Siliceous Schist Research Articles

Detrital Zircons From Lower Palaeozoic Metamorphic Complexes and Silurian–Devonian Strata in the South Kitakami Belt, Northeast Japan: Implications for the Northern Extension of the Terra Australis Orogen in Northeast Gondwana

ABSTRACTTo reconstruct the detailed location of proto‐Japan around northeastern Gondwana during the early Palaeozoic, this article presents detrital zircon U–Pb age spectra for lower Palaeozoic metamorphic complexes and Silurian–Devonian strata from the western margin of the South Kitakami belt in northeast Japan. Psammitic and siliceous schists have youngest age peaks ranging from the Ordovician (479–458 Ma) to early Silurian (ca. 439 Ma). Sandstones have youngest age peaks varying from the early Silurian (ca. 435 Ma) to Late Devonian (370–360 Ma). The U–Pb age spectra exhibit major peaks at 510–500, 480–470, and 450–440 Ma. Excluding the Upper Devonian sandstones, significant age peaks occur at 650–550 and 1300–900 Ma. These data can be interpreted as a Pacific Gondwana signature, indicating a tectonic association with the Terra Australis Orogen that developed along the northeastern Gondwanan margin and Paleo‐Pacific Ocean, extending from eastern Australia (i.e., the Thomson, Lachlan, and Delamerian orogens) to Antarctica (i.e., the Ross Orogen). In northeast Asia, the Pacific Gondwana detrital zircons and 480–470 Ma zircons occur in the Bainaimiao arc belt along the northern margin of the North China Craton and in the Jiangyu continental arc in the Jilin area. The magmatic arcs of proto‐Japan and these regions were part of the Terra Australis Orogen during the Ordovician–early Silurian. A decrease in the proportion of Pacific Gondwana detrital zircons in Upper Devonian strata may be due to multistage trench retreat, such as that recognized in the Tasmanides in eastern Australia, which corresponds to the northern Terra Australis Orogen.

Nickelalumite, ideally NiAl4(SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3, a new-old mineral from the Kara-Tangi uranium deposit, Kyrgyzstan

Nickelalumite, ideally NiAl4(SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3, is a newly approved mineral from the Batken region, Kyrgyzstan, where it occurs in the Kara-Tangi and Kara-Chagyr uranium deposits. It formed in a zone of hydrothermal alteration of U–V-bearing carbonaceous siliceous schists, in association with quartz, calcite, alumohydrocalcite, allophane, crandallite, kyrgyzstanite, ankinovichite and an unknown Al–OH-mineral. It occurs as aggregates of colourless to pistachio-green radiating bladed crystals from 0.05 to 0.50 mm long. It is vitreous to transparent in thin flakes, has a white streak, and shows no fluorescence under long-wave or short-wave ultraviolet light. Cleavage is perfect parallel to {001} and no parting was observed. Mohs hardness is 2, it is brittle and has a splintery fracture. The calculated mass density is 2.231 g cm–3. In transmitted plane-polarized white light, nickelalumite is non-pleochroic, biaxial, α = 1.542(2), γ = 1.533(2), β could not be measured due to the almost negligible thickness of the flakes. EPMA chemical analysis gave Al2O3 39.94, SiO2 0.17, SO3 15.20, V2O3 0.29, FeO 0.15, NiO 8.00, ZnO 6.21, (H2O)calc. 31.87, total 101.83 wt%, H2O was determined by crystal-structure analysis, and the empirical formula is as follows: (Ni0.55Zn0.39V0.02Fe0.01)Σ0.97(Al3.99Si0.01)Σ4.00 (SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3 based on 4 (Al + Si) cations. There is considerable variation in substitution of Zn, Cu, Fe and V3+ for Ni and V5+ for S6+. Nickelalumite is monoclinic, P21/n, a = 10.2567(5), b = 8.8815(4), c = 17.0989(8) Å, β = 95.548(1)°, V = 1550.3(2) Å3, Z = 4. The crystal structure of nickelalumite was refined to an R1 index of 5.66% and consists of interrupted [NiAl4(OH)12] sheets intercalated with layers of {(SO4)2(H2O)3}; nickelalumite is a member of the chalcoalumite group.

