Petrology and geochronology of sapphirine‐bearing granulites from the Limpopo Complex in eastern Botswana: Implications for Palaeoproterozoic long‐lived high‐pressure/ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphism and rapid exhumation

Abstract

The Limpopo Complex in southern Africa is a classic example of Neoarchean collisional orogens with a Palaeoproterozoic thermal overprint. We report new petrological, pressure–temperature (P–T), and geochronological data of sapphirine‐bearing Mg–Al‐rich and pelitic granulites from a metasupracrustal unit (the Beit Bridge Complex [BBC]) in the eastern part of Botswana to constrain its P–T–time evolution. Textural observations and phase equilibria modelling of the peak mineral assemblage of Mg–Al‐rich granulites (K‐feldspar + orthopyroxene [Opx2; Al2O3 up to 8.8 wt.%] + sillimanite [Sil2] + quartz + rutile + biotite [Bt2] + inferred melt) in the NCKFMASHTO system recorded a peak metamorphic condition of >930°C and > 10.3 kbar. A pelitic granulite recorded consistent P–T conditions of 960–980°C and > 10.3 kbar, indicating high‐pressure (HP) and ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) metamorphism for the BBC in Botswana. Post‐peak retrograde conditions were obtained based on the stability of sapphirine + cordierite symplectite assemblage in the Mg–Al‐rich rocks (820–860°C and 6.4–7.0 kbar) and orthopyroxene [Opx3] + cordierite symplectite assemblage in the pelitic granulite (830–930°C and 4.3–5.8 kbar), indicating near‐isothermal decompression after the peak HP–UHT metamorphism along a clockwise P–T path. Similar HP–UHT metamorphism followed by a near‐isothermal decompression along a clockwise P–T path was reported from different regions of the BBC in South Africa and Zimbabwe (P > 14 kbar and ~1,000°C based on the stability fields of magnesian staurolite and sapphirine + quartz assemblage), although the peak P–T condition is slightly lower in Botswana. Monazite grains with patchy zoning show isochron ages of 2,115 ± 77 Ma for Th‐poor domains, and 2,058 ± 40 Ma and 2,033 ± 34 Ma for Th‐rich domains. Similar ages were obtained from zircon U–Pb geochronology as 2,232–2,135 Ma and 2,010 ± 19 Ma (Th/U = 0.05–0.26). The younger ages (2.0 Ga) probably indicate the timing of near‐peak high‐grade event, while the older ages might indicate a thermal event during the prograde heating stage. The P–T conditions and zircon/monazite ages suggest Palaeoproterozoic long‐lived metamorphism associated with intracontinental transpressional tectonics related to Palaeoproterozoic orogenic events around the united Zimbabwe–Kaapvaal Craton.