Electron microprobe technique for U-Th-Pb and REE chemistry of monazite, and its implications for pre-, peak- and post- metamorphic events of the Lutzow-Holm Complex and the Napier Complex, East Antarctica

Monazites in high-grade metapelites from the Lutzow-Holm Complex and Napier Complex have been examined in terms of U, Th, Pb and rare earth element (REE) chemistry using an electron microprobe. The studied samples include four granulite-facies garnet-biotite-bearing metapelites from Skallen within the Lutzow-Holm Complex, and a re-hydrated garnet-sillimanite gneiss from the Mt. Riiser-Larsen area within the UHT zone of the Napier Complex. Two out of four garnet-bearing metapelitic samples from Skallen gave simple 560-500Ma monazite U-Th-Pb ages, whereas the other two samples yielded two age populations, i.e., 560-500Ma and 650-580Ma. The younger age group is consistent with the 550-520Ma metamorphic ages reported by SHRIMP. The older>580Ma monazites are relatively enriched in Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy (MREE) and depleted in Si (Ca and Th) compared with the younger (560-500Ma) ones. These older monazites possibly formed through M-HREE-enriched conditions such as garnet-free conditions, suggesting that the growth of these monazites pre-dated the peak metamorphism. Garnet-sillimanite gneiss from the Mt. Riiser-Larsen area shows various post-UHT re-hydration textures such as biotite-sillimanite aggregates, and fine-grained biotite flakes around or intracrystalline fractures within garnet porphyroblasts. Monazites enclosed within garnet cores have 2480-2440Ma U-Th-Pb ages consistent with the reported zircon and monazite SHRIMP dates. On the other hand, those associated with re-hydrated zones gave fluctuating 2200-700Ma ages. These younger ages are thought to reflect the incomplete chemical disturbance during the post-UHT crustal processes

Basement geological research of East Antarctica

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Special session: [S] Future plan of Antarctic research: Towards phase X of the Japanese Antarctic Research Project (2022-2028) and beyond, Tue. 3 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) at National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR

Pseudotachylytes from Langhovde and Skarvsnes in the Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica, and their conditions of formation

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OG] Polar Geosciences, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor), National Institute of Polar Researc

New Field, Petrographic and isotopic Data: Implications for Relocating the Highland-Vijayan Boundary of Sri Lanka Precambrian

第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第31回極域地学シンポジウム 11月17日（木） 国立極地研究所　2階大会議室前フロ

Geology of the eastern Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica: Missing link to Sri Lanka

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OG] Polar Geosciences, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor), National Institute of Polar Researc

Geological field survey in the regions of L*tzow-Holm Bay, Prince Olav Coast and Enderby Land, 2018-2019 (JARE-60)

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OG] Polar Geosciences, Wed. 4 Dec. / 3F Seminar room, National Institute of Polar Researc

Timing of thermal events in eastern Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

Using cathodoluminescence (CL)images,the zircons analyzed by K. Shiraishi et al.(J.Geol.,102,47,1994) for SHRIMP U-Pb dating (prior to the use of CL images) have been re-examined in order to unravel the periods of multiple zircon growth in eastern Dronning Maud Land.In addition four new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age determinations are presented:two from the Yamato Mountains and two from the Lutzow-Holm Complex (LHC).The major conclusion from this study is that the Grenvillian basement is not ubiquitous in the LHC.Some outcrops are of late Archean-Paleoproterozoic crustal fragments reworked during the Pan-African event. In such cases,there is no indication of a Grenvillian event.Other protoliths are derived from Meso-Neoproterozoic juvenile crust and recycled continental sediments from the margin of the craton.Thus the pre-history of the Pan-African LHC is not uniform.In the Yamato Mountains,two stages of the Pan-African event are suggested,at ~620 Ma and ~535 Ma. These two stages are similar to those recorded in the Sφr Rondane Mountains and central Dronning Maud Land further to the west.These new and revised,updated results provide important constraints on tectonic models for the formation of Gondwana

Disequilibrium REE compositions of garnet and zircon in migmatites reflecting different growth timings during single metamorphism (Aoyama area, Ryoke belt, Japan)

