Search results for "Metamorphic rock"
showing 10 items of 145 documents
Clockwise, low- metamorphism of the Aus granulite terrain, southern Namibia, during the Mesoproterozoic Namaqua Orogeny
2013
Abstract The Aus granulite terrain forms part of the Mesoproterozoic Namaqua Metamorphic Complex (NMC) of southern Africa. The terrain consists of pre- to syn-tectonic granitoid gneisses containing subordinate aluminous metasediments, metapsammites, mafic granulite and calc-silicate, all of which have been metamorphosed and migmatised to varying degrees. Pseudosection modelling of garnet–sillimanite–cordierite–biotite aluminous metapelitic samples constrain peak metamorphic conditions at 5.5 kbar and 825 ° C. Pseudomorphs of sillimanite after andalusite constrain early prograde conditions of ∼ 550–600 ° C at below 4 kbar, whereas the replacement of sillimanite by garnet–cordierite and sub…
Exhumation of the lower crust during crustal shortening: an Alice Springs (380 Ma) age for a prograde amphibolite facies shear zone in the Strangways…
2000
Foliated garnet-bearing amphibolites occur within the West Bore Shear Zone, cutting through granulite facies gneisses of the Strangways Metamorphic Complex. In the amphibolites, large euhedral garnet (up to 3 cm) occurs within fine-grained recrystallized leucocratic diffusion haloes of plagioclase–quartz. The garnet and their haloes include a well-developed vertical foliation, also present in the matrix. This foliation is the same as that cutting through the unconformably overlying Neoproterozoic Heavitree Quartzite. The textures indicate syn- to late kinematic growth of the amphibolite facies mineral assemblages. All mineral assemblages record an arrested prograde reaction history. Notewor…
Phase equilibrium constraints on conditions of granulite-facies metamorphism at Scourie, NW Scotland
2011
Abstract: The metamorphic evolution of a metapyroxenite and metagabbro from Scourie, NW Scotland, is investigated using phase equilibria modelled in the NCFMASHTO (Na 2 O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –H 2 O–TiO 2 –O) system. The calculated stability fields for the observed assemblages in each rock overlap and imply conditions of 8.5–11.5 kbar and 875–975 °C for the peak of granulite-facies (Badcallian) metamorphism. The lack of any evidence for the former presence of garnet in the metapyroxenite suggests that the rocks cannot have reached pressures much in excess of those recorded at the metamorphic peak. The growth of coronas of plagioclase, orthopyroxene and magnetite replacing garnet in t…
On the importance of minding one’s Ps and Ts: metamorphic processes and quantitative petrology
2010
This Special Issue comprises a selection of the papers given at a two-day discussion meeting held at the University of Melbourne, Australia in June 2009 to celebrate Roger Powells 60th birthday. At this milestone, it is fitting to review Rogers career to date. He has published 200 scientific papers on topics that range from low- to high-grade metamorphism, from low- to ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamor- phism, and from thermodynamics to kinetics. Most of Rogers papers are multi-authored and address important questions in the petrogenesis of metamorphic rocks. Roger is widely known for his work with Tim Holland to develop the most complete internally consistent dataset of thermodynamic proper…
Metamorphic History of Gneiss Terrains
1990
The local metamorphic history is an essential topic in the study of high-grade gneiss terrains. This chapter only deals with those aspects of the metamorphic history that can be studied in the field. We will briefly outline terminology, the methods which can be applied, and the difficulties involved. For more information we refer to textbooks such as Miyashiro (1975), Winkler (1976), Mason (1981), Best (1982), Vernon (1983), Spry (1986), Yardley (1989) and to the references given in the text.
Major and trace element compositions (including REE) of mineral, thermal, mine and surface waters in SW Germany and implications for water–rock inter…
2013
Abstract The near-surface water cycle in a geologically complex area comprises very different sources including meteoric, metamorphic and magmatic ones. Fluids from these sources can react with sedimentary, magmatic and/or metamorphic rocks at various depths. The current study reports a large number of major, minor and trace element analyses of meteoric, mineral, thermal and mine waters from a geologically well-known and variable area of about 200 × 150 km in SW Germany. The geology of this area comprises a Variscan granitic and gneissic basement overlain in parts by Triassic and Jurassic shales, sandstones and limestones. In both the basement and the sedimentary rocks, hydrothermal mineral…
Geochemistry, Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology: Application to Field Studies
1990
Structural studies make it possible to reconstruct the metamorphic and deformation history of a rock body but do not provide information on the absolute timing of these processes. Likewise, field observations and structural work alone may not unambiguously identify the protoliths of many high-grade gneisses or the compositional changes associated with migmatisation, anatexis and the general action of fluid and/or vapour phases in a rock. Geochemical research can answer many of these problems but, as most of this research is laboratory-oriented, we limit ourselves to some general outlines of the possible lines of research, so that these can be borne in mind during fieldwork.
Petrogenetic modelling of strongly residual metapelitic xenoliths within the southern Platreef, Bushveld Complex, South Africa
2010
Xenoliths of quartz-absent Fe-rich aluminous metapelite are common within the platinum group element-rich mafic ⁄ ultramafic magmatic rocks of the Platreef. Relative to well-characterized protoliths, the xenoliths are strongly depleted in K2O and H2O, and have lost a substantial amount of melt (>50 vol.%). Mineral equilibria calculations in the NCKFMASHTO system yield results that are consistent with observations in natural samples. Lower-grade rocks that lack staurolite constrain peak pressures to � 2.5 kbar in the southern Platreef. Smaller xenoliths and the margins of larger xenoliths comprise micro-diatexite rich in coarse acicular corundum and spinel, which record evidence for the meta…
Strain analysis and vorticity of flow in the Northern Sardinian Variscan Belt: Recognition of a partitioned oblique deformation event
2008
Abstract A field example of strain partitioning has been analysed along the Nurra–Asinara transect of the NW Sardinian Variscan chain (Italy). The section in the Nurra–Asinara area is in a continuous sequence of tectono-metamorphic complexes made of low- to high-grade metamorphic rocks affected by a polyphase tectonic history. The principal fabric of the area is controlled by a D2 progressive deformation phase in which the strain is partitioned into folds and shear zone domains. The D2 stretching lineation and shear sense show a clear change from south to north. The principal meso- and micro-structures, vorticity gauges and a quantitative kinematic analysis of local strain suggest that the …
Metamorphic reaction rates at ∼650–800°C from diffusion of niobium in rutile
2014
Abstract The ability to quantify the rates at which metamorphic reactions occur is critical to assessing the extent to which equilibrium is achieved and maintained in a variety of dynamic settings. Here we investigate the kinetics of rutile replacement by titanite during amphibolite-facies overprinting of eclogite, garnet amphibolite and anorthosite from Catalina Island, CA, the Tromso Nappe, Norway, the North Qaidam terrane, China, and the Guichicovi Complex, Mexico. Trace element concentration profiles across rutile rimmed by titanite, as determined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), reveal Nb zoning in rutile that we interpret as the result of Nb …