Metasomatic coronas around hornblendite xenoliths in granulite facies marble, Ivrea zone, N Italy, I: constraints on component mobility

Abstract

Centimeter- to decimeter-thick reaction bands occur at hornblendite/marble interfaces in Val Fiorina in the granulite facies metamorphic Ivrea zone. From hornblendite to marble the reaction bands show a consistent succession of sharply bounded mineral layers comprising a monomineralic clinopyroxene layer, a garnet–clinopyroxene layer and a scapolite–clinopyroxene layer. Reaction band formation occurred as a response to gradients in the chemical potentials of calcium and magnesium as defined by the hornblendite assemblage and the marble matrix. The metasomatic corona primarily replaced the hornblendite, and only minor amounts of marble were consumed. The reaction band behaved as an open system with net transfer of calcium from the marble into the reaction band, and a net transfer of iron and magnesium in the opposite direction. Mass balance considerations allow us to constrain a range of feasible mass balance scenarios for which major element fluxes across the boundaries of the reaction band may be quantified. Modeling of layer growth as a steady diffusion process yields ratios of the phenomenological diffusion coefficients for Si, Al, Mg, and Ca of \({{L_{SiSi} } \over {L_{CaCa} }}> 2.5,{\kern 1pt} {\rm }{{L_{AlAl} } \over {L_{CaCa} }} 1.\) . The relative diffusivities are primarily constrained by the sequence of mineral layers of the reaction band and by the relative thickness of the layers. The results of steady-state diffusion modeling are relatively insensitive with respect to variations in the major element boundary fluxes.