A reinterpretation of the metamorphic Yuli belt: Evidence for a middle-late Miocene accretionary prism in eastern Taiwan

The Yuli metamorphic belt has been the topic of petrological and geochronological studies for over 40 years and has been interpreted as a Cretaceous melange. Our study utilizes zircon U-Pb dating of schist and exotic blueschist blocks in the Yuli belt. These new ages indicate that these metamorphic rocks are actually middle Miocene in age and may represent the deeper structural levels of an accretionary prism. Several distinctive detrital zircon U-Pb age populations are recognized from 14 siliceous schists of melange-hosted rocks that are similar in age population to the Cretaceous, Eocene-Oligocene, and Miocene strata of Taiwan. The wide range of ages is interpreted as a product mixing of various sedimentary strata prior to metamorphism. Three blueschists of a volcanic-arc protolith enclosed within the host rocks yield crystallization ages of 15.4 ± 0.4, 15.5 ± 0.3, and 16.0 ± 0.2 Ma based on zircon U-Pb dating. In consideration of the new data regarding the Cretaceous-Miocene host rocks and the middle Miocene exotic blueschist blocks, it strongly suggests that the Yuli belt formed at deeper levels of an accretionary wedge during subduction of South China Sea oceanic crust at the middle-late Miocene. Subsequently, the rapid uplift of the metamorphic belt was probably related to doubly vergent wedge extrusion due to the Pliocene arc-continent collision.

Assessment of Boron Application in Chestnuts: Nut Yield and Quality

A field trial was conducted between 2006 and 2009 in order to quantify the effect of boron (B) application on the yield and quality of chestnuts. The trial was established in an acid soil derived from siliceous schist and two levels of B were applied. Fruit abortion and nut yield per tree were measured, and nut quality parameters and chemical composition of the kernel were determined. Foliar B concentration was 8.6 mg kg−1 in the control trees and 48.4 mg kg−1 in fertilized chestnuts. Boron improved fruit setting and promoted nut production by 77%. In 2008, the occurrence of cold temperatures enhanced the effect of B on fruit setting, which was four-fold, whereas with the normal temperatures of 2009 the increase was lower. The drought of 2009 was responsible for the ruinous chestnut caliber and shell cracking. Boron induced a significant increase in the crude fat of chestnut kernel.

Origin of vein-graphite derived from metamorphic fluids in Moine (Glenfinnan Group) rocks, NW Scotland

Synopsis Proterozoic metasediments at Glen Strathfarrar, Inverness-shire, host a deposit of vein-graphite that is unique within the Moinian stratigraphic sequence. Carbon isotopic analysis, Raman microspectroscopy, fluid inclusion studies and volatile gas analysis were used to constrain the origin of the vein-graphite. Carbon isotopic analysis shows that the carbon is heavier than that expected for sedimentary material (δ 13 C value of −14.35‰), suggesting that fractionation has taken place since sedimentation. Graphitization of sedimentary carbon in the Glenfinnan Group pelitic gneiss occurred in response to changes in both temperature and pressure arising from a series of regional metamorphic events. Scavenging of carbon by metamorphic fluids generated during amphibolite-grade metamorphism associated with the youngest, possibly Caledonian, event is the most probable source of the vein-graphite at Glen Strathfarrar. Similarities in gas composition with quartz veins occurring in Dalradian rocks show that carbonaceous sedimentary sequences consistently generate fluids rich in CO 2 and N 2 , making volatile gas analysis a valuable tool in determining the history of metamorphic fluids. The occurrence of crystalline graphite in the pelitic gneiss at Glen Strathfarrar makes it highly likely that the carbon-rich fluids have been generated from within the Glenfinnan Group sediments rather than from Lewisian rocks at depth. Despite the assertion that graphite is uncommon in Moine rocks, the high ammonium content of biotite in these metasediments and the consistently high N 2 values of fluid inclusions within the siliceous schist and quartz veins suggest that, prior to metamorphism, the sediments contained more organic matter than their present composition suggests. Supplementary material: The results of incremental crush analysis of vein samples from localities within the Moine, Dalradian and Old Red Sandstone are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18499 .

