Quartz Stability Field Research Articles

Geophysical‐Geochemical Modeling of Deep Crustal Compositions: Examples of Continental Crust in Typical Tectonic Settings and North China Craton

AbstractThe chemical composition of the deep continental crust is key to understanding the formation and evolution of the continental crust. Constraining the chemical composition of present‐day deep continental crust is, however, limited by indirect accessibility. This paper presents a modeling method for constraining deep crustal chemical structures from observed crustal seismic structures. We compiled a set of published composition models for the continental crust to construct functional relationships between seismic wave speed and major oxide content in the crust. Phase equilibria and compressional wave speeds (VP) for each composition model were calculated over a range of depths and temperatures of the deep crust. For conditions within the alpha(α)‐quartz stability field, robust functional relationships were obtained between VP and major oxide contents of the crust. Based on these relationships, observed VP of the deep crust can be inverted to chemical compositions for regions with given geotherms. We provide a MATLAB code for this process (CalcCrustComp). We apply this method to constrain compositions from deep crustal VP of global typical tectonic settings and the North China Craton (NCC). Our modeling results suggest that the lower crust in subduction‐related and rifting‐related tectonic settings may be more mafic than platforms/shields and orogens. The low VP signature in the deep crust of the NCC can be explained by intermediate crustal compositions, higher water contents, and/or higher temperatures. The chemical structure obtained by this method can serve as a reference model to further identify deep crustal features.

H2O in omphacite of quartz and coesite eclogite from Erzgebirge and Fichtelgebirge, Germany

AbstractMajor and trace elements in omphacite, including hydrogen, were determined in eclogites from two Variscan basement complexes in Germany: Erzgebirge (EG) and Fichtelgebirge (FG). Erzgebirge eclogite is derived from three units, showing different peak pressure (P) and temperature (T) conditions (Unit 1: 840–920°C/≥30 kbar, Unit 2: 670–730°C/24–26 kbar, Unit 3: 600–650°C/20–22 kbar). The peak conditions of FG eclogite (690–750°C/25–28 kbar) resemble those of EG Unit 2. Coesite eclogite occurs in EG Unit 1, and quartz eclogite in all other units. Omphacite from all samples shows four infrared (IR) absorption bands. Two prominent, sharp bands occur at 3,455 ± 10 cm−1 (band II) and 3,522 ± 10 cm−1 (band III). Band II is usually more prominent than band III, except for few samples with low jadeite content. A further, broad band is centred between 3,270 and 3,370 cm−1 (band I) and a fourth, minor band at 3,611–3,635 cm−1 (band IV). Bands II and III are due to hydrogen bound as structural OH− ions in omphacite. In most cases, this also applies to band IV. However, some spectra with extremely large type IV bands reflect phengite inclusions. The ambiguous band I may be due to different H2O species (molecular water, structural OH, and water in phengite). Omphacite of quartz eclogite has lower contents of TiO2, Zr, Hf, and REE, compared with that from coesite eclogite. By contrast, omphacite in quartz eclogite from both EG (H2O sample averages: 465–852 ppm) and FG (546–1,089 ppm) contains the same amount of structural OH (concentrations given in wt.‐ppm H2O) as omphacite in coesite eclogite (492–1,140 ppm). The obtained difference in the garnet‐omphacite H2O partition coefficient between quartz (0.01–0.03) and coesite eclogite (0.08–0.11) results from different H2O contents in garnet (coesite eclogite: 50–150 ppm; quartz eclogite: <2–50 ppm; Gose & Schmädicke, 2018). The total content of structural OH in omphacite is unrelated to its major and trace element composition. However, treating the individual IR bands separately, a relation between OH and mineral composition is observed. The OH amount defined by band II is positively correlated to Ti and tetrahedral Al, and that of band III shows a positive correlation with Ca and a negative one with Na (and jadeite). Both the total OH content of omphacite and the partial contents deduced from individual IR bands are unrelated to PT conditions. This implies that omphacite incorporated its structural H2O mainly in the quartz stability field, presumably during initial omphacite growth. Conversely, most OH in garnet was derived from the final breakdown of the last remaining calcic amphibole close to or within the coesite stability field. Our data suggest that coesite eclogite is able to transport a significant amount of H2O (average 550 ppm, maximum 730 ppm), corresponding to that in 3–4 vol.% calcic amphibole, via subduction to depths beyond 100 km. However, the majority of water liberated by dehydration reactions during subduction, including the breakdown of 5–10 vol.% eclogite facies and >10 vol.% pre‐eclogitic hydrous minerals, is not preserved in eclogite but liberated to the mantle wedge.

