Kalsilite, leucite and hibonite occur together with spinel, corundum, sphene, perovskite, Ti-phlogopite and K-feldspar in a granulite facies gneiss in the Punalur district in Kerala, southern India. Kalsilite-leucite-perovskite-phlogopite and kalsilite-hibonite-spinelcorundum formed distinct, texturally equilibrated assemblages during the granulite facies metamorphism. Sphene occurs as coronas on perovskite suggesting the retrograde breakdown of the perovskite-leucite association; leucite is partially altered to symplectites of K-feldspar and kalsilite, while hibonite shows partial replacement by corundum and perovskite in spinel-rich domains. Unlike other terrestrial hibonites the majority of the Punalur hibonites contain no significant rare earths (ΣREE0.6 atoms per 19 O. Garnet-hypersthene granulites from Punalur and garnet-charnockites from elsewhere in Kerala suggest metamorphism at 700–800°C and 3.5–6.5 kbars; consistent with experimentally determined stability limit of leucite of low a(H2O). The metamorphic conditions recorded by the Punalur assemblages testify to relatively low pressure conditions for a granulite facies terrain but are by no means unique. The scarcity of potassium feldspathoid in the metamorphic record must therefore be attributed to the exceptional compositional requirements of extreme silica undersaturation combined with low Na/K
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