BORON APPLICATION ON A CHESTNUT ORCHARD: EFFECT ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF NUTS

Although boron (B) deficiency in chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) has been identified in Portugal and B fertilization was carried out in some orchards, the post-treatment evaluations have not been made to date. So the objective of this trial was to confirm the B deficiency and to quantify the effect of B applications to the soil on nut yield and quality. In October 2006, a fertilizer trial was established in a 15 year-old orchard in a very acid soil derived from siliceous schists. Soil liming and a basal fertilization were carried out in 16 trees and two levels of sodium tetraborate (Granubor, 14.6% B) were applied to eight trees: control (B0) and 100 g of Granubor per tree (B1). In the beginning of September chestnut leaves were collected from five trees and analyzed for macro- and micronutrients. Nut productivity was measured per tree and some nut quality parameters were evaluated, including the chemical composition of the kernel (soluble sugars, starch, total fiber, crude protein, and crude fat) in 2007, and dry matter, nut caliber, and fruit damage in 2007 and 2008. Boron fertilization of chestnuts significantly increased nut production: 75% in the first year (8 kg and 14 kg per tree, respectively, in the B0 and B1) and, in the second year, was over four times higher (4 kg and 17 kg per tree, respectively, in the B0 and B1). No significant differences were found in dry matter, nut caliber, nut damage and chemical composition of the kernel in the first year, but in the second year lower fruit damage by chestnut tortrix (P<0.0089) was observed. Foliar analyses exhibit relatively low B concentrations in the control trees (average value of 8 mg kg−1) in both years, while in the fertilized trees the foliar B concentration were in average 61 mg kg−1 in the first year, and 34 mg kg−1 in the second year. The large drop in the foliar B concentration in the second year suggests the need to monitoring the nutrient status of chestnut orchards or more frequent of B application than usual practice.

東北日本，日立地域からの新たな砕屑性ジルコン年代とその意義

We measured the LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age distribution of detrital zircons in three psammitic schist samples of Hitachi and Nishidohira medium P/T metamorphic rocks from the southern part of Abukuma Belt, Northeast Japan. It has been proposed that these medium P/T metamorphic rocks mark the eastern extension of the Triassic collisional suture between the North China and South China blocks. Therefore, we aim to obtain the age of sedimentation, stratigraphy, and provenance of their protolith from the measurements, and evaluate the above proposition. The psammitic schist sample (DIO-9) of Hitachi Metamorphic Rocks, originating from quartzose sandstone at the lowest part of the Daioin Formation, contains detrital zircons of the youngest age clustered around 410 Ma and the youngest zircon at 395 ± 20 Ma (206Pb/238U age; 2σ). Considering that the upper part of the Daioin Formation contains Visean (Lower Carboniferous) corals and that the formation intercalates abundant felsic tuff layers, the lowest part of the Daioin Formation is likely to be correlated with Devonian Nakasato or Lower Carboniferous Hikoroichi Formation of South Kitakami Belt, Northeast Japan. Nishidohira Metamorphic Rocks lie beneath ultramafic rocks along the base of Hitachi Metamorphic Rocks, and consist of mafic, siliceous, calcareous, pelitic, and psammitic schists or gneisses. Because the siliceous schist of Nishidohira Metamorphic Rocks is meta-pelagic chert, the metamorphic rocks presumably originated from an accretionary complex. The ages of detrital zircons in two psammitic schist samples (ND-12 and -13) of Nishidohira Metamorphic Rocks mostly fall between ca. 300 Ma and 200 Ma, with the youngest two zircons at 154 ± 6 Ma (ND-12) and 175 ± 3 Ma (ND-13) (206Pb/238U age, 2σ). The protolith age of the psammitic schists must be ca. 154 ± 6 Ma (Kimmeridgian of Late Jurassic) and ca. 175 ± 3 Ma (Aalenian of Middle Jurassic) or younger, suggesting that Nishidohira Metamorphic Rocks originated from a Jurassic accretionary complex. In the Hitachi area three tectonostratigraphic units superpose, i.e., in ascending order, (1) the Jurassic accretionary complex of Nishidohira Metamorphic Rocks, (2) ultramafic rocks, and (3) Hitachi Metamorphic Rocks that are at least partly correlated with the Paleozoic sequence of South Kitakami Belt. The tectonostratigraphy is similar to that of non-metamorphic rocks of Kitakami Mountains, Northeast Japan, where (1) the Jurassic accretionary complex of North Kitakami Belt is overlain by (2) the Hayachine mafic–ultramafic complex, which in turn is overlain by (3) the Paleo–Mesozoic succession of South Kitakami Belt.

