Metamorphic Conditions Research Articles

Turonian-coniacian definition of the Caribbean plate: tectonic and metamorphic record in the Median Belt, Dominican Republic

ABSTRACT Uplift and unroofing of Jurassic-Cretaceous, mantle and crust, arc- and plume-related rock units in the Median Belt of the Dominican Republic exposed basement rocks with a protracted record of tectono-thermal events delineating the evolution of the northern edge of the Caribbean plate. In this article we focus on crustal rock units in the north-eastern half of the Median Belt. First 40Ar/39Ar dating of metamorphic ferri-winchite (86.4 ± 2.5 Ma; crystallization date) and albite (82.3 ± 5.8 and 79.8 ± 1.6 Ma; cooling dates) in metabasites of boninitic photolith from the Aptian-Albian Maimón Formation in the Ozama shear zone points to a tectono-metamorphic event in the Upper Cretaceous. Beltwide, this event caused syn-metamorphic N- to NNE-directed, simple-shear dominated, mylonitic and phyllonitic deformation of the Maimón Formation at peak metamorphic conditions of 8.2 kbar and 380°C. Such conditions are consistent with subduction of a coherent portion of forearc (represented by the Maimón Formation) to depths of ~25-29 km. The tectono-metamorphic event dated here overlaps with the inception of Turonian-Coniacian SW-dipping subduction and metamorphic sole formation in a back-arc position recorded in the Moa-Baracoa ophiolite complex in neighboring Eastern Cuba. Contemporaneity between the subduction inception of forearc and back-arc portions of the Caribbean arc and the main pulse of plume activity recorded in the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP) suggests that plume activity promoted general plate instability leading to a regional-scale plate reorganization. This mantle-plume-induced plate margin reorganization was coeval with the inception of the NE-dipping subduction of the Farallón plate beneath Central America leading to the definition of the Caribbean Plate by double-verging subduction zones along its northern and southwestern margins.

Staurolite in Metabasites: <i>P-T-X</i> Conditions and the Ratios of Petrogenic Components as a Criterion of the Appearance of Staurolite

In addition to the widespread Fe-Mg staurolite, typical for medium-temperature high-alumina metapelites, there are a number of finds of magnesian staurolite in metamorphosed mafic rocks – metabasites. Based on thermodynamic modeling and analysis of the mineral formation patterns, the most significant factors of the staurolite formation in metabasites have been revealed. For the formation of staurolite in metabasites, in contrast to staurolite in low- and medium-pressure metapelites, medium- and high-pressure conditions of metamorphism are necessary. An increase in the proportion of carbon dioxide in the composition of the water-carbon dioxide fluid has practically no effect on staurolite-forming mineral reactions, but leads to their shift to lower temperatures and higher pressures. Al, Fe, Mg, Ca are critical petrogenic rock components for the formation of magnesian staurolite, the contents and ratios of which primarily determine the stability of staurolite in metabasites. To understand the regularities of mineral formation, it seems appropriate to divide metabasites into subgroups of predominantly magnesian, iron-magnesian, and ferruginous protoliths. Based on this division, three petrochemical modules are proposed in the form of the ratio of rock-forming components: MgO/CaO, CaO/FM, Al2O3/FM, based on which it is possible to predict the appearance of staurolite in the basic rock when the corresponding P-T conditions of metamorphism are reached.

Counter-clockwise <i>P-T</i> history deduced from kyanite-bearing pelitic gneiss in Tenmondai Rock, Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica

This paper first reports the counter-clockwise pressure-temperature (P–T) path for the Lützow–Holm Complex in East Antarctica. The metamorphic textures of kyanite-bearing pelitic gneisses from Tenmondai Rock including earlier spinel and ilmenite inclusions, geothermobarometric data, and pseudosection modeling indicate that the pressure increases prior to the peak metamorphic conditions at around 9 ± 0.5 kbar and 770–820 °C, followed by cooling to kyanite-stability field. We conclude that these gneisses, underwent granulite-facies metamorphism with a counter-clockwise P–T path, but this contrasts with the widely recognized clockwise P–T path of the Lützow–Holm Complex basement rocks in general. One plausible hypothesis we proposed could be that this counter-clockwise P–T path originated from magmatism with late compression and the rocks of the different structural levels are juxtaposed, while acknowledging that this hypothesis conflicts with previous studies and that further work is needed to clarify these issues.

Boron isotope compositions of coexisting kornerupine and tourmaline in high-grade metabasic rocks: an example from Akarui Point, Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica

Boron isotope compositions were measured in kornerupine and tourmaline from lenses consisting primarily of kornerupine, plagioclase and corundum. The lenses occur within hornblende-gneiss or along the boundary between this gneiss and an amphibolite lens at Akarui Point in the Lützow-Holm Complex, Prince Olav Coast, East Antarctica. The peak metamorphic conditions have been estimated to be ~ 800-900 oC and ~ 8-11 kbar. The δ11B compositions of kornerupine, which is interpreted to have been a stable phase at the metamorphic peak, are -11.6 ± 0.4 to -7.8 ± 0.5 ‰ and -9.8 ± 0.3 to -6.1 ± 0.2 ‰ in two different samples. Grains of prograde tourmaline included in kornerupine and corundum yielded δ11B = -2.1 ± 0.3 to +0.6 ± 0.3 ‰, and the secondary tourmaline replacing kornerupine yielded δ11B = -4.6 ± 0.2 to -3.7 ± 0.2 ‰. Therefore, the isotopic fractionation between kornerupine and tourmaline, △11BTur–Krn (= δ11BTur - δ11BKrn), of the average prograde tourmaline and average host kornerupine is +6.7 ± 1.5 ‰, which is interpreted to indicate isotopic equilibrium at the metamorphic peak on the basis of previous studies of isotope fractionation between tourmaline and minerals of the kornerupine-prismatine series. The δ11B values obtained on prograde tourmaline are between whole rock δ11B of MORB and mantle rocks and of some sedimentary rocks, and are similar to the δ11B of blackwall tourmalines that crystallized during the decompression stage following high-pressure metamorphism. We infer that the syn-metamorphic B-bearing fluid present in the kornerupine-plagioclase-corundum lens is likely sourced from a mixture of sedimentary, mafic and ultramafic lithologies in a subduction setting. The metabasic and meta-ultramafic lenses found in Akarui Point could be interpreted as the remnant of mixing zone of Ediacaran to Cambrian subduction channel.

Vývoj metamorfních fluid pozdního stádia regionální metamorfózy v keprnické klenbě silezika

Neo-Proterozoic rocks (Brunovistulian Unit) are dominant in the studied area of Silesicum, which have complex nappe, thick-skinned and thrust sheet geological structures. The Keprník Dome (Keprník nappe) represents the easternmost part of crystalline complexes of the Silesian domain and is dominated by various types of orthogneiss, gneiss, mica schist and phyllite, with a small occurrence of calc-silicate rocks. These rocks are affected by pre-Variscan and Variscan metamorphism, dominantly staurolite-sillimanite and garnet zone and late Variscan to Cenozoic brittle deformation. Hydrothermal Variscan quartz veins and surrounding rocks (biotite-bearing paragneiss and orthogneiss) were studied in the Keprník dome geological unit to confront the type of fluids enclosed in fluid inclusions and the intensity of metamorphism that affected the host rocks. The study of fluid inclusions in quartz veins was supplemented by Raman spectrometry and microscopic study of rocks, EMPA and mineral thermometry. Temperatures 616 to 643 °C obtained by the Ti-in-biotite method for biotite paragneisses are compatible with the peak metamorphic conditions estimated by previous authors. Thermometer for orthogneiss provided temperatures between 688 to 699 °C using the Ti-in-biotite thermometer. The lower temperatures (483 to 529 °C) obtained using magnetite-ilmenite thermometer document later retrogression. Three types of fluids were found in the quartz of the Variscan hydrothermal veins based on the phases present, respectively components: I. L+V, H2O–NaCl ± K+ ± Mg2+ ± Ca2+, II. L+V+S±S2, H2O–NaCl–CaCl2 ± K+ ± Mg2+, III. L1+L2+V, H2O–NaCl–CO2 ± CH4 ± K+ ± Mg2+ ± Ca2+ (L – liquid, V – vapour, S – solid). Type II inclusions contain aqueous fluids with high salinities, which would correspond to the post-Variscan systems found (Slobodník et al. 2010a, 2020) in the Silesicum area. On the other hand, they have high Th temperatures, reaching values of over 300 °C. Only results from type I could be used to calculate isochores and derive P-T conditions for the formation of Variscan veins, because in type III often occur fluid inclusion decrepitation and the impossibility of measuring total homogenization. Types I and III according to the structural position of fluid inclusion (uncertain or primary and pseudosecondary inclusions), microthermometric data and composition, they are considered to be metamorphic types of fluids generated by Variscan metamorphism. The evaluation of isochores of the first type of fluids using a lithostatic thermobaric gradient (50 °C/270 bar/km) indicates the entrapment of fluids, or formation of inclusions under conditions of 190–300 °C and 90–160 MPa. This type of fluid was very likely captured at a later stage of metamorphism, after the crystallization of magnetite and ilmenite, and represents a retrograde stage of metamorphism.

A re-evaluation of the peak P-T conditions of eclogite-facies metamorphism of the Paleozoic Acatlán Complex (Mexico) reveals deeper subduction.

Eclogites in the Acatlán Complex, southern Mexico, record the subduction history of the complex. Previous studies indicate that the proto-Acatlán Complex reached < 50km depth during subduction. Yet, a recent study reported higher pressures for a single eclogite, questioning the maximum depth reached by the complex during subduction. In this work, I re-calculate eclogite pressure and temperature (P-T) conditions using thermobarometric methods applicable to eclogite-facies mafic rocks to a set of eclogites cropping out throughout the high-pressure belt of the Acatlán Complex-the Piaxtla Suite. I find that Acatlán eclogites record substantially-and systematically-greater pressures than previously reported. Calculations show that eclogites from the central part of the Piaxtla Suite (in the Piaxtla area) record consistent pressures of ~ 2.0GPa and temperatures ranging between 460 and 675°C. Eclogites from the northern part of the Piaxtla Suite (Mimilulco and Santa Cruz Organal areas) lack phengite, thus pressures were not calculated; temperatures calculated for these rocks at a fixed pressure (2.0GPa) yield contrasting temperatures (511°C and 870°C, respectively). Mimilulco eclogite likely records similar pressures (~ 2.0GPa) to other Piaxtla eclogites, whereas the pressures of Santa Cruz Organal eclogites might have been different, and likely experiencing a different thermal history compared to the rest of the eclogites from the Piaxtla Suite. Overall, these results indicate that the Acatlán Complex subducted to greater depths than previously thought implying a faster burial-exhumation cycle of the proto-Acatlán Complex.

