in this paper should find wide application in studies that require age information of single spots, e.g., provenance studies, single-crystal zoning and texturally controlled dating.

High-Temperature Granite Magmatism, Crust–Mantle Interaction and the Mesoproterozoic Intracontinental Evolution of the Musgrave Province, Central Australia

Abstract: The Musgrave Province lies at the convergence of major structural trends formed during the Proterozoic amalgamation of the North, West and South Australian Cratons prior to c. 1290 Ma. The Musgrave Orogeny, one of three Mesoproterozoic orogenies to affect the province, produced the granites of the Pitjantjatjara Supersuite, which dominate the outcrop. This orogeny was an intracontinental and dominantly extensional event in which ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) conditions persisted from c. 1220 to c. 1120 Ma. The onset of UHT conditions is heralded by a change from low-Yb granites to voluminous Yb-enriched granites, reflecting a rapid decrease in crustal thickness. The Pitjantjatjara granites are ferroan, calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic rocks and include charnockites with an orthopyroxene-bearing primary mineralogy. They were emplaced at temperatures ≥1000°C from c. 1220 to c. 1150 Ma. Their geochemical and Nd and Hf isotopic homogeneity over a scale of >15 000 km 2 reflects a similarly homogeneous source. This source included an old enriched felsic crustal component. However, the bulk source was mafic to intermediate in composition. The long-lived UHT regime, and thermal limits on the amount of crust sustainable below the level of intrusion, indicates a significant (>50%) mantle-derived source component. However, a positive correlation between Mg-number and F suggests that many Pitjantjatjara granites formed through the breakdown of F-rich biotite in a crustal granulite. We suggest that under- and intraplated mafic magmas assimilated the limited available felsic crust into lower crustal MASH (melting, assimilation, storage, homogenization) domains. These partially cooled but were remobilized during subsequent under- and intra-plating events to produce the Pitjantjatjara granites. The duration of UHT conditions is inconsistent with a mantle plume. It reflects an intracontinental lithospheric architecture where the Musgrave Province was rigidly fixed at the nexus of three thick cratonic masses. This ensured that any asthenospheric upwelling was focused beneath the province, providing a constant supply of both heat and mantle-derived magma.

Palaeoproterozoic tectonothermal evolution and deep crustal processes in the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt, North China Craton: A review

Abstract: The Palaeoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt is located in the eastern margin of the Eastern Block of the North China Craton In this paper, we synthesize the tectonothermal evolution and deep crustal processes in the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt based on recent information A mantle plume-related underplating from 253 to 236 Ga is envisaged which led to the emplacement of the 247–233 Ga alkali granite plutons and mafic dyke swarms, followed by the development of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Rift and bi-modal volcanism The underplating resulted not only in different sedimentary environments in the upper crust, but also in a differentiation of the initial thermal structure in the rift This controlled the metamorphism and style of P-T-t paths in the different parts of the rift Subsequent underplating resulted in the emplacement of the A-type Liaoji granites of ca 217 Ga in the lower crust, and the formation of associated pegmatites of 22 and 20 Ga, together with the development of a bedding-parallel extension However, the main orogeny occurred between 193 and 188 Ga with closing of the rift, compressional deformation and high-pressure granulite metamorphism in the southern part of the orogen Subsequently, lithospheric blocks were possibly delaminated at ∼185 Ga; anorogenic magmatic rocks such as rapakivi granite, alkaline granites and syenite were intruded, and pegmatite veins and mafic dyke swarms were emplaced cross-cutting all the earlier structural traces We identify that the underplating styles, collision processes and delamination types in the deep lithosphere controlled the tectonothermal evolution of the crust in the Jiao-Liao-Ji region Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Rapid synconvergent exhumation of Miocene-aged lower orogenic crust in the eastern Himalaya

