Incipient charnockite formation at the waning stage of Paleoproterozoic hot orogenesis, Yeongnam Massif, Korea

The incipient charnockite or orthopyroxene-bearing granitic orthogneiss is a relatively common constituent in ancient granulite-facies terranes, and its formation has been often attributed to an influx of CO2-rich fluid or a removal of aqueous melt. Temporal relationship between the orthopyroxene formation and the fluid or melt migration, however, remains debatable. Here we report the first finding of incipient charnockite hosted by garnet-biotite-bearing granitic gneisses in the Sancheong-Hadong anorthosite complex, Yeongnam Massif. Both lithologies preserve a variety of field and microstructural evidence for partial melting and subsequent melt crystallization, as manifested by granitic leucosomes and biotite-rich residua. Based on the phase equilibria modeling and geothermobarometric calculation, peak metamorphic conditions of migmatities were estimated to be 5.4-6.0 kbar and 800-850 degrees C, which led to the biotite dehydration melting together with the orthopyroxene formation in incipient charnockite. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb analyses of zircon from an incipient charnockite and a host gneiss yielded the weighted mean Pb-207/Pb-206 ages identical within errors; 1880 +/- 5 Ma and 1872 +/- 6 Ma for the cores, and 1862 +/- 4 Ma and 1861 +/- 4 Ma for the rims, respectively. The former is interpreted to represent the time for magmatic crystallization of granitic protoliths, whereas the latter for subsequent anatexis typified by peritectic growth of orthopyroxene. Such a timeline is consistent with two distinct thermal events previously reported from the Sancheong-Hadong anorthosite complex. By contrast, monazite grains from a biotite-bearing granitic gneiss in the charnockite zone yielded the weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1866 +/- 14 Ma and 1835 +/- 11 Ma for the core and rim, respectively. The latter is consistent with 1842 +/- 8 Ma, estimated from monazite neoblasts of incipient charnockite. The monazite growth during a post-peak metamorphic stage at ca. 1.84 Ga is attributed to a fluid influx event, apparently concentrated in the charnockite zone. The charnockite formation in the Yeongnam Massif further attests to the longevity (>ca. 40 m. y.) of hot orogenesis that has governed the Paleoproterozoic crustal evolution in eastern North China Craton.

Automated summary

The study of incipient charnockite and garnet-biotite-bearing granitic gneisses in the Sancheong-Hadong anorthosite complex revealed evidence of partial melting and subsequent melt crystallization, with estimated peak metamorphic conditions at 5.4-6.0 kbar and 800-850 degrees C. The U-Pb ages of zircon from both incipient charnockite and host gneiss were found to be identical, suggesting a consistent timeline of magmatic crystallization and subsequent anatexis. Monazite grains from the charnockite zone yielded ages indicating post-peak metamorphic growth at approximately 1.84 Ga, attributed to a fluid influx event in the area.