Deformation history and processes during accretion of seamounts in subduction zones: The example of the Durkan Complex (Makran, SE Iran)

The Durkan Complex is a tectonic element of the Makran Accretionary Prism (SE Iran) that includes fragments of Late Cretaceous seamounts. In this paper, the results of map- to micro-scale structural studies of the western Durkan Complex are presented with the aim to describe its structural and tectono-metamorphic evolution. The Durkan Complex consists of several tectonic units bordered by mainly NNW-striking thrusts. Three main deformation phases (D1, D2, and D3) are distinguished and likely occurred from the Late Cretaceous to the Miocene–Pliocene. D1 is characterized by sub-isoclinal to close and W-verging folds associated with an axial plane foliation and shear zone along the fold limbs. This phase records the accretion of fragments of the seamount within the Makran at blueschist facies metamorphic conditions (160–300 °C and 0.6 – 1.2 GPa). D2 is characterized by open to close folds with sub-horizontal axial plane that likely developed during the exhumation of previously accreted seamount fragments. An upper Paleocene – Eocene siliciclastic succession unconformably sealed the D1 and D2 structures and is, in turn, deformed by W-verging thrust faults typical of D3. The latter likely testifies for a Miocene – Pliocene tectonic reworking of the accreted seamount fragments with the activation of out of sequence thrusts. Our results shed light on the mechanism of accretion of seamount materials in the accretionary prisms, suggesting that seamount slope successions favour the localization and propagation of the basal décollement. This study further confirms that the physiography of the subducting plates plays a significant role in the tectonic evolution of the subduction complexes.

Structural Analysis and Paleostress Evolution in the Imiter Silver Mining Region, Eastern Anti Atlas, Morocco: Implications for Mineral Exploration

Development and concentration of many ore deposits at the regional and district scales closely depend on structural geology, especially in polydeformed basements. The superposition of many deformation periods highlights the complexity of the structural context and expected potential location of mineralization zones. The formation and concentration of hydrothermal ore deposits is highly dependent on structural controls. On the NE flank of the Saghro massif (Eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco), the Imiter silver mining region has been affected by multiple tectonic events since the Precambrian and throughout the Phanerozoic. In this investigation, a structural analysis of the different geological units revealed multi-stage deformation, beginning with the late Pan-African-Cadomian event, and ending with the last Cenozoic exhumation of the area. At least eight tectonic regimes have been identified. The Imiter basement, formed by the Cryogenian-early Ediacaran “flysch-like” Saghro Group, has been folded in low-grade metamorphic conditions, followed by an ENE-WSW brittle compressive event. These deformations occurred before to the early Ediacaran during the compressional and/or transpressional late Pan-African-Cadomian events (600–580 Ma). The unconformably overlaying deposition of the late Ediacaran Ouarzazate Group takes place in a WNW-ESE extensional setting and then involved in a NNW-SSE compressional event that occurred concurrently with a regional exhumation and erosion stages. A similar extensional event appears to have controlled the middle Cambrian sedimentation, the oldest Paleozoic deposits in this area. During the late Carboniferous, Variscan shortening was recorded by NW-SE transpressional deformation responsible for combined dextral strike-slip and southward thrusts. The Imiter silver mining region is part of the Moroccan Sub-Meseta Zone along with Paleozoic inliers of the Skoura and Tamlelt on the southern side of the High Atlas. The Mesozoic evolution began with the Late Triassic NNW-SSW transtensional tectonic regime with a northeast trending CAMP (Central Atlantic Magmatic Province) dyke during the Pangea breakup. Ultimately, the Imiter silver mining region experienced NNW-SSE Atlasic shortening during the uplift of the adjacent High Atlas. Over time, the direction of implemented tectonic stress and its effect on various geological units can elucidate the relationship between tectonism and hydrothermal silver mineralization in the Imiter region. In conclusion, structural analysis and investigation of paleostress development can be one of the most important factors for successful exploration plan and resource recovery in the Imiter region. An analysis of geological structures in determining feasible mineralization zones is crucial for future safe mining operation in the study area and can be extrapolated to other ore mining regions.

Late Permian high-pressure metamorphism in the Devesil Unit, East Rhodopes (SE Bulgaria) – Single or multiple metamorphic events

Metaeclogites from the Devesil Unit, East Rhodopes are studied. Well preserved eclogite paragenesis is presented by omphacite+garnet+rutile and is obliterated by still high temperature retrograde assemblage of newly formed garnet, diopside, amphibole, plagioclase, titanite, and quartz. The P-T conditions of the high pressure metamorphism are in the range 620–665 °C and 1.8–2.0 GPa, whereas the retrograde stage occurs at temperature 600–650 °C and pressure 0.6–0,8 GPa. Cathodoluminescence images and LA-ICP-MS dating of zircon grains point to multiple metamorphic origin of the mineral the earliest with Late Permian–Early Triassic age, followed by Early Jurassic and Early Cretaceous metamorphic events.

Geochemistry, Lu–Hf garnet ages, and P–T conditions of blueschists from the Meliatic and Fatric nappes, Western Carpathians: Indicators of Neotethyan subduction

Basaltic rocks from ophiolitic mélanges provide information on geodynamic setting, origin, and later tectonometamorphic conditions. This paper resolves the P–T conditions and timing of high-pressure metamorphism in an accretionary wedge that formed during the Late Jurassic closure of the Neotethyan Meliata Basin. Blueschist-facies metabasites of the Meliatic Bôrka Nappe and the Albian conglomerate pebbles of the Fatric Klape Nappe contain rare assemblages of garnet in association with glaucophane, phengite, rutile, and epidote (±albite). Here, we compare a Lu–Hf garnet age from the Meliatic Bôrka Nappe in the southern margin of the Inner Western Carpathians (IWC) with a garnet age from inferred Meliatic blueschists of the Klape Nappe overlying the IWC northern margin. The Hačava type locality of the Bôrka Nappe hosts calc-alkaline type metabasite (∼VAB-C; εNd(245) = +0.9) embedded within Middle to Upper Triassic marbles of the Neotethyan Meliata Basin northern continental margin. The investigated Klape Nappe island arc tholeiite (∼VAB-T; εNd(240) = +5.9) blueschist pebble, and associated deepwater metasedimentary rock pebbles were found in a conglomerate layer of unmetamorphosed Albian flysch. The garnet ages of 153.95±0.69 Ma and 152.1±1.5 Ma correspond to closure of the Meliata Basin during southward intraoceanic and continental margin subduction. This was followed by the exhumation of HP blocks in serpentinite mélange and the formation of an accretionary wedge with included anchimetamorphosed Jurassic flysch. The P–T conditions of the blueschists were constrained by Perple_X modelling to be 520°C and 1.55 GPa for the Bôrka Nappe, and 490–510°C and 1.68–1.72 GPa for a pebble from the Klape Nappe conglomerate. The similarity of garnet dates and metamorphic conditions between the two samples suggest that the blueschists formed during the Late Jurassic Meliatic subduction. The north-vergent Meliatic nappes are the inferred source of the Albian flysch conglomerates deposited in the foreland Fatric Basin. This material was subsequently transported by the Fatric Klape Nappe to the IWC orogenic front during the Turonian, following the closure of the Fatric Basin.

Geothermometric constraints on the thermal architecture, metamorphism, and exhumation of the Northern Range, Trinidad

AbstractThe Northern Range of Trinidad is composed of Mesozoic passive margin sedimentary rocks that underwent ductile deformation and subgreenschist‐ to greenschist‐facies metamorphism in the early Miocene. Previous studies suggested a two‐stage formation of the Northern Range between the Caribbean and South American plates: an initial collision drove mountain building in the Miocene and subsequent strike‐slip plate motion preferentially exhumed the western segment, producing a westward increase in the metamorphic thermal gradient. However, these studies were not able to resolve whether this gradient was discrete or continuous so the tectonic model awaits testing. In this study we use Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material (RSCM), an empirical geothermometer, to constrain peak temperatures across the Northern Range with a greater resolution than was available in previous studies. The RSCM temperatures show an abrupt increase from 337°C ± 10°C in the east to 442°C ± 16°C west of Chupara Point, where a range‐cutting fault (Chupara Fault) had been inferred in previous geologic mapping campaigns. Thus, the discrete thermal discontinuity of ~100°C very likely represents the Chupara Fault. Our RSCM‐derived peak metamorphic temperatures are 50°C to 100°C higher than those from previous estimates, requiring revision of tectonic models to account for deeper burial and greater exhumation. The peak metamorphic conditions determined here, and the deduced timing of faulting from published thermochronological data, are consistent with the two‐stage tectonic model proposed in previous studies.

Deciphering the tectonometamorphic history of subducted metapelites using quartz‐in‐garnet and Ti‐in‐quartz (QuiG–TiQ) geothermobarometry—A key for understanding burial in the Scandinavian Caledonides

AbstractThe Seve Nappe Complex is a subduction‐related high‐grade metamorphic unit that was emplaced onto the margin of Baltica during Caledonian orogenesis. In this paper, the tectonometamorphic evolution of the Lower Seve Nappe in the Scandinavian Caledonides was characterized with the help of the continuous Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides (COSC‐1) drill core, using a combination of various P–T estimation techniques based on garnet–quartz mineral pairs (quartz‐in‐garnet and Ti‐in‐quartz [QuiG–TiQ]), conventional thermobarometry and thermodynamic modelling of phase equilibria. This multi‐method approach yields complementary results and delivers critical data to constrain a comprehensive pressure–temperature–deformation–time (P–T–D–t) evolutionary path for the metasedimentary rocks of the Lower Seve Nappe. In the garnetiferous metasedimentary rocks, quartz inclusions in garnet preserve the P–T conditions of three distinct garnet growth stages corresponding to three metamorphic stages Ms1 to Ms3, including prograde and peak metamorphic conditions. Ms1 and Ms2 stages were constrained via quartz inclusions in garnet core and mantle. They are relatively close in the P–T space and could be considered as one single continuous prograde event occurring at epidote–amphibolite facies conditions of 460–520°C and 0.6–0.85 GPa. The growth of the garnet outermost rim defines the Ms3 stage at amphibolite facies conditions of 590–610°C and 1.13–1.18 GPa and corresponds to the peak metamorphic conditions. The microstructural analysis shows that the finite ductile strain pattern of the Lower Seve Nappe results from the superposition of four deformation phases. The initial phase D1 is defined by the S1 foliation that is still preserved as a curved inclusion trail in the garnet core. The D2 phase initiated contemporaneously with garnet core growth and the development of muscovite–biotite–plagioclase S2 foliation. Garnet outermost rim growth marks the end of the prograde path and peak metamorphic conditions. This stage is overprinted by the D3 phase and Ms4 stage associated with the development of the main regional metamorphic and mylonitic fabric S3 associated with C′‐type shear bands along the retrograde path. Ms4 stage, which was constrained using traditional thermobarometric techniques, corresponds to the chemical re‐equilibration of the metasedimentary minerals and occurred under amphibolite facies conditions at ~570–610°C and 0.78–1.00 GPa. The D3 phase is then generally weakly to strongly overprinted by later lower grade deformation D4 phase at greenschist facies conditions (Ms5). 40Ar/39Ar ages of syn‐kinematic white mica and biotite indicate that the final stage of the thrusting of the Lower Seve Nappe and thus the timing of its emplacement onto the Offerdal Nappe occurred at c. 423 Ma. Collectively, these results are consistent with previous estimates of the timing and conditions of metamorphism derived from the Lower Seve Nappe especially in west‐central Jämtland. However, application of QuiG–TiQ thermobarometry demonstrated that quartz inclusions in garnet can preserve different aspects of garnet growth, which are not accessible by traditional methods especially in complex terranes, and therefore provided new significant insights into the Lower Seve prograde evolution.

Age, petrogenesis, and metamorphic modelling of high‐pressure garnet‐amphibolite from the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence of Bhagirathi Valley, Western Garhwal Himalaya

The Cenozoic Himalayan Orogeny is a manifestation of subduction and subsequent collision of the Indian lithosphere with the Asian Plate in the Eocene, resulting in the formation of intra‐terrane shear zones and regional metamorphic belt along the strike of the entire orogen. This metamorphic belt contains high‐pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks (garnet‐amphibolite, late‐stage granulite, and host gneisses) at various structural levels in the Himalayas. In the present study, we carried out geochemical, chronological, and metamorphic modelling of an exotic tschermakite‐bearing garnet‐amphibolite unit exposed within the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence of Western Garhwal Himalaya of India. Bulk‐rock geochemistry suggests the protolith's tholeiitic fractionation trend and trachy‐andesitic nature. U–Pb geochronology of zircon reveals an age spectrum with pronounced clusters at ~1,550 Ma, ~1,350 Ma, 1,100–1,150 Ma, 900–930 Ma, and ~550 Ma. There is a possibility that the protolith of the HP garnet amphibolite is magmatic. However, near‐concordant ages at certain intervals might suggest crustal components from multiple sources. Integrated geothermobarometry and P–T pseudosection modelling indicate high‐P/medium‐T conditions (~1.65 GPa and 650°C) of peak metamorphism. Based on these results, we infer that this garnet‐amphibolite represents pre‐Himalayan Indian lower crust and during India–Asia collision. The leading edge of the Indian continental lithosphere subducted where mafic and some of the felsic lithologies underwent HP garnet‐amphibolite facies metamorphism, and after a possible slab break‐off, these rocks exhumed during the Himalayan orogeny.

Implications of garnet nucleation overstepping for the P–T evolution of the Lesser Himalayan Sequence of central Nepal

