Relationships between eclogite-facies mineral assemblages, deformation
microstructures, and seismic properties in the Yuka terrane, North
Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt, NW China
Abstract
To understand the relationships between eclogite-facies mineral
assemblages, deformation microstructures, and the seismic properties of
subducting oceanic crust, eclogites from the Yuka terrane, North Qaidam
ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt, NW China were studied. Observations
of mineral textures, deformation microstructures, and petrofabrics in
the eclogites indicate that garnet, omphacite, and phengite were
deformed by intra-crystalline deformation (i.e., dislocation creep)
during prograde metamorphism. In contrast, amphibole, which was formed
by the topotactic replacement of omphacite at fluid-present conditions,
is considered to have been deformed by diffusional flow
(dissolution–precipitation creep) during amphibolite-facies
retrogression associated with exhumation. Based on the petrofabrics in
the samples, the seismic properties of the eclogites were calculated
depending on eclogite-facies mineral assemblages such as garnet +
omphacite (GO), garnet + omphacite + phengite (GOP), garnet + omphacite
+ phengite + lawsonite (GOPL), garnet + omphacite + phengite + amphibole
(GOPA), and garnet + omphacite + amphibole (GOA). We found that the
seismic signatures of each of the eclogite-facies mineral assemblages
were different. In particular, phengite-bearing eclogites (the GOP/GOPA
assemblages), depending on phengite content, produced the strongest
seismic anisotropy (AVp and AVs), with a strong polarization anisotropy,
that was at least three times higher than bimineralic (phengite-absent)
eclogite (GO assemblage). Our results show that phengite, as a stable
phase at high pressure and temperature conditions, can play an important
role in the creation of trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the
eclogite-facies mineral assemblages found in subduction zones.