Local geophysical investigation in the surroundings of the new German Regional Seismic Network station Heukewalde in Thuringia, Germany

ABSTRACTIn 2008, the Institute of Geosciences Jena installed a new seismic station about 20 km south‐east of Gera, close to Heukewalde in Thuringia, Germany. This station is embedded in the Thuringia Seismological Network (TSN) and in the German Regional Seismic Network (GRSN). The area around Heukewalde (approximately 1 km2) was investigated by local geophysical measurements. The priority objective of these studies was to answer the question about the quality of the new seismic station location regarding the geophysical and geological situation. The Bouguer anomaly shows amplitudes of 1.25 mGal (= 1.25·10‐5 m/s2) at maximum, the magnetic total intensity yields approximately 50 nT and the electromagnetic investigation shows a conductivity up to 85 mS/m. The local anomaly patterns and their interpretation are strongly correlated and in high agreement with geological information. According to this the station Heukewalde is placed directly at a north‐south striking fault zone. The area west of this zone consists of Silurian grapholite and siliceous schist, covered by drift clay. The eastern part is characterized by Rotliegend conglomerates. Additionally, Devonian titanic iron ore diabases are outcropped at the fault zone, which is also reflected by significant signatures in the anomaly fields. The resulting anomalies of the different geophysical methods and additional results of geoelectrical investigations confirm the main statements of the existing but very old geological map. Here we show that the location of the new station should be discussed critically from a seismological point of view, because the geological situation close to the station is very heterogeneous.

Metamorphic Evolution of Late Precambrian Eclogites and Associated Metabasites, Gorny Altai, Southern Russia

In the Vendian-Cambrian orogenic belt of the Chagan-Uzun and Kurai areas, Gorny Altai, high-pressure, low-temperature (HP/LT) metabasites and associated schists comprise a metamorphic complex less than 2 km thick. The Chagan-Uzun metabasites occur as lenticular intercalations in a recrystallized serpentinite. They include eclogite, garnet-amphibolite, amphibolite, and lower-grade schist; the first two contain glaucophane in the strict sense. The Kurai metabasites occur as a coherent body with intercalations of calcareous and siliceous schists. They are divided into four mineral zones: actinolite, hornblende, garnet-barroisite, and garnet-hornblende, based on mineral assemblages. Their metamorphic grade corresponds to greenschist to epidote-amphibolite facies, and decreases from the garnet-hornblende zone in the central part of the body to the actinolite zone in the western and eastern margins through the garnet-barroisite and hornblende zones. Estimated peak P-T conditions of the Altai metabasites from the Chagan-Uzun and Kurai areas range from 300°C at 0.4 GPa to 660°C at 2.0 GPa with successive P-T increases. On a P-T diagram, the Altai metamorphic facies series define a single curve convex toward the T axis. The Chagan-Uzun eclogites record prograde and retrograde histories, tracing a hairpin-like P-T path, which is characteristic of Mesozoic HP/LT metamorphic rocks in Pacific-type orogens. Such a P-T evolution suggests that the Altai HP/LT metamorphism occurred in conditions in which hot lithosphere subducted beneath a cool mantle wedge, or subducted lithosphere changed from hot to cold. Hot lithosphere would have been common in the Precambrian Earth with a younger average age of the subducting plate and a thicker oceanic crust, reflecting mantle activities at that time. However, the P-T evolution of the Altai metabasites indicates that the Late Precambrian Altai subduction-zone geotherm was low enough to form HP/LT rocks similar to Mesozoic analogues.

関東山地三波川変成岩中のＭｎに富んだ鉱物組み合わせについて

Mn-rich mineral paragenesis containing Mn-winchite, Mn-aegirine-augite, and Mn-rich garnet (calderitic spessartine) is found in hematite-rich siliceous schists from the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt in the Kanto Mountains. Chemical composition of amphibole widely changes with compositional layers in a siliceous schist; Mn-winchite in aegirine-augite+garnet+hematite+quartz layer, actinolite in hematite+calcite+quartz layer, and Mn-cummingtonite in hematite+quartz layer.

