Prehnite–pumpellyite to greenschist facies transition, Smartville Complex, near Auburn, California

Abstract

The Smartville Complex is a late Jurassic, rifted volcanic arc in the northern Sierra Nevada, California. Near Auburn, California, it consists of a lower volcanic unit, dominated by basaltic flows, and an upper volcanic unit of andesitic volcaniclastic rocks, both of which have been intruded by dykes and irregular bodies of diabase. These rocks contain relict igneous minerals, and the metamorphic minerals albite, chlorite, quartz, pumpellyite, prehnite, epidote, amphibole, titanite, garnet, biotite, K‐feldspar, white mica, calcite, and sulphide and oxide minerals.Prehnite–pumpellyite (PrP), prehnite–actinolite (PrA), and greenschist (GS) zones have been identified. The pumpellyite‐out isograd separates the PrP and PrA zones, and the prehnite‐out isograd separates the PrA and GS zones. The minerals Ab + Qtz + Mt + Tn are common to most assemblages in all three zones. The MgO/(MgO + FeO) ratio of the effective bulk composition has an important and systematic effect on the observed mineral assemblages in the PrP zone. Prehnite‐bearing assemblages contain the additional minerals, Pmp + Amp + Ep + Chl in MgO‐rich rocks, and either Pmp + Ep + Chl or Amp + Ep + Chl in less magnesian rocks. Subcalcic to calcic amphibole is common in the PrP zone. The mineral assemblage Prh + Act + Ep + Chl, without Pmp, characterizes the PrA zone, and the mineral assemblage Act + Ep + Chl, without Prh or Pmp, characterizes the GS zone. The disappearance of pumpellyite and prehnite occurred by continuous reactions.The sequence of mineral assemblages was produced by burial metamorphism at P–T conditions of 300° 50°C at approximately 2.5 ± 0.5 kbar. During metamorphism, the composition of the fluid phase was nearly 100% H2O and the oxygen fugacity was between the hematite–magnetite and quartz–fayalite–magnetite buffers.