AbstractRecent studies have demonstrated that kinetic factors can significantly influence garnet nucleation, delaying its appearance with respect to the equilibrium predictions. Overstepping of garnet nucleation occurs in both contact and regional metamorphic settings, with extremely variable degrees: The factors controlling such highly variable degrees of overstepping are still unclear. This study focuses on garnet nucleation and growth in aluminous metapelites from the Barrovian inverted metamorphic pile of the upper portion of the Lesser Himalayan Sequence (Upper‐LHS; central Nepal), with the aim of (i) investigating if (and how) the bulk‐rock composition can influence overstepping of garnet nucleation and (ii) which are the implications of garnet nucleation overstepping for the P–T evolution of a Barrovian metamorphic sequence. Detailed petrographic, microstructural and compositional data are presented for six phyllitic schists, containing porphyroblasts of garnet, staurolite and/or kyanite. Their P–T evolution is constrained through thermodynamic forward modelling (i.e., isochemical phase diagrams combined with isopleth thermobarometry), assuming that equilibrium was attained at every stage of their metamorphic evolution. Comparison between the P–T conditions inferred for the growth of garnet core, the assemblages predicted to be stable at these P–T conditions and the modelled garnet‐in reaction boundary suggests that the studied samples have experienced different degrees of apparent thermal (ΔT) and/or baric (ΔP) overstepping of garnet nucleation. We suggest that the bulk‐rock MnO and CaO amounts might have influenced the apparent ΔT and ΔP overstepping of the garnet‐in reaction: more specifically, the higher the bulk‐rock MnO content, the more pronounced the apparent ΔT overstepping, whereas the lower the bulk‐rock CaO content, the greater the ΔP overstepping. However, rather than an effective delay of garnet appearance with respect to equilibrium predictions, the apparent ΔT overstepping of garnet nucleation could reflect the attainment of the critical 0.5% threshold of garnet abundance, below which garnet is not readily detected in thin section. Kinetic factors seem much less critical in controlling the growth of the garnet rim at peak P–T conditions, confirming that peak metamorphic conditions constrained through equilibrium approaches based on the composition of garnet rim and of the matrix assemblage can be considered as reliable. Overall, the P–T paths of the studied samples are characterized by prograde heating coupled with tectonic overload (peak‐P conditions of 9.5–10.5 kbar, 580–590°C), followed by heating during exhumation (peak‐T conditions of 8.2–8.9 kbar, 610–630°C), supporting those thermo‐mechanical models that predict a period of slowdown (or quiescence) of the Main Central Thrust activity.

Dating fluid infiltration and deformation in the subducted ultramafic oceanic lithosphere by perovskite geochronology

Carbonated ultramafic rocks (i.e., ophicarbonates) form by peridotite serpentinization and carbonation at the seafloor. Their metamorphic evolution is linked to that of serpentinites, hence dating deformation and metamorphism in ophicarbonates will add constraints to the P-T-t history of the subducted ultramafic lithosphere. A potential, yet underexplored, suitable mineral for geochronology in ophicarbonates is perovskite (CaTiO3). We present trace element and geochronological data (LA-ICPMS and ID-TIMS) from perovskite in ophicarbonate rocks and calcite veins from two metamorphic terranes, Lanzo Massif and Val Malenco (Alps). Metamorphic perovskite in ophicarbonates is characterized by enrichment in heavy REE, and strong negative anomalies in Zr and Hf, as well as Sr and Pb, which are attributed to coexistence of a Zr-rich phase and mobilization of these elements by fluids, respectively. Other trace elements broadly reflect the composition of the protolith and allow the distinction of perovskite from mafic and ultramafic rocks.In the Lanzo Massif, the 49.6 ± 1.0 Ma age of perovskite in shear bands constrains H2-mediated carbonate reduction and abiotic methane and graphite formation at near peak metamorphic conditions during deformation. Perovskite from Val Malenco is found in calcite veins cutting across serpentinite shear foliation and its age of 48.9 ± 0.5 Ma coincides with a major thrusting and extension event that is distinct in age from the initial nappe stacking. The Val Malenco perovskite age can be reproduced by LA-ICPMS and ID-TIMS and is proposed as a suitable secondary reference material for metamorphic, low U perovskite. These results show that metamorphic perovskite geochronology yields geologically meaningful UPb ages and is a viable tool to date deformation and fluid flow in the subducted oceanic lithosphere.

Rhyacian evolution of high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Porto Nacional Granulite Complex, based on geocronological data U-Pb-Hf in zircon and U- Pb in monazite

The Porto Nacional Complex in the northern portion of the Goiás Massif, in north-central Brazil, represents a Paleoproterozoic/Archean microcontinent reworked in the Neoproterozoic during the Brasiliano Cycle. This NE-SW-trending belt of high-grade metamorphic rocks consists, predominantly, of orthogranulites in addition to aluminous paragneisses that reached high-grade metamorphic conditions in the granulite facies (∼860 °C and 9 kbar). The zircon U–Pb geochronological results obtained on orthogranulite (enderbite) crystal cores yielded an age of 2.16 Ga, however, the crystal borders present lower values (2.09 Ga). These results represent, respectively, the age of igneous crystals of tonalitic protoliths, and high-grade metamorphism. The zircon crystals of another enderbite sample yielded lower values of about 2.09 Ga, reinforcing the interpretation of metamorphic zircons. The U–Pb geochronological results between 2.09 Ga and 2.10 Ga obtained on monazite from the aluminous paragneisses, coincide with the values obtained for enderbite metamorphic zircon crystals, allowing us to define the high-grade metamorphism age and the formation of igneous protoliths in the Rhyacian. This small age difference demonstrates the metamorphism role contemporary to the magmatism of the tonalitic protoliths of the Porto Nacional Complex, related to the Late-Transamazonian orogeny. The Hf-TDMC model ages suggest two crust formation episodes that gave rise to the following rocks: one from the Siderian (2.40–2.48 Ga) and another from the Neo-Mesoarchean (2.52–3.01 Ga). The positive petrogenetic parameters ƐHf(t) (+3.9 to +5.2) evidence a mantle source derivation for the Siderian material, while the negative and positive petrogenetic parameters ƐHf(t) (−4.6 to +3.3) indicate a mixture between crustal and juvenile material for the Neo-Mesoarchean material. These results allow us to disregard the proposed correlation between this high-grade metamorphic terrain with the Porangatu-Talismã Granulitic Belt, which occurs to the south of this region, whose thermo-tectonic evolution is related to the late Neoproterozoic. On the other hand, there are records of several other Rhyacian similar granulitic terrains, such as the granulites of the Bacajá and Tartarugal Grande in the Amazonian Craton, the Itabuna-Salvador-Curaçá Granulitic Belt in the São Francisco Craton, as well as in the Bakhuis Belt, in Suriname, and Limpopo Belt in the West African Craton.

Role of aqueous fluids during low pressure partial melting of pelites in the Adamello pluton contact aureole (Italy)

The contact aureole of the Adamello pluton (Italy) exhibits a rare combination of pelitic rocks anatexis around a shallow metaluminous pluton and formation of interconnected leucosomes, aplites and small lithium and cesium-enriched pegmatitic bodies. Contact metamorphic mineral assemblages are described in the non-graphitic pelites and psammites hosting the pluton in the central sector of the Adamello Massif. Three metamorphic zones are identified on the field: I – Muscovite-Biotite, II – Andalusite-Sillimanite-K feldspar, III – Melt zone. In the melt zone, the presence or absence of high temperature Crd defines two types of migmatites, a Crd-bearing metatexite characterized by orbicular textures and a Crd-absent stromatic metatexite. Peak P-T metamorphic conditions in the Adamello pluton thermal aureole were calculated at 690–700 °C and 3 kbar on the basis of phase equilibria and geothermobarometry. Phase equilibria modelling reveals that Crd-bearing migmatites, which produced around 20 vol% melt fraction, were generated through internal fluids-buffered partial melting conditions while Crd-absent stromatic metatexites, which produced ca. 35 vol% melt fraction, originated through local fluid present partial melting. Different types of leucosomes were produced by these two partial melting conditions. In-situ leucosomes linked to Crd-bearing migmatites are compositionally similar to primary liquid predicted by phase equilibria modelling (calculated at peak P-T conditions). Leucosomes within the Crd-absent stromatic metatexites show residual mineral compositions extremely enriched in Kfs and Bt and are connected to extraction structures. Their whole rock composition does not represent a primary melt while being compatible with Kfs cumulate textures. The extracted melt from the stromatic metatexites was calculated to be compatible with the spatially related Li-rich pegmatites mean composition, which are hosted by the same geological formation. The studied area shows the small-scale variability in intraformational fluids participation during metamorphic reactions while demonstrating the hybrid nature of partial melting in anatectic terranes. • Differential fluids influx created different migmatites from one protolith. • Extracted anatectic melt closely fits the self-hosted LCT pegmatites composition. • Fluid circulation in metamorphism causes hybrid fluid absent - present anatexis.

Punctuated geochronology within a sustained high-temperature thermal regime in the southeastern Gawler Craton

The Yorke Peninsula region in the southeastern Gawler Craton forms the southern portion of the Olympic Cu-Au Province that hosts the giant Olympic Dam, Carrapateena and Prominent Hill deposits. The Yorke Peninsula hosts substantial Cu-Au mineralisation, with deposits at Hillside and in the Moonta–Wallaroo district that are broadly considered to have formed during the same event as Olympic Dam, the c. 1595–1575 Ma Hiltaba thermal event. Despite the region's economic significance, there is very little information on the nature and history of metamorphism in the Yorke Peninsula region, leaving a considerable gap in the knowledge of the tectonic controls on mineralisation in this area. New U–Pb LA-ICP-MS geochronology on metamorphic titanite, monazite and apatite from Wallaroo Group metasediments indicate the Yorke Peninsula region has a protracted thermal history, with three groupings of metamorphic ages at c. 1585 Ma, 1560–1550 Ma and 1530–1500 Ma, and apatite cooling ages that cluster around c. 1450 Ma. Phase equilibria modelling of andalusite-sillimanite bearing schists and cordierite-sillimanite bearing migmatitic gneisses indicate that metamorphism occurred between 1560 and 1500 Ma occurred at P–T conditions between 3.6 and 4.5 kbar and 660–750 °C. These high thermal gradient conditions (45–50 °C km−1) are recorded at least 20 million years after Hiltaba Suite magmatism; however, they occur within the thermo-chemically anomalous crust of the South Australian Heat Flow Anomaly, which predominantly consists of rock packages with heat production rates 60–100% greater than the global median for rocks of their age. One-dimensional thermal models constrained by the crustal architecture and thermal regime of the SE Gawler Craton suggest the metamorphic conditions recorded between 1560 and 1500 Ma can be achieved by burial of this heat producing element -enriched crust, without the influence of an advective heat source. Within this thermally-anomalous crustal regime in which high thermal gradients can be sustained, small changes in burial depth are considered sufficient to stimulate metal remobilisation in the metal-rich crust of the Yorke Peninsula region. This potential for burial-triggered, thermally-induced fluid liberation and subsequent metal remobilisation may be applicable to the entire eastern Gawler Craton, including the Olympic Cu-Au Province.

P-T-fluid evolution of migmatites from the Leo Pargil gneissic dome, India: Insights into partial melting and exhumation processes in North Himalayan Domes

• Water-fluxed melting leads to the development of amphibole + biotite migmatite . • Muscovite dehydration melting leads to formation of sillimanite-bearing migmatite. • Peak P–T conditions of 770–790 °C, 9.3–10.5 kbar for the amphibole + biotite migmatite. • Necking, hook, and stretching inclusions developed during isothermal decompression. • Selective leakage of the H 2 O phase from the H 2 O-CO 2 inclusions. Migmatites exposed within the North Himalayan Domes result from the reworking and partial melting of different structural levels of the Indian continental crust during a major Himalayan tectonic event. Although their petrologic investigation is potentially a powerful method to unravel the anatectic and tectono-thermal processes related to the Himalayan orogeny, petrological studies of the migmatites from North Himalayan Domes are virtually lacking. This paper presents the results of a petrological and fluid inclusion study in order to understand the partial melting processes, the P–T conditions of migmatitization, and the fluid evolution of the migmatites from one of the North Himalayan Domes, the Leo Pargil Dome, exposed in central Himalaya. Phase equilibria calculated in the MnO–Na 2 O–CaO–K 2 O–FeO–MgO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –TiO 2 –H 2 O (MnNCKFMASTH) system suggest peak P–T conditions of 770–790 °C, 9.3–10.5 kbar for the amphibole + biotite migmatite and of 780–820 °C, 9.3–9.8 kbar for the sillimanite-bearing migmatite, followed by an early nearly isothermal decompression. The formation of these migmatites was related to water-fluxed melting and muscovite dehydration melting. At peak metamorphic conditions, aqueous-carbonic (H 2 O-CO 2 ) fluids were present in the system. Subsequently, the H 2 O phase was preferentially leached out from the biphase aqueous-carbonic inclusions to form primary CO 2 inclusions and directly went into the anatectic melt during migmatization. The exhumation of LPD followed an early nearly isothermal decompression path and a later isochoric cooling driven by the Kaurik-Chango normal fault.

Link between melt-impregnation and metamorphism of Atlantis Massif peridotite (IODP Expedition 357)

IODP Expedition 357 drilled 17 shallow sites scattered over ~ 10 km in the west to east spreading direction across the Atlantis Massif oceanic core complex (OCC, MAR, 30 ºN). Mantle exposed in the footwall of the Atlantic Massif OCC is nearly wholly serpentinized (80–100%) harzburgite and subordinate dunite. A recent whole-rock chemistry study by Whattam et al. (Chemical Geology 594. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2021.120681, 2022) subdivides Atlantis Massif peridotites into: Type I fluid–rock dominated serpentinite, which exhibits almost nil evidence of melt-impregnation or silica metasomatism; Type II melt–rock dominated, mafic melt-impregnated serpentinite; and Type III melt–rock dominated Si-metasomatized serpentinite. In this study, on the basis of EPMA, three kinds of Cr–spinel are distinguished in Expedition 357 serpentinite: (I) primary, unmetamorphosed mantle array, (II) low-Ti metamorphosed, and (III) high-Ti melt reacted. All Cr–spinel of western site Type I serpentinite is unmetamorphosed (n = 34) and comprises 68% of all unmetamorphosed Cr–spinel. Metamorphosed Cr–spinel (n = 100) are the most abundant and occur in the central and eastern site Type II and Type III serpentinite, whereas melt-reacted Cr–spinel and chromite are restricted to the central sites and occur predominantly in serpentinized dunite. Estimates of the degree of melt extraction of Type I serpentinite using F = 10ln(spinel Cr#) + 24 are ~ 9–17%. Fugacity calculations of primary, unmetamorphosed Cr–spinel yield Δlog(fO2)FMQ of − 1.7 to + 1.0 and calculations using olivine–spinel Mg–Fe exchange thermometry yield a mean closure temperature of 808 ± 39 °C. Mafic melt-impregnation resulted in Cr–spinel with anomalously high TiO2 of 0.27–0.68 wt.% and production of Ti-rich chromite (up to 1.23 wt.% TiO2). Greenschist facies metamorphism (< 500 °C) resulted in Mg–Fe2+ exchange between Cr–spinel and forsterite and anomalously low Cr–spinel Mg#; higher degrees of amphibolite facies metamorphism (~ 500–700 °C) also resulted in anomalously high Cr# due to Al–Cr exchange. As has been previously established, significant Al loss from chromite cores above 550 °C is the result of equilibration with fluids in equilibrium with chlorite, which may be valid for our samples. On the basis of Cr–spinel vs. whole-rock compositions, a clear relationship exists between melt-impregnation and metamorphism of central and eastern serpentinite, which we postulate to be the result of heat associated with magma injection and subsequent localized contact metamorphism. To our knowledge, such a relation between mafic melt-impregnation of peridotite and metamorphism (of peridotite) has not previously been established in general and specifically for the Atlantis Massif peridotite. Closure temperatures of 440–731 °C of metamorphosed Cr–spinel approximate greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions.