Occurrence Of Eclogite Research Articles

モンゴル西部・レイク帯チャンドマン地域のエクロジャイト－モンゴルではじめて記載されたエクロジャイト－

モンゴル西部・レイク帯チャンドマン地域のエクロジャイト－モンゴルではじめて記載されたエクロジャイト－

Geochemistry and Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr isotopic composition of eclogite in the Lhasa terrane, Tibet, and its geological significance

A new occurrence of eclogite has been discovered in the Lhasa terrane, northeast of Lhasa, Tibet along the northern margin of the Gangdese magmatic arc. The eclogite occurs as a 500–1000 m-wide belt that extends over 60 km in an E–W direction, and consists of coarse-grained, massive, rutile eclogite, quartz eclogite and phengite eclogite. Whole-rock geochemistry and relatively high ε Nd( t) for the eclogites suggest that their protoliths were low-K oceanic tholeiites, similar to typical N-MORB, derived from a depleted mantle source. However, all analyzed samples have negative Nb anomalies in MORB-normalized trace element patterns suggesting a suprasubduction zone influence. Zircon SHRIMP U–Pb ages of the eclogite ranging from 242 ± 15 Ma to 291 ± 13 Ma are interpreted as the age of peak metamorphism. a Sm–Nd isochron age of 306 ± 50 Ma (2 σ) likely reflects the protolith age. These data suggest that the Paleo-Tethyan ocean existed along the northern margin of the Gangdese island arc until the early Permian.

The Shanderman eclogites: a Late Carboniferous high-pressure event in the NW Talesh Mountains (NW Iran)

Abstract The Shanderman Metamorphic Complex, exposed along the Caspian foothills of the Talesh Mountain, western Alborz, Iran, has always been interpreted as an ophiolitic fragment of the Palaeotethys Ocean. According to our new data, this unit consists of metamorphic rocks mainly represented by garnet–staurolite micaschists with large bodies of metabasites containing well-preserved eclogitic-phase assemblages. The Shanderman Complex (SC) was later intruded at middle crustal levels by intermediate–basic intrusive bodies. New Ar/Ar ages of paragonitic white micas in equilibrium with the high-pressure assemblages have given a Late Carboniferous age (315±9 Ma). Our new data suggest that the SC was equilibrated in high-pressure conditions during an orogenic event that predates the Eo-Cimmerian orogeny by more than 100 Ma and that may be tentatively ascribed to the Variscan orogeny sensu latu . We suggest that the Shanderman Complex represents a fragment of the Upper Palaeozoic European continental crust. The occurrence of eclogites in these regions can be explained by two different hypotheses: (1) the SC high-pressure rocks can be related to the accretion of Gondwana-related Transcauscasian–Moesian microplate to the southern margin of Eurasia; or (2) the SC eclogites can represent a fragment of the Late Palaeozoic ‘Variscan belt’ sensu latu of central Europe, which has been translated eastwards during Permian along a dextral megashear zone taking from a Pangea-B to a Pangea-A plate configuration. This metamorphic unit was stacked southwards on the northern edge of the Iran Plate during the Eo-Cimmerian events occurring at the end of the Triassic. The eclogite-bearing basement of the SC was finally exhumed at the end of the Eo-Cimmerian orogeny, as suggested by the composition of the basal layers of the Shemshak Group dated here Middle Jurassic, that cover the crystalline rocks of the SC along a regional non-conformity. The SC was probably displaced further southwards during the Mesozoic opening of the South Caspian Basin and the Tertiary thrust stacking and dextral shearing accompanying the formation of the Alborz intracontinental belt.

