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Zr-in-rutile thermometry in HP/UHP eclogites from Western China

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Abstract

Four Zr-in-rutile thermometry calibrations are applied to eclogites from Western China. Here, we show that if rutile grows in equilibrium with Qtz and Zrn, and is isolated inside garnet, it preserves its Zr composition and does not undergo compositional change due to cation exchange with the host garnet. It thus preserves the composition for the P–T conditions of its formation and the growth zoning of the host garnet. For the HP/UHP metamorphic temperature, the Tomkins et al. (J Metamorph Geol 25:703–713, 2007) calibration yields temperatures that agree well with previous studies, whereas the other three calibrations (Zack et al. in Contrib Mineral Petrol 148:471–488, 2004; Watson et al. in Contrib Mineral Petrol 151:413–433, 2006; Ferry and Watson in Contrib Mineral Petrol in 154:429–437, 2007), which do not include a pressure correction, give systematically lower temperatures. Zr contents of rutile inclusions within garnet show systematic decrease from garnet core to rim. The rutile inclusions in garnet rims contain the lowest Zr content, similar to that in the matrix. Analyses confirm that the pressure plays a significant role in modifying the primary temperature dependence of the Zr content of rutile. Rutiles trapped in garnets are unable to re-equilibrate easily during retrogression, but those in the matrix can do so, providing retrograde P–T path information.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge F. Brink (EMU, ANU), F. Jenner and C. Allen for their generous help with the analytical work. We are grateful to Dr. T. Zack and another anonymous reviewer for their critical and constructive review of the manuscript. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 40821002, 40802016 and 40825007), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project 200801028, Major State Basic Research Development Program (Grant 2009CB825007) and an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant DP0559055 to D. J. Ellis and A. G. Christy. The financial support by the 2008 Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Research Fellowship granted to G.B.Z. to undertake postdoctoral research at ANU is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China

    Guibin Zhang, Lifei Zhang & Shuguang Song

  2. Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Guibin Zhang, David J. Ellis & Andrew G. Christy

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  1. Guibin Zhang
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  2. David J. Ellis
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  3. Andrew G. Christy
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  4. Lifei Zhang
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  5. Shuguang Song
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Correspondence to Guibin Zhang.

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Communicated by T. L. Grove.

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Zhang, G., Ellis, D.J., Christy, A.G. et al. Zr-in-rutile thermometry in HP/UHP eclogites from Western China. Contrib Mineral Petrol 160, 427–439 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-009-0486-2

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