Raman geobarometry of quartz inclusions in eclogitic garnet constrains the metamorphic evolution and exhumation of the Sumdo oceanic slab in Tibet

Due to the high density at mantle depths, subducted oceanic crust rarely exhumes to the surface of Earth, making it challenging to determine the evolution and dynamic behavior of oceanic crust. The Sumdo eclogite-bearing metamorphic belt, located between the north and south Lhasa terranes in Tibet, is a natural laboratory for studying the metamorphic evolution of oceanic eclogites. We combined phase equilibrium modeling with detailed petrological investigations for the newly discovered Xilang eclogite from this belt and obtained near-peak metamorphic conditions of 539 °C at 1.84 GPa and a steep exhumation P–T path. These values are much lower than published for the other areas of this belt. Quartz inclusions sealed in garnet from high-pressure rocks are known to preserve residual pressures during exhumation, which can be used to reexamine the peak metamorphic conditions of eclogites in the Sumdo metamorphic belt. We analyzed quartz from three different areas in the belt, including Xilang, Jilang, and Xindaduo, with laser Raman micro spectroscopy. Xilang eclogite preserved the highest residual pressure of 0.53 ± 0.07 GPa in the quartz stability field. A systematic comparison of the residual pressures of different eclogites revealed that not only the peak metamorphic conditions but also the exhumation rate of the host rocks controlled the residual pressure. Hence, the Xilang eclogite may record lower peak P–T conditions, because it exhumed differently than the eclogites from the other areas in the Sumdo metamorphic belt. Combined with numerical modeling, the residual pressures obtained by Raman spectroscopy may be a new way to compare the metamorphic conditions of eclogites and to obtain geochronological information in addition to isotopic investigations.

A unique Paleoproterozoic HP–UHT metamorphic event recorded by the Bengbu mafic granulites in the southwestern Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt, North China Craton

The Wuhe Complex in the Bengbu area of the Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt, southeast North China Craton, contains garnet-bearing mafic granulites that have undergone high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism. These granulites also experienced partial melting and occur as lenses within marbles. Petrographic observations and quantitative phase equilibria modeling reveal clockwise P–T paths, involving an inferred HP stage followed by decompressional, medium-pressure, granulite-facies metamorphism and subsequent cooling. The HP assemblage of garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + K-feldspar ± amphibole ± quartz ± rutile indicates P–T conditions of 840–980 °C and 12–17 kbar. This was followed by post-peak, near-isothermal decompression with the development of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + K-feldspar + garnet + amphibole + ilmenite at 850–960 °C and 7–10 kbar, resulting in the development of orthopyroxene rims on resorbed garnet. Pyroxene and ternary feldspar thermometry yielded high temperatures of ~1150 °C and 1055–1087 °C at 10 kbar, respectively, which constrain the minimum crystallization temperatures of the igneous protoliths. The host and lamellae of the pyroxene and ternary feldspar are relict magmatic minerals/textures that survived metamorphism due to the silica-undersaturated bulk-rock conditions. Zr-in-rutile thermometry yielded temperatures of ~935 °C and 800 °C, with the former being consistent with the predicted peak metamorphic temperatures. Small amounts of melts (up to 5%) were generated during decompression of the Bengbu mafic granulites. The generated partial melts were mainly (quartz) monzonite at 900–920 °C, and the silica contents of the melts were controlled by the quartz stability field in P–T pseudosections. The partial melts were enriched in Na and strongly depleted in Fe–Mg at the peak pressure of ~14 kbar and 920 °C, and later evolved to Fe–Mg-rich and high-K compositions during decompression. The melt compositions in the studied rocks are similar when the pressures reached ~9 kbar. The modal proportion of amphibole increased as the melt H2O content decreased at lower pressures, indicating that the limited H2O remaining in the host rocks was consumed to produce amphibole. U–Pb geochronology of zircon containing inclusions of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and apatite constrains the timing of metamorphism to 1930–1840 Ma, as is the case for HP granulites from Shandong, Liaoning, and southern Jilin in the central and northeastern Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt. The Wuhe HP–UHT mafic granulites were ultimately sourced from upwelling asthenosphere-derived magma at ~2.1 Ga, which intruded and crystallized at shallower depths. The igneous protoliths were then buried to middle–lower crustal levels and experienced HP–UHT granulite-facies metamorphism and partial melting at 1.95–1.90 Ga related to continental subduction and overthickening. The HP–UHT mafic granulites were rapidly exhumed at ~1.85 Ga and generated small volumes of (quartz) monzonite during decompression. The newly discovered Paleoproterozoic HP–UHT mafic granulites associated with partial melting suggest that the continent materials were deeply subducted to the lower crustal levels and that additional heating was not involved. The finding of the HP–UHT granulites, together with the widespread distributions of the granulite-facies metamorphic rocks and the determination of the clockwise P–T–t paths, reveal that the Paleoproterozoic Jiao–Liao–Ji orogenic belt extends at least 1000 km, starting from southern Jilin, passing through the southeastern Liaoning and Jiaobei terranes, and elongating to the Bengbu area in Anhui.

Stresses and pressures at the quartz‐to‐coesite phase transformation in shear deformation experiments

AbstractCoesite was found in quartz aggregates, experimentally deformed at confining pressures of 1.0–1.5 GPa and temperatures between 600°C and 900°C. The confining pressure (Pc) and, in most cases, the mean stress (σm) of the experiments were below those of the quartz‐to‐coesite phase transformation. Yet coesite formed when the maximum principal stress (σ1) was within the P‐T range of the coesite stability field. In one sample, the euhedral coesite grains were corroded indicating that coesite started to transform back to quartz. It is inferred that this sample started to deform with σ1 above the quartz‐to‐coesite phase transformation and, with ongoing deformation, σ1 decreased to values in the quartz stability field due to strain weakening. In all cases, σ1 triggered the quartz‐to‐coesite reaction as well as the reverse reaction, suggesting that σ1 is the critical parameter for the quartz‐to‐coesite transformation—not Pc or σm. With progressive deformation, the coesite laths rotated toward the shear plane as more rigid particles with the sense of shear. In case of back reaction, new quartz grains exhibit no systematic crystallographic relationship with respect to old coesite. The experiments cover different degrees of pressure “overstepping,” different temperatures, and different experimental durations at P and T, and deformation always enhances the reaction kinetics. The observation that σ1 is critical for a pressure‐dependent phase transformation (also for reversals) poses questions for the thermodynamic treatment of such phase transformations.

Timing of eclogite facies metamorphism in the North Qinling by U–Pb and Lu–Hf geochronology

Although petrologic data from the North Qinling orogen in central China have provided essential information on the geodynamic history of the orogenic cycle, the timing of the continental collision between the North China block and the South China block in the North Qinling orogen remains essentially unconstrained. To refine existing geodynamic models, two eclogites from the North Qinling were dated by U–Pb and Lu–Hf geochronology. The upper limit of the pressure during the eclogite facies metamorphism was restricted within the quartz stability field at 2.6–2.8GPa within a temperature range of 660–710°C by combining conventional thermobarometry and pseudosection estimates. Mineral–whole rock dating for multi-garnet-(omphacite) fractions from two localities yielded ages of 516.4±5.8Ma (2σ) and 494.3±2.7Ma (2σ) with corresponding weighted mean zircon 206Pb/238U ages of 507.0±8.7Ma (2σ) and 490.0±4.1 (2σ) Ma, respectively. Garnet porphyroblasts from the two samples bore evidence of prograde elemental zonation, but the major portion of the garnet grains grew exclusively under eclogite facies conditions as indicated by the occurrence of omphacite inclusions from core to rim. Therefore, these Lu–Hf ages were interpreted to reflect high-pressure eclogite facies metamorphism. The difference between the two Lu–Hf ages likely represents the minimum duration of garnet growth and thus brackets the onset and the closure of the subduction. These results allow for more detailed insight into the subduction history of the North Qinling orogen. These new U–Pb and Lu–Hf ages mark the timing of the onset of the continental collision between the North China block and the South China block in the Qinling belt, suggesting that the entry of the leading edge of the South China block continent into the North China block trench occurred from ca. 516Ma to 490Ma in the North Qinling orogen.

