Showing papers on "Granulite published in 2018"

Cold deep subduction recorded by remnants of a Paleoproterozoic carbonated slab.

Abstract: The absence of low-thermal gradients in old metamorphic rocks (<350 °C GPa−1) has been used to argue for a fundamental change in the style of plate tectonics during the Neoproterozoic Era. Here, we report data from an eclogite xenolith in Paleoproterozoic carbonatite in the North China craton that argues for cold subduction as early as 1.8 Ga. The carbonatite has a sediment-derived C isotope signature and enriched initial Sr–Nd isotope composition, indicative of ocean-crust components in the source. The eclogite records peak metamorphic pressures of 2.5–2.8 GPa at 650–670 °C, indicating a cold thermal gradient, 250(±15) °C GPa−1. Our data, combined with old low-temperature events in the West African and North American cratons, reveal a global pattern that modern-style subduction may have been established during the Paleoproterozoic Era. Paleoproterozoic carbonatites are closely associated with granulites and eclogites in orogens worldwide, playing a critical role in the Columbia supercontinent amalgamation and deep carbon cycle through time. The onset of modern-style plate tectonics remains under debate. Here, Xu et al. report a cold thermal-gradient recorded in an eclogite xenolith in Paleoproterozoic carbonatite from orogen, and propose that modern-style subduction has operated since at least the Paleoproterozoic.

Zircon ages in granulite facies rocks: decoupling from geochemistry above 850 °C?

Abstract: Granulite facies rocks frequently show a large spread in their zircon ages, the interpretation of which raises questions: Has the isotopic system been disturbed? By what process(es) and conditions did the alteration occur? Can the dates be regarded as real ages, reflecting several growth episodes? Furthermore, under some circumstances of (ultra-)high-temperature metamorphism, decoupling of zircon U–Pb dates from their trace element geochemistry has been reported. Understanding these processes is crucial to help interpret such dates in the context of the P–T history. Our study presents evidence for decoupling in zircon from the highest grade metapelites (> 850 °C) taken along a continuous high-temperature metamorphic field gradient in the Ivrea Zone (NW Italy). These rocks represent a well-characterised segment of Permian lower continental crust with a protracted high-temperature history. Cathodoluminescence images reveal that zircons in the mid-amphibolite facies preserve mainly detrital cores with narrow overgrowths. In the upper amphibolite and granulite facies, preserved detrital cores decrease and metamorphic zircon increases in quantity. Across all samples we document a sequence of four rim generations based on textures. U–Pb dates, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-zircon concentrations show an essentially continuous evolution with increasing metamorphic grade, except in the samples from the granulite facies, which display significant scatter in age and chemistry. We associate the observed decoupling of zircon systematics in high-grade non-metamict zircon with disturbance processes related to differences in behaviour of non-formula elements (i.e. Pb, Th, U, Ti) at high-temperature conditions, notably differences in compatibility within the crystal structure.

High Pressure Metamorphism Caused by Fluid Induced Weakening of Deep Continental Crust.

Abstract: Studies of mineral equilibria in metamorphic rocks have given valuable insights into the tectonic processes operating at convergent plate margins during an orogeny. Geodynamic models simulating orogenesis and crustal thickening have been constrained by temperature and pressure estimates inferred from the mineral assemblages of the various lithologies involved along with age constrains from increasingly precise geochronological techniques. During such studies it is assumed that the pressure experienced by a given rock is uniquely related to its depth of burial. This assumption has been challenged by recent studies of high pressure (HP) and ultrahigh pressure (UHP) rocks. Here, we describe an example of Caledonian HP metamorphism from the Bergen Arcs in western Norway, and show that the associated formation of Caledonian eclogites at the expense of Proterozoic granulites was related to local pressure perturbations rather than burial, and that the HP metamorphism resulted from fluid-induced weakening of an initially dry and highly stressed lower crust when thrust upon the hyperextended margin of the Baltic shield.

