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Hi Carl – I agree with Lukas that the rather uniform composition is very unusual for a garnet grain recording a complex growth history. However if these are upper amphibolite facies rocks the garnets may simply have homogenised by diffusion at some stage in their development. I figured (very poorly it has to be said) an example of a garnet with a texturally early core and a later overgrowth but no compositional zoning in my 1977(!) American Mineralogist paper on diffusion in garnet. In that example, diffusion in garnet began when staurolite + quartz (+sillimanite) was still stable, and the garnet overgrowth was produced by the second staurolite breakdown reaction.

Good luck

Bruce

 

Bruce Yardley

Emeritus Professor

School of Earth and Environment

University of Leeds

Leeds LS2 9JT

UK

 

Tel: +44 (0)7745 132560

 

From: Metamorphic Studies Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lukas Baumgartner
Sent: 30 September 2017 10:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [geo-metamorphism] Garnet texture

 

Hi Carl,

 

I would call them atoll garnets, or at least incipient atol garnetss, and there is a hughe literature out there on how to form them: prograde growth-> dissolution inside; growth; mutiple metamorphic events; multiple reactions during an event. In a paper on the Sesia we have argued that it is due to growth change (Robyr et al., J. met.pet 2013). All of these processes normaly require garnet compositional changes between the core and the rim.  I find these garnets quite fascinating, if there are indeed no compositional differences between the inner and the outer part (or at least nearly non). I see you have spot analysis - so is this realy the case r is it just the color scale range you choose?

 

Cheers

 

Lukas

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 Lukas Baumgartner
professor in metamorphic petrology
Chair CASA
Institut de Sciences de la Terre
UNIL-Grange
Geopolis
University of Lausanne
1015  Lausanne

Ofice 4885
T: +41 21 692 44 46
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On 29 Sep 2017, at 17:41, Carl Guilmette <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

 

Hi all,

 

    I've attached photos and X-Ray maps of garnet grains from a gt-qtz-pl-bt-ilm+/-chl gneiss. They show a puzzling (to me) texture with a ubiquitous ring of polymineralic inclusions in the mantle. The inclusions have the same mineralogy, same grain size, same composition as the matrix. 

 

Has anyone encountered such textures before? We're not sure they qualify as atoll garnets. 

 

Thanks

 

Carl 

____________________________________________

 

Carl Guilmette, B.Eng. PhD.

Professeur Adjoint

Chaire de Leadership en Enseignement Virginia-Gaumond

Département de Géologie et Génie Géologique

Université Laval

1-418-656-2131 poste 3137

<garnets.pdf>