The origin of three garnet isograds in Adirondack gneisses

Abstract

SummaryThree isograds may be drawn, indicating increasing grades of metamorphism in the northern Adirondack area, based on the development of garnet successively in biotite-quartz-plagioclase paragneiss, metadolerite and metagabbro gneiss, and in syenite and quartz syenite orthogneisses. Changes in the accompanying minerals show that this is an order of increasing temperature. Rocks of similar chemical composition, suitable for the development of garnet, occur in each grade of metamorphism and geologic studies indicate adequate temperature and depth for the development of garnet even where it is not present. The degree of development of garnet in rocks of similar chemical composition, in even as high a grade as the pyroxene-granulite subfacies, is widely variable. All of the data are consistent with an hypothesis that the successive development of a garnetiferous facies for each of the different kinds of gneisses mentioned required special conditions that facilitated the kinetics of the reaction, such as temperature in excess of that for equilibria, in order for the garnet reaction to proceed. The data are not conclusive as to whether certain non-garnetiferous facies of amphibolites are due to the physical conditions (such as high partial pressure of H2O for the prevailing temperature and load pressure) or to non-equilibria.