Magmatic Lineations Research Articles

Late‐Orogenic Evolution of the Southern European Variscan Belt Constrained by Fabric Analysis and Dating of the Camarat Granitic Complex and Coeval Felsic Dykes (Maures–Tanneron Massif, SE France)

AbstractThe Camarat Granitic Complex (CGC), emplaced in the migmatitic Internal Zone of the Maures–Tanneron Massif (MTM), SE Variscides, consists of the Gigaro granodiorite and the composite Camarat granite. U‐Pb dating of the latter gives crystallization ages of 304.5 ± 3.3 Ma (zircon date) and 303.5 ± 4.0 Ma (monazite date). Two representatives of late felsic dykes cutting across the MTM Internal Zone have 39Ar/40Ar muscovite ages of 302.43 ± 2.62 Ma and 298.11 ± 2.38. Magmatic lineations revealed by anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements and image analysis, aplite dykes, dyke‐like bodies of cordierite microgranite and joints in the Camarat granite, as well as the late dykes all have orientations consistent with subhorizontal, NNE‐SSW‐trending lineations in the migmatitic country rocks representing the stretching direction of a late‐Variscan transpression phase (D3). The CGC and the late dykes are therefore witness to a thermal event that affected the MTM between ∼305 and ∼298 Ma (late Pennsylvanian–earliest Permian times), at the end of D3 which initiated at ∼325 Ma. Grabens related to post‐Variscan, Permian rifting (D4 phase), which cut across the MTM are WNW‐ESE‐trending, indicating a NNE‐SSW direction of extension, parallel to the previous (D3) lateral horizontal flow. The present results and a comparison with AMS data published for the Corsica–Sardinia Batholith reveal that evolution in the SE Variscides from Devonian–early Carboniferous contraction to Permian extension, through late Carboniferous transpression is characterized by the persistence of a ca. N‐S stretching direction, supporting a strong horizontal, orogen‐parallel crustal flow.

Carbonatite, aillikite and olivine melilitite from Zandkopsdrift, Namaqualand, South Africa: Constraints on the origin of an unusual lamprophyre-dominated carbonatite complex and the nature of its mantle source

We present a chemical and stable and radiogenic isotope data set for carbonatite, aillikite (ultramafic lamprophyre) and olivine melilitite from the Zandkopsdrift carbonatite complex in Namaqualand, South Africa. This carbonatite complex is associated with the ≈500-km-long, NE-SW oriented, age-progressive (40–80 Ma) Namaqualand-Bushmanland-Warmbad ultramafic alkaline magmatic lineation that consists mainly of olivine melilitite and kimberlite. Zandkopsdrift has a radiometric age of 55 ± 4 Ma and is unusual among southern African carbonatites because the dominant rock type exposed is aillikite (a variety of carbonated ultramafic lamprophyre), with carbonatite occurring mainly as a network of subvertical dykes in the southwest of the complex and olivine melilitite occurring as meter-sized blocks of float derived from the subsurface. Calcite and ferroan dolomite carbonatites are present but Mg-rich dolomitic carbonatite varieties are lacking. All rock types appear to have experienced at least moderate differentiation and all show elevated δ18OSMOW values for carbonate minerals, whereas phlogopite and clinopyroxene from these rock types fall near mantle values (with ranges of +13.3 to +21.8‰ and + 4.9 to +5.4‰ for carbonates and silicates, respectively), indicative of interaction with hydrous fluids at low-temperature. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions indicate moderate to strong HIMU signatures (e.g., 206Pb/204Pbi = 19.4 to 21.0) with limited SrNd isotope variation and subvertical NdHf isotope arrays extending well below the ocean island basalt field and terrestrial array. Uncertainty regarding the differentiation history of the three rock types complicates estimation of primary magma compositions but strong chemical similarities between the carbonatites and aillikites, plus their close physical intermingling, strongly suggests that they are related by fractional crystallization to a common parental magma, whereas their relationship to the melilitites is less straightforward. The aillikites and melilitites have compositions of the REE and other elements similar to near-primary versions of these rock types from other alkaline igneous provinces globally, which have been explained as the products of low degrees of partial melting at 4–7 GPa (for aillikites) and slightly higher degrees of melting at 3–3.5 GPa (for melilitites). Lower pressures of generation and distinct trace element characteristics of the Zandkopsdrift melilitites could be explained by these originating as melts of a garnet wehrlite halo around the magmatic conduit formed by metasomatic reaction between carbonated melts and lithospheric peridotite. Most Zandkopsdrift carbonatites have high Lu/Hf ratios which, combined with their relatively low 176Hf/177Hf values, suggests that their mantle sources could not have formed more than 30–50 Myr prior to emplacement of the complex. This implies that a mantle plume had a role in their formation, either as a direct source of melts or as a source of heat with which to melt pre-existing metasomatic heterogeneities.

