Metamorphic Evolution of the Middle Seve Nappe in the Snasahögarna Area, Scandinavian Caledonides

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Metamorphic Evolution of the Middle Seve Nappe in the Snasahögarna Area, Scandinavian Caledonides Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper Metamorphic Evolution of the Middle Seve Nappe in the Snasahögarna area, Scandinavian ISSN 1650-6553 Nr 277 Caledonides Åke Rosén Metamorphic Evolution of the In the Snasahögarna area, situated in the central Scandinavian Middle Seve Nappe in the Caledonides, the Middle Seve Nappe Complex mainly consist of pelitic Snasahögarna area, Scandinavian gneisses. Within these garnet and kyanite bearing gneisses the first Caledonides discovery of metamorphogenic diamond in Sweden has been confirmed by micro raman spectroscopy. The garnet hosted diamond together with associated carbonate and fluid inclusions were deposited by carbon saturated fluids at a pressures exceeding 3.1 GPa. The peak mineral assemblage, Phg Mgs-Sid Grt Ky Jd Rt Coe (Dia), is constrained by Åke Rosén microscopic observations and thermodynamic phase equilibrium modeling. Modeled garnet cores equilibrated at c. 750oC and 1.3 GPa together with phengite rims. This early exhumation stage was followed by heating reaching a peak temperature of 880-910oC at 1.05-1.18 GPa. Partial melting following the increased temperature is confirmed by anatectic segregations and microscopic melt related textures in the paragneiss. A fluid restricted environment at the late high temperature stage is inferred from mineral textures, mineral chemistry and low bulk rock loss on ignition. This is in agreement with thermodynamic models. Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper Examensarbete E1, 30 hp i Berggrundsgeologi ISSN 1650-6553 Nr 277 Tryckt hos Institutionen för geovetenskaper, Geotryckeriet, Uppsala universitet, Uppsala, 2014. Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper ISSN 1650-6553 Nr 277 Metamorphic Evolution of the Middle Seve Nappe in the Snasahögarna area, Scandinavian Caledonides Åke Rosén Supervisor: Jaroslaw Majka Copyright © ¯LF3PTÏO and the Department of Earth Sciences Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Geotryckeriet Uppsala University, Uppsala, 2014 Abstract In the Snasahögarna area, situated in the central Scandinavian Caledonides, the Middle Seve Nappe Complex mainly consist of pelitic gneisses. Within these garnet and kyanite bearing gneisses the first discovery of metamorphogenic diamond in Sweden has been confirmed by micro raman spectroscopy. The garnet hosted diamond together with associated carbonate and fluid inclusions were deposited by carbon saturated fluids at a pressures exceeding 3.1 GPa. The peak mineral assemblage, Phg Mgs-Sid Grt Ky Jd Rt Coe (Dia), is constrained by microscopic observations and thermodynamic phase equilibrium modeling. Modeled garnet cores equilibrated at c. 750oC and 1.3 GPa together with phengite rims. This early exhumation stage was followed by heating reaching a peak temperature of 880-910oC at 1.05-1.18 GPa. Partial melting following the increased temperature is confirmed by anatectic segregations and microscopic melt related textures in the paragneiss. A fluid restricted environment at the late high temperature stage is inferred from mineral textures, mineral chemistry and low bulk rock loss on ignition. This is in agreement with thermodynamic models. Sammanfattning Den mellersta Seveskållan i området kring Snasahögarna i Jämtland domineras av granat- och kyanitförande paragnejser. I dessa har metamorfogena diamanter identifierats med hjälp av ramanspektroskopi. Diamanterna återfinns som inneslutningar i granat tillsammans med associerade karbonater samt vätskeinneslutningar. Dessa avsattes från kolmättade vätskor vid tryck överstigande 3.1 GPa. Mineralsammansättningen vid maximalt tryck, Phg Mgs-Sid Grt Ky Jd Rt Coe (Dia), har härletts från mikroskopobservationer samt termodynamisk fasmodellering. Jämvikt för anomala granatsammansättningar inneslutna i senare homogeniserad granat uppnåddes nära 750oC och 1.3 GPa. Efterföljande tryckavlastning medförde värmeökning till 880-910oC vid 1.05-1.18 GPa. Anatektisk textur samt smältrelaterade mikrostrukturer tyder på partiell uppsmältning till följd av ökad temperatur och minskat tryck. Mineraltexturer, mineralkemi och en låg viktförlust vid upphettning av prov indikerar låg vätsketillgång vid den sena högtemperatursfasen. Detta bekräftas av termodynamisk fasmodellering. Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. Background ..................................................................................................................... 1 2.1. Pre-Caledonian Baltica ................................................................................................ 1 2.2. Caledonian orogeny ..................................................................................................... 3 2.3. Scandinavian Caledonides ........................................................................................... 4 2.4. The Snasahögarna area and surroundings .................................................................... 9 3. Previous studies ............................................................................................................. 11 3.1. Geothermobarometry ................................................................................................. 11 3.2. Geochronology ........................................................................................................... 12 4. Methods ......................................................................................................................... 13 4.1. Thin sections .............................................................................................................. 13 4.2. Microprobe analysis ................................................................................................... 13 4.3. Raman spectroscopy .................................................................................................. 14 4.4. Whole rock chemistry ................................................................................................ 14 4.5. Geothermometry ........................................................................................................ 14 4.6. PT Pseudosections & Isopleths (thermodynamic modeling) ..................................... 14 5. Results ........................................................................................................................... 15 5.1. Petrography ................................................................................................................ 15 5.2. Raman spectroscopy .................................................................................................. 35 6. Geothermometry ............................................................................................................ 42 6.1. Garnet-Biotite thermometer ....................................................................................... 42 7. Thermodynamic phase equilibrium modeling ............................................................... 44 7.1. Model 1 ...................................................................................................................... 44 7.2. Model 2 ...................................................................................................................... 45 7.3. Exhumation PT path .................................................................................................. 45 8. Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 50 1 8.1. Ultrahigh pressure metamorphism (UHP) ............................................................. 50 8.2. Metamorphogenic diamond ................................................................................... 51 8.3. Metamorphic evolution .......................................................................................... 52 8.4. Exhumation processes ............................................................................................ 54 8.5. Timing of subduction ............................................................................................. 54 9. Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 55 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 56 References ............................................................................................................................ 57 2 1. Introduction The Scandinavian Caledonides is a continent-continent collisional style orogen in many aspects well suited for studying the effects of orogenic processes. It was recognized several decades before the notion of plate tectonics that the nappes of the Scandes must have been vastly laterally displaced from where they had originally been deposited (Törnebohm 1888). It is now generally accepted that allochthonous units of the Scandinavian Caledonides were originally derived from as far away as the Laurentian margin (Gee et al. 2008). Given the age of the Scandes, through uplifting and erosional processes it is possible to study rocks and structures whose analogues are hidden deep below the ground surface in younger orogens. The evolution of the mountain chain and the timing of its different stages along with the proposed mechanisms of nappe emplacement and exhumation of subducted units is still not fully understood. This study focuses on the metamorphic evolution
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