Inclusions In Garnet Research Articles

SPESSARTINE-GROSSULAR GARNETS IN METAVOLCANICS FROM THE CENTRAL BUNDELKHAND GREENSTONE COMPLEX OF THE BUNDELKHAND CRATON, INDIAN SHIELD: PARAGENESES, ZONING, STRINGERS, AND INCLUSIONS

Archean metavolcanics from the Mauranipur Structure of the Central Bundelkhand greenstone complex have been subjected to three stages of metamorphism and metasomatism: 1) amphibolite-facies metamorphism (~2.7 Ga), 2) retrograde metamorphism and associated hydrothermal metasomatism (~2,68 Ga), including propylitization, and 3) prehnite-pumpellyite-facies metamorphism presumably associated with the formation of hydrothermal quartz veins (~1,8 Ga). Garnet is stable at all multiple metamorphic stages, varying in composition from almandine-spessartine to grossular and being associated with amphibole (from pargasite and tschermakite to grunerite-cummingtonite and actinolite in composition), clinopyroxene, chlorite, zoisite-clinozoisite, K-feldspar, etc. At the final stages of blastesis it is equiponderous with calcite, albite, prehnite and pumpellyite. Complex, contrasting chemical zoning with well-defined grain boundaries and zonal variations in the mineral composition of inclusions is formed in some of the garnet grains. The number of zones (three) is comparable with the number of epigenetic stages. As the BSE-images of the garnet are contrasting (because of the inverse relationship of FeO and CaO concentrations), the zoning pattern was examined and stringers, “interseasonal anomalies” and inclusions of grossular garnet in spessartine-almandine were revealed. Garnet grains are not always a closed system; recrystallization may occur in them.

Texturally Controlled U–Th–Pb Monazite Geochronology Reveals Paleoproterozoic UHT Metamorphic Evolution in the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton

AbstractSapphirine-bearing UHT granulites from the Dongpo locality in the Khondalite Belt of the North China Craton have been comprehensively characterized in terms of petrology, mineral chemistry, metamorphic evolution and zircon geochronology. However, the precise timing of the peak-UHT metamorphism and other key stages in the P–T–t evolution remain controversial due to the complexity of multiple metamorphic overprints and the lack of petrographic context for zircon age data. In this study, monazite from four samples of the Dongpo granulite are divided into six groups based on chemical composition and textural context, and dated (in-situ SHRIMP and LA–ICP–MS U–Pb). An age population of 1·91–1·88 Ga was obtained from high-Y cores of monazite inclusions in garnet (Group 1) and on grains in the rock matrix (Group 2). The maximum age of c.1·91 Ga is interpreted as the minimum timing for prograde metamorphism before UHT metamorphism (M1). An age population of 1·90–1·85 Ga was obtained from low-Y domains of monazite inclusions (Group 3) and of matrix grains (Group 4). Combined with previous zircon dating results, the age population from low-Y Mnz constrains the timing and duration of the UHT metamorphism to 1·90–1·85 Ga and 50 (±15) million years, respectively. The large (50 m.y.) age spread is interpreted to reflect continuous monazite formation, and it is consistent with the slow post-peak near-isobaric cooling stage (M2). An age of c.1·86 Ga was obtained from monazite in textural contact with sapphirine/spinel + plagioclase intergrowths (Group 5), which is interpreted as the timing of the subsequent decompression–heating stage (M3). The younger age clusters at c.1·80 and 1·77 Ga, obtained from Th-rich monazite rims (Group 6) and one single Th-depleted monazite in textural contact with matrix biotite, respectively, indicate dissolution–reprecipitation and new monazite growth from fluid released by crystallizing anatectic melt during retrogression. These results, along with the previous 1·93–1·91 Ga data for UHT metamorphism, suggest that there was a very long-lived Paleoproterozoic UHT metamorphism (1·93–1·85 Ga) in the Khondalite Belt of the North China Craton. This supports the large hot orogeny model for the generation of Paleoproterozoic UHT metamorphism in the Khondalite Belt during the amalgamation of the Nuna supercontinent.

Episodic fluid evolution in the formation of the large scale Luoyang Fe deposit, Fujian, eastern China

