Metamorphism and geochronology of high-pressure mafic granulites (retrograded eclogites?) in East Cathaysia terrane of South China: Implications for Mesozoic tectonic evolution

High-pressure mafic granulites (retrograded eclogites?) were discovered as minor lenses enclosed in garnet-kyanite-cordierite gneiss from the Badu Complex of the East Cathaysia terrane in South China. These rocks consist mainly of garnet, clinopyroxene, hornblende, quartz, and rutile/ilmenite with or without omphacite pseudomorphs that are indicated by clinopyroxene + sodic plagioclase symplectic intergrowths. Mineral textures and reaction relationships suggest three metamorphic stages: (1) an eclogite-facies stage (M1) characterized by the mineral assemblage of garnet + clinopyroxene (omphacite) + hornblende + rutile + quartz; (2) a high-pressure granulite-facies (M2) stage mainly represented by garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + hornblende + rutile + quartz in the matrix; and (3) an amphibolite retrograde stage (M3) defined by hornblende + plagioclase + ilmenite + quartz symplectites surrounding garnet porphyroblasts. Conventional geothermometers and geobarometers in combination with phase equilibria modeling constrain metamorphic P−T conditions of 15.8−18.2 kbar/625−690 °C (M1), 11.8−14.5 kbar/788−806 °C (M2), and 5.4−6.4 kbar/613−668 °C (M3), respectively. Two-staged decompression processes are defined after the peak pressure, which suggests a two-staged exhumation of these deeply buried rocks. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) zircon U-Pb dating and trace element analysis show that the high-pressure metamorphism occurred at 240−244 Ma. Complete early Mesozoic orogenic processes characterized by initial subduction and/or crustal thickening and subsequent exhumation followed by rapid uplift are reconstructed for this part of the East Cathaysia terrane, South China.

High-pressure granulite facies metamorphism of Archean Bastar craton at the interface of Eastern Ghats Belt: Implications for cratonic subduction/underthrusting

<p>The Bastar Craton at the interface of Eastern Ghats Belt (EGB) contains a mélange of rocks from both the Archean cratonic domain and the adjacent Proterozoic mobile belt domain marking a broad shear zone, known as the Terrane Boundary Shear Zone (TBSZ). The TBSZ preserves a very rare occurrence of high-grade metamorphosed Archean cratonic rocks, whose ancestry has been constrained by Nd model ages. This study presents the petrological and geochemical characterization of mafic granulites and orthopyroxene bearing granitoids from the shear zone and its implications on the tectonic evolution of the craton – mobile belt boundary. Detailed petrographic, geothermobarometric and P-T pseudosection studies indicate that the Bastar cratonic rocks underwent high-pressure granulite facies metamorphism along a clockwise P-T path, reaching ~900°C and 9-10 kbar. The originally amphibolite facies rocks, metamorphosed through dehydration-melting of hornblende (mafic rocks) and biotite (felsic rocks), to attain the peak P-T conditions. We suggest that this high-grade metamorphism was due to the subduction/underthrusting of the Bastar Craton beneath the EGB, supported by the available seismic data, which resulted from far-field stress related to the Kuunga orogeny in an intraplate setting.</p>

Supplemental Material: Macro- and microstructural analysis of the Zhujiafang ductile shear zone, Hengshan Complex: Tectonic nature and geodynamic implications of the evolution of Trans–North China orogen

Table S1: Checked mineral content and grain size of EBSD samples; Table S2: Representative compositional analyses of minerals; Table S3: Zircon U-Pb isoplot data obtained by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry for samples 17HS06-1 and 14630-1 from Zhujiafang; Table S4: Summary of isotopic ages for the high-pressure granulite of the Trans–North China orogen and Zhujiafang ductile shear zone.