Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Precipitation of rutile needles in garnet from sillimanite-bearing pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton

  • Article
  • Geology
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton, is composed of garnet, sillimanite, perthite, biotite and quartz. Oriented rutile needles in garnet are reported for the first time from the granulite. The rutile needles have been identified by optical microscopy and confirmed by in situ Raman spectroscopy, where they show the characteristic bands at 446–448 and 610 cm−1. Because of their very strong shape preferred orientation in 3–4 easily observable directions, these rutile needles are interpreted to have formed by precipitation during exhumation and cooling following peak metamorphism. The ternary feldspar geothermometer gives a peak metamorphic temperature of ~ 980 °C at 10 kbar. The presence of oriented rutile needles in garnet is suggested to be a valuable indicator of ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the Khondalite Belt and therefore likely in other UHT terrains.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Harley SL (1998) On the occurrence and characterization of ultrahigh-temperature crustal metamorphism. In: Treloar PJ, O’Brien P (eds) What controls metamorphism and metamorphic reactions? Geol Soc, London, Spec Pub 138:81–107

  2. Harley SL (2008) Refining the P–T records of UHT crustal metamorphism. J Metamorph Geol 26:125–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kelsey DE (2008) On ultrahigh-temperature crustal metamorphism. Gondwana Res 13:1–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Brown M (2006) Duality of thermal regimes is the distinctive characteristic of plate tectonics since the Neoarchean. Geology 34:961–964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ague JJ, Eckert JO, Chu X et al (2013) Discovery of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the Acadian orogen, Connecticut, USA. Geology 41:271–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Clark C, Fitzsimons ICW, Healy D et al (2011) How does the continental crust get really hot? Elements 7:235–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lund MD, Piazolo S, Harley SL (2006) Ultrahigh temperature deformation microstructures in felsic granulites of the Napier Complex, Antarctica. Tectonophysics 427:133–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ye K, Cong BL, Ye DN (2000) The possible subduction of continental material to depths greater than 200 km. Nature 407:734–736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Song SG, Zhang LF, Niu YL (2004) Ultra-deep origin of garnet peridotite from the North Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure belt, Northern Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Am Mineral 89:1330–1336

    Google Scholar 

  10. O’Brien PJ, Kröner A, Jaeckel P et al (1997) Petrological and isotopic studies on Palaeozoic high-pressure granulites, with a medium pressure overprint, Góry Sowie Mts. Polish Sudetes. J Petrol 38:433–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Ague JJ, Eckert JO (2012) Precipitation of rutile and ilmenite needles in garnet: implications for extreme metamorphic conditions in the Acadian Orogen, USA. Am Mineral 97:840–855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Proyer A, Habler G, Abart R et al (2013) TiO2 exsolution from garnet by open-system precipitation: evidence from crystallographic and shape preferred orientation of rutile inclusions. Contrib Mineral Petrol 166:211–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zhang RY, Zhai SM, Fei YW et al (2003) Titanium solubility in coexisting garnet and clinopyroxene at very high pressure: the significance of exsolved rutile in garnet. Earth Planet Sci Lett 216:591–601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Jiao SJ, Guo JH (2011) Application of the two-feldspar geothermometer to ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) rocks in the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton and its implications. Am Mineral 96:250–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Liu DY, Nutman AP, Compston W et al (1992) Remnants of ≥ 3800 Ma crust in the Chinese part of the Sino-Korean Craton. Geology 20:339–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhao GC, Cawood PA, Li SZ et al (2012) Amalgamation of the North China Craton: key issues and discussion. Precambrian Res 222–223:55–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Guo JH, Sun M, Chen FK et al (2005) Sm–Nd and SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of high-pressure granulites in the Sanggan area, North China Craton: timing of Paleoproterozoic continental collision. J Asian Earth Sci 24:629–642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kröner A, Wilde SA, Zhao GC et al (2006) Zircon geochronology and metamorphic evolution of mafic dykes in the Hengshan Complex of northern China: evidence for late Palaeoproterozoic extension and subsequent high-pressure metamorphism in the North China Craton. Precambrian Res 146:45–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kusky TM, Li JH (2003) Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the North China Craton. J Asian Earth Sci 22:383–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kusky TM, Li JH, Santosh M (2007) The Paleoproterozoic North Hebei Orogen: North China Craton’s collisional suture with the Columbia supercontinent. Gondwana Res 12:4–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Faure M, Trap P, Lin W et al (2007) Polyorogenic evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Trans-North China Belt, new insights from the in Lüliangshan–Hengshan–Wutaishan and Fuping massifs. Episodes 30:95–106

    Google Scholar 

  22. Trap P, Faure M, Lin W et al (2007) Late Paleoproterozoic (1900–1800 Ma) nappe stacking and polyphase deformation in the Hengshan–Wutaishan area: implications for the understanding of the Trans-North-China Belt, North China Craton. Precambrian Res 156:85–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Wang ZH (2009) Tectonic evolution of the Hengshan–Wutai–Fuping complexes and its implication for the Trans-North China Orogen. Precambrian Res 170:73–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Zhao GC, Wilde SA, Guo JH et al (2010) Single zircon grains record two Paleoproterozoic collisional events in the North China Craton. Precambrian Res 177:266–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Santosh M, Liu SJ, Tsunogae T et al (2012) Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh-temperature granulites in the North China Craton: Implications for tectonic models on extreme crustal metamorphism. Precambrian Res 222–223:77–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Santosh M (2010) Assembling North China Craton within the Columbia supercontinent: the role of double-sided subduction. Precambrian Res 178:149–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Guo JH, Peng P, Chen Y et al (2012) UHT sapphirine granulite metamorphism at 1.93–1.92 Ga caused by gabbronorite intrusions: implications for tectonic evolution of the northern margin of the North China Craton. Precambrian Res 222–223:124–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhao GC, Sun M, Wilde SA et al (2005) Late Archean to Paleoproterozoic evolution of the North China Craton: key issues revisited. Precambrian Res 136:177–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Peng P, Guo JH, Windley BF et al (2012) Petrogenesis of Late Paleoproterozoic Liangcheng charnockites and S-type granites in the central-northern margin of the North China Craton: implications for ridge subduction. Precambrian Res 222–223:107–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Lu LZ, Jin SQ, Xu XT et al (1992) Petrogenesis and mineralization of Khondalite aeries in Southeastern Inner Mongolia. Jilin Science Technology Press, Changchun (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Santosh M, Tsunogae T, Li JH (2007) Discovery of sapphirine-bearing Mg–Al granulites in the North China Craton: implications for Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh temperature metamorphism. Gondwana Res 11:263–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Liu SJ, Li JH, Santosh M (2010) First application of the revised Ti-in-zircon geothermometer to Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh-temperature granulites of Tuguiwula, Inner Mongolia, North China Craton. Contrib Mineral Petrol 159:225–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Santosh M, Wilde SA, Li JH (2007) Timing of Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the North China Craton: evidence from SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology. Precambrian Res 159:178–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Yin CQ, Zhao GC, Sun M et al (2009) LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon ages of the Qianlishan Complex: constrains on the evolution of the Khondalite Belt in the Western Block of the North China Craton. Precambrian Res 174:78–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Yin CQ, Zhao GC, Guo JH et al (2011) U–Pb and Hf isotopic study of zircons of the Helanshan Complex: constrains on the evolution of the Khondalite Belt in the Western Block of the North China Craton. Lithos 122:25–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Liu L, Wang C, Cao YT et al (2012) Geochronology of multi-stage metamorphic events: constraints on episodic zircon growth from the UHP eclogite in the South Altyn, NW China. Lithos 136–139:10–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Bhattacharya A, Mohanty L, Maji A et al (1992) Non-ideal mixing in the phlogopite-annite binary: constraints from experimental data on Mg-Fe partitioning and a reformulation of the biotite-garnet geothermometer. Contrib Mineral Petrol 111:87–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Liu SJ, Tsunogae T, Li WS et al (2012) Paleoproterozoic granulites from Heling’er: implications for regional ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the North China Craton. Lithos 148:54–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Hokada T (2001) Feldspar thermometry in ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic rocks: evidence of crustal metamorphism attaining ~ 1100 °C in the Archean Napier Complex, East Antarctica. Am Mineral 86:932–938

    Google Scholar 

  40. Fuhrman ML, Lindsley DH (1988) Ternary-feldspar modeling and thermometry. Am Mineral 73:201–215

    Google Scholar 

  41. Elkins LT, Grove TL (1990) Ternary feldspar experiments and thermodynamic models. Am Mineral 75:544–559

    Google Scholar 

  42. Wen SX, Nekvasil H (1994) SOLVALC: an interactive graphics program package for calculating the ternary feldspar solvus and for two-feldspar geothermometry. Comput Geosci 20:1025–1040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Ono S (1998) Stability limits of hydrous minerals in sediment and mid-ocean ridge basalt compositions: implications for water transport in subduction zones. J Geophys Res 103:18253–18267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Hwang SL, Yui TF, Chu HT et al (2007) On the origin of oriented rutile needles in garnet from UHP eclogites. J Metamorph Geol 25:349–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB416606), MOST Special Fund from the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, the Natural Science (NJ13032) and Start-up Research (PR12104) Foundations of Northwest University, and Natural Science Foundation of Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government (14JK1733). The first author appreciates the fund for his one year study at the University of Maryland as a visiting scholar from the Young Teaching Staff Cultivation Project of the Department of Geology, Northwest University. Thanks are given to two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that helped to improve the manuscript, Prof. Michael Brown for his improvements on English writing, Yi Cao for his constructive discussions, Wenqiang Yang for his help during Raman analyses, and Minwu Liu for his help during electron microprobe analyses.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China

    Longlong Gou & Chengli Zhang

  2. Laboratory for Crustal Petrology, Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Longlong Gou

  3. Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Lifei Zhang

  4. Institute of Shanxi Geological Survey, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Quan Wang

Authors
  1. Longlong Gou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chengli Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lifei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Quan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Longlong Gou.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 53 kb)

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gou, L., Zhang, C., Zhang, L. et al. Precipitation of rutile needles in garnet from sillimanite-bearing pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton. Chin. Sci. Bull. 59, 4359–4366 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0598-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-014-0598-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation