The formation of eclogite facies metatroctolites and a general petrogenetic grid in Na2O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (NCFMASH)

Abstract

AbstractEclogite facies metatroctolites from a variety of Western Alps localities (Voltri, Monviso, Lanzo, Allalin, Zermat–Saas, etc.) that preserve textural evidence of their original form as bimineralic olivine‐plagioclase rocks are considered in terms of calculated mineral equilibria in the system Na2O‐CaO‐FeO‐MgO‐Al2O3‐SiO2‐H2O (NCFMASH). Pseudosections, based on a new petrogenetic grid for NCFMASH presented here, are used to unravel the metamorphic history of the metatroctolites, considering the rocks to consist of different composition microdomains corresponding to the original olivine and plagioclase grains. On the basis that the preservation of the mineral assemblage in each microdomain will tend to be from where on a rock's P–T path the metamorphic fluid phase is used up via rehydration reactions, P–T pseudosections contoured for water content, and P–T path‐MH2O (amount of water) pseudosections, are used to examine fluid behaviour in each microdomain. We show that the different microdomains are likely to preserve their mineral assemblages from different places on the P–T path. For the olivine microdomain, the diagnostic mineral assemblage is chloritoid + talc (+ garnet + omphacite). The preservation of this assemblage, in the light of the closed system P–T path‐MH2O relationships, implies that the microdomain loses its metamorphic fluid as it starts to decompress, and, in the absence of subsequent hydration, the high pressure mineral assemblage is then preserved. In the plagioclase microdomain, the diagnostic assemblage is epidote (or zoisite) + kyanite + quartz suggesting a lower pressure (of about 2 GPa) than for the olivine microdomain. In the light of P–T path‐MH2O relationships, development of this assemblage implies breakdown of lawsonite across the lawsonite breakdown reaction, regardless of the maximum pressure reached. It is likely that the plagioclase microdomain was mainly fluid‐absent prior to lawsonite breakdown, only becoming fluid‐present across the reaction, then immediately becoming fluid‐absent again.