Coesite and quartz characteristic of crystallization from shock-produced silica melt in the Xiuyan crater

Abundant coesite and quartz coexist with the shock-produced silica glasses that retain the morphology of primary quartz in the gneiss clasts of polymict breccia from the Xiuyan crater. Quartz occurs as idiomorphic, needle-like and spherulitic crystals, and polycrystalline aggregates. Coesite occurs as granular or idiomorphic, dendritic and needle-like crystals, and polycrystalline aggregates of stringers. The occurrence and morphology of coesite and quartz characterize crystallization from an undercooled dense silica melt. During decompression, coesite firstly crystallizes from shock-produced dense silica melt at high pressure. As pressure decreases to the stability field of quartz, quartz crystallizes from the melt, whereas coesite remains metastable state. A growth rate of 10 − 3 m/s is evaluated for the crystallization of both coesite and quartz based on an estimation of the pressure duration of 10 ms in the coesite stability field for the crater. Higher pressure in silica melt could play a key role for promoting the rapid growth of coesite and quartz by reducing the viscosity of silica melt and the glass transition temperatures substantially. The occurrence of both coesite and quartz embedded in silica glass provides unambiguous evidence for an impact origin of the crater.

Ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and decompression history of sapphirine granulites from Rajapalaiyam, southern India: implications for the formation of hot orogens during Gondwana assembly

AbstractSapphirine-bearing Mg–Al granulites from Rajapalaiyam in the southern part of the Madurai Block provide critical evidence for Late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism in southern India. Poikiloblastic garnet in quartzo-feldspathic and pelitic granulites contain inclusions of fine-grained subidioblastic to xenoblastic sapphirine associated with quartz, suggesting that the rocks underwent T > 1000°C peak metamorphism. Quartz inclusions in spinel within garnet are also regarded as clear evidence for a UHT condition. Inclusions of orthopyroxene within porphyroblastic garnet in the sapphirine-bearing rocks show the highest Al2O3 content of up to 10.3 wt%, suggesting T = 1050–1070°C and P = 8.5–9.5 kbar. Temperatures estimated from ternary feldspar and other geothermometers (T = 950–1000°C) further support extreme thermal metamorphism in this region. Xenoblastic spinel inclusions in sapphirine coexisting with quartz suggest that the spinel + quartz assemblage pre-dates the sapphirine + quartz assemblage, probably implying a cooling from T ~ 1050°C or an anticlockwise P–T path. The FMAS reaction sapphirine + quartz + garnet → orthopyroxene + sillimanite indicates a cooling from the sapphirine + quartz stability field after the peak metamorphism. Corona textures of orthopyroxene + cordierite (± sapphirine), orthopyroxene + sapphirine + cordierite, and cordierite + spinel around garnet suggest subsequent near-isothermal decompression followed by decompressional cooling toward T = 650–750°C and P = 4.5–5.5 kbar. The sapphirine–quartz association and related textures described in this study have an important bearing on the UHT metamorphism and exhumation history of the Madurai Block, as well as on the tectonic evolution of the continental deep crust in southern India. Our study provides a typical example for extreme metamorphism associated with collisional tectonics during the Late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.

Zircon-Inclusion Mineralogy of a Diamond-Grade Eclogite from the Kokchetav Massif, Northern Kazakhstan

In order to understand the dehydration process related to phengite decomposition during subduction of crust into the deep mantle, we systematically investigated mineral inclusions in zircons from Kokchetav diamond-grade eclogites. In the eclogites, phengite is absent from the matrix but only occurs as inclusions in clinopyroxene. The clinopyroxene is zoned; the core augite contains K2O up to 0.24 wt%, whereas the rim omphacite contains secondary K-feldspar inclusions. Phengite may have been consumed during prograde reactions, and K was fixed in clinopyroxene or in a fluid/melt phase. Inclusions of clinopyroxene and garnet were identified in zircon cores, whereas garnet, rutile, quartz, and composite inclusions are present in the mantles and quartz occurs in the rims. Distribution of mineral inclusions in zoned zircons indicates that zircon cores grew at the peak UHP stage, whereas the rims grew in the quartz stability field during decompression. The composite inclusions have assemblages of albite + glass + epidote, rutile + ilmenite, quartz + rutile, and rutile + albite. The former three-phase composite inclusions have rounded outlines and triple-junction grain boundaries, suggesting crystallization from fluid or melt. During the growth of zircon from core to mantle, phengite was consumed, and new garnet, rutile and fluid/melt were formed.

Refining the timing of eclogite metamorphism: a geochemical, petrological, Sm-Nd and U-Pb case study from the Pohorje Mountains, Slovenia (Eastern Alps)

High-pressure metamorphism in the Pohorje Mountains of Slovenia (Austroalpine unit, Eastern Alps) affected N-MORB type metabasic and metapelitic lithologies. Thermodynamic calculations and equilibrium phase diagrams of kyanite–phengite-bearing eclogites reveal PT conditions of >2.1 GPa at T<750°C, but within the stability field of quartz. Metapelitic eclogite country rocks contain the assemblage garnet + phengite + kyanite + quartz, for which calculated peak pressure conditions are in good agreement with results obtained from eclogite samples. The eclogites contain a single population of spherical zircon with a low Th/U ratio. Combined constraints on the age of metamorphism come from U/Pb zircon as well as garnet–whole rock and mineral–mineral Sm-Nd analyses from eclogites. A coherent cluster of single zircon analyses yields a 206Pb/238U age of 90.7±1.0 Ma that is in good agreement with results from Sm-Nd garnet–whole rock regression of 90.7±3.9 and 90.1±2.0 Ma (eNd: +8) for two eclogite samples. The agreement between U-Pb and Sm-Nd age data strongly suggests an age of approximately 90 Ma for the pressure peak of the eclogites in the Pohorje Mountains. The presence of garnet, omphacite and quartz inclusions in unfractured zircon indicates high-pressure rather than ultrahigh pressure conditions. The analysed metapelite sample yields a Sm-Nd garnet–whole rock scatterchron age of 97±15 Ma. These data probably support a single P-T loop for mafic and pelitic lithologies of the Pohorje area and a late Cretaceous high-pressure event that affected the entire easternmost Austroalpine basement including the Koralpe and Saualpe eclogite type locality in the course of the complex collision of the Apulian microplate and Europe.

First Report of Sapphirine+Quartz Assemblage from Southern India: Implications for Ultrahigh-temperature Metamorphism

We report here for the first time, the occurrence of sapphirine+quartz assemblage in textural equilibrium from quartzo-feldspathic and pelitic granulites from southern India. The sapphirine-bearing rocks occur as layered gneisses associated with pink granite within massive charnockite in Rajapalaiyam area in the southern part of Madurai Block. Sapphirine occurs in three associations: (i) fine-grained subhedral mineral associated with quartz enclosed in garnet, (ii) intergrowth with Al-rich orthopyroxene (up to 9.7 wt.% Al 2O 3), and (iii) in symplectitic intergrowth with orthopyroxene (Al 2O 3= 5.9–6.7 wt.%) and cordierite surrounding garnet. The sapphirine in association with quartz is slightly magnesian (X Mg = 0.79–0.80) and low in Si content (1.55–1.56 pfu) as compared with those associated with orthopyroxene and cordierite (X Mg= 0.77–0.79, Si = 1.59–1.63 pfu). The sapphirine+quartz assemblage suggests that the granulites underwent T>1050 °C peak metamorphism. Cores of porphyroblastic orthopyroxene in the sapphirine-bearing rocks shows high-Al 2O 3 content of up to 9.7 wt.%, suggesting T = 1040–1060°C and P = 8 kbar. FMAS reaction of sapphirine+quartz→garnet+sillimanite+cordierite indicates a cooling from sapphirine+quartz stability field after the peak ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism. Slightly lower temperature estimates from ternary feldspar and sapphirine-spinel geothermometers (T = 950–1000°C) also support a post-peak isobaric cooling. Corona textures of orthopyroxene+cordierite (±sapphirine), orthopyroxene+sapphirine, and cordierite+spinel around garnet suggest subsequent decompression. The sapphirine-quartz association and related textures reported in this study have important bearing on the ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and exhumation history of the Madurai Block as well as on the tectonic evolution of the continental deep crust in southern India.

