Compositions and phase relations of calcic amphiboles in epidote- and clinopyroxene-bearing rocks of the amphibolite and lower granulite facies, central Massachusetts, USA

Abstract

Calcic amphiboles coexisting with epidotegroup minerals (zoisite, clinozoisite, epidote) and/or clinopyroxene±plagioclase±quartz±garnet occur in amphibolites and calc-silicate rocks that underwent amphibolite to lower granulite-facies metamorphism in the Acadian metamorphic high of central Massachusetts, USA. Across the region, peak metamorphic conditions range from about 580° C and 6.2 kbar to 730° C and 6.3 kbar. The coexistence of most Ca-amphiboles with Fe3+-rich epidote-group minerals suggests the presence of Fe3+ in most of these amphiboles. An empirical Fe3+ estimation for the microprobe analyses is based on two constraints: the Na−Ca content of the M4 sites of Ca-saturated, gravimetrically analyzed hornblendes gives the relation: Ca(M4) c =-1.479 Na(M4) c +2 (c=corrected). The second constraint is the stoichiometric equation Ca(M4)+Na(M4)+FM=15, where FM is the sum of all cations exclusive of Ca, Na, and K. Solving the two equations simultaneously gives: 20.185=0.479 Ca(M4)+1.479 ΣFM. Starting with the uncorrected values of Ca(M4) u and ΣFM(M4) u (u = uncorrected) of the all ferrous formula, the normalization factor NF for calculating the corrected cations of the ferric formulas is: 20.185/(0.478 Ca(M4) u +1.479 ΣFM u ). From the deficient oxygen the Fe3+ content which is equal to 2(23-ΣOX) can be calculated. Determinations of Fe3+ contents of four hornblende separates by Mossbauer spectroscopy are in agreement with the calculated values. The Ca-amphiboles show systematic changes in composition with increasing grade of metamorphism within the amphibolite and lower granulite-facies zones: increasing edenite and tschermakite substitution, increasing Ti content, and increasing Fe2+/(Fe2++Mg) ratio. In addition, the coexisting clinopyroxenes are also characterized by an increase in Fe2+/(Fe2++Mg) ratio. In quartz-free rocks with coexisting Ca-amphibole and plagioclase there is an increase in the ratio X Ab/X Ed, where X Ab=Na/(Na+Ca) in plagioclase and X Ed=Na in the amphibole A-site. These chemical changes in mineral composition together with the disappearance of epidote at the transition to granulite-facies metamorphic conditions are attributed to the continuous reaction: albite+epidote+Fe-Mg hornblende→Fe−Mg clinopyroxene+anorthite+(NaAlSi-1)Hbl+H2O.