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Permian high-temperature metamorphism in the Western Alps (NW Italy)

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Abstract

During the late Palaeozoic, lithospheric thinning in part of the Alpine realm caused high-temperature low-to-medium pressure metamorphism and partial melting in the lower crust. Permian metamorphism and magmatism has extensively been recorded and dated in the Central, Eastern, and Southern Alps. However, Permian metamorphic ages in the Western Alps so far are constrained by very few and sparsely distributed data. The present study fills this gap. We present U/Pb ages of metamorphic zircon from several Adria-derived continental units now situated in the Western Alps, defining a range between 286 and 266 Ma. Trace element thermometry yields temperatures of 580–890 °C from Ti-in-zircon and 630–850 °C from Zr-in-rutile for Permian metamorphic rims. These temperature estimates, together with preserved mineral assemblages (garnet–prismatic sillimanite–biotite–plagioclase–quartz–K-feldspar–rutile), define pervasive upper-amphibolite to granulite facies conditions for Permian metamorphism. U/Pb ages from this study are similar to Permian ages reported for the Ivrea Zone in the Southern Alps and Austroalpine units in the Central and Eastern Alps. Regional comparison across the former Adriatic and European margin reveals a complex pattern of ages reported from late Palaeozoic magmatic and metamorphic rocks (and relics thereof): two late Variscan age groups (~330 and ~300 Ma) are followed seamlessly by a broad range of Permian ages (300–250 Ma). The former are associated with late-orogenic collapse; in samples from this study these are weakly represented. Clearly, dominant is the Permian group, which is related to crustal thinning, hinting to a possible initiation of continental rifting along a passive margin.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Thomas Pettke and Afifé El Korh for assistance with LA-ICP-MS work, Martin Robyr for help with EMPA analysis, and Marco Burn and Roland Oberhänsli for providing sample material from the EMC and Mt. Emilius Klippe. Samples VP 74 and VP 66 were collected during Paola Manzotti’s M.Sc. thesis supervised by Michele Zucali. Niklaus Grossen, Remo Widmer, Matthias Bächli, and Rahel Baumann helped with mineral separation; Daniela Rubatto and Bénédicte Cenki-Tok with discussions that helped us improve earlier versions of the manuscript. Ralf Schuster and Geoffroy Mohn are thanked for their constructive reviews. We thank Wolf-Christian Dullo for editorial handling. The Swiss National Science Foundation provided funding (Project 200020-146175).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1 + 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Barbara E. Kunz, Paola Manzotti, Brigitte von Niederhäusern, Martin Engi, James R. Darling, Francesco Giuntoli & Pierre Lanari

  2. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Géopolis, Quartier Mouline, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Paola Manzotti

  3. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK

    James R. Darling

  4. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK

    Francesco Giuntoli

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  1. Barbara E. Kunz
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Sample material has been collected/provided by B.E. Kunz, P.M., B.vN., M.B., and F.G.; Geochrological and geochemical data have analysed by B.E. Kunz, P.M., and B.vN.; J.R.D. and P.L. provided assistance and discussion with LA-ICP-MS analysis; B.E. Kunz, P.M. and M.E. wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Barbara E. Kunz.

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Kunz, B.E., Manzotti, P., von Niederhäusern, B. et al. Permian high-temperature metamorphism in the Western Alps (NW Italy). Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 107, 203–229 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-017-1485-6

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