Pseudosection Approach Research Articles

Metasomatism in the Precambrian Crust of the Siberian Craton: Results of a Study of Garnet(±orthopyroxene)-biotite-feldspar Xenolith Rocks From Yubileinaya and Sytykanskaya Kimberlite Pipes, Yakutia

Xenoliths in kimberlites are the most perspective objects for studying the composition and structure of the lower levels of the continental crust. Present work is aimed at estimation of P-T fluid conditions of metamorphism for garnet-biotite-feldspar and orthopyroxene-garnet-biotite-feldspar rocks represented as xenoliths in kimberlites of the Yubileynaya and Sytykanskaya pipes, Yakutian kimberlite province. Seven studied samples show inverse dependences of relative contents of garnet and orthopyroxene, orthopyroxene and biotite, garnet and plagioclase, plagioclase and potassium feldspar. This indicates a consistent series of transformations of the assemblage garnet + plagioclase + orthopyroxene ± quartz to the assemblage garnet + biotite + potassium feldspar. In this process, the replacement of plagioclase by potassium feldspar was the leading reaction. Now it is represented by specific reaction textures in the rocks, negative correlations of the mineral contents, as well as in petrochemical characteristics of the rocks. Modeling of xenolith mineral assemblages using the pseudosection approach (PERPLE_X) revealed two groups of rocks corresponding to different depth levels of the Siberian cratonic crust. For rocks where orthopyroxene is absent or is present as single relics, pressure estimates are 9.5–10 kbar, and it is 6–7 kbar for orthopyroxene-bearing samples. The xenolith rocks have close metamorphic peak temperatures of 750–800°C. They experienced 200–250°C cooling and 3–4 kbar decompression, regardless of the level of the crust at which they were initially located. This points to the metamorphic evolution of the rocks during their exhumation, probably associated with collisional processes during the amalgamation of individual terrains of the Siberian craton. Xenoliths enriched in K-feldspar might have been products of metamorphic reactions with participation of aqueous-(carbonic)-salt fluids, which were sourced from basaltic magmas in the lower crust. The most metasomatized rocks were located closest to the place of accumulation of crystallizing magmas.

Polycyclic metamorphic evolution of the Sierra Albarrana Schists (SW Iberian Massif): From low-pressure Ordovician rifting to medium-pressure Variscan overprint

This study presents new information on the polycyclic metamorphic evolution of the Sierra Albarrana Domain (SW Iberian Massif) obtained through a comprehensive assessment of mineral assemblages and petrological modelling (P–T–X pseudosection approach). The pelitic schists in this domain depict the uncommon paragenesis St-Grt-And together with And-Grt-Sil-bearing schists. The first assemblage has been accurately reproduced by pseudosection modelling using the whole rock composition directly analysed by XRF. In contrast, early attempts to model And-Grt-Sil-bearing schists were not as successful. Fe3+ can be a critical element influencing the phase relations in pelites. For this reason, we investigated the influence of the effective amounts of Fe3+ to estimate the oxidation estate during the metamorphism by computing a series of P/T–X pseudosections to explore whether somewhere in P–T–X space the matrix association can be reproduced.The Sierra Albarrana Domain recorded a regional low-pressure metamorphic event accompanied by a complex structural evolution, probably related with the Middle Cambrian-Lower Ordovician rifting developed in the NW Gondwanan margin. This episode has been constrained at ∼4 kbar and 580 °C in the St-Grt-And pelitic schists. Related granitic magma pulses contributed to a local thermal increase of the extending crust (preserved in the And-Grt-Sil-bearing schists), where temperature reaches up to 595 °C. This area shows the syntaxial replacement of coarse-grained andalusite porphyroblasts by sillimanite. This was followed by exhumation, characterised by decompression at ∼2 kbar and 510 °C. After the main pre-Variscan Buchan-type regional metamorphism, a localised medium-pressure metamorphic event, limited to granitic pegmatites and concordant ky-bearing quartz segregation veins was recorded, possibly due to the tectonic thickening corresponding to the Variscan cycle.

New constraints on P–T–t path of high–T eclogites in the Dabie orogen, China

Deciphering the P-T-t path of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks is crucial for reconstructing the evolution of continental crustal terranes involved in very deep subduction followed by exhumation. Achievieng this goal is especially challenging for UHP terranes which experienced protracted high/ultrahigh temperature (high-T/UHT) exhumation histories, because the widespread anatexis associated to retrograde re-equilibration often obliterate the evidence of UHP metamorphism. In the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt of central-eastern China, which is the largest UHP terrane in the world, the migmatitic North Dabie complex Zone (NDZ) is the archetype of such UHP terranes experiencing a “slow and hot” exhumation. The NDZ stands out for the widespread anatexis that widely overprinted the traces of eclogite-facies metamorphism, hampering a precise reconstruction of its P-T-(t) evolution.This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study integrating P–T pseudosection of phase equilibrium modeling, conventional geothermometry and zircon U–Pb dating with trace element analysis applied on the high–T UHP eclogites from the NDZ. The studied eclogites underwent a multistage metamorphic evolution including post-peak granulite-facies overprinting and subsequent amphibolite-facies retrogression. P–T conditions of the granulite-facies overprinting and the amphibolite-facie retrogression have been estimated at >830 °C, 7–12 kbar and 560–880 °C, 4.3–8.9 kbar, respectively. New zircon U–Pb dating, mineral inclusion and trace element analysis, combined with modeled plagioclase modal variation by pseudosection approach, allowed constraining the ages of prograde metamorphism, eclogite-facies metamorphism, granulite-facies overprinting and amphibolite-facies retrogression of the eclogites at 247–230 Ma, 226–219 Ma, 217–212 Ma and 214–198 Ma, respectively. These results provide new P–T-t estimates and age data for the multiple metamorphic stages during continental collision, contributing to precisely reconstruct the whole P–T–t path of the NDZ.

Low‐Pand high‐Tmetamorphism of basalts: Insights from the Sudbury impact melt sheet aureole and thermodynamic modelling

AbstractLow‐pressure and high‐temperature (LP–HT) metamorphism of basaltic rocks, which occurs globally and throughout geological time, is rarely constrained by forward phase equilibrium modelling, yet such calculations provide valuable supplementary thermometric information and constraints on anatexis that are not possible to obtain from conventional thermometry. Metabasalts along the southern margin of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) record evidence of high‐grade contact metamorphism involving partial melting and melt segregation. Peak metamorphic temperatures reached at least ~925°C at ~1–3 kbar near theSICcontact. Preservation of the peak mineral assemblage indicates that most of the generated melt escaped from these rocks leaving a residuum characterized by a plagioclase–orthopyroxene–clinopyroxene–ilmenite‐magnetite±melt assemblage. Peak temperatures reached ~875°C up to 500 m from theSIClower contact, which marks the transition to metabasalts that only experienced incipient partial melting without melt loss. Metabasalts ~500 to 750 m from theSICcontact are characterized by a similar two‐pyroxene mineral assemblage, but typically contain abundant hornblende that overgrew clino‐ and orthopyroxene along an isobaric cooling path. Metabasalts ~750 to 1,000 m from theSICcontact are characterized by a hornblende–plagioclase–quartz–ilmenite assemblage indicating temperatures up to ~680°C. Mass balance and phase equilibria calculations indicate that anatexis resulted in 10–20% melt generation in the inner ~500 m of the aureole, with even higher degrees of melting towards the contact. Comparison of multiple models, experiments, and natural samples indicates that modelling in the Na2O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–O2(NCFMASHTO) system results in the most reliable predictions for the temperature of the solidus. Incorporation of K2O in the most recent amphibole solution model now successfully predicts dehydration melting by the coexistence of high‐Ca amphibole and silicate melt at relatively low pressures (~1.5 kbar). However, inclusion of K2O as a system component results in prediction of the solidus at too low a temperature. Although there are discrepancies between modelling predictions and experimental results, this study demonstrates that the pseudosection approach to mafic rocks is an invaluable tool to constrain metamorphic processes atLP–HTconditions.

P–T–t evolution of the high-pressure mafic granulites from northern Hengshan, North China Craton: Insights from phase equilibria and geochronology

