Metamorphism of the pelitic rocks of the Snyder Group in the contact aureole of the Kiglapait layered intrusion, Labrador: effects of buffering partial pressures of water

Abstract

The petrography and mineral chemistries of the Aphebian Snyder Group pelitic rocks in the contact aureole of the Kiglapait layered intrusion, Labrador reveal a rapid increase in metamorphic grade over 1.7 km from the greenschist facies to the granulite facies. Three zones of metamorphic grade are defined by the aluminum silicates: I, andalusite; II, andalusite + sillimanite; and III, sillimanite. In addition to the succession in the aluminum silicates, progressive metamorphic mineral assemblages, with quartz, K-feldspar, and plagioclase, evolve from chlorite + biotite + muscovite through cordierite + biotite ± muscovite and garnet + cordierite + biotite to orthopyroxene + garnet + cordierite + biotite and eventually either orthopyroxene + cordierite ± biotite or orthopyroxene + garnet + cordierite. Anatectites, believed to be derived from pelitic rocks, intrude as small stocks in zone III. They comprise biotite + cordierite ± garnet ± orthopyroxene monzogranites or granodiorites with accessory ilmenite, rutile, monazite, and dumortierite.The contact metamorphism is isobaric with pressure just above the intersection of the muscovite + quartz decomposition with the andalusite–sillimanite transition. Most published geobarometers place the estimated pressure of metamorphism at 4 ± 1 kbar (400 ± 100 MPa), but use of the lower Holdaway triple point would put it at 2.25 kbar (225 MPa). The temperature ranges from 450 °C in zone I to 900 °C or more adjacent to the Kiglapait intrusion. The range of values of [Formula: see text] is estimated to be 0.1–0.9Ptotal. Because most reactions are dehydration reactions, conditions of [Formula: see text] less than Ptotal allow the metamorphic reactions to buffer the partial pressure of water. This results in the common occurrence of low-variance assemblages and leads to an apparent overlapping of mineral assemblages and mineral chemistries with increasing metamorphic grade.