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Oxygen isotope record of oceanic and high-pressure metasomatism: a P–T–time–fluid path for the Monviso eclogites (Italy)

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Abstract

Fluids are considered a fundamental agent for chemical exchanges between different rock types in the subduction system. Constraints on the sources and pathways of subduction fluids thus provide crucial information to reconstruct subduction processes. The Monviso ophiolitic sequence is composed of mafic, ultramafic and minor sediments that have been subducted to ~80 km depth. In this sequence, both localized fluid flow and channelized fluids along major shear zones have been documented. We investigate the timing and source of the fluids that affected the dominant mafic rocks using microscale U–Pb dating of zircon and oxygen isotope analysis of mineral zones (garnet, zircon and antigorite) in high-pressure rocks with variable degree of metasomatic modification. In mafic eclogites, Jurassic zircon cores are the only mineralogical relicts of the protolith gabbros and retain δ18O values of 4.5–6 ‰, typical of mantle melts. Garnet and metamorphic zircon that grew during prograde to peak metamorphism display low δ18O values between 0.2 and 3.8 ‰, which are likely inherited from high-temperature alteration of the protolith on the sea floor. This is corroborated by δ18O values of 3.0 and 3.6 ‰ in antigorite from surrounding serpentinites. In metasomatized eclogites within the lower shear zone, garnet rim formed at the metamorphic peak shows a shift to higher δ18O up to 6 ‰. The age of zircons in high-pressure veins and metasomatized eclogites constrains the timing of fluid flow at high pressure at around 45–46 Ma. Although the oxygen data do not contradict previous reports of interaction with serpentinite-derived fluids, the shift to isotopically heavier oxygen compositions requires contribution from sediment-derived fluids. The scarcity of metasediments in the Monviso sequence suggests that such fluids were concentrated and fluxed along the lower shear zone in a sufficient amount to modify the oxygen composition of the eclogitic minerals.

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Acknowledgments

This study benefited from constructive discussion with Joerg Hermann. D Rubatto acknowledges the financial support of the Australia Research Council, DP110101599.

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Author notes

  1. Daniela Rubatto

    Present address: Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia

    Daniela Rubatto

  2. Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Samuel Angiboust

Authors
  1. Daniela Rubatto
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  2. Samuel Angiboust
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela Rubatto.

Additional information

Communicated by Steven Reddy.

Electronic supplementary material

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Online Resource Table 1

SHRIMP U–Pb analyses of zircon from eclogite LSZ44 (XLSX 51 kb)

Online Resource Table 2

SHRIMP analyses of oxygen isotopes in zircon (XLSX 61 kb)

Online Resource Table 3

SHRIMP analyses of oxygen isotopes in garnet from samples MVE5 and MVV4 (XLSX 55 kb)

Online Resource Table 4

SHRIMP analyses of oxygen isotopes in garnet from sample ISZ17 (XLSX 60 kb)

Online Resource Table 5

SHRIMP analyses of oxygen isotopes in garnet from sample LSZ23 (XLSX 74 kb)

Online Resource Fig. 1

Details of location of oxygen analyses in MVV4 and MVE garnet (PDF 6183 kb)

Online Resource Fig. 2

Details of location of oxygen analyses in ISZ17 garnet (PDF 10028 kb)

Online Resource Fig. 3

Details of location of oxygen analyses in LSZ23 garnet (PDF 10413 kb)

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Rubatto, D., Angiboust, S. Oxygen isotope record of oceanic and high-pressure metasomatism: a P–T–time–fluid path for the Monviso eclogites (Italy). Contrib Mineral Petrol 170, 44 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-015-1198-4

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