Two contrasting mineral assemblages in the Meliata blueschists, Western Carpathians, Slovakia
Two contrasting mineral assemblages in the Meliata blueschists, Western Carpathians, Slovakia
Mineralogical Magazine (August 1999) 63 (4): 489-501
- blueschist facies
- Carpathians
- Central Europe
- chain silicates
- clinopyroxene
- clinozoisite
- epidote group
- Europe
- facies
- Meliata Unit
- metabasalt
- metaigneous rocks
- metamorphic rocks
- metamorphism
- mica group
- mineral assemblages
- muscovite
- omphacite
- orthosilicates
- P-T conditions
- phengite
- prograde metamorphism
- pyroxene group
- sheet silicates
- silicates
- Slovakia
- sorosilicates
- Western Carpathians
- zoisite
Low-grade metamorphic rocks from the Meliata unit (Western Carpathians) are characterized by the presence of typical blueschist-facies minerals. In metabasalt, an early low-pressure assemblage (<0.5 GPa at 350 degrees C), characterized by muscovite and zoisite, is followed by high-pressure glaucophane, phengite, Na-pyroxene, chlorite, clinozoisite and Al-poor titanite, indicating pressures of >1.2 GPa at 450 degrees C. Na-pyroxene shows strong compositional variations between the end-members Jd (sub 4-70) , Aeg (sub 10-49) and Q (sub 17-49) , respectively. Phengite has high Si content of 3.5 a.p.f.u. The zoisite with Al (sub 2) Fe(100[Fe (sub tot) /(-2+Al (sub tot) +Fe (sub tot) )]) = 3-5%, is rimmed by clinozoisite, with a maximum of 75% Al (sub 2) Fe, as well as being enclosed by glaucophane. The occurrence of clinozoisite, rimming zoisite, suggests that the transformation of orthorhombic to monoclinic epidote depends not only on the temperature but also on the pressure. In the studied metabasalt, retrograde phases reflecting greenschist-facies conditions are albite and chlorite. Some neighbouring metabasites may additionally contain actinolite and biotite.