Preface to thematic issue: Petrotectonic characteristics of the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

Preface to thematic issue: Petrotectonic characteristics of the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

Geological setting, mineralogy, geochemistry and genesis of the Middle Archaean Kalyadi copper deposit, western Dharwar craton, southern India

The Kalyadi polymetallic copper deposit occurs within the Middle Archaean (≥3.0 Ga), medium-grade Kalyadi schist belt which consists predominantly of ultramafic-mafic schists interbedded with chemogenic chert, detrital high Al-Mg schists and siliceous schists. This sedimentary exhalative type (SEDEX type) ore-body is the only copper deposit hosted in cherts in the western Dharwar craton. The Kalyadi supracrustal rocks are intruded by tonalite-trondhjemitic gneisses (ca. 3.0 Ga) and granite (ca. 2.6 Ga). The Kalyadi copper deposit is polygenetic in nature. The primary ores represented by disseminations of pyrite ± linneite and chalcopyrite ± magnetite essentially along the bedding lamination of the metachert are referred to as the metamorphosed chert-sulphide rhythmites of a primary stratiform type. The ore is of low-grade and records imprints of at least two events of deformation. Pyrite is characterised by high-Co values (262–4524 ppm) and high–Co/Ni ratios (3.0–19.7). Rare earth element patterns of the primary ores and the host metacherts are identical, characterised by La enrichment, absence of Eu anomalies and flat to depleted HREE patterns with δ34 S = −0.8‰. The secondary (remobilised) ores are structurally controlled occurring as veins and stringers discordant to the bedding lamination or schistosity. The constituent ores are chalcopyrite-pyrite-pyrrhotite with minor pentlandite. These sulphides with low-Co/Ni ratios (0.87–1.80), have either a strong positive or negative Eu anomaly and show slight HREE enrichment. The δ34 S value ranges from +2.64 to −4.29‰. It is interpreted that the primary stratiform ores and the cherts were derived from volcanogenic hydrothermal fluids as syngenetic/chemical deposits in a deep sea environment. The secondary epigenetic mineralisation is related to subsequent migmatisation, deformational events and granitic activity.

Tectonic stacking in an Archaean greenstone sequence and its control on gold mineralisation at Dalny Mine, Zimbabwe

The pattern of Au reefs at Dalny Mine and its satellite mines in the Chakari area of central Zimbabwe closely mimics an anastomosing network of narrow (< 5 m) shear zones characterised by highly strained silicified schist and graphitic shale horizons. These shears predated mineralisation and accommodated movements resulting in a duplex geometry of complexly stacked, lensoidal blocks of felsic and mafic greenstones, possibly reflecting thin-skinned processes early during the development of the Midlands Greenstone Belt. During mineralisation repeated reactivation of, and (fluid-pressure driven) dilation along these early shears resulted in the current distribution of Au reefs. The scale and orientation of the fault blocks in the early tectonic stack controls the size and spacing of the later Au reefs, explains the anomalous orientation of some reefs in the area and eliminates the need for complicated explanations involving multiple post-mineralisation-faults. Geometries like those at Dalny Mine could control a number of Au deposits in Zimbabwe, especially those that contain bifurcarting siliceous schist and black shale bands. Duplex geometries could have resulted from a number of processes including thin-skinned thrusting or strike-slip movements, although the first interpretation is preferred. The presence of imbricate stacks at Dalny implies that the stratigraphy of the thick greenstone succession may have resulted partly from tectonic processes.

Mississippian assembly of the Nisutlin assemblage: evidence from primary contact relationships and Mississippian magmatism in the Teslin tectonic zone, part of the Yukon–Tanana terrane of south-central Yukon

Metamorphosed and ductilely deformed sedimentary, plutonic, and volcanic rocks of the Nisutlin and Anvil assemblages make up the Yukon–Tanana terrane in the Teslin tectonic zone study area. The Nisutlin assemblage consists of siliceous schist–quartzite and graphitic phyllite that share a primary depositional contact, and Early Mississippian tonalite to quartz diorite that intrudes the siliceous schist–quartzite and possibly the graphitic phyllite. The Anvil assemblage includes metagabbro and mafic schist–greenstone that share an intrusive contact relationship. Tonalite to quartz diorite of the Nisutlin assemblage is characterized by minor zircon inheritance with an average Proterozoic age, εNd(350 Ma) values of −2.5 to −6.2, and Nd model ages of 1.50–1.79 Ga. These data suggest that the magmatic bodies have inherited a component of continentally derived material. Primary contact relationships and age data indicate that the Nisutlin assemblage had formed by Mississippian time, and regional correlations show that this assemblage makes up a large part of the Yukon–Tanana terrane of southern Yukon. Assembly of the Nisutlin assemblage by Mississippian time indicates that it did not form as a late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic subduction melange, and it suggests that its tectonic fabrics did not result from the progressive growth of a Permo-Triassic subduction complex. We suggest that the Nisutlin assemblage was part of a crustal block that lay outboard of North America in Mississippian time, and that it lay in the hanging-wall plate of a Permo-Triassic subduction zone as a relatively coherent assemblage, rather than forming within the zone as a subduction complex.