Geothermobarometry of UHP and HP eclogites and schists – an evaluation of equilibria among garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–coesite/quartz

AbstractGeothermometry of eclogites and other high pressure (HP)/ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) rocks has been a challenge, due to severe problems related to the reliability of the garnet–clinopyroxene Fe–Mg exchange thermometer to omphacite‐bearing assemblages. Likewise, reliable geobarometers for eclogites and related HP/UHP rocks are scarce. In this paper, a set of internally consistent geothermobarometric expressions have been formulated for reactions between the UHP assemblage garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–coesite, and the corresponding HP assemblage garnet–clinopyroxene–kyanite–phengite–quartz. In the system KCMASH, the end members grossular (Grs) and pyrope (Prp) in garnet, diopside (Di) in clinopyroxene, muscovite (Ms) and celadonite (Cel) in phengite together with kyanite and coesite or quartz define invariant points in the coesite and quartz stability field, respectively, depending on which SiO2 polymorph is stable. Thus, a set of net transfer reactions including these end members will uniquely define equilibrium temperatures and pressures for phengite–kyanite–SiO2‐bearing eclogites. Application to relevant eclogites from various localities worldwide show good consistency with petrographic evidence. Eclogites containing either coesite or polycrystalline quartz after coesite all plot within the coesite stability field, while typical quartz‐bearing eclogites with no evidence of former coesite fall within the quartz stability field. Diamondiferous coesite–kyanite eclogite and grospydite xenoliths in kimberlites all fall into the diamond stability field. The present method also yields consistent values as compared with the garnet–clinopyroxene Fe–Mg geothermometer for these kinds of rocks, but also indicates some unsystematic scatter of the latter thermometer. The net transfer geothermobarometric method presented in this paper is suggested to be less affected by later thermal re‐equilibration than common cation exchange thermometers.

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PIGI AND KARATHODORO MIGMATIZED METASEDIMENTS, GUEVGUELI COMPLEX, MACEDONIA, GREECE

Two continental slivers, those of Pigi and Karathodoro (parts of the Stip-Axios unit) are intercalated among members of the Guevgueli ophiolitic complex. These two slivers are closely related with the Late Jurassic basic and acid (expressed mainly by Fanos granite) magmatism ofthat area. A subduction-related volcanic suite intrudes the two continental slivers. Migmatized metasediments constitute the main lithological type of Pigi and Karathodoro. The geochemistry shows that minerals participating in the main decompressional-melting reactions, such as biotite, sillimanite, cordierite, plagioclase and orthoclase, control the differentation of the major elements between mesosomes - diatexites, leucosomes and restites. The refractory behavior of accessory minerals, such as monazite, allanite, zircon, hercynite and ilmenite, control the differentiation of the trace elements. Harker and rare earth element diagrams establish a complementary relationship between restites, leucosomes and mesosomes. In the peraluminous system Ab-Qz-Or leucosomes are projected close to the thermal minimum between 760-800 °C. A main exception is the Platania granite projected within the quartz stability field, probably due to the participation of restitic quartz in its mineralogy. The geochemical results are in good agreement with the pétrographie observations and show that the partial melting was responsible for the formation of Pigi and Karathodoro migmatites

Hydrogeochemistry of mine, surface and groundwaters from the Sanggok mine creek in the upper Chungju Lake, Republic of Korea

The Sanggok mine used to be one of the largest lead-zinc mines in the Hwanggangri mining district, Republic of Korea. The present study characterizes the heavy metal contamination in the abandoned Sanggok mine creek on the basis of physico-chemical properties of various kinds of water samples (mine, surface and groundwater). Hydrochemistry of the water samples is characterized by the relatively significant enrichment of Ca2+, HCO3 –, NO3 – and Cl– in the surface and groundwaters, whereas the mine water is relatively enriched in Ca2+, Mg2+, heavy metals, and HCO3 – and SO4 2–. The more polluted mine water has a lower pH and higher Eh, conductivity and TDS values. The concentrations of some toxic elements (Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se, Sr, Pb and Zn) are tens to hundreds of times higher in the mine water than in the unpolluted surface and groundwaters. However, most immobile toxic pollutants from the mine drainage were quickly removed from the surface water by the precipitation of Al and Fe oxyhydroxides. Geochemical modeling showed that potentially toxic heavy metals might exist largely in the forms of MSO4 2– and M2+ in the mine water. These metals in the surface and groundwaters could form M2+, CO3 2– and OH– complex ions. Computer simulation indicates that the saturation indices of albite, alunite, anhydrite, chlorite, fluorite, gypsum, halloysite and strontianite in the water samples are undersaturated and have progressively evolved toward the saturation condition. However, barite, calcite, chalcedony, dolomite, gibbsite, illite and quartz were in equilibrium, and only clay minerals were supersaturated. Ground and mine waters seemed to be in equilibrium with kaolinite field, but some surface water were in equilibrium with gibbsite and seceded from the stability field of quartz. This indicates that surface water samples in reaction with carbonate rocks would first equilibrate with carbonate minerals, then gibbsite to kaolinite. Investigations on water quality and environmental improvement of the severely polluted Sanggok creek, as well as remediation methods on the possible future pollution of the groundwater by the acid mine drainage from the abandoned metal mines, are urgently required.

