Mineral chemistry and thermobarometry of Dorbeh diorite metamorphic aureole, south of Urmia

Hercynite-rich spinel is a typical mineral of both quartz-bearing and quartz-free metapelitic rocks that form under low-pressure high-temperature conditions in the granulite facies (Sengupta et al., 1991) or upper-amphibolite facies of regional and contact metamorphism (Pattison and Tracy, 1991). Temperature-pressure estimation of metamorphic terrains is necessary to understand how large-scale crust evolution has occurred. High-temperature phase equilibrium cannot be properly evaluated solely based on normal cationic couple geothermobarometers, as ferromagnesian cationic exchange undergoes processes related to retrogression during cooling after peak metamorphism. Instead, key mineral parageneses are preserved and standard petrogenetic grids study based on reaction textures and mineral chemistry can be very helpful in better estimating temperature pressure.Regional GeologyDorbeh's contact aureole is formed in West Azerbaijan province, south of Urmia, north of Oshnavieh, and the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone around Dorbeh diorite. The intrusion is one of the components of the Urmia Plutonic Complex (UPC) which is spread along with granites and alkali syenites/granites at the northwest end of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone in the south of Urmia. This diorite intruded sedimentary units of shale and carbonate belonging to Permian to Triassic-Jurassic including the Doroud and Ruteh Formations and have metamorphosed them in contact aureole, causing hornfels and calc-silicate to sometimes scarn deposits in the area (Modjarrad and Mohamed, 2015). This intrusion is covered by Miocene units (Ghalamghash, 2009). The observed parageneses in Dorbeh aureole including Cld + Chl, Ctd + And, Alm + Cld, And+Alm, Hc+Alm, Chl + Hc + And + Sil, Alm + And + Sil, Alm + And + Sil + Hc. The peak metamorphism assemblage is Alm + And + Sil + Hc. The reactions responsible for the parageneses productions were introduced in the previous studies (Modjarrad and Mohamed, 2015).Materials and Methods 50 microscopic thin sections were prepared and petrographically examined. A reagent sample with the highest number of parageneses and experienced peak metamorphism was analyzed by JEOL JXA-8200 microprobes electron device for garnet, chlorite, chloritoid, spinel, iron oxide, aluminosilicate, and apatite at the University of Potsdam, Germany. For whole rock chemistry, several metapelite samples were analyzed by XRF at the ALS-Chemex Laboratory of Canada.Discussion and ConclusionsThe main purpose of the present paper is to investigate the parageneses, the mineral chemistry, and the temperature-pressure estimation in the metamorphic contact aureole around Dorbeh intrusive. This intrusion consists of amphibole, plagioclase, and clinopyroxene, is a part of the Urmia Intrusive Complex (UPC), and with dioritic composition was intruded the Upper Cretaceous into the Paleozoic pelitic and limestone sedimentary rocks and metamorphosed them. The metapelite section of the aureole has exhibited interesting parageneses due to the exceptional iron-rich composition of the protolith. The hornfels part of the Dorbeh aureole is dominated by chlorite + chloritoid + garnet + aluminosilicates + spinel + opaque minerals and less quartz in the matrix. Mineral chemistry studies showed that Fe-chlorite between Repidolite to Bronswigite, Fe-chloritoid, Almandine garnet, Hercynitic spinel, and ilmenite are the minerals composition which is in agreement with the Fe-rich content of the parent rock. There was no specific zoning pattern in the metapelites garnet grains. It was also found that there is a reverse relationship between Si content and iron, magnesium, titanium, and chromium in chlorite and aluminosilicate structures. The metamorphic conditions for Dorbeh aureole by the multi-equilibria method by THERMOCALC software have been estimated at 570±7°C, at a pressure of 2.8±0.2 kbar.Detailed investigation of phase relationships of metamorphic rocks can be considered a desirable method along with quantitative data-based methods to evaluate the occurrence of progressive metamorphism. This method is based on direct observation of reaction textures and is more objective in estimating metamorphic conditions by the method of the intersection of equilibrium reactions. Most of the time, secondary cationic exchanges penetrate from the mineral boundary to a considerable stratum and question the accuracy of the temperature and pressure calculated on the cationic couple's geothermometers to a large extent. The contact aureole with higher than normal temperatures specific to the margins of dry mafic intrusives is sometimes associated with the formation of special parageneses such as Grt+Sil+And+Hc. This paragenesis has also been reported from high-temperature (granolithic) regional metamorphic terrains, but its production conditions are more limited in contact aureoles and require a high molar fraction of iron/aluminum or mass dryness and/or aureole. Therefore, the composition of all ferromagnesian minerals is very close to the final iron end member and no specific temperature fluctuation in the aureole is understood from the garnet zoning pattern. Although staurolite has not been seen in the studied sections, the evidence suggests that hercynite in the area was caused by staurolite breakdown. With precision in the composition of analyzed chlorites, it was found that there is a direct relationship between Si and alkaline content in chlorite structure, but titano-ferromagnesian content is in contrast with Si content. An almost similar relationship was observed in the aluminosilicate crystals. The inverse relationship between silica and Fe, Ti, and Cr oxides prevails.

Fetched live from OpenAlex and de-inverted. Abstracts are not stored in this database: the inverted indexes are 8.6 GB of the frame’s 9.3 GB of text, and the host has 13 GB free.