Permian high-temperature metamorphism in the Western Alps (NW Italy)

Abstract: During the late Palaeozoic, lithospheric thinning in part of the Alpine realm caused high-temperature low-to-medium pressure metamorphism and partial melting in the lower crust. Permian metamorphism and magmatism has extensively been recorded and dated in the Central, Eastern, and Southern Alps. However, Permian metamorphic ages in the Western Alps so far are constrained by very few and sparsely distributed data. The present study fills this gap. We present U/Pb ages of metamorphic zircon from several Adria-derived continental units now situated in the Western Alps, defining a range between 286 and 266 Ma. Trace element thermometry yields temperatures of 580–890 °C from Ti-in-zircon and 630–850 °C from Zr-in-rutile for Permian metamorphic rims. These temperature estimates, together with preserved mineral assemblages (garnet–prismatic sillimanite–biotite–plagioclase–quartz–K-feldspar–rutile), define pervasive upper-amphibolite to granulite facies conditions for Permian metamorphism. U/Pb ages from this study are similar to Permian ages reported for the Ivrea Zone in the Southern Alps and Austroalpine units in the Central and Eastern Alps. Regional comparison across the former Adriatic and European margin reveals a complex pattern of ages reported from late Palaeozoic magmatic and metamorphic rocks (and relics thereof): two late Variscan age groups (~330 and ~300 Ma) are followed seamlessly by a broad range of Permian ages (300–250 Ma). The former are associated with late-orogenic collapse; in samples from this study these are weakly represented. Clearly, dominant is the Permian group, which is related to crustal thinning, hinting to a possible initiation of continental rifting along a passive margin.

Generation of I-type granitic rocks by melting of heterogeneous lower crust

Abstract: [Extract]: Granite generation is a fundamental process for the growth and evolution of Earth’s continental crust I-type granitic rocks, nominally derived from infracrustal sources, are the most common granite type and are voluminously emplaced in convergent margin settings A puzzling feature is that many I-type granites show isotopic evidence for reworking of older supracrustal material, in conflict with the I-type designation How the supracrustal component was incorporated by I-type magmas is a matter of deduction, particularly given difficulties in recognizing the putative infracrustal source region in the exposed geology We report a case study of I-type granitic magma generation by hybridization between metasedimentary-derived partial melt and intercalated mafic granulite units during extraction of silicic magma from the lower crust in the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt (HMB), Japan (Hammerli et al, 2018) Isotopic data (Nd, Hf, O) obtained by microanalysis of accessory minerals in former melt networks (leucosomes) suggest that hybridization operates on a (sub-) grain scale, where repeated injections of externally derived melt attempt to approach local equilibrium with the host mafic granulites during transfer through complex melt pathways (see our figure 3; and also Hasalova et al [2011] and references therein)

Carbonatitic versus hydrothermal origin for fluorapatite REE-Th deposits: Experimental study of REE transport and crustal “antiskarn” metasomatism

Abstract: Nolans-type ore deposits contain REE and Th mineralization hosted in fluorapatite veins. These veins intrude granulite facies rocks and are surrounded by a diopside selvage. Nolans-type deposits are thought to form by REE, F and P-rich hydrothermal fluids derived from alkali or carbonatitic intrusions. However, REE are not effectively transported in F and P-rich systems. REE ore deposits are commonly hydrothermally overprinted, possibly obscuring the igneous nature of the primary mineralization. We conducted a series of piston cylinder “sandwich” experiments, testing the hydrothermal fluid hypothesis, and a newly suggested process of carbonatite metasomatism. Our results confirm theoretical predictions that REE are hydrothermally immobile in these systems and the experimental phase assemblage is not compatible with the natural rocks. Our results show that fluorapatite can only host several weight percent levels of REE at temperatures higher than ∼600 °C. Below that temperature, a miscibility gap exists between REE-poor fluorapatite and REE-rich silicates such as britholite or cerite. In contrast, experiments reacting P and REE-rich carbonatite with silicate rock above 700 °C closely resemble natural rocks from Nolans-type deposits. Selvage mineralogy is sensitive to the MgO content of the carbonatite. A diopside selvage formed at carbonatite MgO/(CaO+MgO) ≈ 0.2 while wollastonite and forsterite formed at lower and higher ratios, respectively. Phosphate solubility in carbonatites decreases with decreasing MgO contents. As diopside formed, REE-rich fluorapatite preferentially crystallized from the selvage inwards. Thus, carbonatites are effective at simultaneously mobilizing REE, F and P to the site of deposition. Nolans-type deposits are the cumulate residue of this reaction, with the carbonatite liquid migrating elsewhere. At temperatures below 700 °C the carbonatite–silicate reaction additionally formed monticellite, cuspidine and magnesioferrite, resembling a skarn assemblage. Whereas skarns form by infiltration of silicate magmas or related fluids to carbonate rocks, our experiments are the opposite: intrusion of carbonatite into silicate rock. These mid-crustal skarn-like rocks may host elevated ore elements of carbonatitic affinity, such as F, P, Y, REE, Th, Ba, Sr, and Nb. We propose the term “antiskarn” to describe such systems, and suggest they trace the migration of carbonatite liquids through the crust. Hydrothermal reworking, retrogression, or metamorphism of antiskarns may obscure the carbonatitic genesis of the rocks. These metasomatic zones are the crustal equivalent of wehrlites that form by peridotite–carbonatite reaction at mantle depths.

