Late magmatic to subsolidus coronas in gabbroic rocks from the sila massif (Calabria, Italy)

Abstract

Corona textures between olivine and plagioclase or orthopyroxene and plagioclase are present in Hercynian gabbroic rocks from the Calabrian Sila Massif. They have been studied through optical and SEM investigations together with EDS and WDS analyses. Textural features indicate the existence of two extreme corona types formed during late magmatic stages or during subsolidus cooling. Magmatic coronas are characterized by an inner orthopyroxene layer and an outer orange-brown amphibole layer that might be in optical continuity with orthopyroxene and amphibole poikilites respectively. Subsolidus coronas consist of an inner layer of colourless amphibole and an outer layer of amphibole ± spinel. They sometimes form a collar also around plagioclase enclosed in olivine. A large spectrum in the composition of corona amphiboles from Ti-bearing pargasite to Mg-hornblende was observed. The variation in Ti content of amphibole was interpreted as a consequence of the different conditions of crystallization from late magmatic to subsolidus with temperatures ranging from 880°C to 580°C. The significant gahnite component in spinel possibly indicates that subsolidus reactions occurred in an open system. The pressure of formation constrained by the mineral assemblage of metamorphic basement rocks and by the neighbouring diorites has been estimated at 4 kbar.