The high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure eclogite transition in the Western Gneiss Region, Norway

Mineralogical and textural criteria in high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in the Nordfjord-Stadlandet area of the Western Gneiss Region of Norway demonstrate in situ metamorphism of both high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure eclogites within their enclosing gneisses. In ultrahigh-pressure rocks, coesite occurs in garnet, clinopyroxene and kyanite in eclogite, and quartz pseudomorphs after coesite in garnet, clinopyroxene and epidote minerals in eclogites and gneisses. Relic coesite(s) ranging from 2 to 150 μm grain size has been identified by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Preservation of coesite varies considerably, from 0 to 90 % in inclusions. Coesite, or non-annealed pseudomorphs after coesite, are only preserved as inclusions within rigid host phases that have been isolated from the rock matrix until a late stage in the exhumation history, after amphibolite-facies retrogression of the rock matrix. These textural relationships suggest cooling during exhumation. Several textural and mineral chemical features of garnets and amphiboles distinguish ultrahigh-pressure from high-pressure eclogites and gneisses. Ultrahigh-pressure eclogites and gneisses record only peak P-T conditions and subsequent retrograde metamorphism, whereas high-pressure eclogites and gneisses record a prograde evolution to eclogite-facies conditions, and subsequent retrogression, entirely restricted to the quartz stability field. These differences are evidence of a metamorphic break in the Nordfjord area. It appears not to be related to kinetic factors, and so supports a proposed tectonic boundary to an ultrahigh-pressure unit in the Western Gneiss Region. These features are consistent with exhumation of UHP rocks in the Nordfjord-Stadlandet area by a subduction-type model.

Kinetics of the coesite to quartz transformation

The survival of coesite in ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks has important implications for the exhumation of subducted crustal rocks. We have conducted experiments to study the mechanism and rate of the coesite→quartz transformation using polycrystalline coesite aggregates, fabricated by devitrifying silica glass cylinders containing 2850 H/10 6 Si at 1000°C and 3.6 GPa for 24 h. Conditions were adjusted following synthesis to transform the samples at 700–1000°C at pressures 190–410 MPa below the quartz–coesite equilibrium boundary. Reaction proceeds via grain-boundary nucleation and interface-controlled growth, with characteristic reaction textures remarkably similar to those seen in natural UHP rocks. We infer that the experimental reaction mechanism is identical to that in nature, a prerequisite for reliable extrapolation of the rate data. Growth rates obtained by direct measurement differ by up to two orders of magnitude from those estimated by fitting a rate equation to the transformation–time data. Fitting the rates to Turnbull's equation for growth therefore yields two distinct sets of parameters with similar activation energies (242 or 269 kJ/mol) but significantly different pre-exponential constants. Extrapolation based on either set of growth rates suggests that coesite should not be preserved on geologic time scales if it reaches the quartz stability field at temperatures above 375–400°C. The survival of coesite has previously been linked to its inclusion in strong phases, such as garnet, that can sustain a high internal pressure during decompression. Other factors that may play a crucial role in preservation are low fluid availability — possibly even less than that of our nominally “dry” experiments — and the development of transformation stress, which inhibits nucleation and growth. These issues are discussed in the context of our experiments as well as recent observations from natural rocks.

Paragonite eclogites from Dabie Shan, China: re‐equilibration during exhumation?

