Origin of Skarns at Migmatization on Ol'khon Island, Lake Baikal, Russia.

Migmatites on the western shore of Ol'khon Island host unusual rocks: zoned lenses of hedenbergite–garnet–epidote–anorthite metasomatites coupled with the migmatites. No intrusive granites were found nearby. The skarn-forming process operated at the interface of the granite gneiss and skarn protolith (perhaps, carbonate rocks). The composition of the metasomatites is analogous to that of calcic skarns with high Al2O3, FeO, and CaO concentrations. The compositions and relations of the minerals provide evidence of the successive development of the hedenbergite–anorthite outer zone, dominantly anorthite–garnet main zone, and quartz-enriched inner zone, with all of the zones parallel to contact with the granite gneiss. The granite gneiss itself is also likely of metasomatic nature, as follows from its supraeutectic concentration of potassic feldspar in the leucosome and low crystallization temperatures. A minimum of the Gibbs free energy (calculated with the SELECTOR-C program package) was reached at 8 kbar and temperatures of 600–625°C. These parameters are lower than the melting temperature of the granite eutectic, and the absence of melt is confirmed by the absence of melt inclusions in minerals of the granite gneisses. This indicate that the driving force of the process was migmatizing silicic–potassic solutions. The P–T parameters of the skarns are close to the foregoing values. The very high Sr and Ca and low Mg concentrations suggest that the protolith of the skarns was calcite marble. The enrichment of the skarns in the granitophile elements suggests that the skarns were produced simultaneously with and in genetic relation to the migmatization processes. The metasomatites were formed before the partial melts were derived, early in the course of the granite-forming processes and provide important information for better understanding the metasomatic process responsible for the exchange of chemical elements between the rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]