Chemographic Exploration of Amphibole Assemblages from Central Massachusetts and Southwestern New Hampshire
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Mineral. Soc. Amer, Spec. Pap. 2, 251-274 (1969). CHEMOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION OF AMPHIBOLE ASSEMBLAGES FROM CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE PETER ROBINSON AND HOWARD W. JAFFE Department of Geology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 ABSTRACT Fourteen wet chemical and forty electron-probe analyses were made of amphiboles from critical assemblages in the kyanite and sillimanite zones of central Massachusetts and southwestern New Hampshire. The rocks studied in- clude plagioclase amphibolites that are metamorphosed mafic lavas and tuffs, aluminous anthophyllite rocks of uncertain derivation, quartz-garnet-amphibole granulites that are metamorphosed ferruginous cherts, and pods of ultramafic amphibolite. The rocks contain the following associations: hornblende-anthophyllite, hornblende-cummingtonite, anthophyllite-cummingtonite, hornblende-anthophyllite-cummingtonite, anthophyllite-cordierite, and anthophyllite- kyanite-sillimanite-staurolite_garnet. The following generalizations are made: 1) The cummingtonites are compositionally simple, containing neither sig- nificant AI/AI, NaJAI, nor Ca substitution. 2) The hornblendes are high in AI/AI substitution. Those coexisting with cummingtonite in the kyanite zone or in retrograded rocks have a higher Al content than those coexisting with cum- mingtonite in the sillimanite zone, in close agreement with the prograde reaction tschermakitic hornblende -7 cumming- tonite + plagioclase + H20 proposed by Shido. The Na content of hornblende is considerably less than that of the theoretical edenite end member and is relatively insensitive to variation in the Na content of coexisting plagioclase. 3) Anthophyllites coexisting with hornblende contain about 1as much AI/AI substitution and 1as much Na substitution as coexisting hornblendes. Ca is negligible. Anthophyllites with cordierite, aluminosilicates, or garnet equal or surpass hornblende in AI/AI and Na substitution. Anthophyllites coexisting with cummingtonite are more aluminous than the cummingtonite, and anthophyllites as a group can be distinguished from cummingtonites by their higher Na content and Na/Ca ratios. 4) Chemographic data for the sillimanite zone indicate there should be a narrow three-amphibole field centered on 100 Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 41 with hornblende and anthophyllite in more magnesian assemblages, and either hornblende and cummingtonite or cummingtonite and anthophyllite in more iron-rich assemblages. A true three-amphibole assemblage was located some miles away in the sillimanite-orthoclase zone with the three phase field centered on 100 Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 36. The wet analyses show that one fifth to nearly one half of the Fe in hornblende is Fe'+, anthophyllite has much less Fe'", and cummingtonite still less. Metamorphic rock compositions more or less restricted to the system SiO, - Ai 0, _ FeO _ MgO, such as the 2 aluminous anthophyllite rocks reported here, are rare, but sufficiently known worldwide to allow recognition of several facies for quartz-saturated rocks, all containing combinations of anthophyllite, cummingtonite, cordierite, AI-silicates, staurolite, and garnet. INTRODUCTION tain abundant staurolite. The eastern part of the area was The purpose of this study was to determine the composi- metamorphosed in the sillimanite zone, the kyanite-silli- tion and extent of solid solution of coexisting amphiboles manite boundary being defined by the westernmost occur- and associated minerals from a variety of rocks, all of rences of fibrolitic sillimanite. Sillimanite is abundant and which were subjected to approximately the same metamor- commonly occurs in mica schists with muscovite, biotite, phic conditions. Such a study was done on rocks of pelitic staurolite, and garnet. Within the sillimanite zone there are composition for the kyanite zone in Vermont by Albee scattered occurrences of kyanite, some coexisting with silli- (1965a). Klein (1968) recently completed a survey of manite, that are considered to be relics of earlier stages of coexisting amphiboles on a worldwide basis that formed metamorphism that survived later higher temperature con- under a variety of conditions. ditions. In the eastern part of the area there are a few The amphibole rocks of this study were found during de- rocks that contain coexisting quartz, muscovite, sillimanite, tailed mapping of the Orange area, central Massachusetts orthoclase and oligoclase suggesting a transition toward the and southwestern New Hampshire (Robinson, 1963, 1967) sillimanite-orthoclase zone. In the extreme south central and adjacent areas. The Orange area (Fig. 1) lies on the part of the area there was thorough retrograde metamor- Bronson Hill anticlinorium, a zone of en echelon gneiss phism of sillimanite zone rocks to mineralogy characteristic domes with cores composed of gneiss of uncertain age of the biotite zone. mantled by metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks The structural history of the area is complex. Earlier of Middle Ordovician, Silurian, and Early Devonian age nappe structures with amplituda, up to 25 km are de- (Thompson, Robinson, Clifford, and Trask, 1968). The formed about later gneiss domes that may be bulging or Triassic border fault with a probable displacement of 5 to strongly overturned with vertical amplitudes up to 10-12 8 km (east side upthrown) lies in the northwest corner of the area. km. The nappe and dome structures involve Lower Devo- nian rocks and both formed during the metamorphism that The western part of the Orange area was metamor- was probably Middle Devonian. Conditions of metamor- phosed in the kyanite zone, but kyanite is relatively scarce phism are estimated to have been 600-700°C and 5-7 because of bulk composition and common mica schists con- kbar total pressure (Robinson, 1966). 251 PETER ROBINSON AND HOWARD W. JAFFE 252 nous layers also occur in the Loer Devonian Littleton Formation, and at one locality such a layer contains an as- sociation of olivine (Fess, no quartz), orthopyroxene (Fes!;), grunerite (FeS4)' garnet and magnetite, to be re- ported in detail elsewhere. The final amphibole association is in pods of ultramafic rocks, probably metamorphosed pyroxenites that appear to intrude most pre-Silurian units in the stratigraphy. A high proportion of the specimens considered here were collected on two hills less than 3,000 feet (0.9 km) apart in Richmond, New Hampshire and at a third outcrop 6,000 feet (1.8 km) to the south near the state line (Fig. 1). These three localities collectively are referred to as the "Amphibole Hill Area." PETROGRAPHY Estimated modes, and other notes on the analyzed specimens are given in Table 1. Plagioclase compositions were determined by measurement of the 0. refractive index in oils and are ex- pressed in mole percent An. The optical properties of the amphi- boles have been studied by the authors but will be reported else- where (see also Jaffe, Robinson, and Klein, 1968; Robinson and Jaffe, 1969). All are coarsely crystalline and nearly free of sec- ondary alteration products. Textures vary considerably. Two amphiboles are considered to constitute an assemblage only if they are in mutual contact. Specimen I38A, for example, con- tains three amphiboles in different layers. A cummingtonite- bearing layer 2 ern thick is in contact with anthophyllite on one side (Klein, 1968, Fig. 14) and hornblende (Ross, Papike, and Weiblen, 1968.) on the other. Thus, there are two two-amphi- FIG. 1. Generalized geologic map of the Orange area, Massa- bole assemblages. One specimen, QB27C, does contain three truly chusetts and New Hampshire, showing specimen locations and coexisting amphiboles (Robinson, Jaffe, Klein, and Ross, 1969). distribution of Middle Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics and Hornblende coexisting with cummingtonite or anthophyllite Partridge Formation (undifferentiated, black areas). Heavy contains thin exsolution lamellae of colorless clinoamphibole, dashed line is estimated position of the kyanite-sillimanite optically like cummingtonite, oriented parallel to (i01) and boundary. (100) of the host (Ross, Papike and Weiblen, 1968; Jaffe, Robinson, and Klein, 1968). The intensity of color is variable The amphibole rocks of interest occur in several geologic and strongly dependent on composition but the tone generally associations. Most important are metamorphosed mafic follows the pleochroic scheme Z-bluish green, Y -olive green, volcanic layers, either lavas or tuffs, in the Middle Ordovi- X -tan. Slight color zoning occurs in some specimens and some grains are twinned on (100). cian Ammonoosuc Volcanics or the Partridge Formation. Cummingtonite coexisting with hornblende contains thin ex- These are plagioclase amphibolites with various combina- solution lamellae of hornblende oriented parallel to (101) and tions of hornblende, cummingtonite, and anthophyllite ac- (100) of the host. In many cases hornblende and cummingtonite companied in many cases by quartz, biotite, garnet, rutile, hosts are in contact along these exsolution planes. Some grains ilmenite, or magnetite. Hornblende amphibolites not specif- are twinned 1-3 times on (100). Both (101) and (100) exsolu- tion lamellae were observed either in thin section or in oils in ically studied here may also contain epidote, diopside, or all specimens containing both cummingtonite and hornblende sphene. Interbedded with the volcanics at a few localities hosts. However, because of the variable abundance and distribu- are peculiar alumina-rich anthophyllite gneisses containing tion