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METAMORPHIC FACIES Metamorphic Zones and Isograds One of the main objectives of studying metamorphic rocks is to identify the directions of increase or decrease in metamorphic grade within an area, as a first step towards understanding the tectonic history of that area. Such a task may not always be easy, and is commonly complicated by variations in bulk rock chemistry (in addition to differences in P and of metamorphism! throughout that area. "or a long time, metamorphic petrologists have attempted to develop schemes for subdividing their P# space of interest that would allow them to better communicate changes in grade in metamorphic terrains. he first step in that direction involved mapping metamorphic $ones identified by the first appearance of certain minerals with prograde metamorphism. %t the turn of the century, &. '. (arrow identified a se)uence of index minerals in pelitic rocks in an area in Scotland (the Scottish *ighlands! that represents such changes in metamorphic grade ("ig. 1!. his se)uence (which was slightly modified by illey in 1+,-!, became known as the .Barrovian seq ence.. he metamorphic $ones of (arrow have since been termed on the basis of the first appearance of those inde/ minerals, and from low to high grade are arranged as0 1hlorite $one (iotite $one &arnet $one Staurolite $one 2yanite $one Sillimanite $one. his se)uence suggests that biotite forms at higher temperatures compared to chlorite, and that garnet occurs in yet still higher grade rocks, ...etc. 'etabasalts in the same area show a similar $onation defined by a different set of minerals ( able 1!. Similar se)uences were subse)uently identified in other metapelites and metabasites throughout the world. (ased on these field observations, the stability relations of minerals in metapelites as a function of are simplified in figure ,. *owever, it should be noted that some variations in the (arrovian se)uence were also reported, which cannot always be e/plained by variations in and3or P alone. %n e/ample is the appearance of &t before (t in 'n # rich metapelites in areas metamorphosed under (arrovian type conditions. Such .anomaly. is due to the fact that the spessartine garnet is stable at lower compared to almandine, and that 'n is not as easily incorporated in (t as in &t, which shows the important role played by bulk rock chemical composition in controlling the metamorphic mineral assemblage. Isograds! 'apping the metamorphic $one boundaries listed above is similar to mapping isograds. 4ines on a map joining the first appearance of e.g. (t are termed "Bt#in isograds", especially if all these points are of the same .metamorphic grade.. *owever, because the first appearance of an inde/ mineral may be controlled by the bulk rock composition or by the composition of the metamorphic fluid, points on a map that mark such first appearances may not always be of the same metamorphic grade. (ecause identifying points of .e)ual metamorphic grade. in the field is difficult, it may be more practical to redefine the term isograd as0 "A line on a map connecting all points marking the first appearance of an index mineral in

a metamorphic unit of a certain chemical composition" Characteristics o$ isograds! (i! 5sograds have a tendency to be concentric around the heat source (6! (ii! hey are influenced by the chemical composition of the rock. One e/ample is that of &t and (t (discussed above!. 7ote that interpolation between the different rock types to draw isograds is common practice. (iii! 5sograds are not isotherms8 variations in the composition of the fluid phase attending metamorphism will play a crucial role in the appearance or disappearance of certain phases. hus two rocks of identical composition, metamorphosed under identical P and gradients, may develop different isograd patterns depending on the composition of the fluid in each area. %n e/ample of that is the distribution of wollastonite (9o! in a contact metamorphic aureole, which depends on the :1O, value of the fluid attending metamorphism. 5f the fluids are rich in 1O,, the formation of 9o at the e/pense of ;$ and 1c will be suppressed, and vice versa. 