Abstract
Information regarding the processes whereby granulite facies rocks were formed or destroyed may be gained from a study of the morphology of transitional zones. Both transitions have a complex 3D structure which may include anatectic rocks suggesting that melting can play an important role. Because of the intimate relationship of granulite and amphibolite facies assemblages such transitions appear to have been largely fluid controlled. The nature of this control could be a simple compositional change or a more complicated mechanism. Some transitions seem to have had a flux of dehydrating fluids which lead to melting in amphibolite facies rocks, whilst in others melting in the granulite facies rocks occurred.
Retrogressive transitions, which often involve some decompression, appear to be largely controlled by hydration. The morphological features preserved are in reverse to the prograde types, but usually accompanying deformation obscures the details.
Conclusions are that fluids at the transition are channelled, but as the transition advances the channels are overtaken such that the impression is that the fluids were pervasive. It is emphasised that these processes may only take place at the transition and cannot yet be applied to the bulk of granulite facies rocks. The complexities of both types of transition can be adequetely explained by the channelled fluid flow and different partial melting regimes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bhattacharaya, A. & Sen, S.K. 1986. Granulite metamorphism, fluid buffering anddehydration melting in the Madras charnockites and metapelites. J. Petrol. 27. 1119–1141.
Black, L.P., Moorbath, S., Pankhurst, R.J. & Windley, B.F. 1973. 207Pb/206Pb whole rock age of the Archaean granulite facies metamorphic event in West Greenland. Nature Phys. Sci. 244, 50–53.
Chadwick, B. & Coe, K. 1983. Descriptive text to 1:100,000 sheet Buksefjorden 63V1 Nord. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse.
Condie, K.C., Allen, P. & Narayana, B.L. 1982. Geochemistry of the Archaeanlow- to high-grade transition zone, southern India. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 81.157–167.
Crawford, A.R. 1969. Reconnaissance Rb-Sr dating of Precambrian rocks of southern Peninsular India. J. Geol. Soc. India 10, 117–166.
Friend, C.R.L. 1981. Charnockite and granite formation and the influx of CO2 at Kabbaldurga. Nature 294, 550–551.
Friend, C.R.L. 1983. The link between charnockite formation and graniteproduction: evidence from Kabbaldurga, Karnataka, southern India. In: Migmatites. Melting and Metamorphism (Atherton, M.P. & Gribble, CD. eds.) pp.264–276. Shiva, Nantwich.
Friend, C.R.L. 1985. Evidence for fluid pathways through Archaean crust and thegeneration of the Closepet granite, Karnataka, south India. Precambrian Res. 27. 239–250.
Friend, C.R.L., Nutman, A.P. & McGregor, V.R. 1987a. Late-Archaean tectonics in the Faeringehavn-Tre Brødre area, south of Buksef jorden, southern West Greenland. J. Geol. Soc. London 144, 369–376.
Friend, C.R.L., Nutman, A.P. & McGregor, V.R. 1987b. Significance of the late Archaean granulite facies terrain boundaries, southern West Greenland (abstract). In Workshop on the Deep Continental Crust of South India, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, in press.
Fyfe, W.S. 1973. The granulite facies, partial melting and the Archaen crust. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London A273, 457–462.
Grant, J.A. 1973. Phase equlibria in high grade metamorphism and partial melting of pelitic rocks. Am. J. Sci. 270, 281–296.
Grew, E.S. & Manton, W.I. 1984. Age of allanite from Kabbaldurga quarry, Karnataka. J. Geol. Soc. India 25, 193–195.
Hansen, E.C., Newton, R.C. & Janardhan, A.S. 1984. Fluid inclusions in rocks from the amphbiolite-facies gneiss to charnockite progression in southern Karnataka, India: direct evidence concerning the fluids of granulite facies metamorphism. J. Metamorphic Geol. 2, 249–264.
Hansen, E.C., Janardhan, A.S., Newton, R.C, Prame, W.K.B.N. & Kumar, G.R.R. 1987. Arrested charnockite formation in southern India and Sri Lanka. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 96, 225–244.
Holt, R.W. & Wightman, R.T. 1983. The role of fluids in the development of agranulite facies transition zone in S. India. J. Geol. Soc. London 140. 651–655.
Janardhan, A.S., Newton, R.C. & Smith, J.V. 1979. Ancient crustal metamorphism at low PH2O: charnockite formation at Kabbaldurga. Nature 277. 511–514.
Janardhan, A.S., Newton, R.C. & Hansen, E.C. 1982. The transformation of amphibolite facies gneiss to charnockite in southern Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu, India. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 79, 130–149.
Kalsbeek, F. 1976. Metamorphism of Archaean rocks of West Greenland. In Early History of the Earth (Windley, B.F. ed.) pp.225–235. Wiley, Chichester.
Kumar, G.R., Srikantappa, C. & Hansen, E. 1985. Charnockite formation atPonmudi in southern India. Nature 313. 207–209.
McGregor, V.R., Nutman, A.P. & Friend, C.R.L. 1986. The Archaean geology of the Godthåbsfjord region, southern West Greenland. In Early Crustal Genesis: The Worlds Oldest Rocks. (Ashwal, L.D. ed.) 113–170 Lunar & Palnetary Institute Tech Rept. 86–04.
Pichamuthu, C.S. 1960. Charnockite in the making. Nature 188. 135.
Pidgeon, R.T. & Kalsbeek, F. 1978. Dating of igneous and metamorphic events inthe Fiskenaesset region of southern West Greenland. Can. J. Earth Sci. 15, 2021–2025.
Powell, R. 1983. Processes in granulite facies metamorphism. In Migmatites, Melting and Metamorphism (Atherton, M.P. & Gribble, CD., eds.) pp. 127–139. Shiva, Nantwich.
Spear, F.S. & Seiverstone, J. 1983. Water exsolution from quartz: Implications forthe generation of retrograde metamorphic fluids. Geology 11, 82–85.
Spooner, CM. & Fairburn, H.W. 1970. Strontium 87/strontium 86 initial ratios inpyroxene granulite terrains. Jour. Geophys. Res. 75, 6706–6713.
Srikantappa, C., Raith, M. & Spiering, B. 1985. Progressive charnockitization of aleptynite-khondalite suite in southern Kerala, India - Evidence for formation of charnockites through decrease in fluid pressure? J. Geol. Soc. India 26, 849–872.
Tarney, J. & Weaver, B.L. 1987. Geochemistry of the Scourian complex: petrogenesis and tectonic models. Sp. Publ. Geol. Soc. London 27, 45–56.
Taylor, P.N., Moorbath, S., Goodwin, R. & Pctrykowski, A.C. 1980. Crustal contamination as an indicator of the extent of early Archaean continental crust: Pb isotopic evidence from the late Archacn gneisses of West Grenland. Geochim. Cosmochim Acta 44, 1427–1453.
Tourct, J. 1977. The significance of fluid inclusions in mctamorphic rocks. In: Thermodynamics in Geology (Fraser, D.G. ed.), pp. 203–227. D. Reidel Publishing, Dordrecht.
Valley, J.W. & O’Neil, J.R. 1984. Fluid heterogeneity during granulitc facies metamorphism in the Adirondaks: stable isotopic evidence. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 85, 158–173.
Walton, B.J. 1971. The area north of Bjørnesund, near Fiskcnacsct, southern West Greenland. Unpubl. Int. GGU Rep. 11pp.
Walton, B.J. 1972. The area north of Bjørncsund, continued. Unpubl. Int. GGU Rep., 8pp.
Weaver, B. & Tarney, J. 1983. Elemental depletion in Archaean granulite facies rocks. In: Migmatites, Melting and Metamorphism (Atherton, M.P. & Gribble, CD. eds.) pp.250–263 Shiva, Nantwich.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Friend, C.R.L. (1989). Morphology of Granulite - Amphibolite Facies Transitions: The Importance of Fluid Movements. In: Bridgwater, D. (eds) Fluid Movements — Element Transport and the Composition of the Deep Crust. NATO ASI Series, vol 281. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0991-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0991-5_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6935-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0991-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive