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The metamorphic aureole of the Nisa-Alburquerque batholith (SW Iberia): implications for deep structure and emplacement mode

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Abstract

The Nisa-Alburquerque granitic batholith (southern Variscan Belt, Iberian Peninsula) has been studied by petrological, structural and geophysical approaches, obtaining contrasting models for its deep structure and emplacement sequence. In order to test these models and gain knowledge on the thermal increase induced by the intrusion, we have studied its contact aureole, which was developed in similar country rock lithologies (mica schists alternating with metasandstones and feldespatic schists) all along the northern external contact of the batholith. Our results indicate no change in metamorphic grade and some variations in aureole width, which narrows toward the western sectors of the batholith. Cordierite is the only contact metamorphic mineral developed together with a high temperature biotite probably related to the granite thermal input. By considering these new data, together with zircon saturation temperatures within the granite and previous petrological and geophysical studies, we propose a model in which the feeder zones of the granitic magmas were an eastern main one and a western secondary one. We have also made comparisons of the metamorphic grade in the country rocks and the xenoliths within the granite. Most of the xenoliths have the same metamorphic facies as the country rocks (Crd-zone), though some of them contain slightly different assemblages (And + Crd), which could be explained in different ways: (1) differences in the primary schist compositions, (2) increased time-span of xenoliths in contact with the melt and (3) xenolith incorporation at slightly higher depths during final granite ascent.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jose María Toyos and Augusto Rodríguez García for discussions and text corrections on a preliminary manuscript. We appreciate and thank the critical and constructive reviews made by Dr. Bernardo Cesare and Dr. Javier Escuder-Viruete that led to a significant improvement of this paper. We also thank Dr. Wolf-Christian Dullo and Dr. Ingo Braun for the editorial handling of the manuscript. This research has been financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through grants CGL2007-63101/BTE and TOPO-IBERIA CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 CSD2006-00041.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Parque Científico, Av. Real 1, 24006, León, Spain

    Luís González Menéndez

  2. Departamento de Geodinámica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, 18002, Granada, Spain

    Antonio Azor

  3. Departamento de Geología, Área de Petrología y Geoquímica, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Jesús Árias de Velasco, 33005, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

    Alvaro Rubio Ordóñez

  4. CEAMA, Universidad de Granada, Junta de Andalucía, Av Mediterráneo, 18006, Granada, Spain

    Isabel Sánchez-Almazo

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  1. Luís González Menéndez
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Correspondence to Luís González Menéndez.

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Menéndez, L.G., Azor, A., Ordóñez, A.R. et al. The metamorphic aureole of the Nisa-Alburquerque batholith (SW Iberia): implications for deep structure and emplacement mode. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 100, 1533–1550 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-010-0568-4

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