Petrology of a peculiar amphibolite boulder rich in deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast from Hidaka Town, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

A peculiar amphibolite rich in deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast was found as a boulder in the Chiroro River of Hidaka Town, Hokkaido, Japan. The amphibolite mainly consists of deep vivid green-colored amphibole (porphyroblast), colorless amphibole (matrix) and plagioclase with a small amount of chlorite, epidote and chromian spinel. Deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast is more than 20 modal % in the rock. Chromian spinel rarely occurs as inclusions in deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast. The Cr2O3 content of the deep vivid green-colored domain is usually ∼1 wt% (up to 2.5 wt% nearby chromian spinel) whereas that of colorless amphibole in the matrix is low, < 0.1 wt%. Deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast is heterogeneous in chemical compositions within each grain and is divided into three domains as follows: (1) high-Cr2O3 (∼1 wt%, up to 2.5 wt%) and Al2O3 (> 10 wt%) green-colored domain, (2) relatively high-Cr2O3 (∼1 wt%) and low- Al2O3 (< 10 w%) green-colored domain and (3) low-Cr2O3 (< 0.1 wt%) and Al2O3 (< 10 wt%) colorless domain. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns of both deep vivid green-colored amphibole porphyroblast and colorless amphibole in the matrix are characterized by low light REE with positive Eu anomaly. The Cr#[= Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio] and TiO2 content of chromian spinel in the amphibolite are similar to those in a serpentinite complex of the Kamuikotan Zone. The amphibolite was formed by either amphibolitization of a rock containing chromian spinel derived from the surrounding serpentinite complex or extensively metasomatized serpentinite due to interaction with surrounding metamorphic rocks.