First report of garnet corundum rocks from southern India: Implications for prograde high-pressure (eclogite-facies?) metamorphism

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

11

Scientific paper

We report here for the first time the occurrence of garnet and corundum in Mg Al-rich rocks at Sevitturangampatti (Namakkal district) in the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone System (PCSS), southern India. The rocks contain several rare mineral assemblages such as garnet corundum sillimanite cordierite sapphirine spinel Mg-rich staurolite, garnet corundum sodic gedrite cordierite sillimanite/kyanite, garnet Mg-rich staurolite sillimanite/kyanite, sodic gedrite Mg-rich staurolite corundum sapphirine, biotite corundum sapphirine and sodic gedrite sapphirine spinel cordierite. Both garnet and corundum in these rocks occur as coarse-grained (1 mm to 10 cm) porphyroblasts in the matrix of sillimanite, cordierite and gedrite. Kyanite is common as inclusions in garnet, but matrix aluminosilicates are mainly sillimanite. The presence of rare garnet + corundum, which has so far been reported from kimberlite xenoliths, aluminous eclogites and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks as well as in high-pressure experiments, suggests that the assemblage is an indicator of an unusually high-pressure event, which has not been recorded in previous studies from southern India. Phase analysis of quartz-absent MAS system also suggests high-pressure stability of the assemblage. The inference of high pressure metamorphism is also supported by the presence of Mg-rich [Mg/(Fe + Mg) = 0.51] staurolite, which has been reported from high-pressure rocks, included from cores of coarse-grained garnet and gedrite. Porphyroblastic occurrence of garnet + corundum as well as staurolite and kyanite inclusions suggests that the area underwent prograde high-pressure metamorphism, probably in the eclogite field. The rocks subsequently underwent continuous heating at 940 to 990 °C, suggesting ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism along a clockwise trajectory. Sapphirine + cordierite and spinel + cordierite symplectites between garnet and sillimanite suggest near isothermal decompression after the peak event. Evidence for such high-pressure metamorphism followed by UHT conditions along a single clockwise exhumation path is the first report from southern India. The Namakkal area occurs within the central domain of the PCSS, which defines the probable collisional suture between the Archean craton in the north and the Proterozoic Madurai Block in the south. We propose that the rocks reported in this study testify to metamorphism at mantle depths (eclogite-facies) and their subsequent heating at extreme thermal conditions during collisional orogenic event and subsequent rapid exhumation associated with the final suturing of the Gondwana assembly in the late Pan-African. The high-pressure metamorphism and subsequent UHT event reported in this study have important bearing on the tectonic evolution of the continental deep crust in southern India.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

First report of garnet corundum rocks from southern India: Implications for prograde high-pressure (eclogite-facies?) metamorphism does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with First report of garnet corundum rocks from southern India: Implications for prograde high-pressure (eclogite-facies?) metamorphism, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and First report of garnet corundum rocks from southern India: Implications for prograde high-pressure (eclogite-facies?) metamorphism will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1489037

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.