The initial garnet‐in reaction involving siderite–rhodochrosite, garnet re‐equilibration and P–T–t paths of graphitic schists in the Black Hills orogen, South Dakota, USA

Abstract

It is generally thought that garnet in metapelites is produced by continuous reactions involving chlorite or chloritoid. Recent publications have suggested that the equilibrium temperatures of garnet-in reactions may be significantly overstepped in regionally metamorphosed terranes. The growth of small spessartine-almandine garnet crystals on Mn-siderite at the garnet isograd in graphitic metapelites in the Proterozoic Black Hills orogen, South Dakota, demonstrates that Mn-siderite was the principal reactant that produced the initial garnet in the schists. Moreover, the positions of garnet compositions in isobaric, T-(C/H) pseudosections for the schists show that the temperature of the garnet-in reaction from Mn-siderite was overstepped minimally at the most. In the Black Hills, garnet was initially produced during regional metamorphism beginning at c. 1755 Ma due to the collision of Wyoming and Superior cratons, and was subsequently partially or fully re-equilibrated at more elevated temperatures and pressures during intrusion of the Harney Peak Granite (HPG) at c. 1715 Ma. Garnet occurs in graphitic schists in garnet, staurolite and sillimanite zones, the latter being a product of contact metamorphism by HPG. During metamorphism, coexisting fluid contained both CO 2 and CH 4 . In the garnet zone, garnet crystals contain petrographically distinct cores with inclusions of quartz, graphite and other minerals. Centres of the cores have distinctly elevated Y concentrations that mark the positions of garnet nucleation. The elevated Y is thought to have come from the Mnsiderite onto which Y was probably absorbed during precipitation in an ocean. In the upper garnet and staurolite zones, the cores were overgrown by inclusion-poor mantles. Mantles are highly zoned and have more elevated Fe and Mg and lower Mn and Ca than cores. The growth of mantles is attributed to late-orogenic heating by leucogranite magmas and attendant influx of H 2 O that caused consumption of graphite in rock matrices. A portion of the Proterozoic terrane that includes the HPG is surrounded by four large faults. In this 'HPG block', garnet is inclusion-poor and its composition does not preserve its early growth history. This garnet appears to have re-equilibrated by internal diffusion of its major components and/or recrystallization of an earlier inclusion-rich garnet. It has equilibrated within the kyanite stability range, and together with remnant kyanite in the highstrain aureole of the HPG, indicates that the HPG block had a ≥6 kbar history. The HPG block has undergone decompression during emplacement of the HPG. The decompression is evident in occurrences of retrograde andalusite and cordierite in the thermal aureole of the HPG. The data support a polybaric metamorphic history of the Black Hills orogen with different segments of the orogen having their own clockwise P-T-t paths.

Thermal pulse induced by emplacement of Ramba leucogranites in southern Tibet

“…Gorce et al, 2021; Nagurney et al, 2021; Pattison & Tinkham, 2009; Waters & Lovegrove, 2002; Wolfe & Spear, 2018), although some studies document minor (<10°C, e.g. George & Gaidies, 2017; Moynihan & Pattison, 2013; Nabelek & Chen, 2014) or larger discrepancies (>100°C; e.g. Hoschek, 2013).…”

“…For example, the thermal overstep is minor when Mn siderite is a reactant due to the discontinuous decarbonation/dehydration reaction with large entropy change (e.g. Nabelek & Chen, 2014).…”

Defect-controlled Ar40 diffusion-domain structure of white micas from high-resolution Nteme1, Scaillet2, Gardès3 et al. 2023Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta7000View full textAdd to dashboardCite

“…HPG liquidus temperature from stable isotope oxygen equilibria in magmatic phases is estimated at ∼ 800 • C (Nabelek et al, 1992b). Intrusion probably occurred during uplift (Nabelek and Chen, 2014) and continued until final emplacement pressure around 3.5 -4 kbar. Post-intrusion cooling is constrained by muscovite Rb/Sr ages in the granite (Riley, 1970;Ratté, 1986;Krogstad and Walker, 1994), and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages on hornblende, biotite and muscovite mostly across the regional contact aureole (Berry et al, 1994;Dahl et al, 1999;Holm et al, 1997;Dahl and Foland, 2008).…”

The fate of calcareous pelites in collisional orogens

“…Zen (1981) also proposed an elegant treatment of phase relations in slightly calcic pelitic rocks, but did not consider Na 2 O and CO 2 components. More recently, Nabelek and Chen (2014) investigated the role of carbonates (siderite–rhodochrosite solid solution) in the nucleation and growth of garnet in graphitic schists, providing convincing evidence of the importance of considering CO 2 when studying metamorphism of metapelites, even if carbonates are no more present in the studied rocks.…”