Petrogenesis of Franciscan glaucophane schists and associated metamorphic rocks, California

Abstract

Rocks of the glaucophane-schist facies are widely though irregularly developed in the Franciscan formation of California. Minerals critical of the facies are lawsonite, aragonite, jadeite and omphacitic pyroxenes associated with quartz; amphiboles of the glaucophane-crossite series are almost ubiquitous. The most widely distributed rock, occurring over areas of many square kilometers, is jadeite-lawsonite metagraywacke, commonly veined with aragonite. More spectacular, but occurring mainly in isolated blocks are coarse-grained glaucophane-lawsonite Schists of many kinds. Commonly, but by no means invariably, they are closely associated with bodies of serpentinite. Also common in the vicinity of serpentinite masses are blocks of amphibolite and eclogite.

All the metamorphic rocks are considered to be Franciscan sediments and basic volcanics metamorphosed and metasomatized in the deep levels of a folded geosynclinal prism. Experimental data on the stability fields of jadeite-quartz, aragonite, and lawsonite show that the glaucophane-schist facies represents metamorphism at pressures of between 5 and 10 kb and temperatures of 150–300° C. Such conditions could develop at depths greater than 15 km provided a very low geothermal gradient (10°/km) were maintained. The metagray-wackes are considered to represent a regional response to such conditions.

The role of serpentinites in glaucophane-schist metamorphism is discussed in terms of a tentatively proposed model: — In very deep levels — perhaps at depths as great as 30 km, bodies of hot ultramafic magma develop restricted aureoles' in which temperatures of 400–600° C are maintained fer perhaps 100–1000 years. The products of metamorphism, which also involves desilication under the influence of the ultramafic magma, are eclogite and amphibolite. Later, and perhaps at higher levels serpentinization of the now solid ultramafic masses (near 400° C), causes renewed metamorphism at lower grades. Marginal development of glaucophane Schists and prehnite and hydrogarnet rocks, and retrogressive alteration of eclogite and amphibolite to glaucophane-schist assemblages is attributed to this period.