The anisotropic properties of granites – effects of tectonic emplacement mode on potential crystalline host rocks for nuclear waste deposits in Germany

Abstract. For permanent nuclear waste disposal sites, crystalline rocks, especially granitic/granodioritic batholiths, are considered an appropriate host rock. Principally, three types of granitic plutons occur in the extra-alpine crystalline basement of Germany that were consolidated during the late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny of Central Europe: (i) Pre-Variscan voluminous granodiorites that are hardly affected by the subsequent continent–continent collision; (ii) voluminous granites in various tectonic settings intruded during the late orogenic stage of the Variscides; (iii) post-orogenic granites related to vast Permian intracontinental extension. Thus, in terms of the syn-intrusive tectonic setting and post-intrusive processes there are significant differences. Although it can be expected that different tectonic environments caused significant differences in the material properties, for Germany, however, there is no systematic study regarding the fabric of such plutonites. In order to find the most suitable “granite” we investigate the primary anisotropy of granites evolved during the emplacement and crystallization of the melt. For this we sample rocks of all three principal types and various syn-intrusive tectonic settings, i.e., compression, extension, strike-slip, transtension, and transpression. By means of combined measurements of the “Anisotropy of the Magnetic Susceptibility” and the “Shape Preferred Orientation” we characterize the syn-intrusive flow pattern, i.e., the magmatic foliation and lineation. The Crystallographic Preferred Orientation is analyzed by a combination of neutron time-of-flight experiments and electron backscatter diffraction measurements at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics at JINR, Dubna, Russia, and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg respectively. Furthermore, special attention is given to the systematic mapping of annealed microcracks evolved during late magmatic fluid escape and/or post-crystallization hydrothermal activity. In a second step we compare the primary anisotropy with the post-magmatic fracture pattern of the particular granites. Those fractures constitute probable fluid pathways and, thus, the first-order risk for a potential permanent nuclear waste disposal. All datasets are organized in a Geological Information System allowing for a complete traceability of the different investigation steps. The results of this study will serve as a basis for a future detailed exploration.

The microstructure of layered ultramafic cumulates: Case study of the Bear Creek intrusion, Trinity ophiolite, California, USA

In the Trinity ophiolite, California, USA, several mafic-ultramafic plutons intruded a peridotitic host 435 to 405 m.y. ago in a tectonic setting interpreted as an arc-related spreading centre. One of these intrusions, in the Bear Creek area, exposes basal ultramafic cumulates with igneous layering comprising an alternation of uncommonly thin (down to a few mm) layers of dunite, peridotite and pyroxenite that might be specific to this tectonic setting. These layers offer an excellent opportunity to characterise the microstructure of uncommon cumulates from the lower crust using EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction). This “high-frequency” layering rests on underlying lherzolites and grades upward to more massive pyroxenites (i.e. clinopyroxenites with minor olivine-rich layers). Our field observations and data from the Bear Creek cumulates together with the preservation of magmatic features suggest the environment was tectonically stable after the emplacement of the cumulates. A detailed microstructural investigation of all minerals from the Bear Creek cumulates allows us to decipher their magmatic and plastic deformation history. In a structural reference frame defined by the compositional layering and the elongation direction of the surrounding host peridotites, olivine in the cumulates presents a [010]-fibre fabric and rarely a [001](010) fabric. Clinopyroxene shows a concentration of [010] axes normal to the layering plane with [100] and [001] defining girdles. Orthopyroxene mostly has a fabric with [100] and/or [010] subnormal to the layering plane and [001] scattered along a girdle in the plane of layering. All minerals show a strong fabric. We interpret the formation of the developed planar microstructures as a result of magmatic processes, with high contribution of crystal settling. To a lesser extent, compaction could have been operating and may be linked to the rare evidence of plastic deformation. Clusters of axes within the girdles of olivine and pyroxene CPOs preferentially appear close to the direction of elongation of the surrounding peridotites (i.e. N115°). EBSD analysis of the shape-preferred orientation of Bear Creek's minerals revealed a preferential alignment of the olivine and cpx long axis with the N°115 direction. This magmatic lineation and the preferred direction in the CPOs girdles are both consistent with the stretching lineation acquired during solid-state deformation by the mantle peridotite of the Trinity ophiolite. We suggest that a weak magma flux early on and/or an ongoing but limited regional stress could be responsible for these clusters. Although a direct coupling between asthenospheric flow and magmatic flow cannot be invoked in this context of melt intrusion in the lithosphere, this result highlights that the stress field applied on the mantle could have been still active and similar during the formation of Bear Creek intrusion.Our new field and microstructural data, together with previously presented petrological data, fit a scenario for the evolution of the Trinity ophiolite in which a mantle segment was intruded by a single large batch of primitive boninitic-andesitic melt. Our results emphasise the importance of considering the initial magmatic microstructures and the original shape anisotropy when investigating later deformation in ultramafic rocks.