5t is also )uite common for an inde/ mineral used to define an isograd to have a very wide P# stability field, which allows it to coe/ist stably with other inde/ minerals. %n e/ample for such mineral is biotite within the (arrovian se)uence, which is stable in the $ones (t through Sill ("ig. ,!. Such minerals are known as .running through minerals.. he occurrence of running through minerals, along with the properties of .isograds. (as practically drawn on maps! do not make inde/ minerals very useful for determining the e/act P and conditions of metamorphism at different points in a mapped area. 5t is therefore obvious that the mineral assemblage rather than one inde/ mineral is more useful for such estimates. 1omparison of mineral assemblages across metamorphic $one boundaries in one unit, coupled with petrographic and te/tural analysis, may lead to the identification of metamorphic reactions that have taken place in those rocks within the study area. "or a specific composition of reactant and product minerals, each of these reactions will take place at a specific (for a given P and known composition of the fluid!. Such reactions are therefore more valuable for estimating metamorphic than the mere identification of inde/ minerals. 4ines on a map connecting points where a certain reaction in a particular rock type is known to have taken place are hence called .reaction isograds.. Facies! <ividing the P# space of metamorphism to several subdivisions independent of the composition of the metamorphosed rock would immensely facilitate communication among petrologists regarding the grade of metamorphism. 5n 1+1-, =skola introduced the concept of metamorphic facies to accomplish such a classification. =skola>s facies (originally ? @ 1 in number8 "ig. A! were based on mineral assemblages (in mafic rocks! rather than inde/ minerals. 5n 1+BB, "yfe and urner defined the metamorphic facies as0 "A set of metamorphic mineral assemblages, repeatedly associated in space and time, such that there is a constant and therefore predictable relation between mineral composition and bulk rock chemical composition". 'ore simply, a facies may be defined as0 .% group of mineral

assemblages, each developing in a rock of specific chemical composition, and is characteristic of the P and under which the rocks were metamorphosed.. he corollary of these definitions is that if we know the bulk composition of the rock and the P and at which it crystalli$ed, we should be able to predict the mineral assemblage. he other corollary is that every possible mineral assemblage stable at a specific range of P and could be a facies. =vidently, this would lead to an infinite number of facies that would lead to more confusionCC 5t should also be noted that the facies concept is ine/act, with the problems of some mineral assemblages .running through. two or more facies for certain rock compositions (e.g. muscovite @ biotite in the (arrovian se)uence8 "ig. ,!, and of some facies better defined for one rock type than another,... etc. Such confusion led some scientists to suggest that the facies concept be abolished (e.g. 9inkler, 1+?+!, and that the P# realm be divided into very low, low, medium and high grades. 7evertheless the facies concept has survived and still remains popular. he facies boundaries are defined by metamorphic reactions which are considered responsible for the change in the mineral assemblage from one facies to the other. (ecause =skola>s work was mostly on mafic rocks (metabasalts!, most facies boundaries were defined by reactions in mafic rocks ("ig. D!. *owever, note that every rock type may be characteri$ed by a very large number of reactions responsible for observed changes in the mineral assemblages. 5f all these reactions were used for such subdivision, it will result in a very cumbersome classification with a very large number of facies (and subfacies!. % simplified subdivision that is based on a limited number of mineral assemblages commonly encountered in some rock types is therefore necessary. Such is the status of the metamorphic facies concept ( ables , and A!. Characteristics o$ metamorphic $acies! (1! "acies boundaries are defined by the appearance or disappearance of a mineral or group of minerals, and not a specific P and . he boundaries betweeen the different facies are therefore transitiona% in many cases, as the compositions of the minerals and3or fluids in )uestion vary due to bulk rock chemical control (and other factors as well!. Such variations in turn affect the P# location of the boundary reactions. (,! 'inerals of the paragenesis should have formed at the same time during one metamorphic event (self evidentCC! (A! Eocks of an individual facies form in the same range of P and . (D! he mineral assemblages, though restricted to specific rock compositions, are not restricted to any areas, and should occur repeatedly in space and time (i.e. should be widely distributed!. (-! he term facies has no te/tural connotations. 5t cannot be used to classify individual rocks, and is independent of the modal contents of the different minerals constituting the paragenesis. (B! 'ost of the reactions used to define the facies boundaries have steep P# slopes ("igs. A F D!, and are strongly dependent on the fluid composition (as will be discussed later!. The Metamorphic Facies he eight metamorphic facies originally defined by =skola were the greenschist, pyro/ene

hornfels, amphibolite, granulite, sanidinite, glaucophane schist (blueschist! and eclogite facies. Since then a number of other facies and .subfacies. have been introduced. 5n these notes, 5 summari$e the key mineral assemblages in mafic and pelitic rocks of nine facies and some of their subfacies. 7ote that the P# ranges given for each facies are ver& ro gh estimates0 "acies are defined by mineral assemblages not P# ranges CC 7ote also that the prehnite#pumpellyite and pumpellyite#actinolite facies are collectively termed .subgreenschist facies. whereas the lawsonite albite (or lawsonite blueschist! and epidote blueschist facies are considered subfacies of the glaucophane schist facies (blueschist facies! of =skola. '() Zeo%ite $acies! (G1-H#,-HI18 P J A or D kbar6! defined by the occurrence of $eolites developed in mafic igneous rocks, but not identifiable in metapelites Knder conditions of high :1O, $eolites become unstableC. e)uivalent metasediments (anchizonal metamorphism)0 possible interlayered illite and paragonite (5ll3Pg!, 1orrensite (interlayered 1hl3Sm!, no 1td. '*) The s +greenschist $acies! (a! Prehnite#pumpellyite facies0 prehnite and pumpellyite in metabasites. best developed in mafic rocks (metabasites! metamorphosed at of ,HH#AHHI1 e)uivalent metasediments 0 low anchizone defined by the occurrence of illite, rectorite (interlayered paragonite3smectite! L corrensite (interlayered chlorite3smectite!. (b! Pumpellyite#%ctinolite facies0 Pmp @ %ct in mafic rocks e)uivalent metasediments0 high anchizone (no interlayered chlorite3smectite (1hl3Sm!, no 5ll3Sm, no rectorite (Pg3Sm!, no 5ll3Pg, possibly marked by the first appearance of 1td6!

',) B% eschist $acies! (a! 4awsonite#albite subfacies34awsonite blueschist subfaciesM0 4w @ %b @ 1hl L Pmp or %ct or &lnM 'etasediments0 1arpholite (1ar ("e,'g! %l,Si,OB(O*!D! @ 1hl @ 5ll or phengite (Ph, Si # rich, 'g # bearing muscovite! @ Pg 1haracteri$ed by the lack of biotite in metasediments and metabasites (phengite instead of (t!. (b! =pidote#blueschist subfacies0 &ln @ =p @ &t31hl @ Ph L %ct in metabasites higher than 4w#%b subfacies. metasediments0 1td @ Pg @ 1hl @ Ph 1td @ Pg @ &ln @ Ph %b @ &ln @ 1hl @ Ph,... etc. 1haracteri$ed by the lack of biotite in metasediments and metabasites (phengite instead of (t!. '-) Ec%ogite $acies! &arnet @ Omph, no %b, no 4w (epidote or grossular garnet are the stable 1a %l silicates! metasediments0 alc @ 2yanite @ Phengite (Si#rich muscovite!, 7o chlorite. 1oleman et al. (1+B-! pointed out that the assemblage &t @ Omph has a wide stability field, and that eclogites occur in different geologic settings. 1oleman et al. accordingly subdivided eclogites into three groups ("ig. B!0 T&pe A! eclogites that form in the mantle and are brought up to the surface with kimberlites in diatremes. &arnets in these eclogites are rich in pyrope. T&pe B! eclogites that form in the lower crust and are associated with gneiss terrains (granulites and high grade amphibolites!. &arnets in this group are rich in grossular and almandine. T&pe C! eclogites that form at relatively low temperatures in what are now known as subduction $ones. hese eclogites contain almandine rich garnet and are associated with blueschists. '.) /reenschist $acies! %ct @ 1hl @ %b L =p L 1c in metabasites metasediments0 1hl @ %b @ (t @ 'usc L %nd32y L 1c (1td, Pg also possible depending on rock composition! '0) Epidote amphi+o%ite $acies! =p @ %mph (%ct3*b! @ Plag (%b3Olig! L 1hl3&t in mafic rocks. (t @ &t (%lm! @ Plag (%b3Olig! @ 1hl @ 'usc (1td also possible! in metasediments. '1) Amphi+o%ite $acies! %mph (*b! @ Plag (%ndesine! L &t L =p L <i

metapelites0 &t @ St @ 'usc @ (t L %nd32y3Sill (1rd possible!. '2) /ran %ite $acies! Plag @ *ypersthene (*y! @ <iopside (<i! @ &t @ Spinel metapelites0 Perthite @ Plag @ Sill @ &t L *y ("e#1rd @ &t characteristic of low P granulites!. '3) Sanidinite $acies! Plag @ *ypersthene @ %ugite @ ridymite in mafic rocks Sanidine @ 1rd @ Spinel @ *ypersthene @ Sill in metapelites B-H#N-HI1, very low P. Facies to be abolished: albite#epidote#hornfels facies, *b# hornfels facies and pyro/ene hornfels facies. %s can be seen, these facies have the same mineral assemblages as the greenschist, amphibolite and granulite facies, the only differences being the te/tural term .hornfels. suggesting that they form by thermal metamorphism. %s such, these terms are inappropriate and should be abolished. Facies series concept ('iyashiro, 1+B1!0 %s an area is subjected to regional metamorphism, several facies boundaries may be crossed, and the metamorphic map of that area would show $ones belonging to several facies. 5n 1+B1, 'iyashiro pointed out that there is a close spatial and temporal association between certain types of facies and certain geologic environments, based on his field work in the Sanbagawa mountain belt of Oapan (see the metamorphic $ones later mapped by (anno for this area8 "ig. ?!. 'iyashiro defined a metamorphic facies series as0 "A mapped series of facies or subfacies bounded by isograds, representing a progressi e metamorphic se!uence that is characteristic of some tectonic regime". 'iyashiro originally identified three facies series ( able -8 "ig. N!0 (1! high P3 series0 $eolite Prh # Pmp Pmp # %ct blueschist eclogite (e.g. Sanbagawa, "ranciscan, western %lps!, (,! intermediate P3 series0 $eolite Prh Pmp greenschist epidote amphibolite amphibolite granulite (e.g. (arrovian se)uence, also known as <alradian!, (A! low P3 facies series $eolite greenschist amphibolite granulite (e.g. %bukuma, (uchan!. 'iyashiro (1+?A! added two more facies series ( able B, "ig. +!. P#T#time paths in re%ation to $acies and $acies series! 'etamorphism is a dynamic process viewed through time. %ccordingly, each rock has a history of evolution in P# space which allows it to .pass. through several facies before reaching the peak pressures and temperatures. he same rock also passes through other facies on its way back to the surface. *owever, by convention, the .facies. of such rock is taken as that defined by its predominant mineral assemblage, which is usually that which formed when it attained peak conditions. %ccordingly, a rock may be described as a blueschist with a greenschist facies o erprint, if peak conditions were attained within the blueschist facies,... etc. % metamorphic facies series only represents the progressive se)uence of metamorphic facies observed in the $ie%d. % facies series therefore does not necessarily represent the actual P#

path followed by any rock in that field area. S mmar& o$ 4e& minera% assem+%ages characteristic o$ the di$$erent metamorphic $acies Faci e s Zeo%it e Pre h n i t e p mp e%%&it e P mp e%%&it e acti n o %i t e /re e n s c h i s t Epid o t e am p h i + o % i t e Amp hi + o %i t e /ran %it e 5a6 s o n i t e a%+it e Epid o t e +% e s c h i s t Ec%o gi t e Ma$ic $eolites Prh P Pmp P 1hl P %b Pmp P %ct P 1hl P %b %ct P 1hl P %b P =p =p P *b3%ct P Olig P 1hl3 &t *b P Plag P &t L =p3 1p/ &t P *b P 1p/ P Op/ P spinel 4w P %b P 1hl L &ln3%ct3Pmp &ln P =p P 1hl P %b L &t &t @ Omp L =p (no %b, no 4w! Pe%iti c (@ ;$! mi/ed layer clays (low anchi$on al! mi/ed layer clays (low anchi$on al! no mi/ed layer e d clays (high anchi$on e!, illite only 1hl P (t L 1td L &t ('n P rich! @ 'usc (t#&t# 1hl (t P &t P St # 'usc L %nd32y3Sill8 1rd in low P $one s 2apr# Plag P &t P Sill P Op/. (1rd possible! 1ar P 1hl # Ph &t P 1td P Ph, no (tC c P 2y P Ph.