Abstract: Rare granulitized eclogites exposed in the eastern Himalaya provide insight into conditions and processes deep within the orogen. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb, Ti, and rare earth element (REE) data from zircons in mafic granulitized eclogites located in the upper structural levels of the Greater Himalayan Sequence in Bhutan show that zircon was crystallized under eclogite-facies metamorphic conditions between 15.3 ± 0.3 and 14.4 ± 0.3 Ma, within a couple million years of the later granulite-facies overprint. In conjunction with pressure estimates of the eclogite- and granulite-facies stages of metamorphism, the age data suggest that initial exhumation occurred at plate-tectonic rates (cm yr−1). These extremely rapid synconvergence exhumation rates during the later stages of the India-Asia collision require a revision of theories for the transportation and exhumation of crustal materials during continental collisions. In contrast to western Himalayan examples, the eastern Himalayan eclogites cannot be tectonically related to steep subduction of India beneath Asia. Instead, they more likely represent fragments from the base of the overthickened Tibetan crust. Based on the zircon age and trace-element data, we hypothesize that the protolith of the mafic granulites was middle Miocene mafic intrusions into the lower crust of southern Tibet, linked to Miocene volcanism in the Lhasa block. We suggest that a transient tectonic event—possibly the indenting of a strong Indian crustal ramp into crust under southern Tibet that had been weakened by partial melting—may have promoted exhumation of the eclogitized lower crust under Tibet. The mafic magmatism and volcanism themselves may have been related to the convective thinning of the lithospheric mantle triggered by a reduction in the India-Eurasia convergence rate during the middle Miocene, which in turn could have facilitated the rapid extrusion of the lower crust over the earlier-exhumed middle crust.

Rapid synconvergent exhumation of Miocene-aged lower orogenic crust in the eastern Himalaya

Abstract: Rare granulitized eclogites exposed in the eastern Himalaya provide insight into conditions and processes deep within the orogen. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb, Ti, and rare earth element (REE) data from zircons in mafic granulitized eclogites located in the upper structural levels of the Greater Himalayan Sequence in Bhutan show that zircon was crystallized under eclogite-facies metamorphic conditions between 15.3 ± 0.3 and 14.4 ± 0.3 Ma, within a couple million years of the later granulite-facies overprint. In conjunction with pressure estimates of the eclogite- and granulite-facies stages of metamorphism, the age data suggest that initial exhumation occurred at plate-tectonic rates (cm yr–1). These extremely rapid synconvergence exhumation rates during the later stages of the India-Asia collision require a revision of theories for the transportation and exhumation of crustal materials during continental collisions. In contrast to western Himalayan examples, the eastern Himalayan eclogites cannot be tectonically related to steep subduction of India beneath Asia. Instead, they more likely represent fragments from the base of the overthickened Tibetan crust. Based on the zircon age and trace-element data, we hypothesize that the protolith of the mafic granulites was middle Miocene mafic intrusions into the lower crust of southern Tibet, linked to Miocene volcanism in the Lhasa block. We suggest that a transient tectonic event—possibly the indenting of a strong Indian crustal ramp into crust under southern Tibet that had been weakened by partial melting—may have promoted exhumation of the eclogitized lower crust under Tibet. The mafic magmatism and volcanism themselves may have been related to the convective thinning of the lithospheric mantle triggered by a reduction in the India-Eurasia convergence rate during the middle Miocene, which in turn could have facilitated the rapid extrusion of the lower crust over the earlier-exhumed middle crust.

Heat sources and trigger mechanisms of exhumation of HP granulites in Variscan orogenic root.

Abstract: The structure of the Moldanubian domain is marked by felsic granulites of Ordovician protolith age forming the cores of domes that are separated from mid-crustal Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic metasedimentary rocks that occur in synclines by a late Ordovician to Silurian metabasic unit. Reflection and refraction seismic sections combined with gravity inversion modelling suggest the presence of a low density layer at the bottom of the crust (interpreted as felsic granulite) overlain by a denser layer (interpreted as amphibolite) with layers of intermediate density at the top (interpreted as metasedimen- tary rocks). It is proposed that the granulite domes surrounded by middle crustal rocks reflect transposed horizontal layering originally similar to that preserved in the deep crust and imaged by the geophysical surveys. This geological and geophysical structure is considered to be a result of Visean gravity redistribution initiated by radioactive heating of felsic crust tectonically emplaced at the bottom of a Palaeozoic orogenic root. The radioactive layer with heat production of 4 l Wm )3 corresponds geochemically and isotopically to Ordovician felsic metaigneous rocks of the Saxothuringian domain that have been emplaced at Moho depth under thickened crust during late Devonian-early Carboniferous continental subduction. Part of the continental crust continued to be subducted and produced fluids ⁄ low-volume melts which directly contaminated and enriched the local lithospheric mantle by lithophile elements, most notably Cs, Rb, Li, Pb, U, Th and K. Thermal incubation of 10-15 Myr was sufficient to heat and convert the underplated felsic layer into granulites via dehydration melting and melt segregation. The process of melt loss was responsible for the removal of radioactive elements and for switching off the heat at the beginning of the exhumation process. At the same time, the metasomatized underlying mantle was heated producing characteristic ultrapotassic magmas. Gravitational instability was then induced by the density contrast between the light granulites and the overlaying denser mafic lower crustal layer and a viscosity drop related to thermal weakening and partial melting of the latter.