Large‐volume lateral magma transport from the Mull volcano: An insight to magma chamber processes

AbstractLong‐distance lateral magma transport within the crust has been inferred for various magmatic systems including oceanic island volcanoes, mid‐oceanic ridges, and large igneous provinces. However, studying the physical and chemical properties of active fissure systems is difficult. Hence, this study investigates the movement of magma away from the Mull volcano in the North Atlantic Igneous Province, where erosion has exposed its upper crustal dike networks. Magmatic lineations within dikes indicate that the magma flow in the Mull dike suite changed from near vertical to horizontal within 30 km of the volcanic center. This implies that distal dikes were fed by lateral magma transport from Mull. Geochemical characteristics indicate that many <50 km long dikes have deep crustal signatures, reflecting storage and assimilation in Lewisian basement. Following crystallization and assimilation in the lower crust, magma fed an upper crustal reservoir, where further fractionation and incorporation of Moinian rocks generated felsic compositions. Distal dikes are andesitic and reflect events in which large volumes of mafic and felsic magma were combined by mixing between lower and upper crustal reservoirs to generate the 30–80 km3 required to supply the long‐distance dikes. Once propagated, compositions along dikes were not significantly affected by assimilation and crystallization. Supplying the distal dikes with magma would have required a large‐scale evacuation of the crustal reservoirs that acted as a potential trigger for explosive volcanism and the caldera formation recorded in Mull central complex.

Major and trace element and Sr and Nd isotopic results from mantle diapirs in the Oman ophiolite: Implications for off-axis magmatic processes

The Oman ophiolite includes both a fossil fast spreading axis, defined by five mantle diapirs, and an off-axis mantle diapir emplaced 30 km from the axis, providing a natural laboratory for the study of off-axis magmatic processes. We compare field and petrological observations coupled with geochemical and isotopic analyses of samples from the off-axis diapir with those of the nearest on-axis diapir, with a particular focus on the Moho Transition Zone (MTZ). Both diapirs are defined by the presence of steeply plunging lineations, but in the on-axis case, these lineations rotate gradually into parallelism with the horizontal magmatic lineations of the overlying crust, while in the off-axis case, a shear zone separates the steeply plunging lineations from the horizontal lineations of the surrounding mantle. In the on-axis diapir, the MTZ is 50 to 500 m thick and composed of dunite with layered gabbro lenses whereas in the off-axis diapir, the MTZ is thicker and composed of dunite with massive (∼20% of MTZ) clinopyroxenite lenses and a notable absence of plagioclase. Moreover, the off-axis diapir is associated with amphibole-bearing intrusions, consisting of Mg-rich gabbroic sills in the mantle peripheral to the diapir, and microgabbroic lenses of broadly basaltic composition in the overlying crust. The εNd values of the pyroxenites in the MTZ of the off-axis diapir fully overlap with those of the intrusions in the surrounding mantle and crust, suggesting that they are genetically related. Calculated rare earth element (REE) abundances of liquids in equilibrium with clinopyroxene imply that the magmas that traversed the MTZ of the off-axis diapir were more depleted in highly incompatible elements than their counterparts in the MTZ of the on-axis diapir. On the other hand, Nd isotopic compositions of the off-axis samples (εNd=6.2–7.9 in 18 of 19 samples) indicate derivation of their parental magmas from a less depleted source than that which produced the magma associated with the on-axis gabbro (εNd=7.8–9.2, 10 analyses).To explain these observations, we suggest that the earliest magmas in the uprising off-axis diapir formed from the partial melting of pyroxenite veins with less radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions than those of the ambient peridotite. As the diapir traversed the cool, hydrated lithosphere these early melts interacted with depleted harzburgites, lowering the incompatible element contents of the melt products while having little effect on their Nd isotopic compositions. The great abundance of clinopyroxene in the off-axis MTZ might be explained by the high pyroxene component in the original melt but perhaps also by the presence of water in the lithosphere, which would favor the crystallization of clinopyroxene while inhibiting that of plagioclase. The intrusions in the overlying crust could represent, to first order, the secondary melts produced by the melt–harzburgite reaction, while the sills in the surrounding mantle may be cumulates from such secondary melts.These results shed light on processes occurring during interaction between rising off-axis material and depleted, hydrated lithospheric mantle. Furthermore, if our interpretation is correct, the low εNd values of the off-axis samples contribute to the growing body of evidence for the presence of pyroxenite veins in the MORB mantle source.

Magmatic accretion and thermal convection at the sheeted dike complex–gabbro boundary in superfast spreading crust, ODP Hole 1256D

The magmatic processes responsible for accretion of new oceanic plutonic crust at fast-spreading centers remain unclear. Expedition 312, at Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1256D, on the eastern flank of the East Pacific Rise, barely drilled through the uppermost gabbros but offers unparalleled opportunities to constrain deep magmatic processes and the mode of construction of the gabbroic layer.Gabbro 1 and gabbro 2, respectively 52 and 24m-thick, were intruded in an altered and baked sheeted dike complex. Both gabbros lack a macroscopic fabric and were until now considered isotropic. Here, we use digital 3-D fabric analysis of plagioclase phenocrysts in 33 non-azimuthally oriented samples. In contrast with previous observations, the two gabbros display a distinct and consistent shape-preferred orientation. Both gabbros exhibit magmatic, equilibrated microstructures, with minor submagmatic microstructures. The calculated Rayleigh numbers range between 1015 and 1018, proving that the gabbroic magma was initially undergoing turbulent magmatic flow. Magmatic foliations dip moderately, with a mean of 48° in gabbro 1 and 61° in gabbro 2. Magmatic lineations plunge in gabbro 1 between 1 and 44° (mean 28°), while in Gabbro 2, plunges range from 6 to 69° (mean 41°). These inclined magmatic structures, combined with the inclined magmatic contacts between the gabbros and their host-rock, show that these two gabbro bodies, instead of being horizontal sills, more likely are inclined intrusions that cut obliquely through the sheeted dike complex.Seismic reflection data around Hole 1256D shows inclined reflectors similar to those produced by gabbroic saucer-shaped intrusions in passive margins. On the basis of the inclined fabrics, inclined contacts and the regional seismic data, we propose that the uppermost gabbroic intrusions at fast-spreading centers form with a saucer-shape. This new shape of intrusion, never reported before in the oceanic environment, may constitute a significant component of oceanic accretion.

Distinguishing diapirs from inflated plutons: an integrated rock magnetic fabric and structural study on the Roundstone Pluton, western Ireland

Granitoid plutons account for much of the continental crust and are critical in the generation of several economic resources. Despite over a century of research, the fundamental process by which large felsic bodies intrude remains controversial. Two contrasting models persist: (1) mass ascent and subsequent cooling of magma (diapirism); (2) sheet ascent and subsequent emplacement (laccoliths). The latter hypothesis is different from the former as distinct ascent and emplacement processes must occur and be identifiable; traditional field methods rarely allow this important distinction to be made. We present field, petrographic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data from the Roundstone Pluton, Connemara, western Ireland, which was previously considered a diapiric intrusion. The new data reveal anomalous subvertical magmatic lineations in the core of this circular intrusion as well as a suite of magmatic and submagmatic fabrics that parallel NNW–SSE country rock faults and coeval G2 sheets within the pluton. We deduce that these structures reflect a distinct centralized ascent process along a NNW–SSE conduit. Lateral emplacement and pluton inflation followed, ultimately forming a punched laccolith. We conclude that the combined application of the above techniques provides a unique insight into pluton architecture that removes ambiguity between contrasting diapiric and inflated pluton models. Supplementary material: Complete rock magnetic data tables and sample site coordinates (Irish Grid) are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18837 .

Structural and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility records of granitoid sheets emplacement during growth of a continental gneiss dome (Central Sudetes, European Variscan Belt)

AbstractGranitoid magmatic sheets emplaced syntectonically during growth of the Orlica‐Śnieżnik mantled gneiss dome (Central Sudetes, European Variscan belt) were examined by means of structural geology, quartz, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) fabric studies. Magmatic emplacement was localized along the eastern transpressive margin of the high metamorphic core and below the low‐grade detached mantle rimming the southern margin of the dome. In the first area, the magmatic sheets were emplaced parallel to the dilated subhorizontal foliation of an anisotropic pre‐orogenic block. The resulting melt‐host rock multilayer localized the transpressive zone along which the bulk of magma was emplaced. The AMS study shows an across‐strike fabric zonation underlying a strongly transpressive solid‐state deformation in the hanging‐wall, magmatic subhorizontal fabric in the foot‐wall and a transitional fabric in the center of the intrusion. In contrast, along the southern dome margin, magmatic sheets intruded along steep foliations of weakly metamorphic mantle rocks, and are affected by recumbent folding and subhorizontal shearing. The bulk of the sheets present a shallow‐dipping magmatic foliation and an along‐strike magmatic lineation. The variations of the quartz and magnetic fabrics are attributed to superimposition of pure shear‐dominated ductile thinning followed by simple shear‐dominated detachment onto the original steep fabric. AMS modeling confirms the role of variation of orientation of pre‐intrusive anisotropy during progressive deformation on the resulting fabric pattern and helps explaining observed variations in fabric orientations and symmetries. This study highlights contrasting mechanical behavior of syntectonically emplaced magmas in different parts of a growing crustal‐scale mantled gneiss dome.

Sequential granite emplacement: a structural study of the late Variscan Strzelin intrusion, SW Poland

The Strzelin Massif in SW Poland (Central European Variscides) records a protracted igneous evolution, with three main magmatic stages: (1) tonalitic I, (2) granodioritic and (3) tonalitic II/granitic. In the northern part of this Massif, the Strzelin intrusion proper comprises three successively emplaced rock types: a medium-grained biotite granite (303 ± 2 Ma), a fine-grained biotite granite (283 ± 8 Ma) and a fine-grained biotite-muscovite granite; based on field evidence, the third variety postdates both types of the biotite granites. The structural data from the three granites, including their parallel, approximately E–W striking and steeply dipping lithological contacts and ENE–WSW trending subhorizontal magmatic lineations, suggest that the emplacement of all three successive granite varieties was controlled by an active, long-lived strike-slip fault, striking ESE–WNW, with a dextral sense of movement. After the emplacement of the youngest biotite-muscovite granite, the intrusion underwent brittle extension which produced “Q joints” striking NNW–SSE to N–S and dipping at 55–70° WSW to W, and showing evidence of broadly N–S directed sinistral displacements. The structural observations, supported by new geochronological data, indicate that the internal structure of the composite granitoid intrusion, including the faint magmatic foliation and lineation, formed in a long-lived strike-slip setting, different from the subsequent, post-emplacement extensional tectonics that controlled the development of brittle structures.

The Iknioun granodiorite, tectonic marker of Ediacaran SE-directed tangential movements in the Eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco

The Iknioun granodiorite (Eastern Saghro, Anti-Atlas) of Ediacaran age displays a regular pattern of magmatic lineations and foliations determined through an anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) study. S-sigmoid features outlined by these lineations and top-to-the-SE movements in the adjacent country rocks show that the emplacement of this pluton was related to the E–W-trending dextral transpressive movements previously described in the Saghro inlier. Consequently, this pluton appears as a particularly useful tectonic marker for the Ediacaran evolution of this part of the Anti-Atlas which constituted the northern border of the West African Craton.