Microstructural Records of Earthquakes in the Lower Crust and Associated Fluid-Driven Metamorphism in Plagioclase-Rich Granulites

Abstract: Coseismic damage associated with earthquakes in the lower continental crust is accompanied by postseismic annealing and fluid‐mediated metamorphism that influence the physical and chemical development of the continental crust on regional scales. A transition from brittle deformation to crystal‐plastic recrystallization is a recurring characteristic of rocks affected by lower crustal earthquakes and is observed in plagioclase adjacent to pseudotachylytes in granulite facies anorthosites from the Bergen Arcs, western Norway. The microstructural and petrological records of this transition were investigated using electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and electron backscatter diffraction analysis. Microfractures associated with mechanical twins are abundant within plagioclase and contain fine‐grained aggregates that formed by fragmentation with minor shear deformation. The presence of feather features, which are described for the first time in feldspar, suggests that fractures propagate at near the shear wave velocity into the wall rock of earthquake slip planes. Grain size insensitive recrystallization took place within the time frame of pseudotachylyte formation, forming high‐angle grain boundaries required for shear zone initiation. Fluid infiltration synfracture to postfracture facilitated the epitactic replacement of plagioclase by alkali feldspar and the nucleation of clinozoisite, kyanite, and quartz. The grain size reduction and crystallization associated with the microfractures create rheologically weak areas that have the potential to localize strain within the plagioclase‐rich lower crust.

Decoding a protracted zircon geochronological record in ultrahigh temperature granulite, and persistence of partial melting in the crust, Rogaland, Norway

Abstract: This contribution evaluates the relation between protracted zircon geochronological signal and protracted crustal melting in the course of polyphase high to ultrahigh temperature (UHT; T > 900 °C) granulite facies metamorphism. New U–Pb, oxygen isotope, trace element, ion imaging and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging data in zircon are reported from five samples from Rogaland, South Norway. The data reveal that the spread of apparent age captured by zircon, between 1040 and 930 Ma, results both from open-system growth and closed-system post-crystallization disturbance. Post-crystallization disturbance is evidenced by inverse age zoning induced by solid-state recrystallization of metamict cores that received an alpha dose above 35 × 1017 α g−1. Zircon neocrystallization is documented by CL-dark domains displaying O isotope open-system behaviour. In UHT samples, O isotopic ratios are homogenous (δ18O = 8.91 ± 0.08‰), pointing to high-temperature diffusion. Scanning ion imaging of these CL-dark domains did not reveal unsupported radiogenic Pb. The continuous geochronological signal retrieved from the CL-dark zircon in UHT samples is similar to that of monazite for the two recognized metamorphic phases (M1: 1040–990 Ma; M2: 940–930 Ma). A specific zircon-forming event is identified in the orthopyroxene and UHT zone with a probability peak at ca. 975 Ma, lasting until ca. 955 Ma. Coupling U–Pb geochronology and Ti-in-zircon thermometry provides firm evidence of protracted melting lasting up to 110 My (1040–930 Ma) in the UHT zone, 85 My (ca. 1040–955 Ma) in the orthopyroxene zone and some 40 My (ca. 1040–1000 Ma) in the regional basement. These results demonstrate the persistence of melt over long timescales in the crust, punctuated by two UHT incursions.