The Hengshan complex has drawn attention for the occurrence of typical high-pressure mafic granulites, representing the Paleoproterozoic collisional orogeny in the North China Craton. Mafic granulites occur as boudins of various scales in tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) gneisses. They are composed of garnet, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, orthopyroxene, hornblende, biotite, quartz, rutile and ilmenite. Garnet porphyroblasts are usually surrounded by plagioclase coronas, and early jadeite-rich clinopyroxene is totally decomposed to the symplectite of clinopyroxene and plagioclase. Two high-pressure granulites and one two-pyroxene granulite were studied by the pseudosection approach, and clockwise P–T paths with four metamorphic stages were recognized. The pre-peak prograde stage was identified from garnet core to mantle compositions, with increasing P–T from 630 to 710 °C at 11–13 kbar. The peak pressure stage hasn’t been well preserved but its mineral assemblages inferred from petrography to be garnet + jadeite-rich clinopyroxene + quartz + rutile ± plagioclase, with P–T condition of 760–820 °C at ∼15 kbar. The post-peak decompression with slight heating is characterized by symplectite, plagioclase coronas, and the formation of orthopyroxene. Locally, two-pyroxene granulite assemblages develop, defining P–T condition of 6–8 kbar and 840–860 °C for the temperature peak (Tmax). The post-Tmax cooling is represented by the occurrence of amphibolite facies assemblages especially in boudin margins with P–T condition of 6–8 kbar and 720–760 °C, suggesting an isobaric cooling process with fluid infiltration. U–Pb dating of metamorphic zircons record ages mainly ranging from 1897 to 1830 Ma with weighted mean ages of 1862 ± 11 Ma for the high-pressure granulite and 1837 ± 7 Ma for the two-pyroxene granulite. These metamorphic ages were interpreted to record the post-peak cooling stage especially the time close to solidus, which is also supported by the result of Ti-in-zircon thermometer. A summary of P–T–t evolution for metamorphic terrains corresponding to different crust levels in Hengshan–Wutai area indicates that the main episode of crust thickening-dominated collisional orogeny is ∼1.95 Ga or earlier and finished at ∼1.92 Ga. This was followed by post-orogenic cooling-uplifting or the overprinting of another thermal-tectonic event during the period of 1.92–1.80 Ga.

Detection of tectonometamorphic discontinuities within the Himalayan orogen: Structural and petrological constraints from the Rasuwa district, central Nepal Himalaya

A detailed structural, lithological and petrological study of different transects in the Rasuwa district of central Nepal Himalaya allows the characterization of the tectonostratigraphic architecture of the area. It also facilitates constraining the P-T evolution of the different units within the Lesser (LHS) and Greater (GHS) Himalayan Sequences. Peak P–T conditions obtained for the studied metapelite samples using the pseudosection approach and the Average PT method highlight the existence of four different T/P ratio populations in different tectonometamorphic units: 80 ± 11 °C/kbar (LHS), 66 ± 7 °C/kbar (RTS), 73 ± 1 °C/kbar (Lower-GHS) and 101 ± 12 °C/kbar (Upper-GHS). Integration of structural and petrological data emphasizes the existence of three tectonometamorphic discontinuities bounding these units, characterized by top-to-the-south sense of shear: the Ramgarh Thrust, which separates the LHS (peak metamorphism at ∼600 °C, 7.5 kbar) from the overlying RTS (peak metamorphism at ∼635 °C, 10 kbar); the Main Central Thrust, which separates the RTS from the Lower-GHS (peak at 700–740 °C, 9.5–10.5 kbar with a prograde increase in both P and T in the kyanite stability field), and the Langtang Thrust, which juxtaposes the Upper-GHS (peak at 780–800 °C, 7.5–8.0 kbar with a nearly isobaric heating in the sillimanite stability field) onto the Lower-GHS. An increase in the intensity of deformation, with development of pervasive mylonitic fabrics and/or shear zones, is generally observed approaching the discontinuities from either side.Overall, data and results presented in this paper demonstrate that petrological and structural analysis combined together, are reliable methods adequate to identify tectonometamorphic discontinuities in both the LHS and GHS. Geochronological data from the literature allow the interpretation of these discontinuities as in-sequence thrusts.

Thermodynamic modelling of metamorphic processes: state of the art in pseudosection approach

Understanding global-scale orogenic processes related to supercontinents, and their relationship to the secular evolution of the Earth’s lithosphere, represent important challenges for Earth scientists today. The record of these processes is preserved in the microstructures, mineral assemblages and mineral compositions of lithospheric rocks exhumed to the Earth’s surface. Given a well-characterized microstructural evolution, thermodynamic modelling is the key to quantifying changes in pressure and temperature, with the rate of these changes being provided by rock-forming and accessory mineral-based geochronology. Thus, metamorphic rocks provide Pressure–Temperature–time–deformation (P–T–t–d) data that help to parameterize orogenic processes.

