Abstract
This paper reports the metamorphic texture of cordierite megacrysts and the metamorphic P–T path of a newly exposed section of gneiss in East Antarctica. We used mineral textures and pseudosection modeling to reconstruct the metamorphic P–T path of cordierite- and spinel–garnet-bearing gneisses from Botnnuten, an isolated nunatak located ~ 60 km from the southern edge of Lützow-Holm Bay in East Antarctica. The gneisses underwent low-P granulite-facies metamorphism at 5.0–6.1 kbar and 850 ± 20 °C followed by isobaric cooling. The isobaric cooling path implies long residence in the middle to shallow crustal level without rapid exhumation. This contrasts with the widely recognized clockwise P–T path of basement rocks of the Lützow-Holm Complex. The rocks at Botnnuten have long been considered part of the Lützow-Holm Complex based on their petrographical features and geothermobarometric data. However, the present results, combined with a reevaluation of available data, indicate the metamorphic history of the Botnnuten gneisses is more comparable to that of the Yamato Mountains, located southwest of the study area.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the members of the 58th Japan Antarctic Research Expedition, and the crew of the icebreaker Shirase. This study is a part of the Science Program of Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE). It was supported by the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) under MEXT. This work was partly supported by the NIPR [General Collaboration Projects 25–17 and 2–20], the Research Organization of Information and Systems [ROIS-DS-JOINT 004RP2018], and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [17H02976 to T.H. and 18H01313 to A.K.]. We thank anonymous reviewers for constructive comments, and Andreas Möller and Lutz Nasdala for valuable suggestions and careful editorial handling.
Funding
National Institute of Polar Research [General Collaboration Projects 25–17 and 2–20]. The Research Organization of Information and Systems [ROIS-DS-JOINT 004RP2018]. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [17H02976 to T.H. and 18H01313 to A.K.].
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Baba, S., Ohshiro, S., Kamei, A. et al. Low-pressure isobaric cooling metamorphic P–T paths from Botnnuten in the southern Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica. Miner Petrol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-024-00859-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-024-00859-0