Corundum genesis at the Blue Jay Sapphire occurrence (British Columbia, Canada) as a record of metamorphism and partial melting in the Monashee Complex

The sapphire (corundum) occurrence near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, occurs in the Monashee Complex of the Omineca Belt of the Canadian Cordillera. Corundum occurs in boudins or pod-like zones of restite within a garnet-bearing leucosome. Both zones are peraluminous and contain plagioclase, K-feldspar, and biotite and muscovite as the dominant mineral phases. Relative to the leucosome, the corundum-pods are slightly depleted in SiO2 (55.28 wt% in corundum-pods vs. 62.7 wt% in leucosome) and K2O (4.74/7.05 wt%) and enriched in Al2O3 (22.57/21.97 wt%), Fe2O3 (5.96/2.11 wt%), TiO2 (0.71/0.21 wt%), CaO (0.68/0.60 wt%), and MgO (0.59/0.28 wt%). The peraluminous nature of the corundum-bearing pods is consistent with partial melting of a metapelitic protolith. Similar chemical compositions between the corundum-pods and garnet-leucosome are interpreted to infer a single, in situ partial melting event. Coinciding melt-compatible and incompatible elements suggest a closed system. Igneous textures in thin section (coarse-grained, euhedral corundum; twinning in plagioclase; small cuspate-shaped biotite, and myrmekitic intergrowths of feldspars) confirm a partial melt origin. Petrography and thermodynamic models reveal that corundum growth and partial melting was fueled by the breakdown of muscovite along the prograde P-T path. Whole-rock geochemistry of the leucosome groundmass devoid of garnet shows high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios indicative of garnet fractionation, and garnet mineral chemistry are Ca-poor indicating garnets crystallized from the peraluminous partial melts at peak P-T conditions. Pb-206/U-238 ages of garnet-equilibrated zircon indicate that peak metamorphic conditions occurred at or before similar to 60.69 Ma. Continued zircon growth until 50.22 Ma tracks the presence of continued partial melt following peak metamorphism during nearly-isothermal decompression. A resulting P-T-t path for basement rocks form the Thor-Odin dome constrains the timing of peak metamorphism and ensuing partial melting events during Cordilleran orogenesis.

Automated summary

The occurrence of sapphire (corundum) near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, is found in the Monashee Complex of the Omineca Belt of the Canadian Cordillera. The sapphire occurs in boudins or pod-like zones of restite within a garnet-bearing leucosome. The peraluminous nature of the corundum-bearing pods indicates partial melting of a metapelitic protolith, which occurred during Cordilleran orogenesis.