Biotite and garnet compositional variation and mineral equilibria in Grenville gneisses of the Otter Lake area, Quebec |
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| Authors: | RALPH KRETZ |
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| Institution: | Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Garnet-biotite gneisses, some of which contain sillimanite or hornblende, are widespread within the Otter Lake terrain, a portion of the Grenville Province of the Canadian Shield. The metamorphic grade is upper amphibolite to, locally, lower granulite facies. The atomic ratio Fe2+/(Fe2++ Fe3+) in biotite ranges from 0.79 to 0.89 (ferrous iron determinations in 10 highly pure separates), with a mean of 0.86. Mg and Fe2+ atoms occupy 67–78% of the octahedral sites, the remainder are occupied by Fe3+, Ti, and Al, and some are vacant. Mg/(Mg + Fe2+), denoted X, in the analysed samples ranges from 0.32 to 0.65. Garnet contains 1–24% grossular, 1–12% spessartine and X ranges from 0.07 to 0.34. Compositional variation in biotite and garnet is examined in relation to three mineral equilibria: (I) biotite + sillimanite + quartz = garnet + K-feldspar + H2O; (II) pyrope + annite = almandine + phlogopite; (III) anorthite = grossular + sillimanite + quartz. Measurements of X (biotite) and X (garnet) are used to construct an illustrative model for equilibrium (I) which relates the observed variation in X to a temperature range of 70°C or a range in H2O activity of 0.6; the latter interpretation is preferred. In sillimanite-free gneisses, the distribution of Mg and Fe2+ between garnet (low in Ca and Mn) and biotite is adequately described by a distribution coefficient (KD) of 4.1 (equilibrium II). The observed increase in the distribution coefficient with increasing Ca in garnet is ln KD= 1.3 + 2.5 × 10?2 Ca] where Ca] = 100 Ca/(Mg + Fe2++ Mn + Ca). The distribution coefficient is apparently unaffected by the presence of up to 12% spessartine in garnet. In several specimens of garnet-sillimanite-plagioclase gneiss, the Ca contents of garnet and of plagioclase increase in unison, as required by equilibrium (III). The mean pressure calculated from these data (n= 17) is 5.9 kbar, and the 95% confidence limits are ±0.5 kbar. |
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| Keywords: | anorthite = grossular + sillimanite biotite + sillimanite = garnet + K-feldspar Fe2+-Mg exchange (garnet-biotite) Grenville gneisses |
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