Abstract
We calibrate a subgrain-size piezometer using electron backscatter
diffraction (EBSD) data collected from experimentally deformed samples
of olivine and quartz. Systematic analyses of angular and spatial
resolution test the suitability of each dataset for inclusion in
calibration of the subgrain-size piezometer. To identify subgrain
boundaries, we consider a range of critical misorientation angles and
conclude that a 1° threshold provides the optimal piezometric
calibration. The mean line-intercept length, equivalent to the
subgrain-size, is found to be inversely proportional to the von Mises
equivalent stress for datasets both with and without the Holyoke and
Kronenberg (2010) correction. These new piezometers provide stress
estimates from EBSD analyses of polymineralic rocks without the need to
discriminate between relict and recrystallised grains and therefore
greatly increase the range of rocks that may be used to constrain
geodynamic models.