Chemical disequilibrium of coexisting garnet and zircon in pelitic migmatites (Aoyama area, Ryoke belt, SW Japan) is shown by microtextural evidence and their heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns. In zircon, two stages of metamorphic rim growth is observed under cathodoluminescence image, although their SHRIMP UPb zircon ages are similar at ca. 92 Ma. Inner and outer rims of zircon tend to show steep HREE patterns irrespective of the UPb age. The inner rims tend to give higher U content than the outer rims; some rim analyses give various Th/U ratios of 0.02–0.07 compared to the very low (<0.02) values seen in the rest of rim analyses. The higher-Th/U values are ascribed to the mixed analyses between thin prograde domains and thick retrograde overgrowths. Zircon grains with inclusions similar to previously-reported melt inclusions are further enclosed in garnet, supporting the growth of thin zircon domains coexisting with garnet during the prograde metamorphism. Garnet rims are commonly replaced by biotite-plagioclase intergrowths, indicating a back reaction with partial melts. Garnet exhibits decrease in HREE and Y concentrations towards the rim, pointing to its prograde growth. The garnet cores have prograde xenotime inclusions, show steep HREE patterns, and yield growth temperature of ~530–570 °C by a YAG-xenotime thermometer. On the other hand, the garnet rims have no xenotime inclusion and show flat HREE patterns. Rare garnet domains including sillimanite needles also show flat HREE patterns and low Y concentrations, which is interpreted as a product of dehydration melting consuming biotite and sillimanite at near-peak P-T conditions (~800 °C and ~0.5 GPa). One such garnet domain gives nearly-equilibrium REE distribution pattern when paired with the matrix zircon rims. Retrograde xenotime is present in the cracks in garnet and in the biotite-plagioclase intergrowths, suggesting that retrograde breakdown of garnet released HREE and Y to form it. Considering the availability of HREE and Zr and presence of melt inclusions in zircon rims, most part of the zircon rims with positive HREE patterns likely grew during the melt crystallization stage, meaning that the zircon rims and presently-preserved garnet domains did not grow in equilibrium. The above scenario was tested by the array plot analysis and it gave a result consistent with microtextural and traditional REE distribution constraints. Combination of microtextural and the array plot analyses may become a powerful tool to reliably correlate the zircon ages to the P-T evolution of the high-grade metamorphic rocks

Titanium behavior in quartz during retrograde hydration: Occurrence of rutile exsolution and implications for metamorphic processes in the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica

AbstractIn the central Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica, orthopyroxene felsic gneiss (OPG) was converted to hornblende-biotite felsic gneiss (HBG) by hydration that accompanied the intrusion of pegmatite. The retrograde HBG contains exsolved rutile in quartz. The composition of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in OPG suggests a temperature of 840°C (interpreted as the near-peak temperature), and the composition of hornblende and plagioclase in HBG suggests a temperature of 670–700°C (interpreted as the temperature during hydration). Ti concentrations in quartz were measured using an electron probe micro-analyzer, and Ti-in-quartz thermometers were applied. Measured Ti concentrations were 110ppm (equivalent to 760–820°C) for homogeneous quartz from OPG and 35ppm (650–700°C) for an exsolution-free area of a quartz grain from HBG. The pre-exsolution Ti concentration in quartz from HBG was reconstructed with 100μm beam diameter and 25kV of accelerating voltage, giving 103ppm, similar to the value obtained for homogeneous quartz in OPG. The temperatures obtained using a Ti-in-quartz thermometer are consistent with those estimated using other thermometers. Although analysis of the main constitute minerals in HBG yields the conditions of hydration, the reconstructed pre-exsolution Ti content in quartz within HBG yields the pre-hydration conditions. Thus, the Ti-in-quartz thermometer is a potentially powerful tool with which to identify the peak or near-peak temperature conditions, even for retrogressed metamorphic rocks

Fluid inclusions in an osumilite-bearing granulite from Bunt Island in the Archean Napier Complex, East Antarctica: implications for a decompressional P-T path?

We report high-density CO_2-rich fluid inclusions in garnet,orthopyroxene,and quartz from an osumilite-bearing aluminous granulite from Bunt Island of the Archean Napier Complex,East Antarctica.The melting temperatures of fluids lie in the range of -56.8 to -57.8゜C being close to the triple point for pure CO_2 (-56.6゜C ). Homogenization of the CO_2,-rich fluids into the liquid phase occurs at temperatures in the range of -35.4 to 24.7゜C. This translates into CO_2 densities in the range of 0.788-1.084g/cm^3 .The estimated CO_2 ,isochore for high-density inclusions in garnet intersects the P-T trajectory of Bunt Island at around 10 kbar at 1050゜C, which corresponds to the peak metamorphic conditions of the region derived from mineral phase equilibria.We therefore infer that CO_2 ,was the dominant fluid species present during the ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in Bunt Island.CO_2 inclusions with lower density occurring in quartz and garnet provide isochores that intersect the P-T path at <7 kbar and <950゜C indicating density reversal of originally high-density inclusions along a decompressional exhumation path of the ultrahigh-temperature rocks in the Bunt Island