Geobarometry of low-temperature eclogites: applications of isothermal pressure-activity calculations

Abstract

Estimation of metamorphic pressures in low temperature eclogite (Type C) is difficult because of the high variance mineral assemblages and problems in geothermometry, solution properties of low-temperature omphacite, and the thermodynamic properties of clinozoisite. We have considered equilibria in the CaO−FeO−MgO−TiO2−Al2O3−SiO2−H2O (CFMTASH) system involving the phase components, quartz, rutile, kyanite, ilmenite, almandine, pyrope, grossular, clinozoisite, sphene, diopside, and H2O-fluid There are four linearly independent equilibria involving the phase components in this system. Because kyanite can crystallize as a nearly pure phase, the lack of kyanite in a rock indicates that a Al2SiO5 is<1.0. If we can estimate temperature independently, we can solve for a Al2SiO5 and pressure by using two of the equilibria in isothermal pressure-activity diagrams. We have applied this approach to eclogites from New Caledonia and from southwestern Oregon. For the New Caledonia eclogites, calculated pressures range from 11.2 to 13.6 kbar at 500°C, and are consistent with the minimum pressures based upon the presence of jadeitic pyroxene+quartz and the lack of stable albite. Oregon eclogites come from different tectonic blocks and calculated minimum pressures of 11–12 kbar are based upon the presence of jadeitic pyroxene+rutile+garnet and lack of stable albite and ilmenite at reduced values of a SiO2 (0.7–0.9).