ISSN:
1525-1314
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
The In Ouzzal granulitic unit (IOGU) consists predominantly of felsic orthogneisses most of which correspond to granitoids emplaced during the Archaean, plus metasediments, including olivine-spinel marbles, of late Archaean age. All units were metamorphosed at granulite facies during the Eburnean (2 Ga). The stable isotope signature of the marbles (δ13C=–0.8 to –4.2‰/PDB; δ18O = 7.9 to 18.9‰/SMOW) does not record a massive streaming of C-bearing fluids during metamorphism. Most of the isotopic variation in the marbles is explained in terms of pregranulitic features. Metasomatic transformation of granulites into layered potassic syenitic rocks and emplacement of carbonate veins and breccias occurred during retrogressive granulite facies conditions. The chemistry of these rocks is comparable with that of fenites and carbonatites with high contents of (L)REEs, Th, U, F, C, Ba and Sr but, with respect to these elements, a relative depletion in Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr and Ti. The isotopic compositions of Nd (ɛNd(T)=–6.3 to –9.9), of Sr (87Sr/86Sr(T)= 0.7093–0.7104), and the O isotopic composition of metasomatic clinopyroxene (δ18O = 6.9 to 8‰), all indicate that the fluid had a strong crustal imprint. On the basis of the C isotope ratios (δ13C =–3.5 to –9.7‰), the fluid responsible for the crystallization of carbonates and metasomatic alteration is thought to be derived from the mantle, presumably through degassing of mantle-derived magmas at depth. Intense interaction with the crust during the upward flow of the fluid may explain its chemical and isotopic signatures. The zones of metasomatic alteration in the In Ouzzal granulites may be the deep-seated equivalents of the zones of channelled circulation of carbonated fluids described at shallower levels in the crust.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1314.1996.00055.x
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