Abstract Paragonite in textural equilibrium with garnet, omphacite and kyanite is found in two eclogites in the ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic terrane in Dabie Shan, China. Equilibrium reactions between paragonite, omphacite and kyanite indicate a pressure of about 19 kbar at c. 700° C. However, one of the paragonite eclogites also contains clear quartz pseudomorphs after coesite as inclusions in garnet, suggesting minimum pressures of 27 kbar at the same temperature. The disparate pressure estimates from the same rock suggest that the matrix minerals in the ultrahigh‐pressure eclogites have recrystallized at lower pressures and do not represent the peak ultrahigh‐pressure assemblages. This hypothesis is tested by calibrating a garnet + zoisite/clinozoisite + kyanite + quartz/coesite geobarometer and applying it to the appropriate eclogite facies rocks from ultrahigh‐ and high‐pressure terranes. These four minerals coexist from 10 to 60 kbar and in this wide pressure range the grossular content of garnet reflects the equilibrium pressure on the basis of the reaction zoisite/clinozoisite = grossular + kyanite + quartz/coesite + H2O. The results of the geobarometer agree well with independent pressure estimates from eclogites from other orogenic belts. For the paragonite eclogites in Dabie Shan the geobarometer indicates pressures in the quartz stability field, confirming that the former coesite‐bearing paragonite‐eclogite has re‐equilibrated at lower pressures. On the other hand, garnets from other coesite‐bearing but paragonite‐free kyanite‐zoisite eclogites show a very wide variation in grossular content, corresponding to a pressure variation from coesite into the quartz field. This wide variation, partly due to a rimward decrease in grossular component in garnet, is caused by partial equilibration of the mineral assemblage during the exhumation.

Equation of state for lambda transition in quartz

An equation of state has been developed for quartz, a substance with a lambda‐type phase transition. It has the properties of the Murnaghan equation of state in the normal region and reflects the fundamental behavior of thermodynamic functions in the anomalous region. The term jT/(i‐T)1/2 has been introduced in the temperature dependent equations of isobaric heat capacity and the volume coefficient of thermal expansion, where i and j are fitting coefficients. The i coefficient is numerically close to the temperature of the phase transition Tc and is usually in the 0.1&lt;|i‐Tc|&lt;20 K interval. The range of applicability of the Murnaghan equation is delineated in the PT stability field of quartz. In the lambda range, the derivative of thermal expansion with respect to temperature is pressure dependent according to rules that allow integration of the thermal expansion and molar volume for calculation of the change in thermodynamic functions from room pressure to any given pressure. Available phase equilibria and thermochemical data have been used with the proposed equation of state to calculate the standard thermodynamic properties for coesite and the SiO2 phase diagram including alpha quartz, beta quartz, and coesite.

Submicrometer fluid inclusions in turbid-diamond coats

Transmission and analytical electron microscopies were used to characterize the turbid coats on two diamonds from Zaire. The coats contained euhedral cavities (generally ≤ 0.5 μm) that are believed to represent decrepit fluid inclusions. Crystals (generally ≤ 0.2 μm) were sometimes found in the cavities, but they were never observed to fill the cavities entirely. Cavities that appeared to be intact typically contained several solid inclusions and an amorphous material with a low average atomic weight. The crystals in such cavities were able to move under a condensed electron beam, suggesting that the amorphous material was a liquid and not a glass. Using compositional analysis and electron diffraction, five minerals were identified as daughter crystals in the cavities: apatite, high-Ca carbonate, low-Ca carbonate, mica, and quartz. Coesite and olivine were not observed in any of the cavities. Compositional analysis of some crystals indicated that other minerals (e.g., amphibole) were present as daughter crystals; however, electron diffraction data were insufficient to identify them unambiguously. Since these inclusions are believed to have been trapped during the growth of the diamond coats [1], it may be possible to constrain the environment under which the coast grew, assuming that the daughter minerals precipitated from the trapped fluid and that the fluid inclusions have not re-equilibrated. Coexisting magnesite-like and dolomite-like carbonates and silica constrain X CO2 of the fluid to greater than 0.4. The presence of quartz is consistent with the coats developing at lower pressures and temperatures than the cores they surround; alternatively, quartz grew from a glass or high- P, high- T silica polymorph (coesite) when the inclusions re-equilibrated in the quartz stability field.

The effect of fluorine on the structure of hydrous aluminosilicate melts (extended abstract)

Liquidus phase relations have been determined for a portion of the water saturated system SiO2-NaAlSi3O8-KAlSi3O8-F2 at 1 kb. The stability field of quartz expands and liquidus temperatures decrease when fluorine is added to the initially F2 free system. Fluorine is probably present in the melt as the free fluoride ion and as the aluminofluoride complex (AlFg63-).