Eclogite origin and timings in the North Qinling terrane, and their bearing on the amalgamation of the South and North China Blocks

Abstract: The amalgamation of South (SCB) and North China Blocks (NCB) along the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt involved several stages of high pressure (HP)-ultra high pressure (UHP) metamorphism. The new discovery of UHP metamorphic rocks in the North Qinling (NQ) terrane can provide valuable information on this process. However, no precise age for the UHP metamorphism in the NQ terrane has been documented yet, and thus hinders deciphering of the evolution of the whole Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. This article reports an integrated study of U–Pb age, trace element, mineral inclusion and Hf isotope composition of zircon from an eclogite, a quartz vein and a schist in the NQ terrane. The zircon cores in the eclogite are characterized by oscillatory zoning or weak zoning, high Th/U and 176Lu/177Hf ratios, pronounced Eu anomalies and steep heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns. The zircon cores yield an age of 796 ± 13 Ma, which is taken as the protolith formation age of the eclogite, and implies that the NQ terrane may belong to the SCB before it collided with the NCB. The ɛHf(t) values vary from −11.3 to 3.2 and corresponding two-stage Hf model ages are 2402 to 1495 Ma, suggesting the protolith was derived from an enriched mantle. In contrast, the metamorphic zircon rims show no zoning or weak zoning, very low Th/U and 176Lu/177Hf ratios, insignificant Eu anomalies and flat HREE patterns. They contain inclusions of garnet, omphacite and phengite, suggesting that the metamorphic zircon formed under eclogite facies metamorphic conditions, and their weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 485.9 ± 3.8 Ma was interpreted to date the timing of the eclogite facies metamorphism. Zircon in the quartz vein is characterized by perfect euhedral habit, some oscillatory zoning, low Th/U ratios and variable HREE contents. It yields a weighted mean U–Pb age of 480.5 ± 2.5 Ma, which registers the age of fluid activity during exhumation. Zircon in the schist is mostly detrital and U–Pb age peaks at c. 1950 to 1850, 1800 to 1600, 1560 to 1460 and 1400 to 1260 Ma with an oldest grain of 2517 Ma, also suggesting that the NQ terrane may have an affinity to the SCB. Accordingly, the amalgamation between the SCB and the NCB is a multistage process that spans c. 300 Myr, which includes: the formation of the Erlangping intra-oceanic arc zone onto the NCB before c. 490 Ma, the c. 485 Ma crustal subduction and UHP metamorphism of the NQ terrane, the c. 430 Ma arc-continent collision and granulite facies metamorphism, the 420 to 400 Ma extension and rifting in relation to the opening of the Palaeo-Tethyan ocean, the c. 310 Ma HP eclogite facies metamorphism of oceanic crust and associated continental basement, and the final 250 to 220 Ma continental subduction and HP–UHP metamorphism.

Diamond and coesite discovered in Saxony-type granulite: Solution to the Variscan garnet peridotite enigma

Abstract: Diamond and coesite were discovered in-situ as inclusions in garnet, kyanite and zircon in high-pressure granulites from northern Bohemian Massif. These continental crustal rocks were therefore subducted to depths of c. 140 km, which also explains their common association with mantle garnet-bearing peridotites. Models involving crustal thickening for these high-pressure granulites need to be significantly modified. Whole Variscan belt with numerous HP granulite occurrences can represent a large ultrahigh-pressure terrain.

