Occurrence and chemical composition of barian feldspars in a jadeitite from the Itoigawa-Ohmi district in the Renge high-P/T-type metamorphic belt, Japan

Abstract

AbstractCoexisting Ba-rich (Cn56–59Or40–42Ab2An0–1) and Ba-poor (Cn7–15Or83–92Ab1–3An0–1) feldspars were found in a jadeitite collected from the Itoigawa-Ohmi district in the Renge high-P/T-type metamorphic belt, Japan. There is an apparent compositional gap in these barian feldspars at Cn15–56 in the ternary system BaAl2Si2O8–KAlSi3O8–NaAlSi3O8. Barian feldspars occur as interstitial phases between subhedral to euhedral jadeite and prehnite, and sometimes cut a jadeite crystal. The occurrence of barian feldspars combined with the texture and mineral assemblages of the host jadeitite suggest that barian feldspars were formed from residual fluids after the formation of jadeite and prehnite from primary aqueous fluids at low-T conditions (<350°C) and pressure of ~0.6 GPa. The Ba content in the residual fluids would increase locally during the formation of jadeite because Ba is incompatible with clinopyroxene. This study supports the suggestion that Ba-rich minerals are not uncommon in jadeitites and albitites/metasomatized rocks that occur as tectonic blocks in serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Barium is an important minor element in metasomatizing fluids related to the formation of jadeitites and might have been derived from subducted oceanic crust at the beginning of the subduction.