Abstract

The Sanbagawa basic schists in the Shiragayama area, central Shikoku contain hematite, ilmenite, rutile, sphene and some magnetite. Mineral assemblages of Fe-Ti oxide and silicate minerals in hematite-bearing ones are significantly different from those in hematite-free variety. Excluding albite, quartz, epidote, chlorite and phengite, the mineral assemblages of hematite-bearing ones are hematite+riebeckitic actinolite+sphene or hematite+crossite+sphene in the lower grade zone and hematite+ilmenite+rutile+hornblende±magnetite in the higher grade zone. In the other variety, the mineral assemblages are actinolite+sphene±rutile in the lower grade zone, and ilmenite+hornblende in the higher grade zone. Combining the mode of occurrence and chemistry of Fe-Ti oxides and sphene as well as the Mn-Fe2+ partitioning among magnetite, hematite and ilmenite, stability and paragenesis were determined. Magnetite, ilmenite and rutile in the hematite-bearing basic schists occur in the garnet and biotite zones, whereas, in the hematite-free ones, rutile is restricted to the garnet zone at the prograde stage, and ilmenite occurs in the biotite zone. Sphene is widespread in all the zones, but its occurrence is restricted to the lower grade zone at the prograde stage of metamorphism; its occurrence in the higher grade zone postdates major mineralization. The stable oxide mineral assemblages are magnetite+hematite, hematite+rutile, magnetite+hematite+ilmenite, magnetite+hematite+rutile, hematite+ilmenite+rutile and magnetite+hematite+ilmenite+rutile. Ilmenite and hematite contain significant amounts of MnO; the maximum MnO content of ilmenite and hematite are 24.1 and 2.1 wt. per cent, respectively. Therefore, the paragenesis of Fe-Ti oxide minerals can be determined only in the FeO-Fe203-Ti02-MnO system. The stability of Fe-Ti oxide minerals and sphene is controlled by the bulk-rock chemistry as well as pressure, temperature and oxygen fugacity.

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