P–T evolution of Precambrian eclogite in the Sveconorwegian orogen, SW Sweden

AbstractConditions of the prograde, peak‐pressure and part of the decompressional P–T path of two Precambrian eclogites in the eastern Sveconorwegian orogen have been determined using the pseudosection approach. Cores of garnet from a Fe–Ti‐rich eclogite record a first prograde and syn‐deformational stage along a Barrovian gradient from ~670 °C and 7 kbar to 710 °C and 8.5 kbar. Garnet rims grew during further burial to 16.5–19 kbar at ~850–900 °C, along a steep dP/dT gradient. The pseudosection model of a kyanite‐bearing eclogite sample of more magnesian bulk composition confirms the peak conditions. Matrix reequilibration associated with subsequent near‐isothermal decompression and partial exhumation produced plagioclase‐bearing symplectites replacing kyanite and clinopyroxene at an estimated 850–870 °C and 10–11 kbar. The validity of the pseudosections is discussed in detail. It is shown that in pseudosection modelling the fractionation of FeO in accessory sulphides may cause a significant shift of field boundaries (here displaced by up to 1.5 kbar and 70 °C) and must not be neglected. Fast burial, exhumation and subsequent cooling are supported by the steepness of both the prograde and the decompressional P–T paths as well as the preservation of garnet growth zoning and the symplectitic reaction textures. These features are compatible with deep tectonic burial of the eclogite‐bearing continental crust as part of the underthrusting plate (Eastern Segment, continent Baltica) in a collisional setting that led to an effectively doubled crustal thickness and subsequent exhumation of the eclogites through tectonic extrusion. Our results are in accordance with regional structural and petrological relationships, which demonstrate foreland‐vergent partial exhumation of the eclogite‐bearing nappe along a basal thrust zone and support a major collisional stage at c. 1 Ga. We argue that the similarities between Sveconorwegian and Himalayan eclogite occurrences emphasize the modern style of Grenvillian‐aged tectonics.

P–T–t evolution of garnet amphibolites in the Wutai–Hengshan area, North China Craton: insights from phase equilibria and geochronology

AbstractGarnet amphibolites can provide valuable insights into geological processes of orogenic belts, but their metamorphic evolution is still poorly constrained. Garnet amphibolites from the Wutai–Hengshan area of the North China Craton mainly consist of garnet, hornblende, plagioclase, quartz, rutile and ilmenite, with or without titanite and epidote. Four samples selected in a south–north profile were studied by the pseudosection approach in order to elucidate the characteristics of their metamorphic evolution, and to better reveal the northwards prograde change in P–T conditions as established previously. For the sample from the lower Wutai Subgroup, garnet exhibits obvious two‐substage growth zoning characteristic of pyrope (Xpy) increasing but grossular (Xgr) decreasing outwards in the core, and both Xpy and Xgr increasing outwards in the rim. Phase modelling using thermocalc suggests that the garnet cores were formed by chlorite breakdown over 7–9 kbar at 530–600 °C, and rims grew from hornblende and epidote breakdown over 9.5–11.5 kbar at 600–670 °C. The isopleths of the minimum An in plagioclase and maximum Xpy in garnet were used to constrain the peak P–T conditions of ~11.5 kbar/670 °C. The modelled peak assemblage garnet + hornblende + epidote+ plagioclase + rutile + quartz matches well the observed one. Plagioclase–hornblende coronae around garnet indicate post‐peak decompression and fluid ingress. For the samples from the south Hengshan Complex, the garnet zoning weaken gradually, reflecting modifications during decompression of the rocks. Using the same approach, the rocks are inferred to have suprasolidus peak conditions, increasing northwards from 11.5 kbar/745 °C, 12.5 kbar/780 °C to 13 kbar/800 °C. Their modelled peak assemblages involve diopside, garnet, hornblende, plagioclase, rutile and quartz, yet diopside is not observed petrographically. The post‐peak decompression is characterized by diopside + garnet + quartz + melt = hornblende + plagioclase, causing the diopside consumption and garnet compositions to be largely modified. Thus, the pesudosection approach is expected to provide better pressure results than conventional thermobarometry, because the later approach cannot be applied with confidence to rocks with multi‐generation assemblages. U–Pb dating of zircon in the Wutai sample records a protolith age of c. 2.50 Ga, and a metamorphic age of c. 1.95 Ga, while zircon in the Hengshan samples records metamorphic ages of c. 1.92 Ga. The c. 1.95 Ga is interpreted to represent the pre‐peak or peak metamorphic stages, and the ages of c. 1.92 Ga are assigned to represent the cooling stages. All rocks in the Wutai–Hengshan area share similar clockwise P–T morphologies. They may represent metamorphic products at different crustal depths in one orogenic event, which included a main thickening stage at c. 1.95 Ga followed by a prolonged uplift and cooling after 1.92 Ga.

