Mineralogy and Petrology

, 88:341 | Cite as

Dolomitic marbles from the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic Kimi complex in Rhodope, N.E. Greece

  • E. Mposkos
  • I. Baziotis
  • A. Proyer
  • G. Hoinkes
Article
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Summary

Dolomitic marbles from the Organi and Pandrosos areas of the ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic Kimi complex in East Rhodope, N.E. Greece have the mineral assemblage: Cal + Dol + Ol + Phl ± Di ± Hbl ± Spl ± Ti–Chu + retrograde Srp and Chl.

Several generations of calcite and dolomite with variable composition and texture represent different stages of the P–T evolution: The first stage is represented by matrix dolomite (\({\rm X}_{\rm MgCO_3}\) = 0.48) and relic domains of homogenous composition in matrix calcite (\({\rm X}_{\rm MgCO_3}\) = 0.11–0.13); the second stage is evident from precipitation of lath-shaped and vermicular dolomite in matrix calcite. The third stage is represented by veinlets of almost pure CaCO3 and domainal replacement of prior calcite by nearly pure CaCO3 + Ca-rich dolomite (\({\rm X}_{\rm MgCO_3}\) = 0.34–0.43). Matrix dolomite adjacent to CaCO3 veinlets also becomes Ca-rich (\({\rm X}_{\rm MgCO_3}\) = 0.42). In fact, Ca-rich dolomites with \({\rm X}_{\rm MgCO_3}\) in the range of 0.40–0.34 are reported for the first time from metamorphic marbles.

Coexisting Ca-rich dolomite and Mg-poor calcite cannot be explained by the calcite-dolomite miscibility gap. This assemblage rather suggests that Mg-poor calcite was aragonite originally, which formed together with Ca-rich dolomite according to the reaction Mg–Cal → Arg + Dol (1) at ultrahigh pressures and temperatures above at least 850 °C, when dolomite becomes disordered and incorporates more Ca than coexisting aragonite does in terms of Mg.

The simplest explanation of these observations probably is to suggest two metamorphic events: The first one represented by relic matrix carbonates at relatively low to moderate pressures and temperatures of ca. 750 °C, and the second one limited by the minimum temperatures for dolomite disorder (ca. 850 °C) and in the aragonite + dolomite stability field, i.e. at a minimum pressure of 3 GPa and, if the presence of diamond-bearing metapelites nearby is considered, at conditions of at least 850 °C and 4.3 GPa in the diamond stability field.

As there is hardly any back-reaction of Ca-rich dolomite + Mg-poor calcite to Mg-rich calcite, peak temperatures remained below the reaction (1) and the exhumation path probably crossed the aragonite-calcite transition at much lower than peak temperature. Cooling and decompression must have both occurred extremely fast in order for the µm-sized Ca-rich dolomite textures to be preserved.

An alternative explanation of the formation of “UHP”-textures and compositions is by a fluid influx that not only caused serpentinisation and chloritisation of silicates but also Mg-leaching from carbonates, particularly from Mg-rich calcite and its fine grained dolomite-precipitates, thus transforming them into Mg-poor calcite + Ca-rich dolomite.

Keywords

Calcite Dolomite Olivine Aragonite Diopside 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  • E. Mposkos
    • 1
  • I. Baziotis
    • 1
  • A. Proyer
    • 2
  • G. Hoinkes
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Geological Sciences, School of Mining and Metallurgical EngineeringNational Technical University of AthensAthensGreece
  2. 2.Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Institute of Earth SciencesKarl-Franzens UniversityGrazAustria

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