Variscan intra-orogenic extensional tectonics in the Ossa-Morena Zone (Évora-Aracena-Lora del Rı́o metamorphic belt, SW Iberian Massif): SHRIMP zircon U-Th-Pb geochronology

Abstract Following a Middle–Late Devonian ( c . 390–360 Ma) phase of crustal shortening and mountain building, continental extension and onset of high-medium-grade metamorphic terrains occurred in the SW Iberian Massif during the Visean ( c . 345–326 Ma). The Évora–Aracena–Lora del Rı́o metamorphic belt extends along the Ossa–Morena Zone southern margin from south Portugal through the south of Spain, a distance of 250 km. This major structural domain is characterized by local development of high-temperature–low-pressure metamorphism ( c . 345–335 Ma) that reached high amphibolite to granulite facies. These high-medium-grade metamorphic terrains consist of strongly sheared Ediacaran and Cambrian–early Ordovician ( c . 600–480 Ma) protoliths. The dominant structure is a widespread steeply-dipping foliation with a gently-plunging stretching lineation generally oriented parallel to the fold axes. Despite of the wrench nature of this collisional orogen, kinematic indicators of left-lateral shearing are locally compatible with an oblique component of extension. These extensional transcurrent movements associated with pervasive mylonitic foliation ( c . 345–335 Ma) explain the exhumation of scarce occurrences of eclogites ( c . 370 Ma). Mafic-intermediate plutonic and hypabyssal rocks ( c . 355–320 Ma), mainly I-type high-K calc-alkaline diorites, tonalites, granodiorites, gabbros and peraluminous biotite granites, are associated with these metamorphic terrains. Volcanic rocks of the same chemical composition and age are preserved in Tournaisian–Visean ( c . 350–335 Ma) marine basins dominated by detrital sequences with local development of syn-sedimentary gravitational collapse structures. This study, supported by new U–Pb zircon dating, demonstrates the importance of intra-orogenic transtension in the Gondwana margin during the Early Carboniferous when the Rheic ocean between Laurussia and Gondwana closed, forming the Appalachian and Variscan mountains.

A re‐evaluation of eclogite facies metamorphism in SW Japan: proposal for an eclogite nappe

Known eclogite occurrences in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt of SW Japan are dominantly in metagabbro bodies which have complex polyphase metamorphic histories. These bodies are generally described as tectonic blocks and their relationship to the Sanbagawa metamorphism is unclear. New findings of foliated eclogite in the Seba and Kotsu areas show that eclogite facies metamorphism is much more widespread than generally thought. Evidence that the foliated eclogite units originated as lavas or sediments implies that these units can be treated as a high‐grade part of the subduction‐related Sanbagawa metamorphism. Although separated by an along‐strike distance of 80 km, the Seba and Kotsu eclogites have very similar garnet and omphacite compositions, suggesting that they were formed under similar metamorphic conditions. However, differences in the associated retrograde assemblages (epidote–amphibolite in the Seba unit and epidote–blueschist in the Kotsu unit) suggest contrasting P–T paths. In both units, the eclogite rocks occupy the highest structural level of the Sanbagawa belt and overlie rocks metamorphosed at lower pressure. The lower boundary to the eclogite units is therefore a major tectonic discontinuity locally decorated with lenses of exotic material. These features can help trace the boundary into other areas. The previously known outcrops of eclogite show enough similarities with the newly found areas to suggest that all the eclogite facies rocks in the Sanbagawa belt constitute a single nappe that lies at the highest structural levels of the orogen.

Eclogite Occurrences in the Southern Tianshan High-Pressure Belt, Xinjiang, Western China

Eclogite pods and layers of eclogites in mafic blueschists are the most prominent witnesses of eclogite facies metamorphism in the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt of Western China. The P-T evolution was deciphered in order to understand the geotectonic framework of these rocks. Geothermobarometric evaluation for matrix assemblages reveals peak metamorphic condition between 14 and 21 kbar at 500 to 600°C. Prograde growth zoning and mineral inclusions in garnet are evidence for a clockwise P-T path. The presence of intimate eclogite/metabasic blueschist interlayering and the high P-T estimates suggest that the eclogite-facies rocks from the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt formed in a tectonic regime similar to the Franciscan type. Therefore the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt is most important in order to resolve the Paleozoic tectonic evolution of central Asia.