Phase equilibria modelling constraints on P–T conditions during fluid catalysed conversion of granulite to eclogite in the Bergen Arcs, Norway

Abstract: Exhumed eclogitic crust is rare and exposures that preserve both protoliths and altered domains are limited around the world. Nominally anhydrous Neoproterozoic anorthositic granulites exposed on the island of Holsnoy, in the Bergen Arcs in western Norway, preserve different stages of progressive prograde deformation, together with the corresponding fluid-assisted metamorphism, which record the conversion to eclogite during the Ordovician-Silurian Caledonian Orogeny. Four stages of deformation can be identified: 1) brittle deformation resulting in the formation of fractures and the generation of pseudotachylites in the granulite; 2) development of mesoscale shear zones associated with increased fluid–rock interaction; 3) the complete large-scale replacement of granulite by hydrous eclogite with blocks of granulite sitting in an eclogitic ‘matrix’; and 4) the break-up of completely eclogitised granulite by continued fluid influx, resulting in the formation of coarse-grained phengite-dominated mineral assemblages. P–T constraints derived from phase equilibria forward modelling of mineral assemblages of the early and later stages of the conversion to eclogite document burial and partial exhumation path with peak metamorphic conditions of ~ 21–22 kbar and 670–690 °C. The P–T models, in combination with existing T–t constraints, imply that the Lindas Nappe underwent extremely rapid retrogressive pressure change. Fluid infiltration began on the prograde burial path and continued throughout the recorded P–T evolution, implying a fluid source that underwent progressive dehydration during subduction of the granulites. However, in places limited fluid availability on the prograde path resulted in assemblages largely consuming the available fluid, essentially freezing in snapshots of the prograde evolution. These were carried metastably deeper into the mantle with strain and metamorphic recrystallization partitioned into areas where ongoing fluid infiltration was concentrated. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The role of evaporites in the formation of gems during metamorphism of carbonate platforms: a review

Abstract: The mineral and fluid inclusions trapped by gemstones during the metamorphism of carbonate platform successions are precious markers for the understanding of gem genesis The nature and chemical composition of inclusions highlight the major contribution of evaporites through dissolution or fusion, depending on the temperature of formation from greenschist to granulite facies The fluids are highly saline NaCl-brines circulating either in an open system in the greenschist facies (Colombian and Afghan emeralds) and with huge fluid-rock metasomatic interactions, or sulphurous fluids (ruby, garnet tsavorite, zoisite tanzanite and lapis-lazuli) or molten salts formed in a closed system with a low fluid mobility (ruby in marble) in the conditions of the amphibolite to granulite facies These chloride-fluoride-sulphate ± carbonate-rich fluids scavenged the metals essential for gem formation At high temperature, the anions SO42−, NO3−, BO3− and F− are powerful fluxes which lower the temperature of chloride- and fluoride-rich ionic liquids They provided transport over a very short distance of aluminium and/or silica and transition metals which are necessary for gem growth In summary, the genetic models proposed for these high-value and ornamental gems underline the importance of the metamorphism of evaporites formed on continental carbonate shelves and emphasise the chemical power accompanying metamorphism at moderate to high temperatures of evaporite-rich and organic matter-rich protoliths to form gem minerals

Challenges in constraining the P–T conditions of mafic granulites: An example from the northern Trans‐North China Orogen

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Lower-crustal earthquakes in southern Tibet are linked to eclogitization of dry metastable granulite.

Abstract: Southern Tibet is the most active orogenic region on Earth where the Indian Plate thrusts under Eurasia, pushing the seismic discontinuity between the crust and the mantle to an unusual depth of ~80 km. Numerous earthquakes occur in the lower portion of this thickened continental crust, but the triggering mechanisms remain enigmatic. Here we show that dry granulite rocks, the dominant constituent of the subducted Indian crust, become brittle when deformed under conditions corresponding to the eclogite stability field. Microfractures propagate dynamically, producing acoustic emission, a laboratory analog of earthquakes, leading to macroscopic faults. Failed specimens are characterized by weak reaction bands consisting of nanometric products of the metamorphic reaction. Assisted by brittle intra-granular ruptures, the reaction bands develop into shear bands which self-organize to form macroscopic Riedel-like fault zones. These results provide a viable mechanism for deep seismicity with additional constraints on orogenic processes in Tibet. The triggering mechanism of deep seismicity in Tibet remains unclear. Here the authors use experiments to show that granulite when deformed becomes brittle as it passes into the ecologite stability field developing macroscopic riedel fault zones thus providing an explanation for deep seismicity in Southern Tibet.