Derivation of P–T paths from high-pressure metagranites — Examples from the Gran Paradiso Massif, western Alps

Metamorphosed granites (SiO2≥70wt.%) are, in fact, a common rock type in high pressure (HP) and ultrahigh pressure (UHP) terrains, but these rocks were rarely used to derive metamorphic P–T paths. To test the suitability of HP metagranites for such derivations, two metagranites from the Gran Paradiso Massif were studied applying elemental mapping of phengite and garnet and calculated P–T pseudosections contoured by various chemical and modal parameters. Both rocks contain phengite with maximum Si contents of about 3.42 Si per formula unit (pfu) and 3.55Sipfu in cores, and accessory garnet which is compositionally zoned. Garnet core compositions are rich in grossular component (XCa up to 0.72). Only a rough P–T path could be derived with peak pressures below 2GPa because, for instance, Si contents in phengite become geobarometrically insensitive at HP conditions, when biotite is not anymore stable. A test of the pseudosection approach to a metagranite from the North Qaidam UHP metamorphic belt resulted in an ambiguous finding. In fact, compositions of garnet and phengite in this rock are indicative of both UHP and specific HP conditions (~1.3GPa, 530°C), but the latter conditions fit the entire mineralogical observations better.

Contrasting Ordovician high- and low-pressure metamorphism related to a microcontinent-arc collision in the Eastern Cordillera of Perú (Tarma province)

High-pressure conditions of 11–13kbar/500–540 °C during maximum burial were derived for garnet amphibolite in the Tapo Ultramafic Massif in the Eastern Cordillera of Peru using a PT pseudosection approach. A Sm–Nd mineral-whole rock isochron at 465 ± 24Ma dates fluid influx at peak temperatures of ∼600 °C and the peak of high pressure metamorphism in a rodingite of this ultramafic complex. The Tapo Ultramafic Complex is interpreted as a relic of oceanic crust which was subducted and exhumed in a collision zone along a suture. It was buried under a metamorphic geotherm of 12–13 °C/km during collision of the Paracas microcontinent with an Ordovician arc in the Peruvian Eastern Cordillera. The Ordovician arc is represented by the western Marañon Complex. Here, low PT conditions at 2.4–2.6 kbar, 300–330 °C were estimated for a phyllite–greenschist assemblage representing a contrasting metamorphic geotherm of 32–40 °C/km characteristic for a magmatic arc environment.

Metamorphic evolution of ultrahigh-pressure rocks from Chinese southwestern Tianshan and a possible indicator of UHP metamorphism using garnet composition in low-T eclogites

How to identify ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism in the absence of coesite is a key problem to gain the correct P–T history for an orogenic belt. In this study, garnet composition combined with the pseudosection approach was used to identify ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and to determine P–T paths for eclogites and metapelites from Chinese southwestern Tianshan. Porphyroblastic garnets from both eclogites and metapelites develop pronounced chemical core-rim textures: the relatively homogeneous core with low pyrope [Prp; Mg/(Ca+Mn+Mg+Fe2+)×100] and grossular [Grs; Ca/(Ca+Mn+Mg+Fe2+)×100] content is overgrown by a thin rim with sharply increased Prp and Grs. Phase equilibria modeling indicates that the ultrahigh-pressure rocks have undergone a clockwise P–T path characterized by heating during early exhumation with peak P–T at 31–33kbar and 490–520°C. The P–T pseudosections for eclogites show that isopleths of Prp and Grs strongly depend on temperature and pressure, respectively, especially in the stability fields of glaucophane–lawsonite-bearing eclogite facies assemblages. This indicates that garnet composition provides robust thermobarometric constraints. Consequently, we propose a Prp–Grs diagram which is subdivided into a high-pressure region and an ultrahigh-pressure region by the quartz–coesite–transition curve. Those garnet compositions which fall into the ultrahigh-pressure region are regarded to have experienced ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. This approach is expected to be a useful tool to qualitatively identify ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism for glaucophane–lawsonite-bearing eclogites and its particular strength is the quick examination of large datasets comprising samples with similar bulk composition. Using this method, garnet compositions of eclogites and mafic blueschists from Chinese southwestern Tianshan and lawsonite eclogites worldwide are plotted in the Prp–Grs diagram and several possible ultrahigh-pressure eclogite occurrences are newly identified.

