Some geobarometers involving cordierite in the FeO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂(±H₂O) system: refinements, thermodynamic calibration, and applicability in granulite facies rocks

Abstract

Five geobarometers involving cordierite have been formulated for quantitative pressure sensing in high grade metapelites. The relevant reactions in the FeO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (±H₂O) system are based on the assemblages (A) cordierite-garnet-sillimanite-quartz, (B) cordierite-spinel-quartz, (C) cordierite-garnet-spinel-sillimanite, (D) cordierite-garnet-orthopyroxene-quartz and (E) cordierite-orthopyroxene-sillimanite-quartz. Application of the barometric formulations to a large number of granulite grade rocks indicates that the cordierite-garnet-sillimanite-quartz equilibrium is widely applicable and registers pressures which are in good agreement with the “consensus” pressure estimates. The dispersion in the computed P values, expressed as one standard deviation, is within ±1.2 kbar. The geobarometers (B) and (C) also yield pressures which are reasonable and compare well with those computed from equilibrium (A). The estimated pressures from (D) and (E), both involving orthopyroxene, are at variance with these estimates. It has been argued that the discrepancy in pressures obtained from these geobarometers stems from an inadequate knowledge of activity-composition relations and/or errors in input thermodynamic data of aluminous orthopyroxene. The convergence of pressure values estimated from the barometric formulations, especially (A), (B) and (C), implies that the present formulations are more dependable than the existing formulations and are also capable of setting limits on P values in response to varying

$$\begin{gathered} {\text{1/2Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{4}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{5}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{18}}} \hfill \\ {\text{ = 1/3Fe}}_{\text{3}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{3}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{12}}} {\text{ + 2/3Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{ + 5/6SiO}}_{\text{2}} {\text{. (A)}} \hfill \\ {\text{1/2Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{4}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{5}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{18}}} {\text{ = FeAl}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{4}} {\text{ + 5/2SiO}}_{\text{2}} {\text{. (B)}} \hfill \\ {\text{Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{4}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{5}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{18}}} {\text{ + FeAl}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{4}} \hfill \\ = {\text{Fe}}_{\text{3}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{3}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{12}}} {\text{ + 2Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{. (C)}} \hfill \\ {\text{1/2Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{4}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{5}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{18}}} {\text{ + Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{6}} \hfill \\ = {\text{Fe}}_{\text{3}} {\text{Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{3}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{12}}} {\text{ + 3/2SiO}}_{\text{2}} .{\text{ (D)}} \hfill \\ {\text{1/2Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Al}}{}_{\text{4}}{\text{Si}}_{\text{5}} {\text{O}}_{{\text{18}}} \hfill \\ = 1/2{\text{Fe}}_{\text{2}} {\text{Si}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}_{\text{6}} {\text{ + Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{ + 1/2SiO}}_{\text{2}} .{\text{ (E)}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$

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The present communication addresses the calibration, applicability and reliability of these barometers with reference to granulite facies metapelites.