Metamorphic patterns and SHRIMP zircon ages of medium‐to‐high grade rocks from the Tongbai orogen, central China: implications for multiple accretion/collision processes prior to terminal continental collision

Abstract: The Qinling-Tongbai-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt comprises a Palaeozoic accretion-dominated system in the north and a Mesozoic collision-dominated system in the south. A combined petrological and geochronological study of the medium-to-high grade metamorphic rocks from the diverse Palaeozoic tectonic units in the Tongbai orogen was undertaken to help elucidate the origins of Triassic ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and collision dynamics between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons. Peak metamorphic conditions are 570–610 °C and 9.3–11.2 kbar for the lower unit of the Kuanping Group, 630–650 °C and 6.6–8.9 kbar for the upper unit of the Kuanping Group, 550–600 °C and 6.3–7.7 kbar for the Erlangping Group, 770–830 °C and 6.9–8.5 kbar for the Qinling Group and 660–720 °C and 9.1–11.5 kbar for the Guishan complex. Reaction textures and garnet compositions indicate clockwise P–T paths for the amphibolite facies rocks of the Kuanping Group and Guishan complex, and an anticlockwise P–T path for the granulite facies rocks of the Qinling Group. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb zircon dating on metamorphic rocks and deformed granite/pegmatites revealed two major Palaeozoic tectonometamorphic events. (i) During the Silurian-Devonian (c. 440–400 Ma), the Qinling continental arc and Erlangping intra-oceanic arc collided with the Sino-Korean craton. The emplacement of the Huanggang diorite complex resulted in an inverted thermal gradient in the underlying Kuanping Group and subsequent thermal relaxation during the exhumation. Meanwhile, the oceanic subduction beneath the Qinling continental arc produced magmatic underplating and intrusion, leading to granulite facies metamorphism followed by a near-isobaric cooling path. (ii) During the Carboniferous (c. 340–310 Ma), the northward subduction of the Palaeo-Tethyan ocean generated a medium P/T Guishan complex in the hangingwall and a high P/T Xiongdian eclogite belt in the footwall. The Guishan complex and Xiongdian eclogite belt are therefore considered to be paired metamorphic belts. Subsequent separation of the paired belts is inferred to be related to the juxtaposition of the Carboniferous eclogites with the Triassic HP metamorphic complex during continental subduction and exhumation.

Probing the depths of the India‐Asia collision: U‐Th‐Pb monazite chronology of granulites from NW Bhutan

Abstract: [1] Rocks metamorphosed to high temperatures and/or high pressures are rare across the Himalayan orogen, where peak metamorphic conditions recorded in the exposed metamorphic core, the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS), are generally at middle to upper amphibolite facies. However, mafic garnet-clinopyroxene assemblages exposed at the highest structural levels in Bhutan, eastern Himalaya, preserve patchy textural evidence for early eclogite-facies conditions, overprinted by granulite-facies conditions. Monazite hosted within the leucosome of neighboring granulite-facies orthopyroxene-bearing felsic gneiss yields LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Th-Pb ages of 13.9 ± 0.3 Ma. Monazite associated with sillimanite-grade metamorphism in granulite-hosting migmatitic gneisses yields U-Th-Pb rim ages between 15.4 ± 0.8 Ma and 13.4 ± 0.5 Ma. Monazite associated with sillimanite-grade metamorphism in gneiss at structurally lower levels yields U-Pb rim ages of 21–17 Ma. These data are consistent with Miocene exhumation of GHS material from a variety of crustal depths at different times along the Himalayan orogen. We propose that these granulitized eclogites represent lower crustal material exhumed by tectonic forcing over an incoming Indian crustal ramp and that they formed in a different tectonic regime to the ultrahigh-pressure eclogites in the western Himalaya. Their formation and exhumation in the Miocene therefore do not require diachroneity in the timing of the initial India-Asia collision.

Application of the two-feldspar geothermometer to ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) rocks in the Khondalite belt, North China craton and its implications

Abstract: The Paleoproterozoic Khondalite belt in the North China craton preserves evidence for ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) crustal metamorphism associated with the collision of the Yinshan and Ordos Blocks. Here we apply two-feldspar geothermometry to UHT granulites from two localities newly reported in this study (Tuguishan and Xuwujia) and another two localities from previous studies (Dajing/Tuguiwula and Dongpo) in the Khondalite belt. The presence of abundant perthite/mesoperthite in these rocks reflects post-peak slow cooling. The minimum estimated peak metamorphic temperatures are 832–998, 819–952, 844–1037, and 966–1019 °C computed at 8 kbar for the Dajing/Tuguiwula, Dongpo, Tuguishan, and Xuwujia areas, respectively. These results confirm the previous report of extreme metamorphism at Dajing/Tuguiwula and Dongpo, and reveal similar conditions in the new localities reported here, suggesting that UHT metamorphism is widespread in the Khondalite belt of the North China craton. Our study demonstrates that UHT metamorphism can be recognized using the two-feldspar geothermometry in rocks that do not possess other key UHT assemblages.

Application of Zr-in-rutile thermometry: a case study from ultrahigh-temperature granulites of the Khondalite belt, North China Craton

Abstract: Zr-in-rutile thermometry was applied to ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) granulites from three localities, Dongpo, Tuguishan, and Dajing/Tuguiwula of the Khondalite belt, North China Craton. Zr concentrations of analyzed rutiles were detected by LA-ICP-MS and EMP, which display a mutative composition zoning, a large inter-grain variation, a bimodal distribution at around 1,500 and 6,000 ppm, and no relationship with the textural setting (matrix vs. inclusion). These characteristics were likely caused by post-peak diffusional resetting associated with slow cooling rates and the presence of a CO2-rich fluid. The grains with lower Zr concentrations (~500 to ~3,000 ppm) and temperature estimates (~650 to ~850°C) occur close to or in contact with zircon, which was easily affected by post-peak processes (for example: diffusion, dissolution/reprecipitation). The lowest temperatures (~650 to ~700°C) we obtained represent the closure temperature of Zr-in-rutile. Rutiles with higher Zr concentrations (~3,000 to ~8,000 ppm) and calculated temperatures (~850 to ~1,000°C) were least affected by late resetting, giving near-peak metamorphic temperatures. These temperature results higher than 900°C, even in excess of 1,000°C from the three localities, reconfirm the presence of UHT metamorphism. Our results also suggest that Zr-in-rutile thermometry is valid for ultrahigh-temperature estimates. In addition, there are positive correlations between concentrations of Zr and Hf, Nb and Ta of the investigated rutiles, but the correlations weaken as the concentrations increase, especially for Nb and Ta, implying fractionation of Nb and Ta.

∼1.6 Ga ultrahigh‐temperature granulite metamorphism in the Central Indian Tectonic Zone: insights from metamorphic reaction history, geothermobarometry and monazite chemical ages

Abstract: In this study, we present precise pressure–temperature (P–T) and age constraints of ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism of the Bhandara–Balaghat granulite (BBG) domain at the southern margin of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ). Supracrustal and metaigneous granulites of this domain, which lie as detached pods and lenses of various sizes within felsic gneiss–migmatite association record protracted high-T crustal anatexis events, broadly synchronous with and/or punctuated with felsic and mafic plutonism. Magnesian metagreywacke protolith of the supracrustal suite records extensive biotite melting and subsequent melt extractions at deep crustal, UHT metamorphic conditions (T ≥ ∼900°C at P∼8 kbar), producing restitic mineral assemblages of garnet + rutile, garnet + cordierite and garnet + aluminous orthopyroxene. The diversity of the mineral assemblages is related to the domainal-scale variation of the bulk rock composition. In situ chemical age dating of five monazite grains, which occur in the different textural settings of the garnet + cordierite + orthopyroxene + rutile-bearing granulite reveals two age domains: (1) Pervasive ∼1.6 Ga domain, which is recorded in monazites occurring as inclusions in garnet and in the leucosome matrix is correlated with the timing of the UHT metamorphism. (2) ∼1.47 Ga domain reflects a fluid-mediated recrystallization event leading to dissolution and re-precipitation of older monazite. The ∼1.6 Ga monazite chemical ages provide robust constraints on the timing of the earliest stage of tectonothermal processes in the CITZ (defined here as the ‘Central Indian Orogeny’). The significance of the ∼1.6 Ga hot orogenesis in interorogen correlation is discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ordovician eclogites from the Chinese Beishan: implications for the tectonic evolution of the southern Altaids

Abstract: Numerous lenses of eclogite occur in a belt of augen orthogneisses in the Gubaoquan area in the southern Beishan orogen, an eastern extension of the Tianshan orogen. With detailed petrological data and phase relations, modelled in the system NCFMASHTO with THERMOCALC, a quantitative P-T path was estimated and defined a clockwise P-T path that showed a near isothermal decompression from eclogite facies (>15.5 kbar, 700-800 � C, omphacite + garnet) to high-pressure granulite facies (12-14 kbar, 700-750 � C, clinopyroxene + sodic plagioclase symplectitic intergrowths around ompha- cite), low-pressure granulite facies (8-9.5 kbar, 700 � C, orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + plagio- clase symplectites and coronas surrounding garnet) and amphibolite facies (5-7 kbar, 600-700 � C, hornblende + plagioclase symplectites). The major and trace elements and Sm-Nd isotopic data suggest that most of the Beishan eclogite samples had a protolith of oceanic crust with geochemical characteristics of an enriched or normal mid-ocean ridge basalt. The U-Pb dating of the Beishan eclogites indicates an Ordovician age of c. 467 Ma for the eclogite facies metamorphism. An 39 Ar ⁄ 40 Ar age of c. 430 Ma for biotite from the augen gneiss corresponds to the time of retrograde metamorphism. The combined data from geological setting, bulk composition, clockwise P-T path and geochronology support a model in which the Beishan eclogites started as oceanic crust in the Palaeoasian Ocean, which was subducted to eclogite depths in the Ordovician and exhumed in the Silurian. The eclogite-bearing gneiss belt marks the position of a high-pressure Ordovician suture zone, and the calculated clockwise P-T path defines the progression from subduction to exhumation.

Late Neoproterozoic P-T evolution of HP-UHT Granulites from the Palni Hills (South India): New Constraints from Phase Diagram Modelling, LA-ICP-MS Zircon Dating and in-situ EMP Monazite Dating

Abstract: Late Neoproterozoic (c. 555 Ma) high-pressure-ultrahigh-temperature (HP-UHT) metamorphism has been documented for MgAl-rich migmatitic granulites from the Palni Hills in the Southern Granulite Terrane (South India). Conspicuous reaction textures indicate a clockwise P-T evolution, which is constrained through P-T pseudosection modelling and thermobarometry. The transformation of sillimanite to kyanite, which coexisted with orthopyroxene and/or garnet, records an early stage of loading. During subsequent heating to UHT conditions at deep-crustal levels (c. 1000 degrees C, 13 center dot 0 kbar) kyanite was transformed to sillimanite, and distinct peak-temperature assemblages (orthopyroxene + sillimanite + mesoperthite + rutile +/- garnet +/- quartz +/- sapphirine, garnet + biotite + sillimanite + spinel + corundum + rutile + plagioclase and garnet + orthopyroxene + rutile + plagioclase +/- quartz) formed in specific bulk compositions through biotite-dehydration-melting reactions. A sequence of corona and sapphirine-bearing symplectite textures records subsequent isothermal decompression of the order of c. 6 kbar at persistent extreme temperatures (1010-920 degrees C). UHT decompression is consistent with the uniformly high Al contents of porphyroblastic, coronitic and symplectitic orthopyroxene (up to 10 center dot 4 wt % Al(2)O(3)). Regrowth of garnet and biotite documents post-decompressional cooling to subsolidus conditions of < 800 degrees C at mid-crustal levels (c. 6 kbar). HP-UHT metamorphism and the clockwise P-T path of the Palni Hills granulites is attributed to a single late Neoproterozoic tectono-metamorphic event, which has been consistently dated at c. 555 Ma through laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U-Pb analyses of zircon and in situ electron microprobe U-Th-total Pb analyses of monazite. The MgAl-rich granulites occur as enclaves in enderbitic orthogneiss. The intrusion of the orthogneiss in the late Archean (2534 +/- 28 Ma) marks the beginning of voluminous granitoid emplacement in the Southern Granulite Terrane between 2530 and 2440 Ma, which presumably caused a first high-grade metamorphic event in the early Paleoproterozoic (2469 +/- 13 Ma), recorded by zircon cores in the MgAl-rich granulites. The clockwise P-T-t evolution indicates that HP-UHT metamorphism in the central part of the Southern Granulite Terrane is related to collisional tectonics during the final assembly of Gondwana in the late Neoproterozoic. Extreme heating is ascribed to upwelling of the asthenosphere during delamination of the thickened lithospheric mantle. Fast uplift of the rocks followed by mid-crustal isobaric cooling reflects extension of the hot overthickened crust and its subsequent cooling to a normal geotherm.