Origin and tectonic significance of the metamorphic rocks associated with the Darvel Bay Ophiolite, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract Banded hornblende gneiss, foliated amphibolite, hornblende, chlorite and siliceous schist form lenses in an 8 km wide belt within the Darvel Bay Ophiolite Complex. Foliation in the belt is generally steep to vertical, striking parallel to the trend of the belt and lineations are sub-horizontal. Mineral and geochemical studies show that the metamorphic rocks represent banded and isotropic gabbros, plagiogranites, doleritic and basaltic dykes, basaltic volcanics and cherts formed at a spreading ridge in a supra-subduction zone environment, which were deformed at high temperatures but low pressures along a transform fault. Incorporation of supracrustal cherts indicates that the transform extended for hundreds of kilometres between spreading centres. Garnet pyroxenites and amphibolites found as clasts in Miocene volcanic agglomerates formed at high pressures, and temperatures are interpreted as derived from a metamorphic sole underlying the complex, formed during subduction of ocean crust and the emplacement of the ophiolite complex on Sabah.

Comparative rheological behaviour of albite and quartz in siliceous schists revealed by the microboudinage of piedmontite

This paper presents a detailed comparison of the microboudinage of piedmontite in two different mineralogical hosts, a quartz matrix, and albite porphyroblasts in a siliceous schist, with the aim of clarifying the rheological properties of albite in relation to those of quartz. Stress and strain analyses of the microboudinage confirm that the boudinage took place in the retrograde stage of metamorphism during decreasing temperature, and reveal that albite deformed at the same strain rate as quartz above the plastic-brittle transition temperature of albite.

Physical Interactions of two Rhizomorph‐forming Lichens with their Rock Substrate

AbstractSamples of a calcareous conglomerate rock colonized by Squamarina cartilaginea and a siliceous schist colonized by Acarospora scotica were cut and examined with SEM‐backscattered electron imaging. Both species produce extensive rhizomorphs (sensu lato), whose component hyphae interpenetrated, separated, and incorporated substrate particles in the course of development. Rhizomorph expansion and contraction associated with hydration cycles could also detach adherent fragments within the substrate. In S. cartilaginea, rhizomorphs and associated hyphae also directly penetrated the calcareous substrate matrix, probably by chemical dissolution. Those of A. scotica appeared to penetrate the schist mainly by forcing their way between the fine, angular, somewhat flattened particles which comprises the substrate. The orientation of these particles influenced the form of developing rhizomorphs and the subsequent pattern of substrate exfoliation. Lichen compounds of potential biode‐teriorative significance occurred within the squamules of both species but were not detectable in their rhizomorphs. Lichenized photobionts were abundant within the substrate; their developmental relationship to epilithic squamules could be demonstrated in the case of A. scotica.

Tectono-stratigraphic terranes and the metamorphic history of the northeastern part of the crystalline core of the North Cascades: evidence from the Twisp Valley Schist

