Evaluation of the contributions of possible sources to the leucosome of the diatexite of Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe, in the Alfenas Region, MG, Brazil

Abstract

The Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe crops out in southern Minas Gerais and it has an intermediate unit called Metaxite Unit, dominated by diatexites at its base, with large volumes of leucosome and schollen of stromatic garnet-biotite metatexite. Leucosome within the schollen crystallized via fractional crystallization and is dominated by plagioclase and quartz, although K-feldspar might be present. However, the larger volume of the coarse-grained leucosome, that dominates the unit, has granite, sometimes close to minimum granite composition. So, its formation, after partial melting, involved, segregation, fractional crystallization and accumulation. Proportions of leucosome / residue and leucosome / residue / peritectic phases indicate that the leucosome crystallized from more melt than a pelite source could produce, and probably diatexite worked as a pre-magmatic chamber and stocked melt produced from the granulites sitting at its bottom. Large proportion of biotite crystallized in the residue was formed due to equalization of water chemical potential between residue and leucosome.