Abstract
Thermobarometric estimates and predictions of theoretical and experimental isochemical P-T phase diagrams for epidote±garnet amphibolite blocks from the serpentinite mélange of La Corea (eastern Cuba) indicate partial melting of subducted oceanic lithosphere occurred at peak metamorphic conditions of ca. 700 °C and 14 to 15 kbar. These anomalously high geothermal conditions suggest onset of subduction of young oceanic lithosphere of the Proto-Caribbean. The amphibolites have basaltic composition and MORB affinity. Partial melting produced tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granitic melts that crystallized at depth associated with the amphibolites. Calculated retrograde conditions for the amphibolites (450 °C and 8-10 kbar) indicate counterclockwise P-T paths during exhumation in the subduction channel, in agreement with published predictions on thermo-mechanical modeling of onset of subduction of young lithosphere. These findings have important consequences for the plate tectonic configuration of the Caribbean realm since they corroborate the existence of fragments of early subducted young oceanic lithosphere in the eastern Cuba mélanges that indicate subduction of an oceanic ridge during mid-Cretaceous times.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