The ultrahigh temperature granulites of southern Madagascar in a polymetamorphic context: implications for the amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent

Abstract: We examined the petrological characteristics of the Graphite group and Androyan group in Southern Madagascar, south of the prominent Ranotsara shear zone, and we performed U-Pb SHRIMP dating on zircon and U-Th-total Pb dating on monazite. Widespread high-temperature metamorphism is evidenced by Spl–Qtz assemblages occurring over ca . 75,000 km 2 in the whole Androyan group. The occurrence of symplectites consisting of Crd + Kfs + Qtz + Opx or Crd + Kfs + Q333tz + Bt, which are interpreted as pseudomorphs after osumilite, is restricted to a smaller area of about 250 km 2 . Furthermore, in some pelites Spr + Qtz + Sil or Opx + Sil + Qtz formed the peak-metamorphic assemblage, which broke down to Crd ± Spl. Orthopyroxene in metapelites is aluminous with Al 2 O 3 = 9–10 wt%. Peak-metamorphic conditions of T = 950–1000 °C and P = 8–11 kbar are followed by decompression at high temperatures, as shown by the formation of Crd + Opx 2 (Opx with 6–8 wt% Al 2 O 3 ) symplectites from Grt–Qtz–Opx 1 (8–9 wt% Al 2 O 3 ). The pressure decrease is furthermore constrained by Spr–Crd symplectites in SiO 2 -undersaturated metapelites, and extensive formation of late-stage cordierite in the whole Androyan group. During subsequent cooling, cordierite broke down to form And + Qtz + Carbonate/Chl. Throughout the Androyan group, ages of 560–530 Ma have been obtained from monazite (M 2 metamorphism). Samples which do not contain ultrahigh-temperature assemblages provide evidence for an earlier metamorphic event at 650–600 Ma (M 1 ) in monazite cores. Zircon generally shows both metamorphic ages. Therefore, the deduced clockwise P-T evolution of the UH T metamorphism is interpreted to correspond to the M 2 stage, which affected the whole Androyan group. P-T conditions of the older M 1 metamorphism are generally unrecognisable. High temperature metamorphic conditions during M 2 are likely caused by intense charnockite emplacement. The near-isothermal decompression points to subsequent rapid exhumation of the formerly overthickened crust during the M 2 metamorphism at 560–530 Ma. We interpret this metamorphic stage to reflect the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent, most likely related to the collision of the Tanzania Craton with the Azania microcontinent subsequent to closure of the Mozambique Ocean.

Dry and strong quartz during deformation of the lower crust in the presence of melt

Abstract: [1] Granulite facies migmatitic gneisses from the Seiland Igneous Province (northern Norway) were deformed during deep crustal shearing in the presence of melt, which formed by dehydration melting of biotite. Partial melting and deformation occurred during the intrusion of large gabbroic plutons at the base of the lower crust at 570 to 520 Ma in an intracontinental rift setting. The migmatitic gneisses consist of high-aspect-ratio leucosome-rich domains and a leucosome-poor, restitic domain of quartzitic composition. According to thermodynamic modeling using synkinematic mineral assemblages, deformation occurred at T = 760°C–820°C, P = 0.75–0.95 GPa and in the presence of ≤5 vol % of residual melt. There is direct evidence from microstructural observations, Fourier transform infrared measurements, thermodynamic modeling, and titanium-in-quartz thermometry that dry quartz in the leucosome-poor domain deformed at high differential stress (50–100 MPa) by dislocation creep. High stresses are demonstrated by the small grain size (11–17 μm) of quartz in localized layers of recrystallized grains, where titanium-in-quartz thermometry yields 770°C–815°C. Dry and strong quartz forms a load-bearing framework in the migmatitic gneisses, where ∼5% melt is present, but does not control the mechanical behavior because it is located in isolated pockets. The high stress deformation of quartz overprints an earlier, lower stress deformation, which is preserved particularly in the vicinity of segregated melt pockets. The grain-scale melt distribution, water content and distribution, and the overprinting relationships of quartz microstructures indicate that biotite dehydration melting occurred during deformation by dislocation creep in quartz. The water partitioned into the segregated melt crystallizing in isolated pockets, in the vicinity of which quartz shows a higher intracrystalline water content and a large grain size. On the contrary, the leucosome-poor domain of the rock, from which melt was removed, became dry and thereby mechanically stronger. Melt removal at larger scale will result in a lower crust which is dry enough to be mechanically strong. The application of flow laws derived for wet quartz is not appropriate to estimate the behavior of such granulite facies parts of the lower crust.