H₂O content of deep-seated orogenic continental crust: the Ulten Zone, Italian Alps

摘要

To estimate the amount of H₂O stored at lower crustal levels after burial, we considered the pile of migmatitic paragneisses in the Variscan Ulten Zone as a case study area. We constructed a pseudosection in the system K₂O-Na₂O-CaO-FeO-MnO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-TiO₂-H₂O for an average paragneiss, a relevant prograde PT path (8.5 kbar, 600°C; 11.5 kbar, 750°C; 14.0 kbar, 1000°C) and H₂O contents between 0 and 10 wt.%. Based on an assemblage of garnet + biotite + white mica + kyanite + 20-30 vol.% former melt (now represented mainly by leucosomes composed of plagioclase + quartz), a bulk H₂O content of 3.2 ± 1.1 wt.% was estimated for a peak temperature ranging between 770 and 800°C. Before melting, somewhat less than 1.8 wt.% H₂O was stored in minerals. Thus, a considerable amount of H₂O must have either resided in pore spaces along grain boundaries or, much less likely, infiltrated the paragneisses from below. Evidently, significant quantities of H₂O as a free phase may be stored in buried sialic crust, resulting in considerable melting of deep-seated rocks during continent-continent collision.View full textDownload full textKeywordsmigmatites, continent - continent collision, high pressure, phase equilibria, water, lower crust, Ulten ZoneRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2010.548155