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The Sabzevar blueschists of the North-Central Iranian micro-continent as remnants of the Neotethys-related oceanic crust subduction

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Abstract

The Sabzevar ophiolites mark the Neotethys suture in east-north-central Iran. The Sabzevar metamorphic rocks, as part of the Cretaceous Sabzevar ophiolitic complex, consist of blueschist, amphibolite and greenschist. The Sabzevar blueschists contain sodic amphibole, epidote, phengite, calcite ± omphacite ± quartz. The epidote amphibolite is composed of sodic-calcic amphibole, epidote, albite, phengite, quartz ± omphacite, ilmenite and titanite. The greenschist contains chlorite, plagioclase and pyrite, as main minerals. Thermobarometry of a blueschist yields a pressure of 13–15.5 kbar at temperatures of 420–500 °C. Peak metamorphic temperature/depth ratios were low (~12 °C/km), consistent with metamorphism in a subduction zone. The presence of epidote in the blueschist shows that the rocks were metamorphosed entirely within the epidote stability field. Amphibole schist samples experienced pressures of 5–7 kbar and temperatures between 450 and 550 °C. The presence of chlorite, actinolite, biotite and titanite indicate greenschist facies metamorphism. Chlorite, albite and biotite replacing garnet or glaucophane suggests temperatures of >300 °C for greenschist facies. The formation of high-pressure metamorphic rocks is related to north-east-dipping subduction of the Neotethys oceanic crust and subsequent closure during lower Eocene between the Central Iranian Micro-continent and Eurasia (North Iran).

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Christina Gunter and Antje Musiol for their help with analysis and Ghasem Omrani, Mahmoud Saberi and Morteza Norouzi for their help with the field works. Dr. Federico Rossetti and Dr. Aral Okay provided valuable comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. Critical and thoughtful reviews of the paper by Dr. Giles Droop and an anonymous reviewer are highly appreciated. We thank Dr. Ingo Braun and Dr. Wolf-Christian Dullo for their help and editorial handling of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Geology, University of Golestan, 4913815759, Gorgan, Iran

    Hadi Omrani

  2. Department of Geology, University of Tabriz, 51664, Tabriz, Iran

    Mohssen Moazzen

  3. Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Potsdam University, Karl Liebknecht Str. 27, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

    Roland Oberhänsli, Uwe Altenberger & Manuela Lange

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  1. Hadi Omrani
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Correspondence to Mohssen Moazzen.

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Omrani, H., Moazzen, M., Oberhänsli, R. et al. The Sabzevar blueschists of the North-Central Iranian micro-continent as remnants of the Neotethys-related oceanic crust subduction. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 102, 1491–1512 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-013-0881-9

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