Glaucophane and barroisite eclogites from the Upper Kaghan nappe: implications for the metamorphic history of the NW Himalaya

Abstract This paper presents the results of a petrographical and mineral chemical study of glaucophane- and barroisite-bearing eclogites from the Upper Kaghan nappe in the Higher Himalayan Crystallines of the Pakistan Himalaya, and discusses the implications of the P-T path recorded in such rocks for the tectonic and metamorphic history of the NW Himalaya. The eclogites described here come from a previously undescribed outcrop at Gittidas, but belong to the same suite as the garnet-omphacite-phengite-quartz-rutile eclogites previously described elsewhere in the Upper Kaghan nappe. The metamorphic peak assemblage is garnet-omphacite-rutile-quartz in glaucophane eclogite and garnet-omphacite-zoisite-rutile±kyanite±phengite±ankerite in barroisite eclogite. Most samples contain a significant amount of amphibole, white mica and quartz. White mica may be present either as part of the peak assemblage (phengite) or as a retrogressive phase after kyanite (paragonite). Amphibole is later than the metamorphic peak assemblage and is barroisite in most samples, but in relatively Fe-rich eclogite it is glaucophane with significant Na in the A site, Ca in the M4 site and tetrahedral A1. Garnet displays strong prograde zoning in the barroisite eclogites, with Mg increasing and Fe decreasing from core to rim. The iron-rich core is crowded with mineral inclusions of the peak assemblage, but inclusions of earlier paragonite, green and blue-green amphibole were also found. Peak metamorphic conditions in the barroisite eclogites have been estimated at T = 610 ± 30 °C and P = 24 ± 2 kbar from Fe/Mg partition in garnet-omphacite pairs, and from the garnet-omphacite-phengite barometer. These values are close to the equilibration conditions estimated for the eclogites of the North Himalayan Tso-Morari Dome. Strong similarities between metamorphic evolution of the Upper Kaghan nappe and metamorphic evolution of the eclogite-bearing units of the Neelum valley just to the east of the Kaghan valley indicate that the eclogite occurrences of the Kaghan-Neelum area define an eclogite-bearing terrane of regional extent, which was subjected to high pressure metamorphism in middle Eocene times. A comparison of the metamorphic evolution recorded in the eclogites of the NW Himalaya with that of the granulitized eclogites recently discovered in the E Himalaya suggests the possibility of a Himalaya-wide eclogitic metamorphism of pre-Miocene age. Therefore, the main difference between the Higher Himalayan Crystalline nappes of the NW Himalaya and those of the E Himalaya appears to lie less in the early part of their metamorphic evolution than in the different P-T paths they followed during exhumation.

Preiswerkite and Na-(Mg,Fe)-margarite in eclogites

Preiswerkite and Na-(Mg,Fe)-margarite are two unusual micas very rare in Nature. They have been observed together in two eclogite occurrences (La Compointrie, France; Liset, Norway) as retrogression products in coronae or symplectites around kyanite. The chemical compositions and some physical properties of these micas are presented. The possible solid solutions and the conditions of stability are discussed. The preiswerkites display slight solid solution towards phengitic muscovite and Na-phlogopite. On the other hand, there is negligible solid solution towards more aluminous compositions; AlIV ≤ 4 appears to be a composition limit for natural (K,Na)-micas. The margarites have an unusual Na-(Mg,Fe)-rich composition. They can be considered as a solid solution of about 2/3 mol% of margarite and 1/3 mol% of the theoretical end-member Na2(Mg,Fe)1AlVI4[Si4AlIV4]O20(OH)4 (“Mica L”), with a possible substitution towards paragonite. The Marg2/3 Mica L1/3 composition (i.e. NaCa2(Mg,Fe)0.5 AlVI6 [Si6AlIV6]O30(OH)6) might represent a particularly stable crystallographic configuration and could be considered as a true end-member. Many “sodian” margarites described in the literature are, in fact, complex solid solutions between margarite, paragonite and Marg2/3 Mica L1/3. The rarity of these micas is not related to extreme or unusual P-T conditions. They seem to be related to unusual chemical compositions, appearing in H2O-saturated Na-Al-rich Si-poor systems, principally, if not only, at greenschist- or amphibolite-facies P-T conditions. Moreover, they are subject to crystallographic constraints whereby the high proportion of Al-tetrahedra create considerable distortion which prevents the entry of K into the interlayer site, thus necessitating Na (preiswerkite or ephesite) or Ca (margarite or clintonite) instead.

Proterozoic eclogites from the Lofoten islands, northern Norway

Massif lenses and bands of variably retrogressed eclogites occur within the granulite facies Proterozoic basement of the Lofoten islands in northern Norway. Eclogites are often related to shear and mylonite zones suggesting that deformation and fluid access was important for their formation. The eclogitic rocks are restricted to gabbroic or troctolitic rock compositions and show, in the least retrogressed samples, the typical assemblage garnet + omphacite + rutile. The widespread occurrence of eclogite shows that the whole group of the Lofoten islands was affected by high pressure metamorphism. Eclogites were found on three of the five major islands so far (Flakstadøy, Vestvågøy, Austvågøy). Thermobarometry reveals minimum conditions during eclogite formation of 680 °C/15 kbar on Flakstadøy and 540 °C/14 kbar on Austvågøy. Geological, petrological and geochemical data suggest the following succession of events: (a) Intrusion of mafic to mangeritic magmas (at about 1.8 Ga; Griffin et al., 1978). (b) Incomplete recrystallization under high-pressure granulite facies conditions. Associated with granulitization was the formation of Cl-rich hydrosilicates. Granulite formation was incomplete except for zones of intensive deformation. (c) Eclogites formed in response to a significant pressure increase in the same high strain zones. However, scattered eclogite lenses and boudins also occur in gneisses. (d) Post-eclogite retrogression occurred under middle to high pressure amphibolite facies conditions (probably the Leknes event at 1.1 Ga of Griffin et al., 1978). Eclogite formation was related to crustal thickening during the final stages of early Proterozoic magmatism and granulite facies metamorphism.

Back arc extension and denudation of Mediterranean eclogites

Eclogite‐facies rocks exposed in Mediterranean back arcs are delimited from above by low‐angle normal faults and detachments. Nevertheless, our work demonstrates that these extensional structures associated with back arc extension played only a limited role in removing the overburden from above the eclogites. Extension in Mediterranean back arcs began in the late Oligocene or early Miocene, but the pressure ‐ temperature ‐ time (P‐T‐t) paths of eclogite‐facies rocks exposed in these areas indicate that a major part of the overburden, several tens of kilometers, has been removed from above these rocks prior to the Oligo‐Miocene. We show that the time period bracketed between the peak of eclogite metamorphism (Eocene in the central Aegean, probably Upper Cretaceous in Corsica and the Betics) and the onset of back arc extension in the Oligo‐Miocene was characterized by thrust faulting. In the central Aegean, Corsica, and the Betics, eclogite‐bearing units were partly unroofed and then overthrusted lower‐pressure units. We emphasize that, with one exception (Tinos island, Greece), the entire inventory of extensional contacts operated subsequently to the overthrusting of the eclogites above the lower‐grade sequences. Thus Mediterranean back arc extension lags behind a major part of the denudation process, and is superposed on orogenic wedges that contain eclogite‐facies rocks at relatively shallow structural levels. We emphasize that the mode of occurrence of eclogites in Mediterranean back arc regions involves a continuum of in‐situ crustal accretion below the eclogites, widespread P‐T paths that show cooling or isothermal decompression, and lower‐grade rocks at the bottom of the structural pile. Thus instead of reflecting whole ‐ crust back arc extension, the tectonic style associated with the denudation of Mediterranean eclogites better fits an active accretionary‐wedge setting. This is similar to the mode of occurrence of eclogite‐facies rocks in mountain belts, such as the western Alps, where decompression was synorogenic and back arc extension played no role.

Eclogitic metasediments from the Tso Morari area (Ladakh, Himalaya): evidence for continental subduction during India-Asia convergence

Metasediments in the Tso Morari area (Ladakh, Himalaya) provide new insights into the Higher Himalayan metamorphism in the northwestern part of the Himalayan belt. Whole-rock analyses and petrologic observations show that the metasediments correspond to Fe-rich metapelites, Mg-rich metapelites, intermediate metapelites and metagreywackes of the Indian continental margin. Jadeite + chloritoid + paragonite + garnet in the Fe-rich metapelites indicate pressures of 20 ±2 kbar at temperatures of 550 ±50 °C according to major element partitioning thermobarometry, stability fields of minerals and Thermocalc P-T estimates. These results are consistent with P-T estimates on other metasediments and with the occurrence of eclogites. Subsequent retrogression at the eclogite-blueschist facies transition (from 18 to 13 kbar and 540 ±50 °C) was followed by an increase in temperature to 630 ±30 °C at amphibolite facies conditions. The metamorphic evolution is related to subduction of the Indian continental margin beneath the southern Asian margin at the onset of the Indian-Eurasian collision.

Temporal and tectonic evolution of the granulite-eclogite association from the Bergen Arcs, western Norway

The U-Pb and Sm-Nd dating of deep crustal rocks from the Bergen Arcs system helps resolve enigmatic aspects of the tectonic evolution of the Caledonian Orogen in western Norway and yields insights into the arrested stages of eclogite development within the granulites of the area. The U-Pb dating of zircon from one of the eclogite facies shear zones yields an upper intercept age of 945 ± 5 Ma [all errors two standard deviations (2σ)], which is similar to other zircon ages from the granulite facies protolith. The age is interpreted to represent the time of late Proterozoic (Sveconorwegian) granulite metamorphism. The U-Pb ages of sphene and epidote show that the eclogites formed early in the evolution of the Caledonian Orogen (pre-Scandian phase) at about 460 Ma. An eclogite facies quartz vein yields a Sm-Nd whole rock-garnet isochron of 440 ± 12 Ma that may reflect the onset of cooling immediately after peak eclogite facies conditions, although the Sm-Nd systematics reveal some isotopic disequilibrium within the sample. In tandem with previous 40Ar 39Ar age determinations from, an adjacent eclogite of 450 Ma for hornblende and 430 Ma for muscovite, these data indicate that < 30 Ma elapsed between formation of the eclogites and the initial stages of cooling and exhumation to at least mid-crustal levels. This corresponds to minimum cooling rates of 14 °C/m.y. The timing relations suggest that the formation and exhumation of these eclogites from the overlying Caledonian Nappe wedge in western Norway are related to an early phase of crustal subduction during or somewhat before the major phase of continent-continent collision. The short period of time between the formation of the eclogites and the initial stages of exhumation and rapid cooling is consistent with the only partial and localized transformation of the granulite to eclogite. Isolated occurrences of eclogite within the granulite, the formation of eclogite along metasomatic fronts and the formation of hydrous eclogite facies minerals within the “dry” granulite all point to the importance of fluids in the transformation and re-equilibration of the granulite to eclogite. Together, field and isotopic data demonstrate that both the localized and limited access of fluids and the rapid cycling of continental crust through the deepest portions of the orogen to upper crustal levels resulted in the preservation of the arrested stages of eclogite formation and survival of the granulites metastably through eclogite facies conditions.

Blueschist and eclogite in mylonitic allochthons, Ross River and Watson Lake areas, southeastern Yukon

Two new occurrences of eclogite associated with mylonitic rocks are documented. The first, near Ross River, is in a quartz-rich metasedimentary host that includes glaucophane schist. The host forms part of a belt of high-pressure rocks more than 50 km long and several kilometres wide between Ross River and Faro. In the second occurrence, north of Watson Lake, eclogite is associated with mafic and ultramafic rocks occurring in a klippe more than 100 km2 in area that rests on unmetamorphosed Triassic rocks of the North American miogeocline. Geothermobarometry shows that the eclogites were metamorphosed at 10–15 kb (1 kb = 100 MPa), between 470 and 750 °C. These peak conditions are comparable to those for other eclogites in the Yukon and adjacent Alaska. The age of metamorphism and mylonitization is Triassic or older.The high-pressure rocks occur at the leading edge of the most inboard accreted terrane, along its boundary with North American miogeoclinal strata, over a length of several hundred kilometres. Their extensive distribution makes these rocks regionally mappable units. This supports other evidence that both the Yukon–Tanana terrane and mylonite sheets obducted on North American foreland rocks are composed in part of trench and subduction-zone material.

Relative geobarometry from high-pressure rocks of quartzofeldspathic composition from the Sesia Zone, Western Alps, Italy

In the Sesia Zone of the Western Alps, Italy, early Alpine blueschist to eclogite facies metamorphism of rocks of quartzofeldspathic composition has produced the same high-pressure assemblage of; quartz, Na-pyroxene, Na-amphibole, paragonite, phengite, zoisite, garnet, magnetite, sphene and Fe-sulphide (=the QFS assemblage) over an area (> 150 km2. Relative gradients in pressure and temperature over this region are reflected in the variations in mineral chemistries of the individual phases of the quartzofeldspathic assemblage through continuous reactions. Mineralogical discontinuities do not occur in the QFS assemblage of this region. Increases in the Jadeite content of the pyroxenes (XJd 0.48 to XJd 0.93) and in the glaucophane content of the amphiboles (XGl 0.89 to XGl 0.96) occur from the southwest to the northeast of the region studied. Analysis of coexisting garnets and pyroxenes indicate that the compositional variation of amphiboles and pyroxenes is associated with a decrease in the grossular component of the coexisting garnet. Zoned pyroxenes and garnets, together with the regional trends in mineral chemistries suggest that the evolution of the QFS assemblage with increasing pressure may be modelled by pressure-sensitive continuous reactions in which amphibole, zoisite and the more jadeitic pyroxene constitute the high-pressure assemblage. Chemographic constraints permit the positioning in pressure/temperature space of the compositional isopleths of those model continuous reactions involving these phases which meet the textural and chemical criteria observed in the natural assemblages. The low dP/dT slope (−20 bars/° C) of these isopleths causes the continuous reactions to be useful for geobarometric calculations at pressures above the absolute breakdown of albite to jadeite plus quartz. In addition the pseudobinary loops for the other continuous reactions which are potentially useful geobarometers and involve either the NaAlCa−1Mg−1 exchange or the MgCa−1 exchange are calculated. Comparison of mineral chemistries with the isopleths yields a relative barometric scheme for the localities studied. With these barometric observations, it is possible to show that the P-T path which the Sesia body travelled towards the final recorded state was one of increasing pressure. Other blueschist and eclogite occurrences from Syros and Sifnos which contain rocks of quartzofeldspathic composition are also examined.

“Eclogite” in the Ballantrae Complex: a garnet-clinopyroxenite segregation in mantle harzburgite?

Synopsis The well-known occurrence of eclogite within the Ballantrae complex at Knockormal is enigmatic and unique within the paratectonic Caledonides of the British Isles. Although the “outcrop” originally described is demonstrably a large loose block, garnet-pyroxenite uncovered in situ in a temporary trench located close by demonstrates the local provenance of such rocks. The pyroxenite contains tschermakitic hornblende, fassaitic clinopyroxene and almandine-rich pyrope, a paragenesis consistent with an origin within the lowermost crust or upper mantle. The mineral chemistry is dissimilar to that of eclogites found in blueschist terrains but compares closely with garnet-pyroxenite found within “Alpine-type” intrusions and as inclusions in kimberlite and alkali-basalt breccia pipes. The lithology is not a true eclogite ( sensu stricto ) but is a garnet (-hornblende)-clinopyroxenite interpreted as a segregation within serpentinised harzburgite, although no field relationships are exposed. The garnet-pyroxenite probably formed by partial melting of a rising lherzolite diapir beneath an Arenig oceanic spreading centre.

