Experimental Petrology: Metamorphic Evolution of Eclogite

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 2354

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
MOE Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: metamorphic petrology; genetic mineralogy

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Guest Editor
Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Beijing 100094, China
Interests: deep carbon; abiotic synthesis of organic compound; chemistry of the Earth’s mantle and core; crust-mantle interaction; high-pressure experimental geochemistry; high-pressure metamorphic petrology
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Dear Colleagues,

Eclogite is a hallmark metamorphic rock in subduction zones commonly composed of bright green omphacite (Na-rich diopside) and red garnet of Mg-Fe-Ca types with subordinate rutile, kyanite, quartz (or other polymorphs, e.g., coesite) in a basaltic bulk composition. Additionally, eclogite may contain amphiboles of calcic (hornblende), subcalcic (barroisite) or sodic (glaucophane) types, epidote (zoisite and clinozoisite), lawsonite, white mica (phengite), paragonite, talc, carbonates, diamond or other polymorphs, and others, depending on the whole rock chemistry and peak metamorphic pressures and temperatures attainment. In the meantime, the term “eclogite” is sometimes applied to other metamorphic rocks of diverse compositions that have experienced eclogite facies conditions as well, which was firstly introduced by Finnish geologist Pentii Eskola in the early 1900s. The eclogite facies represents a particular pressure-temperature field, in which the eclogitic assemblages of mainly omphacite and garnet are stable. There are also subfacies that are proposed as amphibole-, epidote-, lawsonite-eclogite or rarely dry eclogite based on the typomorphic mineral occurrences constrained by both bulk chemistry and P-T conditions. Additionally, a specific ultrahigh-pressure eclogite facies is defined by quartz-coesite equilibrium transition at approximate 2.5 GPa pressure and above that involves mantle depths already with particular scientific interests.

The occurrence of eclogite often indicates either a subduction- or collision-related orogenic process that marks the operation of plate tectonics on Earth as the most significant mechanism making our planet unique and vivid. Therefore, the studies of eclogite, from both natural orogenic belts on Earth or experimental synthesization, are of great importance to understand the lithospheric geodynamics in large-scale horizonal and vertical movements contributing to the materials recycling between the supracrust and the deep lithosphere. Meanwhile, there are also mantle eclogites as xenoliths from the deep mantle or garnet clinopyroxenites and other analogues that may be exhumed to the surface, carrying significant deep Earth information. Thanks to the recently developed phase equilibria modeling method, using pseudosection calculation by diverse computer softwares, we are allowed to predict various mineral properties, such as stable mineral phases, mineral modal volume, mineral endmember isolines, water and melt contents, etc., in quite a short time. Additionally, the geochronological methods have been greatly improved in dating the metamorphic timing of eclogites by state-of-art techniques as LA-ICPMS, MC-ICPMS, SIMS, SHRIMP, etc.

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the description and interpretation of the newly discovered geologic process or phenomenon related to eclogite and eclogite facies metamorphism in orogenic processes or deep mantle fragments. In the meantime, any experimental attempts to synthesize eclogitic assemblage(s) under extreme conditions (e.g., UHP) are also welcome.

Dr. Xiaoli Li
Dr. Renbiao Tao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • orogenic eclogite
  • mantle eclogite
  • eclogite facies
  • PT conditions
  • ultrahigh pressure metamorphism
  • experimental petrology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 6175 KiB  
Article
Metabasites from the Central East Kunlun Orogenic Belt Inform a New Suture Model for Subduction and Collision in the Early Paleozoic Proto-Tethys Ocean
by Feng Chang, Guibin Zhang, Lu Xiong, Shuaiqi Liu, Shuzhen Wang and Yixuan Liu
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050449 - 24 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 829
Abstract
The discovery of eclogite outcrops in the East Kunlun Orogen Belt (EKOB) has confirmed the existence of an Early Paleozoic HP-UHP metamorphic belt. However, the protoliths and metamorphic histories of widespread metabasites remain poorly constrained. We collected three types of metabasites from the [...] Read more.
The discovery of eclogite outcrops in the East Kunlun Orogen Belt (EKOB) has confirmed the existence of an Early Paleozoic HP-UHP metamorphic belt. However, the protoliths and metamorphic histories of widespread metabasites remain poorly constrained. We collected three types of metabasites from the central part of EKOB. We present an integrated study of petrography, whole-rock geochemistry, Sr-Nd isotopes, estimated P–T conditions, and zircon U-Pb isotope ages. The results show that amphibolites and retrograde eclogites have clockwise P–T paths with peak conditions of, respectively, 11–12 kbar and 675–695 °C, and 21.5–22.2 kbar and 715–750 °C. Zircon dating of metabasites from Dagele yields Late Ordovician (~449 Ma) to Early Silurian (~440 Ma) protolith ages and Early Devonian (~414 Ma) amphibolite facies metamorphic ages. Retrograde eclogites from east Nuomuhong have a protolith age of ~902 Ma and metamorphic ages of ~418 Ma, consistent with other eclogites from East Kunlun. Our data suggest that the protoliths of Dagele metabasites represent arc-type magmatism during the subduction of a small back-arc oceanic basin. Instead, the protoliths of retrograde eclogites are Neoproterozoic tholeiitic basalts emplaced into continental crust and subsequently deeply subducted. We develop a new model for Early Paleozoic subduction and collision in the East Kunlun region, emphasizing the role of ‘dominant’ and ‘secondary’ suture boundaries. This model helps explain the ages and metamorphic histories of the metabasites studied here and offers new perspectives on the evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental Petrology: Metamorphic Evolution of Eclogite)
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9 pages, 1819 KiB  
Communication
Discovery of Mafic Granulites in the Muzhaerte Area, SW Tianshan, China
by Jun Yan, Ying Cui and Xiaoyu Liu
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1214; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091214 - 15 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 895
Abstract
Accretionary and collisional orogeny are often accompanied by the disturbance of the geothermal gradient, leading to high-temperature metamorphism. High-temperature metamorphic rocks are significant in their ability to help the reconstruction of the thermal histories of orogenic belts. The Tianshan Orogenic Belt, at the [...] Read more.
Accretionary and collisional orogeny are often accompanied by the disturbance of the geothermal gradient, leading to high-temperature metamorphism. High-temperature metamorphic rocks are significant in their ability to help the reconstruction of the thermal histories of orogenic belts. The Tianshan Orogenic Belt, at the southwest margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, is a record of the long-term subduction–collision–post-collision orogenic process that has taken place in the Phanerozoic Eon. Here, we report the discovery of mafic granulites in the Muzhaerte area, SW Tianshan. Petrographic observation reveals that the mafic granulites underwent two metamorphic stages. The peak mineral assemblage of the first stage is dominated by clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz + hornblende (hb1) ± biotite, and the post-peak mineral assemblage of the second stage is dominated by clinopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz + hornblende (hb2) + biotite. The calculated results obtained from the two-pyroxene thermobarometers and the Al-in-hornblende barometer for the mafic granulites indicate that the metamorphic conditions of mafic granulites are 760–860 °C, <0.39–0.41 Gpa. The mafic granulites recorded a high-grade granulite facies thermal metamorphic event with the highest temperature limit currently recorded in the Central Tianshan Block. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental Petrology: Metamorphic Evolution of Eclogite)
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