Hornblende-bearing leucosome development during syn-orogenic crustal extension in the Tormes Gneiss Dome, NW Iberian Massif, Spain

Abstract

The high-grade Lower Unit of the Tormes Gneissic Dome (TGD; NW sector of the Iberian Massif) contains tonalitic orthogneissic bodies that were migmatized during a heterogeneous ductile shearing, related to a major episode of syn-orogenic extensional deformation (D2). Both peak and retrograde P– T conditions were deduced from the analysis of reaction textures related to superimposed S2 fabrics developed during exhumation, analysis of mineral zoning and thermobarometric calculations in CaKFMASH and KFMASH systems. Syn-thermal peak partial melting of the tonalitic orthogneisses, via a biotite-dehydration melting reaction yielding hornblende, K-feldspar and melt, produced stromatic migmatites with leucosomes parallel to the S2 foliation of the mesosome as well as discordant patchy pegmatitic migmatites. The deduced post-thermal peak P– T path comprises an initial phase of decompression combined with cooling from 5.5–6 kbar at 750°C to ca. 4–4.5 kbar at 675°C, consistent with the sequence of initial retrograde mineral assemblages present in high- T mylonitic S2 fabrics. The later part of the syn-D2 P– T path indicates a significant cooling and is recorded by lower amphibolite to greenschist assemblages related to the later mylonitic S2 fabrics. The proposed melt reaction generating hornblende-bearing leucosomes may be important for crustal differentiation processes at mid-crustal levels during syn-orogenic extension, as well as for the production of certain types of high-level granites. The necessary conditions are large volumes of source material of intermediate composition and the production of a sufficient melt fraction.