The diversity of flow structures in felsic dykes

Abstract: Numerous structures and textures, which can be related to magma flow, were observed in felsic dykes intruding late Mesozoic granitoid plutons in the Jiaodong peninsula, in eastern Shandong province, eastern China. These flow structures may be classified into two categories, interior and peripheral. The former group includes magmatic bands, various types of folds (e.g. injection, sheath, similar and disharmonic folds), rotation of phenocrysts, magmatic foliation or lineation, and crenulation, whereas the latter includes hot tool marks and quarrying structures. Magmatic banding resulted from shearing of mingled magma during magma flow in the dykes. The magma seemed to flow rapidly, probably triggering turbulence in some thick dykes. Interaction at the contact between the hot, moving magma and the cold, stationary wallrock sometimes produced the peripheral structures. A few measurements of hot tool marks and of magmatic lineation reveal a roughly horizontal flow of magma within these dykes. For the dominant NE–SW-striking dyke set in the Laoshan granitoid pluton, the felsic magma probably ascended on or to the SW of the pluton to feed the dyke swarm, and then flowed laterally to drive the horizontal propagation of dykes.

Combined quantification of anisotropy and inhomogeneity of magmatic rock fabrics – An outcrop scale analysis recorded in high resolution

Magmatic mineral distribution patterns in a syntectonic syenite pluton have been recorded at high resolution over several square metres on quarried faces. The anisotropy and inhomogeneity of K-feldspar and mafic mineral distribution patterns have been quantified using two methods originally based on fractal geometry. (1) Map-counting, based on box-counting, illustrates an inhomogeneity on the decimetre to metre scale and highlights diffuse structures that can be related to mafic schlieren or felsic dykes that are not visible on the rock surface. (2) We have developed a mapping of rock fabric anisotropy (MORFA) method that leads to the detection of further magmatic structures that are not visible in the field. With MORFA a magmatic lineation and its variation over large areas is determined, as well as fabrics on the decimetre to 1 m scales, which possibly represent flow or fracture structures in the crystallising magma.

A importância da tectônica transcorrente no alojamento de granitos pré a sincolisionais na região do vale do médio Rio Doce: o exemplo das suítes graníticas Galiléia e Urucum

The Galileia and Urucum suites, respectivelly, with 594 ± 6 Ma and 584 ± 2 Ma zircon U-Pb ages, are situated in the middle region of the Rio Doce Valley, eastern of Minas Gerais State. They are characterized by elongated batholiths in the NW-SE and N-S trending associated with high angle shear zone of Conselho Pena-Resplendor. The batholiths present solid-state and magmatic flow foliations and a well-developed magmatic lineation. Two deformation phases were described: the first was responsible by the development of a solid-state foliation and magmatic flow lineation in the granitic suites and a schistosity and stretching lineation in the country rocks (Sao Tome schist), and the second was responsible by an extensional crenulation cleavage and other associated structures. Kinematic analysis indicates that the Galileia and Urucum suites were emplaced along of transcurrent structures.

Oriented growth of garnet by topotactic reactions and epitaxy in high‐pressure, mafic garnet granulite formed by dehydration melting of metastable hornblende‐gabbronorite (Jijal Complex, Kohistan Complex, north Pakistan)

AbstractGarnet growth in high‐pressure, mafic garnet granulites formed by dehydration melting of hornblende‐gabbronorite protoliths in the Jijal complex (Kohistan palaeo‐island arc complex, north Pakistan) was investigated through a microstructural EBSD‐SEM and HRTEM study. Composite samples preserve a sharp transition in which the low‐pressure precursor is replaced by garnet through a millimetre‐sized reaction front. A magmatic foliation in the gabbronorite is defined by mafic‐rich layering, with an associated magmatic lineation defined by the shape‐preferred orientation (SPO) of mafic clusters composed of orthopyroxene (Opx), clinopyroxene (Cpx), amphibole (Amp) and oxides. The shape of the reaction front is convoluted and oblique to the magmatic layering. Opx, Amp and, to a lesser extent, Cpx show a strong lattice‐preferred orientation (LPO) characterized by an alignment of [001] axes parallel to the magmatic lineation in the precursor hornblende‐gabbronorite. Product garnet (Grt) also displays a strong LPO. Two of the four 〈111〉 axes are within the magmatic foliation plane and the density maximum is subparallel to the precursor magmatic lineation. The crystallographic relationship 〈111〉Grt//[001]Opx,Cpx,Amp deduced from the LPO was confirmed by TEM observations. The sharp and discontinuous modal and compositional variations observed at the reaction front attest to the kinetic inhibition of prograde solid‐state reactions predicted by equilibrium‐phase diagrams. The P–T field for the equilibration of Jijal garnet granulites shows that the reaction affinities are 5–10 kJ mol.−1 for the Grt‐in reaction and 0–5 kJ mol.−1 for the Opx‐out reaction. Petrographic and textural observations indicate that garnet first nucleated on amphibole at the rims of mafic clusters; this topotactic replacement resulted in a strong LPO of garnet. Once the amphibole was consumed in the reaction, the parallelism of [001] axes of the mafic‐phase reactants favoured the growth of garnet crystals with similar orientations over a pyroxene substrate. These aggregates eventually sintered into single‐crystal garnet. In the absence of deformation, the orientation of mafic precursor phases conditioned the nucleation site and the crystallographic orientation of garnet because of topotaxial transformation reactions and homoepitaxial growth of garnet during the formation of high‐pressure, mafic garnet‐granulite after low‐pressure mafic protoliths.

