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Controls on solid-phase inclusion during porphyroblast growth: insights from the Barrovian sequence (Scottish Dalradian)

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Abstract

A series of Barrovian sequence samples ranging from garnet to sillimanite zones were investigated to infer their porphyroblast-forming reactions and mineral inclusion histories. Quartz is overgrown and partly consumed during garnet formation and remains as inclusion-rich layers in porphyroblasts of the garnet zone. Staurolite crystals in the staurolite zone display sharp transitions between inclusion-rich and inclusion-free areas, suggesting two stages of growth with a different role of quartz in each. The inclusion-rich domains formed similarly to those in garnet by simple overgrowth and resorption of matrix minerals, with thermodynamic constraints suggesting that this staurolite-forming reaction required the presence of chloritoid that is now absent from the examined samples. The participation of garnet was limited in staurolite formation, with chloritoid breakdown supplying sufficient material to form the large amounts (c. 25 vol%) of staurolite found in the rock. This reaction produces an excess of SiO2, which leaves the crystal domain as SiO2aq and thus caused the formation of the inclusion-free areas in the staurolite and precipitation of quartz in the matrix. In the sillimanite zone, staurolite is consumed forming new garnet. The newly formed garnet has less quartz inclusions than its core due to a proportionally greater consumption of quartz by the second garnet-forming reaction than by the initial, garnet-grade reactions. Textural and thermodynamic data both suggest that inclusions in these porphyroblasts represent leftovers of a preferentially overgrown matrix than co-products of the porphyroblast-forming reaction.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to S. Harley and T. Dempster for sample distribution, J. Berndt for assistance with EMPA, C. Vollmer for assistance with EBSD analysis, and A. Putnis and E. Baxter for helpful discussions. We also want to thank two anonymous reviewers and our editor for helpful and insightful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mineralogy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 24, 48419, Münster, Germany

    Katja Farber & Timm John

  2. Institute of Mineralogy and Economic Geology, RWTH Aachen, Wüllnerstraße 2, 52062, Aachen, Germany

    Katja Farber

  3. Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 5060 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Mark J. Caddick

  4. Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249, Berlin, Germany

    Timm John

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  1. Katja Farber
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Correspondence to Katja Farber.

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Communicated by O. Müntener.

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Farber, K., Caddick, M.J. & John, T. Controls on solid-phase inclusion during porphyroblast growth: insights from the Barrovian sequence (Scottish Dalradian). Contrib Mineral Petrol 168, 1089 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-014-1089-0

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