Petrology and zircon U–Pb geochronology of metagabbros from a mafic–ultramafic suite at Aniyapuram: Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic convergent margin magmatism and Middle Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphism in southern India

Several mafic–ultramafic complexes occur within the Palghat-Cauvery Suture Zone (PCSZ) in southern India. The PCSZ is regarded in recent models as the zone along which crustal blocks were amalgamated during the Late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian (550–530Ma) Gondwana assembly. Here we report petrologic and zircon U–Pb geochronologic data from gabbros associated with the Aniyapuram mafic–ultramafic suite in the central domain of the PCSZ. Geothermobarometry and pseudosection approach in the system NCFMASHTO for the metagabbro (Grt+Cpx+Opx+Hbl+Pl+Qtz+Ilm+Rt) yield peak P–T condition of 9.8–10.6kbar and 730–790°C, which was followed by decompression to 6.5–8.0kbar and ca. 750°C as inferred from the formation of Opx+Pl symplectite around garnet, probably along a clockwise P–T path. Zircon U–Pb data analyzed by LA-ICP-MS plot along a well-defined discordia with upper and lower intercepts in the concordia at 2436±22Ma and 731±11Ma respectively, suggesting Neoarchean–Early Paleoproterozoic magmatic emplacement of the protolith and progressive Pb loss related to the Middle Neoproterozoic (Cryogenian) thermal event (or high-grade metamorphism). These results closely compare with the available Neoarchean magmatic ages of mafic–ultramafic complexes (e.g., Sittampundi, Devanur, Agali Hills, and Kanja Malai) and Middle Neoproterozoic magmatic event (e.g., Manamedu and Kadavur) in the PCSZ and adjacent granulite blocks. The 650Ma concordia ages obtained from unzoned zircons might indicate the timing of high-grade metamorphism or post-peak hydration event. The P–T conditions obtained from Aniyapuram are significantly lower than the high-pressure and ultrahigh-temperature conditions of the 550–530Ma final collisional event (P>14 kbar and T>950°C). The Middle Neoproterozoic (ca. 730Ma or 650Ma) high-grade metamorphism in Aniyapuram reported for the first time from the PCSZ is possibly associated with magmatism in arc tectonic setting.

Retrogressed lawsonite blueschists from the NW Iberian Massif: P–T–t constraints from thermodynamic modelling and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

Blueschist facies terranes in the Variscan Ibero-Armorican Arc are restricted to scarce and relatively small areas. One of these examples is the Ceán Unit, which is the westernmost exposure of the middle allochthonous sheet of the Variscan belt in the Malpica–Tui Complex (NW Iberian Massif). The Ceán Unit is a highly condensed metamorphic succession with a lower part in the blueschist facies and an upper part without HP relicts. It comprises variable proportions of glaucophane–chloritoid-bearing metapelites and mafic rocks with abundant well-preserved pseudomorphs after euhedral lawsonite. Both lithologies show systematic changes in texture and mineral composition that are spatially related depending on deformation. The metamorphic evolution of the metabasic rocks has been constrained in the P–T space through pseudosection approach and is characterised by H2O-undersaturated prograde evolution induced by the crystallisation of lawsonite. Peak conditions in the blueschist/LT-eclogite facies have been constrained at ca. 2.2 GPa and 560 °C. Exhumation-related metamorphism is characterised by a nearly isothermal decompression from the lawsonite-bearing fields to fields with stable albite at P ≈ 1 GPa. This lead to the pseudomorphism of lawsonite in the early-decompression stages, and a subsequent amphibolite–greenschist facies overprint at P < 0.8 GPa and T ≈ 440–480 °C. The preservation of the lawsonite crystal shape despite complete retrogression indicates that pseudomorphism occurred as a static process and that particular levels of the blueschist host rock were not affected by penetrative deformation during exhumation. 40Ar/39Ar step heating of phengitic muscovite from the pelitic schists interbedded with the lawsonite pseudomorph-bearing metabasic rocks yield plateau ages of ca. 363 ± 2 and 354 ± 1 Ma. The older age is interpreted as the age of the peak blueschist facies metamorphism. The age of 355 Ma is interpreted as a cooling age and is inferred to represent some point relatively close to peak conditions at the onset of the isothermal decompression. 40Ar/39Ar dating of muscovite from the quartzo-feldspathic mylonites of the Bembibre–Ceán detachment, at the base of the Ceán Unit, yields an age of ca. 337 ± 3 Ma, interpreted as the age of the post-nappe extensional tectonics. Similar data obtained from the blueschists of Ile de Groix (Armorican Massif; Bosse et al. in Chem Geol 220:21–45, 2005) support the equivalence of the Ceán Unit and the Upper Unit of Ile de Groix along the Ibero-Armorican Arc and suggest that these units share a blueschist facies event constrained at ca. 360–370 Ma, that is inferred to represent the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous subduction of the northern margin of Gonwana beneath Laurussia.

Geothermobarometry of Al-silicate-bearing migmatites from the Variscan chain of NE Sardinia, Italy: a P-T pseudosection approach

This paper investigates Al-silicate-bearing migmatite from NE Sardinia by using the P-T pseudosection approach with the aim to determine the P-T conditions of partial melting and those of melt crystallization. P-T pseudosections were calculated in the NCKFMASH system within the P-T range 500-800 °C, 0.1-1.5 GPa by using the average compositions of metapelitic greywacke, average mesosome and average trondhjemitic leucosome, respectively. The P-T pseudosections calculated for the average metapelitic greywacke and for the average mesosome, contoured for melt volume %, Si/Al and Na/K molar ratios in melt point to P-T conditions ~ 700-740 °C, 1.1-1.3 GPa which are indicative of partial melting. The P-T pseudosection calculated for the average composition of trondhjemitic leucosomes, contoured for kyanite and biotite modal content and for X Mg ratio in biotite indicates P-T conditions of 660-730 °C, 0.75-0.90 GPa for the crystallization of the melt. The comparison between the Na/K and Si/Al ratios in leucosomes, and the same ratios modeled for the anatectic melt by an haplogranitic melt model is thus a powerful tool for the reconstruction of P-T conditions of partial melting also in pelitic rocks, provided that leucosomes represent pure melts and are not contaminated by restitic phases or feldspar cumulates.

Computer Programs for P-T History of Metamorphic Rocks using Pseudosection Approach

paper computer program THERMOCALC, GIBBS and THERIAK-DOMINO are discussed and pseudosections are generated on some chemical data taken from the published literature from the Himalaya and Alps and also new chemical and EPMA data generated from the Garhwal Himalaya to demonstrate the capabilities of THERMOCALC and THERIAK-DOMINO. Usefulness and limitations of computed pseudosections (equilibrium assemblage diagrams) with THERIAK-DOMINO and THERMOCALC in understanding evolutionary history of metamorphic rocks are discussed

Long length scales of element transport during reaction texture development in orthoamphibole-cordierite gneiss: Thor-Odin dome, British Columbia, Canada

First-order factors controlling the textural and chemical evolution of metamorphic rocks are bulk composition and pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) path. Although it is common to assume that major element bulk composition does not change during regional metamorphism, rocks with reaction textures such as corona structures record evidence for major changes in effective bulk composition (EBC) and therefore provide significant insight into the scale, pathways, and mechanisms of element transport during metamorphism. Quantifying changes in EBC is essential for petrologic applications such as calculation of phase diagrams (pseudosections). The progressive growth of complex corona structures on garnet and Al2SiO5 porphyroblasts in orthoamphibole-cordierite gneiss Thor-Odin dome (British Columbia, Canada) reduced the EBC volume of the rock during metamorphism and therefore had a dramatic effect on the evolution of the stable mineral assemblage. These rocks contain a chemical and textural record of metamorphic reactions and preserve 3D networks (reaction pathways) connecting corona structures. These coronal networks record long (>cm) length scales of localized element transport during metamorphism. P–T, T–X, and P–X pseudosections are used to investigate the control of effective bulk composition on phase assemblage evolution. Despite textural complexity and evidence for disequilibrium, mineral assemblages and compositions were successfully modeled and peak metamorphic conditions estimated at 750°C and 9 kbar. These results illustrate how textural and chemical changes during metamorphism can be evaluated using an integrated petrographic and pseudosection approach, highlight the importance of effective bulk composition choice for application of phase equilibria methods in metamorphic rocks, and show how corona structures can be used to understand the scale of compositional change and element transport during metamorphism.

Tracking S-type granite from source to emplacement: Clues from garnet in the Cape Granite Suite

This study investigates, via a pseudosection approach, the conditions of formation of garnet in the leucogranitic to granodioritic S-type Cape Granite Suite (CGS), South Africa. Previous work has stressed the importance of peritectic garnet entrained from the anatectic source in the petrogenesis of these granites. In this study, garnet from S-type granites of the CGS, showing as little evidence for replacement as possible, was studied for major and trace element geochemistry. Surprisingly, the compositions of all the crystals investigated are essentially identical, despite significant differences in the composition of the host granite. The garnet major element compositions are characterised by homogeneous, unzoned core domains with a relatively Mg-rich composition (Alm 69–71Py 14–21Gro 3Sps 3–5) surrounded by a more Mn-rich rim, some 200 µm wide (Alm 70–76Py 5–12Gro 3Sps 6–12). Trace element compositions are similarly characterised by unzoned cores surrounded by thin rims of relative REE enrichment. Pseudosections calculated for compositions ranging from granite to granodiorite illustrate that garnet is a stable phase in all compositions at high temperatures. Garnet core compositions equilibrated under P– T conditions of 4 to 6.2 kbars and 740 to 760 °C, whilst the rims record conditions of 2.5 to 5 kbars and 690 to 730 °C. Rare granulite-facies metamafic xenoliths also may record the conditions in the source of the granite magma and provide estimated P– T condition above 10 ± 2 kbars and 810 ± 54 °C. This estimate overlaps with the P– T conditions required for fluid-absent biotite melting, the process believed to have produced the CGS magmas within the lower crust. The pseudosections show that garnet was present in the CGS magmas from the source down to near-solidus conditions, but that the composition of peritectic garnet entrained within the source is not preserved in the magma. Calculation of the time required to homogenise garnet compositions within the magma indicates that this cannot occur by diffusion within the garnet crystals, as this would require several orders of magnitude longer than the typical duration of felsic magmatic events. Thus, the findings of this study argue for 1) entrainment of peritectic garnet into melt at the source, 2) the subsequent re-equilibration of this garnet to lower pressure and temperature conditions within the magmatic environment through a dissolution precipitation mechanism, and 3) a near-solidus complete replacement of garnet in some compositions. Collectively, these three processes explain the chemical connectedness between granites and their sources, as well as why the details of the connection have remained so elusive.

Phase equilibria modelling of kyanite‐bearing anatectic paragneisses from the central Grenville Province

AbstractKyanite‐bearing paragneisses from the Manicouagan Imbricate Zone and its footwall (high‐P belt of the central Grenville Province) preserve evidence of partial melting with development of metamorphic textures involving biotite–garnet ± kyanite ± plagioclase ± K‐feldspar–quartz. Garnet in these rocks displays a variety of zoning patterns with respect to Ca. Pseudosection modelling in the Na2O–CaO–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–O (NCKFMASHTO) system using measured bulk rock compositions accounts for the textural evolution of two aluminous and two sub‐aluminous samples from the presumed thermal peak to conditions at which retained melt solidified. The prograde features are best explained by pseudosections calculated with compositions to account for melt loss. The intersection of isopleths of grossular content and Fe/(Fe + Mg) relating to large porphyroblasts of garnet provide constraints on the P–T conditions of the metamorphic peak. These P–T estimates are considered to be minima because of the potential for diffusional modification of the composition of garnet at high‐T and during the early stages of cooling. However, they are consistent with textural observations and pseudosection topology, with peak assemblages best preserved in rocks for which the calculated pseudosections predict only small changes in mineral proportions in the P–T interval, in which retrograde reactions are inferred to have occurred between the thermal peak and the solidus. Maximum P–T conditions (14.5–15.5 kbar and 840–890 °C) and steep retrograde P–T paths inferred for rocks from the Manicouagan Imbricate Zone are comparable with those determined for mafic rocks from the same area. In contrast, maximum P–T conditions of 12.5–13 kbar and 815–830 °C and flatter P–T paths are inferred for the rocks of the footwall to the Manicouagan Imbricate Zone. The general consistency between textures, mineral compositions and the topologies of the calculated pseudosections suggests that the pseudosection approach is an appropriate tool for inferring the P–T evolution of high‐P anatectic quartzo‐feldspathic rocks.

Exhumation of HT–LP Variscan metapelites from interlayered cordierite–orthoamphibole assemblages (MnNCFMASH System) Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Iberia

Garnet–cordierite–orthoamphibole rocks crop out in centimetric lenses within the pre-Caradocian metapelites of the Osor complex in the sillimanite metamorphic zone of the HT-LP Variscan sequence from the Guilleries Massif in the Catalan Coastal Ranges (NE Iberia). The P– T path followed by the metapelites shows increasing T and P to a peak of 660 °C–5 kbar, then isobaric cooling and finally cooling and decompression. Reaction textures on amphibolite lenses show evidence of resorption of garnet and gedrite and growth of cordierite, anthophyllite and chlorite, which has led to the stable sub-assemblages: garnet + cordierite and gedrite + anthophyllite + cordierite ± chlorite. Petrography, mineral chemistry, and modelling of the low-Ca amphibolite reaction assemblages using a pseudosection approach in MnNCFMASH also suggest a decompressional path when generation of two effective bulk compositional microdomains during cordierite moat formation is taken into account.