Multiple injections of magmas along a Hercynian mid-crustal shear zone (Sila Massif, Calabria, Italy)

Syn-tectonic late-Hercynian granitoids, emplaced at mid-crustal level through multiple dyke injections, are well-exposed in a ∼1 km-long section, in the southern Sila Massif (Calabria, Italy). The fieldwork study permitted us to reconstruct the following order of emplacement: (i) granodiorites with euhedral Kfs megacrystals (Grd1, in the main text) and heterogranular granodiorites with coarse rounded Pl and Kfs in a fine-grained biotite-rich matrix (Grd2); (ii) granodiorites with a nearly homogeneous grain size (Grd3); (iii) tonalite; and (iv) granite. Both in the wall-rock, represented by migmatitic paragneisses, and in the deformed granitoids the foliation attitude is substantially homogeneous, striking about N140 with a dip of 50–60° to the NE. The magmatic lineation is defined by the preferred alignment of euhedral feldspars, parallel to the mineral lineation observed in the host rocks. Micro- and meso-structural analyses indicate that foliation evolved from melt-present to solid-state conditions. Feldspar tiling, S/C structures, σ-type structures, c-axis quartz orientations commonly suggest a top-to-the-west sense of shear during magma injection and deformation under decreasing temperatures. Age of magma emplacement is constrained by U/Pb datings at 304–300 Ma, coeval with the regional metamorphic peak. Foliated granitoids and wall-rock are intruded by poorly foliated Hbl-gabbro and, finally, by undeformed leucogranite, pegmatite and felsic porphyritic dykes. New U/Pb datings of the last intrusion event indicate an age of emplacement of 281 ± 8 Ma, providing a minimum estimate for the end of the shear strain at mid-crustal level.

Polymineralic orientation analysis of magmatic rocks using Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction: Implications for igneous fabric origin and evolution

Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD), which provides an easy way of acquiring large numbers of individual crystallographic orientation data from different phases, has been applied to the study of magmatic fabrics. Using this technique, the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of plagioclase, biotite, orthopyroxene, hornblende and quartz in natural tonalites and quartzdiorites (from the Santa Olalla Igneous Complex, SW Iberia) deformed during the magmatic stage have been determined. Plagioclase is the coarser phase defining the main fabric in each sample, whereas biotite can display either the same fabric as plagioclase or a completely different one. The differences between these two phases occur because: (1) smaller phases interact with the larger ones to produce more random orientations, (2) under simple shear, finer phases can completely rotate giving a girdle included in the XZ plane, (3) finer phases can more easily preserve relict fabrics, while the coarser phases are completely reoriented by the last stress tensor. The last phases to crystallize show weak to completely random CPOs (hornblende) or completely random distributions (quartz). The study was completed with a shape preferred orientation analysis using the Intercept Method in order to detect weak magmatic lineations, and numerical modelling simulations of theoretically equivalent simple shear situations for each sample.

Magmatic lineations inferred from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility fabrics in Units 8, 9, and 10 of the Rum Eastern Layered Series, NW Scotland

The Eastern Layered Series of the Rum Layered Suite, NW Scotland, comprises a sequence of sixteen (30–150 m thick) cyclic units. The upper troctolite–olivine gabbro parts of each of these units exhibit small-scale modal layering and a pervasive, layer-parallel mineral lamination that is often associated with ‘soft-sediment’ deformation structures. A sporadic, macroscopic magmatic lineation measurable on mineral lamination surfaces is also observed in places. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) fabrics were studied in three of these cyclic units, (8, 9, and 10) in the northern part of the Eastern Layered Series. Magnetic fabrics measured in the troctolites and gabbros yield one dominant trend in which magnetic foliations parallel magmatic layering and magnetic lineations trend NW–SE and plunge gently. Magnetic fabrics measured for two detailed traverses through Unit 10 on the northern side of Hallival also yield one dominant trend, similar to that measured elsewhere in the Eastern Layered Series. However, toward the centre of Unit 10 in each traverse, magnetic lineations sometimes plunge approximately downdip (SW) on the magnetic foliation planes. The implications of these results are discussed with reference to previous textural and fabric observations on Rum. A model is suggested in which weak linear arrangements of cumulus olivine and plagioclase crystals are developed due to slumping and soft-sediment deformation of unconsolidated crystal mushes during central sagging of the Rum Layered Suite.

Four magmatic fabrics in the Tuolumne batholith, central Sierra Nevada, California (USA): Implications for interpreting fabric patterns in plutons and evolution of magma chambers in the upper crust

For the first time, four distinct magmatic fabrics are documented in a composite plutonic body, the Tuolumne batholith, central Sierra Nevada, California, USA. One type of fabric was formed by strain caused by highly localized magma flow (type 1), whereas the other three chamber-wide fabrics recorded strain increments during boundary processes along batholith margins (type 2) superimposed by increments of heterogeneous regional tectonic strain (types 3 and 4). Our present work indicates that, in contrast to studies that consider magmatic fabrics to be simple structures formed by a single process, magmatic lineations and foliations in plutons may reflect accumulated finite strain and form as composite structures recording multiple strain increments in relatively static, actively deforming and rheologically complex crystal mushes at lower melt percentages. We demonstrate that multiple magmatic fabrics in a single batholith may record remarkably different processes and thus preserve a temporal record of strain in the batholith from strain during internal chamber processes to postem-placement regional tectonic strain. However, it may be commonly very problematic to infer the exact nature of flow or even fabric-forming process from the preserved rock record. Our study also exemplifies how examination of magmatic fabric patterns in plutons, complemented with geochronology, may provide crucial constraints on the interplay among successive magma emplacement, fabric preservation, temporal evolution of strain fields in a crystallizing magma chamber, and the development of crystal-mush zones.

Evidence of an early NS magmatic event in the Paleoproterozoic Teofilândia granitoids (São Francisco Craton, Brazil): a combined microstructural and magnetic fabric study

The Teofilândia area, south of the Serrinha block (São Francisco Craton, NE Brazil), marks a region where the boundary between the Serrinha block and the Itabuna-Salvador-Curaça belt rotates from NS to EW. The granitoids of Teofilândia are made of granodiorites and trondjhemites dated at 2.13 Ga. To the south and west, they are hosted by biotite-bearing “basement” orthogneiss. An oriented sampling of 157 sites (covering 220 km 2) was subjected to a systematic microstructural and magnetic fabric study, complemented by pressure determinations using the Al-in-hornblende barometer. The highly variable magnetic susceptibilities, from 50 to 21,000 μSI, reflect both the variable primary magnetite-content of these rocks, and the variable intensity of the late hydrothermalism that is responsible for gold mineralization hosted by the metabasalts in the north of the area. Three main types of microstructures have been distinguished along with some transitions (magmatic, high-temperature-gneissic, and fluid-present, low-temperature-high-stress mylonitic). Combined microstructural and magnetic fabric data reveal that a NS-trending, primary magmatic structure has been locally shielded from two subsequent EW-trending, HT-gneissic and low- T-mylonitic events. Our tectonic reconstruction proposes that the preserved NS magmatic lineations were formed in a submeridian magmatic arc parallel to the western border of Serrinha block and along which an oblique convergence took place. The subsequent EW-trending events are equated with (i) the already identified EW-compression that accreted the Serrinha block to the Craton, and (ii) the late event that we correlate with ore deposits in the metabasalts, dated between 2.08 and 2.03 Ga.