The Twisp Valley Schist (TVS) is important for both the correlation of terranes in the Cascades crystalline core and for the determination of the metamorphic pressure–temperature–time history of the northeastern part of the core. The TVS is a chaotically mixed unit of mainly siliceous schist (metachert) with significant amounts of metabasite, calc-silicate rock, and marble, and minor ultramafite and metapsammite. Geochemical analyses of metabasites indicate that the TVS contains both ocean-island basalts (OIB) and mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORB). The TVS is lithologically similar to the Napeequa unit of the Chelan Mountains terrane in the Cascades core and is broadly correlative with units outside of the core, including the Mississippian–Jurassic Bridge River – Hozameen terrane of the eastern Coast belt, and coeval OIB-bearing terranes in the Northwest Cascades thrust system. Much of the northeastern Cascades core thus consists of oceanic rocks that probably originally lay between the Insular and the Intermontane superterranes, or were part of the latter superterrane.The TVS experienced polyphase deformation and greenschist to middle amphibolite facies metamorphism during the interval from 90 Ma (and possibly earlier) to ca. 50 Ma. Paleocene (ca. 65–58 Ma) dynamothermal metamorphism is the best documented event and in part resulted from forcible emplacement of plutons and from broadly distributed deformation in the Ross Lake fault zone. Major crustal loading of the TVS is inferred from the replacement of andalusite by kyanite, the presence of garnets that record an increase in pressure of 1.5–3.0 kbar (1 kbar = 100 MPa) from cores to rims, and the deeper emplacement levels of younger plutons. Loading may record thrusting in the northeastern core that is bracketed between 88 and 65 Ma and is younger than previously recognized, major contractional deformation in the North Cascades.

Barian mica and distribution of barium in metacherts and quartzofeldspathic schists, Southern Alps, New Zealand

AbstractZoned barian muscovite (2.52-5.66% BaO) and unzoned biotite (0.99-1.77% BaO) occur in two amphibolite grade metacherts of the Alpine schists, Southern Alps, New Zealand. The Ba-micas are associated with quartz-chlorite-Mn-garnet-tourmaline-apatite-sulphide ± oligoclase ± rutile ± magnetite ± ankerite. Increasing Ba (core to rim) in the muscovite is accompanied by a decrease in Si, Ti, Fe + Mg, and K and an increase in [4]Al, [6]Al, and Na. The main substitution that accounts for entry of Ba into both micas is [A]Ba2+ + [4]Al3+ ⇋ [A]K+ + [4]Si4+ and possibly [A]Ba2+ ⇋ [A]K+ + □. Compositional variation of the muscovite is also governed by the substitutions, [6]Al3+ + [4]Al3+ ⇋ [6](Mg,Fe)2+ + [4]si4+, and [A]Na+ ⇋ [A]K+. The presence or absence of oligoclase, rutile, magnetite and Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio of coexisting biotite control the Na, Ti, Fe and Mg contents of muscovite in the respective metacherts. Important variables controlling the occurrence of Ba-mica is the Ba-rich composition of the metacherts (1387 and 2741 ppm Ba) and metamorphic grade. In metacherts, siliceous and quartzofeldspathic schists with &lt;1000 ppm Ba barium increases with increasing K2O content indicating that in K-feldspar-absent rocks barium is mainly contained in micas (&lt;0.70% BaO). In greenschist facies metacherts and siliceous schists with high Ba (&gt;1000 ppm) and low K2O, barian micas are not present and most of the Ba occurs in baryte ± barian carbonate with implication of a significant original hydrothermal-hydrogenous input. Although low grade illite/sericite/smectites containing Ba are the most likely precursor of the barian micas in the metacherts, strong marginal Ba enrichment in the muscovite indicates a later Ba-metasomatism resulting from the breakdown of baryte under reducing conditions during amphibolite facies metamorphism.

Phase petrology of eclogites and related rocks from the Motalafjella high-pressure metamorphic complex in Spitsbergen (Arctic Ocean) and its significance

A Caledonian eclogite suite is associated with lower-grade high-pressure rocks in Motalafjella, Oscar II Land, central-western Spitsbergen. A variety of mineral assemblages occur in the suite, depending on the bulk-rock composition; omphacite-paragonite-glaucophane-epidote-garnet in eclogites, jadeite-glaucophane-paragonite-quartz in siliceous schists, and MgFe chloritoid-paragonite-epidote-garnet in pelitic schists. Petrologic and paragenetic studies are presented to characterize this unique set of mineral assemblages in relation to other eclogite suites. Mineralogical data, mainly the distribution of Fe and Mg between coexisting clinopyroxene and garnet, and the existence of impure jadeite+quartz assemblage, give approximately 580–640°C and 18–24 kbar. New criteria for the eclogite classification are derived based on the mineral assemblages and a model petrogenetic grid. The Motalafjella eclogites associated with the glaucophane-epidote assemblage belong to the medium-temperature portion of the eclogite facies.