Geothermobarometric history of subduction recorded by quartz inclusions in garnet

Abstract

Burial histories of subduction zone rocks are often difficult to accurately constrain, owing to a lack of robust mineral geobarometers applicable to high pressure mineral assemblages. Knowledge of the depth-histories of subduction is, however, required for our understanding of global geochemical cycles, subduction-related seismicity, and the evolution of destructive tectonic boundaries. The high spatial resolution of quartz inclusion geobarometry can be used to determine pressure evolution during metamorphic growth of individual garnet crystals. Quartz inclusions in garnet from Sifnos, Greece, preserve such a record of the pressure of garnet growth, allowing detailed reconstruction of the metamorphic evolution of these rocks. Pressure-dependent Raman spectra of quartz inclusions were combined with elastic modeling to infer the conditions at which they were trapped during garnet growth. All measured inclusions suggest that garnet growth occurred between 19 and 20.5 kbars, with little evidence for significant pressure variation during the garnet growth interval, which is interpreted to record ∼100°C of heating. Coupled with thermometry and geochronology, these results show that early, cold burial was followed by a phase of rapid heating, which immediately preceded exhumation. Garnet growth occurred primarily during this heating phase. ©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.