Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines

Southern India and Sri-Lanka are the places where “incipient charnockites”, i.e. the local transformation of amphibolite-facies gneisses into orthopyroxene-bearing, igneous looking charnockites, have been discovered in the early sixties. The fact that some incipient charnockites occur along a networ...

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Main Authors: Jacques L.R. Touret, Robert C. Newton, Michel Cuney
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-09-01
Series:Geoscience Frontiers
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300672
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author Jacques L.R. Touret
Robert C. Newton
Michel Cuney
author_facet Jacques L.R. Touret
Robert C. Newton
Michel Cuney
author_sort Jacques L.R. Touret
collection DOAJ
description Southern India and Sri-Lanka are the places where “incipient charnockites”, i.e. the local transformation of amphibolite-facies gneisses into orthopyroxene-bearing, igneous looking charnockites, have been discovered in the early sixties. The fact that some incipient charnockites occur along a network of brittle fractures, together with CO2 remnants preserved in mineral inclusions, had called for the role of fluids during charnockite alteration. The present work presents new observations on fluid inclusions and microtextures of incipient charnockites from type localities in southern India. In addition to CO2-rich fluid inclusions in quartz and feldspar, all of the occurrences have disrupted remnants of concentrated aqueous alkali chloride solutions. CO2 inclusions are more abundant in paragneiss (Kerala) than in orthogneiss (Karnataka/Tamil Nadu). The finding of disrupted brine inclusions in the Kabbal charnockite is a key link between closely associated massive charnockites and Closepet Granite, both of which also share the brine remnants. All of the occurrences studied here have feldspar or feldspar-quartz microvein networks along grain boundaries of recrystallized quartz, feldspar and orthopyroxene. These metasomatic veins again indicate the action of alkali-exchanging fluids (i.e., saline solutions). Feldspar microveins, which have been found in most “massive” charnockites, along with the CO2-rich fluid inclusions, suggest a commonality of incipient charnockite and massive charnockite, both types differing in intensity of interaction with metasomatizing pore fluids. Keywords: Incipient charnockite, High-grade crustal metamorphism, CO2, Brine metasomatism
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spelling doaj.art-3a8829c9274b49e28ada4801778de2942023-09-02T13:59:30ZengElsevierGeoscience Frontiers1674-98712019-09-0110517891801Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brinesJacques L.R. Touret0Robert C. Newton1Michel Cuney2121 Rue de la Réunion, F-75020, Paris, France; Corresponding author.Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAUniversité de Lorraine, CNRS-CREGU, GeoRessources BP70239, F-54506, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex, FranceSouthern India and Sri-Lanka are the places where “incipient charnockites”, i.e. the local transformation of amphibolite-facies gneisses into orthopyroxene-bearing, igneous looking charnockites, have been discovered in the early sixties. The fact that some incipient charnockites occur along a network of brittle fractures, together with CO2 remnants preserved in mineral inclusions, had called for the role of fluids during charnockite alteration. The present work presents new observations on fluid inclusions and microtextures of incipient charnockites from type localities in southern India. In addition to CO2-rich fluid inclusions in quartz and feldspar, all of the occurrences have disrupted remnants of concentrated aqueous alkali chloride solutions. CO2 inclusions are more abundant in paragneiss (Kerala) than in orthogneiss (Karnataka/Tamil Nadu). The finding of disrupted brine inclusions in the Kabbal charnockite is a key link between closely associated massive charnockites and Closepet Granite, both of which also share the brine remnants. All of the occurrences studied here have feldspar or feldspar-quartz microvein networks along grain boundaries of recrystallized quartz, feldspar and orthopyroxene. These metasomatic veins again indicate the action of alkali-exchanging fluids (i.e., saline solutions). Feldspar microveins, which have been found in most “massive” charnockites, along with the CO2-rich fluid inclusions, suggest a commonality of incipient charnockite and massive charnockite, both types differing in intensity of interaction with metasomatizing pore fluids. Keywords: Incipient charnockite, High-grade crustal metamorphism, CO2, Brine metasomatismhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300672
spellingShingle Jacques L.R. Touret
Robert C. Newton
Michel Cuney
Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
Geoscience Frontiers
title Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
title_full Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
title_fullStr Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
title_full_unstemmed Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
title_short Incipient charnockites from southern India: The role of brines
title_sort incipient charnockites from southern india the role of brines
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300672
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