The Luoyang Fe skarn deposit is located in the Yong’an–Meizhou depression belt in Fujian Province, eastern China. Skarn alteration and mineralization are concentrated in a zone adjacent to an early Yanshanian granite porphyry (146 Ma), within limestone of the upper Carboniferous Chuanshan and lower Permian Qixia formations. Petrographic observations reveal five paragenetic stages of skarn formation and ore deposition: Stage 1 (early skarn; andradite); Stage 2 (diopside + magnetite); Stage 3 (late skarn; actinolite + chlorite + tremolite + magnetite + pyrite); Stage 4 (quartz + calcite + fluorite + pyrite + hematite + sphalerite + galena + chalcopyrite); and Stage 5 (calcite + quartz). We analyzed fluid inclusions in garnet, diopside, calcite, and quartz from stages 1, 2, 4, and 5, and measured H–O isotopic compositions of fluid inclusions in garnet, magnetite, and quartz from stages 1, 2, and 4.Observations of fluid compositions and phase assemblages allow three types (and two subtypes) of fluid inclusions to be distinguished: halite-bearing (type 1a) and hematite-bearing (type 1b), vapor-rich (type 2), and liquid-rich aqueous inclusions (type 3). In stage 1 garnet contains type-1a, -1b, and -2 primary fluid inclusions, which comprise two immiscible phases that formed through boiling. In stage 2 diopside contains type-1a and -2 fluid inclusions that also record boiling, which resulted in the precipitation of magnetite. In stage 4 quartz contains type-3 primary inclusions that are related to sulfide mineralization. In stage 5 calcite and quartz contain type-3 fluid inclusions, which represent the post-sulfide mineralization fluids.Microthermometric and H–O isotopic data indicate that multiple episodes of fluid flow occurred in the Luoyang deposit. During the early skarn stage, an initial supercritical fluid that exsolved during crystallization of the parent granitic magma ascended and underwent a first boiling event at 488 °C–536 °C and 380–438 bar (lithostatic pressure), which produced two fluids with differing salinities, represented by type-1a and -2 inclusions. This stage of boiling resulted in minor magnetite precipitation and type 1b fluid inclusions associated with this stage contain hematite. The magnetite stage was associated with a second episode of fluid ascent as the parent magma cooled to 454 °C–498 °C, which triggered a second boiling event and abundant magnetite precipitation at 336–449 bar (lithostatic pressure). The sulfide stage is associated to a third period of fluid ascent and occurred at 220 °C–261 °C at the same pressure conditions as the second boiling event (~380 bar). This stage included the input of meteoric water, which resulted in sulfide precipitation. Late-stage carbonate crystallization involved the influx of further meteoric water at lower temperatures (144 °C–193 °C) and the same pressure (~380 bar), representing the collapse of the skarn system. These observations suggest that the Luoyang deposit formed at a shallower depth than the Makeng deposit, which is located within the same belt. Variations in skarn alteration and magnetite mineralization are ascribed to the difference in depth between the two skarn systems.

Cryptic metasomatic agent measured in situ in Variscan mantle rocks: Melt inclusions in garnet of eclogite, Granulitgebirge, Germany

AbstractGarnet of eclogite (formerly termed garnet clinopyroxenite) hosted in lenses of orogenic garnet peridotite from the Granulitgebirge, NW Bohemian Massif, contains unique inclusions of granitic melt, now either glassy or crystallized. Analysed glasses and re‐homogenized inclusions are hydrous, peraluminous, and enriched in highly incompatible elements characteristic of the continental crust such as Cs, Li, B, Pb, Rb, Th, and U. The original melt thus represents a pristine, chemically evolved metasomatic agent, which infiltrated the mantle via deep continental subduction during the Variscan orogeny. The bulk chemical composition of the studied eclogites is similar to that of Fe‐rich basalt and the enrichment in LILE and U suggest a subduction‐related component. All these geochemical features confirm metasomatism. In comparison with many other garnet+clinopyroxene‐bearing lenses in peridotites of the Bohemian Massif, the studied samples from Rubinberg and Klatschmühle are more akin to eclogite than pyroxenites, as reflected in high jadeite content in clinopyroxene, relatively low Mg, Cr, and Ni but relatively high Ti. However, trace elements of both bulk rock and individual mineral phases show also important differences making these samples rather unique. Metasomatism involving a melt requiring a trace element pattern very similar to the composition reported here has been suggested for the source region of rocks of the so‐called durbachite suite, that is, ultrapotassic melanosyenites, which are found throughout the high‐grade Variscan basement. Moreover, the Th, U, Pb, Nb, Ta, and Ti patterns of these newly studied melt inclusions (MI) strongly resemble those observed for peridotite and its enclosed pyroxenite from the T‐7 borehole (Staré, České Středhoři Mountains) in N Bohemia. This suggests that a similar kind of crustal‐derived melt also occurred here. This study of granitic MI in eclogites from peridotites has provided the first direct characterization of a preserved metasomatic melt, possibly responsible for the metasomatism of several parts of the mantle in the Variscides.

The absence of high-pressure metamorphism in the inverted Barrovian metamorphic sequences of the Arun area, eastern Nepal and its tectonic implication

The metamorphic pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions across the Main central thrust (MCT) in the Arun area have been investigated. The MCT marks the tectono-metamorphic boundary between the overlying high-grade High Himalaya crystalline sequences (HHCS) and the underlying low-grade Lesser Himalaya sequences (LHS). The metamorphic rocks regionally preserve an inverted Barrovian sequence (i.e., intermediate P/T type metamorphism) devoid of previously reported high-pressure metamorphism. The metamorphic grade increases upwards from 670–740 °C and 6.9–9.4 kbar in the MCT zone and lower HHCS to 760–835 °C and 10.0–11.1 kbar in the middle HHCS. Orthoamphibole gneisses in the middle HHCS yield prograde Barrovian-type metamorphism, such as staurolite inclusions in garnets, showing an intermediate P/T gradient. The differences in the tectonic setting and metamorphic evolution imply that the metamorphic units in the Arun area do not correspond to the other high-pressure units in eastern Himalaya. Zircon and monazite U–Pb ages from kyanite gneiss of the lower HHCS reveal the MCT activity, associated with fluid-present anatexis, at ca. 20–14 Ma. Furthermore, similar K–Ar white mica ages (ca. 13–7 Ma) in the hanging wall and footwall of the MCT could represent the timing of later deformation events in shear zones or cooling, possibly associated with exhumation accompanied by activities on younger, structurally lower thrust faults such as the lower MCT. The similar P–T conditions near the MCT in this area could result from recrystallization during syn-metamorphic thrusting, whereas the middle HHCS away from the MCT preserve the original Barrovian metamorphic sequences related to crustal thickening. This and previous studies imply that different P–T profiles near the MCT according to each transect observed in Nepal could be apparent and the cumulative result of polyphase metamorphism.

3D distribúcia minerálnych inklúzií v granátoch z lokalít Lesné - Potičky a Beňatinská voda (Slovenská republika)

Visualization of garnets and their mineral inclusions was performed by X-ray microtomography by reconstructing 3D image from 1800 measured 2D X-ray projections. Visualization procedure of 3D distribution of mineral inclusions was based on the different absorption of X-ray radiation between the host garnet and mineral inclusions. 3D visualization provided a realistic picture of a distribution of the 126 identified mineral inclusions in garnet from rhyolite and rhyodacite Beňatinská voda and 21 inclusions in garnet from Lesné - Potičky (Slovak Republic). Composition of garnet from locality Lesné - Potičky is Alm71.0-73.7Prp8.3-9.0Grs14.7-16.6 and from locality Beňatinská voda is Alm72.1-73.2 Prp5.5-5.9Grs18.3-19.4. Mineral inclusions in garnets from locality Lesné - Potičky are represented by fluorapatite, zircon, ilmenite, annite and magmatic melts preserved in the form of glass inclusions trapped in apatite inclusions. Mineral inclusions in garnets from locality Beňatinská voda are represented by fluorapatite, zircon and plagioclase An78.53-57.12. Chemical composition of zircons and fluorapatites are similar from both localities. Based on the chemical composition, the high-pressure origin of garnets associated with I-type magmas was confirmed.

Zoned quartz phenocrysts in supercooled melt inclusions in granulites from continental collision orogens

AbstractFelsite inclusions (FIs) in granulite garnets from continental collision orogens are supercooled felsic melt inclusions. Not only do these represent non‐equilibrium textures, such as dendritic and spherulitic crystals of quartz and other minerals, but the porphyritic texture is that of hypabyssal and volcanic rocks. This paper presents representative zoned quartz phenocryst‐bearing FIs in various granulites from the Highland Complex in central Sri Lanka, the Lützow‐Holm Complex in East Antarctica, the Grenville Province in southeastern Canada, and the Kerala Khondalite Belt in southern India. Quartz phenocrysts show simple and definite cathodoluminescence (CL) zoning with euhedral bright cores and dark rims and overgrowths. Euhedral quartz never develops in subsolidus metamorphic rocks except for vein quartz, and is characteristic of growth in a melt phase. Groundmass quartz surrounding quartz phenocrysts within the FIs is always dark in CL, whereas matrix quartz outside garnet and single‐grain inclusion quartz in garnet are usually brighter than the cores of quartz phenocrysts. The close relationship between violet CL emission intensity and Ti content of quartz indicates different growth temperatures in harmony with the inferred crystallization sequence. The preservation of CL growth zoning in quartz phenocrysts and fine non‐equilibrium textures imply that the cooling rates of some granulites are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude faster than so far presumed.

Evidence for UHP anatexis in the Shuanghe UHP paragneiss from inclusions in clinozoisite, garnet, and zircon

AbstractThe Shuanghe garnet‐bearing paragneiss from the Dabie ultra‐high–pressure (UHP) orogen occurs as an interlayer within partially retrogressed eclogite. A first UHP metamorphic stage at 680°C, 3.8–4.1 GPa is documented by Zr‐in‐rutile temperatures coupled with phengite inclusions (Si = 3.55) in clinozoisite and grossular‐rich garnet. Relic matrix phengite and phengite inclusions in zircon rims display lower Si of 3.42. Combined with garnet compositions and Ti‐in‐zircon temperatures, they provide evidence for a second UHP metamorphic stage at 800–850°C, ~3.8 GPa. Such isobaric heating at UHP conditions has not been documented so far from the adjacent eclogites and other rock types in the Dabie orogen and indicates proximity to the hot, convecting mantle wedge. The dominant mineral assemblage consisting of plagioclase, epidote, biotite, and amphibole provides evidence for widespread retrogression during the exhumation of the UHP paragneiss. Several types of polyphase mineral inclusions were identified. Phengite inclusions hosted by clinozoisite are partially replaced by kyanite and K‐feldspar, whereas inclusions in host garnet consist of relic phengite, K‐feldspar, and garnet, indicating limited sub‐solidus dehydration of phengite by the reaction Ph→Kfs+Ky±Grt+fluid. Tightly intergrown K‐feldspar and quartz are preserved as inclusions with sharp boundaries and radial cracks in garnet. Analyses of whole inclusions also show small enrichments in light rare earth elements. These inclusions are interpreted to be derived from melting of an inclusion assemblage consisting of Ph+Coe±Czo. A third type of polyphase inclusion consists of typical nanogranite (Ab+Kfs+Qz±Ep) inclusions in recrystallized metamorphic zircon. Ti‐in‐zircon thermometry and the Si content of phengite included in these zircon domains indicate that melting occurred at 800–850°C and 3.8–4.0 GPa during isobaric heating at UHP conditions. The partial melting event led to an equilibration of trace elements in garnet, phengite, and apatite. Using published partition coefficients between these minerals and hydrous granitic melt, the trace element composition of the UHP anatectic melt can be constrained. The melts are characterized by high LILE contents and pronounced relative enrichments of U over Th and Ta over Nb. The REE are below primitive mantle values, likely due to the presence of residual clinozoisite and garnet during partial melting. So far, no major granitic bodies have been found that share the same trace element pattern as the partial melts from the UHP anatexis of the Shuanghe paragneiss.

Finite pattern of Barrovian metamorphic zones: interplay between thermal reequilibration and post-peak deformation during continental collision—insights from the Svratka dome (Bohemian Massif)

The Barrovian inverted metamorphism of the Svratka dome developed within two nappes derived from the Brunia continent that was thrust beneath the Moldanubian orogenic root. The metamorphism increases from biotite–chlorite zone in the basement to very closely spaced staurolite, kyanite and sillimanite zones at the top of the nappe pile. The sequence of mineral growth, chemical zoning of garnet, and pseudosection modelling indicate prograde paths from 4.5 kbar/510 °C to 5.5 kbar/540 °C in the garnet zone, from 6 kbar/530 °C to 7 kbar/600 °C in the staurolite zone, and from 3.5 kbar/510 °C to 8.5 kbar/650 °C in the kyanite zone. The age of monazite inclusions in garnet and staurolite is interpreted to reflect prograde metamorphism at 338 ± 7 Ma and 336 ± 7 Ma, respectively. An older matrix monazite crystal is interpreted as dating prograde crystallization at 345 ± 7 Ma, whereas a younger monazite group records recrystallization at/or down to 334 ± 7 Ma. While these petrological and geochronological data are consistent with data from an inverted metamorphic sequence of the southern Thaya dome, the spacing and distribution of metamorphic zones, nappe thicknesses, and late structures are different in the two domes. An antiformal stack of imbricated basement sheets and the extreme attenuation of metamorphic isograds at the top of the nappe pile in the Svratka dome are explained by a relatively cold overthrusting Moldanubian domain, formed mainly of middle orogenic crust. The homogeneous thickening of the hinterland-dipping basement duplexes and the regular spacing of metamorphic isograds in the Thaya dome are explained by a hot overriding Moldanubian domain, which in this region has a high proportion of exhumed lower orogenic crust and formed a hot mid-crustal channel.

Parageneses of Garnet Inclusions in Diamonds From Yakutia Kimberlites Based on Raman and IR Spectroscopy Data

Diamonds with garnet inclusions have been studied from the Udachnaya, Zapolyarnaya, Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya, Yubileynaya, Komsomolskaya, Aikhal, Mir, and Mayskaya kimberlite pipes of the Yakutia diamondiferous province. A positive correlation has been revealed between the positions of the main peaks in the Raman spectra of garnets and their chemical composition. A method for determining the paragenetic association of garnet inclusions by the Raman spectroscopy data is described. Diamonds with garnet inclusions of eclogite paragenesis are characterized by a high total nitrogen content and medium degree of aggregation, whereas diamonds with garnet inclusions with dunite–harzburgite and lherzolite parageneses are distinguished by a low nitrogen concentration and a wide variation in the degree of nitrogen aggregation. Dependences have also been revealed between the thermal–temporal parameters of diamond formation (according to IR spectroscopy of diamonds) and type of rocks (according to Raman spectroscopy of garnet inclusions).

Origin and Evolution of Magmas in the Porphyry Au-mineralized Javorie Volcano (Central Slovakia): Evidence from Thermobarometry, Melt Inclusions and Sulfide Inclusions

Abstract The effect of magmatic sulfide precipitation on the potential of magmatic systems to produce porphyry-type ore deposits is still a matter of debate. In particular, we need to know whether magmatic sulfide precipitation has an impact on the Cu and Au content of the exsolving magmatic volatile phases and, by this way, on the Cu/Au ratio of porphyry deposits. The Javorie volcano is a perfect place to explore these questions. First, it hosts several Au-only porphyry-type mineralized occurrences which have among the lowest Cu/Au ratios reported in the literature. Secondly, the geology of the Javorie volcano and the timing of porphyry Au mineralization are well established. The evolution of the Javorie magmatic system was reconstructed by detailed petrographic studies and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of minerals, melt inclusions and sulfide inclusions. The Javorie volcano was formed during the post-subduction magmatic activity affecting the Western Carpathians. It is a typical stratovolcano, composed dominantly of basaltic andesites and andesites which were intruded by several small stocks of dacitic to dioritic composition. According to our thermobarometric data, the volcano was fed by a transcrustal magmatic system in which two levels of magma chambers could be identified. Part of the magma evolved in the lower crust as suggested by the occurrence of magmatic garnet antecrysts in some of the studied rocks. The occurrence of magmatic sulfide inclusions in garnet indicates that sulfide saturation was reached in this lower crustal magma chamber. Most of the rocks crystallized in an upper crustal magma chamber (∼2 ± 1 kbar) that was fed by a basaltic to basaltic andesite magmas. A large variation in temperatures, ranging between 820°C and 1025°C, recorded by the extrusive and intrusive rocks suggest either that the upper crustal magma chamber was thermally zoned, or that the temperature of the whole magma chamber varied dramatically during its lifetime. Magmatic sulfide inclusions are present in all minerals and rocks of the upper crustal magma chamber, independent of their timing relative to porphyry Au mineralization (pre-, syn-, post-ore). These observations suggest that the magmatic system was sulfide saturated during its entire evolution. With very few exceptions, the precipitating sulfides were composed of monosulfide solid solution containing 0·2–9·2 wt % Cu and 0·05–11 ppm Au. The presence of these magmatic sulfides, together with results of a numerical model, suggest that the primitive magma feeding the upper crustal magma chamber contained less than 2·75 wt % H2O and that only a minor part of the magmatic sulfides was fractionated out of the system. Finally, the Cu/Au ratios measured in the magmatic sulfide inclusions and the ones predicted for the exsolved aqueous fluids are 10 to 100 times higher than the Cu/Au ratios of the porphyry deposits. Therefore, the extremely low Cu/Au ratios of the porphyry deposits must have been acquired during the hydrothermal stage.

Monazite behaviour during metamorphic evolution of a diamond-bearing gneiss: a case study from the Seve Nappe Complex, Scandinavian Caledonides

Abstract Monazite is a common mineral in metapelitic rocks including those which underwent ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphism. During metamorphic evolution monazite adapts its composition to the changing mineral assemblage, especially in its heavy rare earth element contents. We studied this process in diamond-bearing gneiss containing monazite, from Saxnäs in the Seve Nappe Complex of the Scandinavian Caledonides. Although the rock has been re-equilibrated under granulite facies and partial melting conditions, it still preserves minerals from the UHP stage: garnet, kyanite, rutile, and especially diamond. Microdiamonds occur in situ as inclusions in garnet, kyanite and zircon, either as single-crystals or polyphase inclusions with Fe-Mg carbonates, rutile and CO2. Both monazite and diamond occur in the rims of garnet showing the highest pyrope content and a secondary peak of yttrium. Such a position indicates thermally activated diffusion under high temperature at the end of prograde metamorphism. Monazite compositions show negative Eu anomalies, which we interpret to be inherited from the source rock, not reflecting the coexistence with plagioclase and/or K-feldspar which are unstable at UHP conditions. Our results suggest that the effect of whole-rock composition may be more important than that of coexisting phases. The UHP monazite was most likely formed from allanite during subduction and prograde metamorphism. The monazites included in garnet and kyanite are mostly unaltered, whereas those in the matrix show breakdown coronas consisting of apatite, REE-epidote/allanite and REE carbonate, likely formed due to pressure decrease and cooling. U-Th-Pb chemical age dating of monazites yields an isochron centroid age of 472 ±3 Ma. We interpret this age as monazite growth under UHP conditions related to subduction of the Baltica continental margin in Early Ordovician time.

Multistage Metamorphic Evolution of Retrograded Eclogites from the Songshugou Complex, Qinling Orogenic Belt, China

Abstract The Qinling Orogenic Belt is one of the major collisional orogens in eastern Asia and marks the boundary between the North China Craton and South China Craton. The Songshugou complex is the largest basic to ultrabasic body to be found in the North Qinling Belt, and was emplaced as a lens-shaped body at the southern margin of the Qinling Group. A detailed petrological investigation of garnet amphibolite, augen amphibolite and well-foliated amphibolite together with garnet zoning patterns of major and trace elements, inclusions in garnet, and thermodynamic modelling indicate a multistage metamorphic history. Garnets clearly show characteristics of discontinuous growth, as they display optically light-colored snowball-textured cores surrounded by a darker mantle with few inclusions as well as chemically a sudden increase in grossular and decrease in almandine components. A partly resorbed rim is not recognized optically but mineral inclusions and a discontinuous chemical composition of garnet are proof of this third garnet growth stage. Rare earth element distribution patterns of garnet also show clear evidence for discontinuous growth and allow us to identify the reactions responsible for garnet growth. Garnet core compositions as well as amphibole inclusions allow us to constrain a P–T window where this rock equilibrated in a first stage. Calculated pseudosections and the application of the garnet–amphibole thermometer indicate an upper amphibolite- to lower granulite-facies metamorphic episode at 630–740 °C and 0·7–0·9 GPa. The presence of relict omphacite as well as a discontinuously grown garnet mantle with rutile inclusions clearly places the peak metamorphic stage in the eclogite facies. Garnet (XGrs, XAlm, XPrp) and omphacite isopleths (XMg, XNa) constrain this event at 1·7–2·1 GPa and 570–650 °C. Consistent temperatures of 500–650 °C were also determined by clinopyroxene–garnet geothermobarometry for this event. Growth of an outermost rim as well as different stages of garnet breakdown to plagioclase + amphibole coronae and the nearly complete replacement of former omphacite by a variety of symplectites point to an intricate retrograde P–T path. In more strongly retrograded samples plagioclase + amphibole ± quartz pseudomorphs entirely replace former garnet grains. Certain coronae around garnets and symplectites also contain prehnite and pumpellyite, which formed during a late retrograde stage or during a different event at very low P–T conditions (250–350 °C). Based on the detailed petrological study, we favour a multistage metamorphic history of the Songshugou metabasic rocks. The age of the eclogite-facies metamorphic event must be related to the deep subduction of the Songshugou complex during the early Paleozoic, although the age of garnet core growth remains enigmatic. The development of garnet cores indicates an upper amphibolite-facies regional metamorphic overprint succeeded by an eclogite-facies event around 500 Ma and subsequent retrogression seen in replacement of garnet and formation of symplectite. The latest imprint evidenced by prehnite and pumpellyite may be the result of fluid infiltration during the fading orogenic phase or represents a low-temperature overprint by a later process, probably related to the uplift of the North Qinling terrane at around 420 Ma.

Fossil subduction recorded by quartz from the coesite stability field

Abstract Metamorphic rocks are the records of plate tectonic processes whose reconstruction relies on correct estimates of the pressures and temperatures (P-T) experienced by these rocks through time. Unlike chemical geothermobarometry, elastic geobarometry does not rely on chemical equilibrium between minerals, so it has the potential to provide information on overstepping of reaction boundaries and to identify other examples of non-equilibrium behavior in rocks. Here we introduce a method that exploits the anisotropy in elastic properties of minerals to determine the unique P and T of entrapment from a single inclusion in a mineral host. We apply it to preserved quartz inclusions in garnet from eclogite xenoliths hosted in Yakutian kimberlites (Russia). Our results demonstrate that quartz trapped in garnet can be preserved when the rock reaches the stability field of coesite (the high-pressure and high-temperature polymorph of quartz) at 3 GPa and 850 °C. This supports a metamorphic origin for these xenoliths and sheds light on the mechanisms of craton accretion from a subducted crustal protolith. Furthermore, we show that interpreting P and T conditions reached by a rock from the simple phase identification of key inclusion minerals can be misleading.

Assessment of the reliability of elastic geobarometry with quartz inclusions

Elastic geobarometry makes use of the contrast in elastic proprieties between host and inclusion crystals to determine the entrapment conditions of the inclusions from the residual stress and strain measured in the inclusion when its host is at ambient conditions. The theoretical basis has been developed extensively in the past few years, but an experimental validation of the method is still required. We performed two syntheses experiments with quartz inclusions in pure almandine garnet at eclogitic conditions. Experiment labelled Alm-1 with synthesis performed at P = 3.0 GPa and T = 775 °C and Alm-2 at P = 2.5 GPa and T = 800 °C. All the experiments have been carried out in a piston-cylinder press. Isolated, fully-enclosed quartz inclusions in the recovered garnets have been then measured using micro-Raman spectroscopy. All fully-buried inclusions exhibit Raman peaks at higher frequencies and wavenumbers than those obtained from quartz crystals at ambient pressure. If these peak shifts are interpreted as a remnant pressures by use of hydrostatic calibrations of the Raman shifts of quartz with pressure, the remnant pressures show a large spread in values and lead to significant errors in back-calculated entrapment pressures, of up to 1.4 GPa for inclusions synthesised at 3.0 GPa. These results confirm that quartz inclusions trapped inside garnet are not subject to hydrostatic pressure.We therefore used the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensors of quartz to calculate the full strain state of each inclusion, from which the full anisotropic stress state can be calculated by using the elastic properties of quartz. The mean residual remnant stress of the inclusions determined in this way show a much smaller spread in values. Entrapment pressures calculated from this mean stress with the isotropic model for host-inclusion systems differ from the known experimental values by <0.2 GPa, which is of the order of the combined experimental uncertainties. These results show that the most significant effect of the elastic anisotropy of quartz is on the Raman shifts of the inclusion, and not on the subsequent calculation of entrapment conditions.

Quartz‐in‐garnet and Ti‐in‐quartz thermobarometry: Methodology and first application to a quartzofeldspathic gneiss from eastern Papua New Guinea

AbstractMineral inclusions are ubiquitous in metamorphic rocks and elastic models for host‐inclusion pairs have become frequently used tools for investigating pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions of mineral entrapment. Inclusions can retain remnant pressures () that are relatable to their entrapment P–T conditions using an isotropic elastic model and P–T–V equations of state for host and inclusion minerals. Elastic models are used to constrain P–T curves, known as isomekes, which represent the possible inclusion entrapment conditions. However, isomekes require a temperature estimate for use as a thermobarometer. Previous studies obtained temperature estimates from thermometric methods external of the host‐inclusion system. In this study, we present the first P–T estimates of quartz inclusion entrapment by integrating the quartz‐in‐garnet elastic model with titanium concentration measurements of inclusions and a Ti‐in‐quartz solubility model (QuiG‐TiQ). QuiG‐TiQ was used to determine entrapment P–T conditions of quartz inclusions in garnet from a quartzofeldspathic gneiss from Goodenough Island, part of the (ultra)high‐pressure terrane of Papua New Guinea. Raman spectroscopic measurements of the 128, 206, and 464 cm−1 bands of quartz were used to calculate inclusion pressures using hydrostatic pressure calibrations (), a volume strain calculation (), and elastic tensor calculation (), that account for deviatoric stress. values calculated from the 128, 206, and 464 cm−1 bands’ hydrostatic calibrations are significantly different from one another with values of 1.8 ± 0.1, 2.0 ± 0.1, and 2.5 ± 0.1 kbar, respectively. We quantified elastic anisotropy using the 128, 206 and 464 cm−1 Raman band frequencies of quartz inclusions and stRAinMAN software (Angel, Murri, Mihailova, &amp; Alvaro, 2019, 234:129–140). The amount of elastic anisotropy in quartz inclusions varied by ~230%. A subset of inclusions with nearly isotropic strains gives an average and of 2.5 ± 0.2 and 2.6 ± 0.2 kbar, respectively. Depending on the sign and magnitude, inclusions with large anisotropic strains respectively overestimate or underestimate inclusion pressures and are significantly different (&lt;3.8 kbar) from the inclusions that have nearly isotropic strains. Titanium concentrations were measured in quartz inclusions exposed at the surface of the garnet. The average Ti‐in‐quartz isopleth (19 ± 1 ppm [2σ]) intersects the average QuiG isomeke at 10.2 ± 0.3 kbar and 601 ± 6°C, which are interpreted as the P–T conditions of quartzofeldspathic gneiss garnet growth and entrapment of quartz inclusions. The P–T intersection point of QuiG and Ti‐in‐quartz univariant curves represents mechanical and chemical equilibrium during crystallization of garnet, quartz, and rutile. These three minerals are common in many bulk rock compositions that crystallize over a wide range of P–T conditions thus permitting application of QuiG‐TiQ to many metamorphic rocks.

Carbonate-silicate inclusions in garnet as evidence for a carbonate-bearing source for fluids in leucocratic granitoids associated with granulites of the Southern Marginal Zone, Limpopo Complex, South Africa

We present a study of carbonate-bearing polyphase inclusions in garnets from leucocratic granitoids intruding metapelitic granulites of the Southern Marginal Zone (SMZ) of the Neoarchean Limpopo high-grade complex, South Africa, during the post-peak stage (2710–2650 Ma; U-Pb ages for zircons and monazites). Ternary feldspar thermometry suggests that the granitoid magma cooled from temperatures 800–900 °C at a pressure of ca. 6.5 kbar. Abundant CO2 fluid inclusions in quartz and T-XCO2 phase equilibria modeling via PERPLE_X imply action of an essentially carbonic fluid in the granitoids. Cores of almandine-rich garnet grains from the granitoids contain polyphase carbonate-bearing inclusions with a distinct negative crystal shape. The major carbonate in the inclusions is a strongly zoned magnesite-siderite variety, whereas pyrophyllite is the predominant silicate phase. Raman spectra of unexposed inclusions revealed a presence of CO2, as well as CH4 and H2O. The carbonate-bearing inclusions coexist with larger polyphase inclusions composed of biotite, quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, sillimanite, which are interpreted as relics of granitic melts. Modeling the mineral assemblage preserved within the carbonate-bearing inclusions shows that their present mineral and chemical compositions are a product of interaction of the trapped aqueous‑carbonic fluid with host garnet during cooling below 400 °C. Despite strong modifications, the inclusions bear evidence for initial saturation of the fluid with Mg‑carbonate. This is taken as an evidence for an origin of the fluids by devolatilization of the Mg-rich carbonate-bearing ultrabasic greenstone rocks of the Kaapvaal Craton that were buried under the SMZ. Being generated at temperatures between 650 and 700 °C, the fluid subsequently participated in anatexis and coexisted with the granite magma during exhumation and interaction of the SMZ granulites with cratonic rocks.

Dumortierite and tourmaline from the Barchi‐Kol diamond‐bearing kyanite gneisses (Kokchetav massif): A Raman spectroscopic study and petrological implications

AbstractTwo minerals of boron, dumortierite and tourmaline, have been studied in a diamondiferous kyanite gneiss (Barchi‐Kol area, Kokchetav massif, Northern Kazakhstan) by Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe (EMP) analysis. Dumortierite and tourmaline (almost pure schorl end‐member) coexist within the sample, with blue/purple dumortierite inclusions hosted by kyanite porphyroblasts and blue tourmaline crystals occurring as inclusions in garnet. Optically, dumortierite appears almost identical to kyanite host and can be easily overlooked in thin sections during optical and scanning electron microscopic observations. Both boron minerals show a very strong anisotropy, and the most prominent Raman spectra can be obtained if the electric field vector E is parallel to the c axis of the dumortierite and tourmaline crystals. The Raman spectra of the investigated dumortierite are very similar to those of the synthetic dumortierite with a pronounced excess of boron (up to 0.26 [4]B), although the EMP examination revealed only one grain of the natural dumortierite studied here to have a very low boron surplus (up to 0.03 [4]B). Neither Raman spectroscopic study nor EMP analysis detected [4]B in tourmaline. The findings of dumortierite and tourmaline in the diamondiferous gneisses provide important implications for the presence of a boron‐rich fluid or melt during subduction/exhumation processes.

Raman discrimination of garnet inclusions in Siberian diamonds

AbstractThe composition of garnet inclusions in natural garnets is exceptionally useful for identification of the chemical and physical properties of mantle lithologies in which they occur. The results of Raman study of garnet inclusions in Siberian diamonds are presented. Most of studied garnets belong to either peridotitic (P type, n = 101) or eclogitic (E type, n = 63), and some rare garnets are websteritic (n = 5). Detected spectroscopic features of garnets in diamonds reveal a wide wave number ranges for rotational R[SiO4], bending ν2, and stretching ν1 modes. The peak positions of the Raman bands correlate with content of major components of garnets. Raman shift of stretching ν1 and bending ν2 vibrations reflects Ca–Mg and Al–Cr isomorphism. The found correlations have been applied for rough estimation of the garnet compositions. This method allows to discriminate E‐type and P‐type garnets marking diamondiferous mantle rocks.

Metasomatic Processes in the Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the No. 30 Kimberlite (Wafangdian Region, North China Craton)

AbstractThis paper presents the first major and trace element compositions of mantle-derived garnet xenocrysts from the diamondiferous No. 30 kimberlite pipe in the Wafangdian region, and these are used to constrain the nature and evolution of mantle metasomatism beneath the North China Craton (NCC). The major element data were acquired using an electron probe micro-analyzer and the trace element data were obtained using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Based on Ni-in-garnet thermometry, equilibrium temperatures of 1107–1365 °C were estimated for peridotitic garnets xenocrysts from the No. 30 kimberlite, with an average temperature of 1258 °C, and pressures calculated to be between 5.0 and 7.4 GPa. In a CaO versus Cr2O3 diagram, 52% of the garnets fall in the lherzolite field and 28% in the harzburgite field; a few of the garnets are eclogitic. Based on rare earth element patterns, the lherzolitic garnets are further divided into three groups. The compositional variations in garnet xenocrysts reflect two stages of metasomatism: early carbonatite melt/fluid metasomatism and late kimberlite metasomatism. The carbonatite melt/fluids are effective at introducing Sr and the light rare earth elements, but ineffective at transporting much Zr, Ti, Y, or heavy rare earth elements. The kimberlite metasomatic agent is highly effective at element transport, introducing, e.g., Ti, Zr, Y, and the rare earth elements. Combined with compositional data for garnet inclusions in diamonds and megacrysts from the Mengyin and Wafangdian kimberlites, we suggest that these signatures reflect a two-stage evolution of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the NCC: (1) early-stage carbonatite melt/fluid metasomatism resulting in metasomatic modification of the SCLM and likely associated with diamond crystallization; (2) late-stage kimberlite metasomatism related to the eruption of the 465 Ma kimberlite.