Eclogite from central Yukon: a record of subduction at the western margin of ancient North America

Eclogite occurring in central Yukon, at Faro and near Last Peak, as lenses interleaved with muscovite–quartz blastomylonite has the chemical and field characteristics of group C rocks. From sigmoidal inclusion trails in garnet, from geothermometry and geobarometry, and from mineral parageneses, the eclogite is inferred to have a crustal protolith and to have followed a hysteretic, subduction-cycle P–T trajectory. Transformation of basic igneous rock into schist was followed by eclogite metamorphism during which pressure was at least 1000 MPa and temperature was between 600 and 700 °C. Uplifting involved passage through the stability field of glaucophane; the eclogite and its host rocks were then subjected to greenschist fades metamorphism and deformation, with temperature at approximately 400 °C. The rocks were emplaced as thrust sheets against or onto the western North American cratonal margin. The tectonic boundary ranges from nearly vertical, where it is outlined by a zone of steeply dipping mélange, to nearly horizontal beneath klippen of cataclastic rocks that lie on North American miogeoclinal strata. Together with occurrences of eclogite on strike, in Yukon, near Fairbanks (Alaska), and near Pinchi Lake (British Columbia), eclogite at Faro and near Last Peak implies that the Yukon Cataclastic Complex is a deeply eroded collision mélange that borders over 1000 km of the ancient continental margin.

Granulites and related rocks in variscan median Europe: A dualistic interpretation

On the basis of differences in structural, petrological and radiometric features, two main clear-cut groups can be distinguished for the granulites of the Variscan median Europe. Group I comprises lenses of eclogite-granulite scattered in the internal zones of the Hercynian belt, whereas Group II includes granulitic slices related to deep-seated Alpine lineaments and xenoliths scavenged by recent volcanoes. Group I granulites belong to early thrust nappes of the Variscan orogen; they display high-pressure assemblages and are commonly associated with eclogites and garnet-peridotites. From radiometric data, this HP granulitic-eclogitic metamorphism happened around 450-400 Ma throughout median Europe. A subduction context is suggested by the low T/ P gradient, the occurrence of eclogites and the contemporaneity with some blueschist-facies rocks. Group II granulites are characterized by massive occurrences, intermediate-pressure granulite-facies parageneses and the absence of eclogites. Granulitic paragneisses often display a pronounced depletion in granitophile elements and may appear as degranitized restites. Numerous basic-ultrabasic complexes occur and are interpreted as deep-seated, layered igneous intrusions emplaced during the granulitic metamorphism. Radiometric dating indicates a late Hercynian (ca. 300 Ma) age. The high T/ P gradient, the occurrence of synchronous basic intrusions and the post-collision context suggest a granulitic event due to a major thermal anomaly. The Variscan cycle is thus characterized by two granulite-forming episodes. “Older granulites” of the HP type result from an early compressive stage in a crustal subduction context and “younger granulites”, from a major thermal event which originated in the upper mantle and annealed the deepest parts of the Variscan belt. A broadly similar duality in the genesis of granulitic rocks may be anticipated in other collisional belts.

On the occurrence of eclogite in Western Norway

Recent experimental data show that eclogites may form in the crust under conditions where total pressure exceeds water pressure. The regional distribution of eclogites in Western Norway and their association with crustal rocks makes their formation in the crust the most attractive hypothesis. Before a mantle origin should be assigned to any rock within this eclogite and garnet peridotite area it should be demonstrated that their country rocks are in a metamorphic state incompatible with the load pressures required for eclogite stability. Criteria for ascertaining eclogite formation in the crust are discussed.

Discovery of granulitized eclogite in North Sikkim expands the Eastern Himalaya high-pressure province

DOI = 10.3126/hjs.v5i7.1312 Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.5(7) (Special Issue) 2008 p.126-127

The occurrence of eclogite on the Lyell Highway, Tasmania

SummaryEclogite occurring about 20 miles east of Queenstown, Tasmania, is the first example of this kind of rock to be described in detail from Australia. It has the chemical composition of a basic igneous rock and consists of garnet (A115.8Fe‴0.6Fe″10.0Mg7.3Ca5.7Si24O96) and pyroxene (Ca4.5Na2.5Mg3.7Fe″0.7Fe‴0.4Ti0.1Aliv3.7Aliv0.7Si15.3O48)with amphibole, muscovite, zoisite, quartz, rutile, and pyrite. The eclogite consists of lenticular bodies within Precambrian garnetiferous schists.