HR: 0800h
AN: GP21A-0111 [Abstracts]
TI: The Magnetic Properties and Fabric of Granulite Facies Deep Crustal Rocks in the Mount Hay Region, southeastern Arunta Block, Central Australia
AU: Kelso, P R
EM: pkelso@lssu.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Physics, Lake Superior State University
650 W Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, United States
AU: * Barry, A J
EM: abarry@lssu.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Physics, Lake Superior State University
650 W Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, United States
AU: Carley, S
EM: scarley@lssu.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Physics, Lake Superior State University
650 W Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, United States
AU: Jackson, M
EM: irm@tc.umn.edu
AF: Institute for Rock Magnetism, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of
Minnesota
Shepherd Laboratories
100 SE Union Street, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
AU: Tikoff, B
EM: basil@geology.wisc.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1215 W Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706, United States
AU: Goodwin, L
EM: laurel@geology.wisc.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1215 W Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706, United States
AB:
The granulite-facies deformation in the Mount Hay region of the Arunta Inlier in central Australia occurred at
816±27°C and approximately 800 MPa. Mount Hay is comprised primarily of mafic granulite plus
lesser amounts of charnockitic, porphyroclastic, and quartzofeldspathic granulite. Magnetic fabric of these
variably deformed, deep crustal rocks provide insights into the deformation processes occurring within high
grade metamorphic shear zones.
Samples were collected along a north-south trending 5.5 km traverse. Magnetic measurements include
anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), high and low temperature susceptibility measurements, saturation
remnant magnetization as a function of low temperature, and hysteresis loops. AMS studies in the Mount Hay
region show S>L to S>>L (stronger foliation than lineation) for mafic and porphyroclastic granulites, while
S<L for charnockitic and quartzofeldspathic granulite. Hysteresis data suggest the room temperature magnetic
grain size of all rock types are pseudo-single-domain to multidomain. The mafic granulites generally have the
lowest coercivity of remanence to coercivity ratio, indicating a finer magnetic grain size, typically pseudo-single-
domain. Low-temperature saturation isothermal remanent magnetization yielded Verwey transition temperatures
ranging from 111-123 K, suggesting the magnetite is in some cases slightly oxidized or contains impurities. A
weak correlation between lower Verwey transitions and lower coercivity of remanence to coercivity ratio is
consistent with oxidation due to a larger surface area to volume ratio for finer grain magnetite grains. The
dominant Curie temperatures are approximately 567°C, typical of magnetite with minor cation substitution.
Most samples exhibit a secondary ordering transition of ~330°C and a 35 K low-temperature
saturation isothermal remanence transition during warming which are both characteristic of pyrrhotite. AMS
ellipsoid principle directions correlate well with the field orientations for lineation and foliation in the
quartzofeldspathic granulites. The relationship between AMS and field fabrics is more variable for other rock
types. This study suggests that multiple phases may contribute to the AMS of deep crustal rocks and that
magnetic techniques may be a powerful tool to quantify variations in their deformation. Differences between AMS
and field fabrics may be the result of variable contributions from multiple phases or that different lithologies
record different strain events or that different rocks deform by different mechanisms.
DE: 1518 Magnetic fabrics and anisotropy
DE: 1519 Magnetic mineralogy and petrology
DE: 1540 Rock and mineral magnetism
DE: 8031 Rheology: crust and lithosphere (8159)
SC: Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism [GP]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting