Paragenesis and chemical characteristics of the celsian−hyalophane−K-feldspar series and associated Ba-Cr micas in barite-bearing strata of the Mesoarchaean Ghattihosahalli Belt, Western Dharwar Craton, South India

The upper greenschist - lower amphibolite facies, argillaceous to chemical-exhalative metasedimentary sequence of the Mesoarchaean Ghattihosahalli Schist Belt (GHSB), southern India, has been examined with a special focus on the paragenesis and solid solution characteristics of barian feldspars and associated dioctahedral Ba-Cr-bearing micas. Barian feldspars occur as untwinned porphyroblasts in a recrystallized finely banded matrix of barite, quartz and minor white mica. Idioblastic celsian (Cls98-76Or2-20Ab1-8) and hyalophane (Cls55-39Or35-51Ab10) predate the greenschist-facies foliation, whereas xenoblastic hyalophane (Cls44-35Or45-59Ab8–17) and mantles on celsian (Cls45-35Or42-60Ab13-5) as well as xenoblastic barian K-feldspar (Cls6Or90Ab2) postdate the last fabric-defining event. The preservation of extremely complex zoning patterns down to the micron-scale shows that diffusional homogenization did not operate at fluid-present low to medium-grade conditions (350–550 °C, 3–5 kb). Microstructures indicate that at these conditions barian feldspars deform exclusively by brittle fracturing and do not undergo recrystallization. Barian feldspar compositions confirm the positive correlation of Na-content with temperature and the existence of a narrow asymmetric compositional gap (Cls90-85↔Cls55, ~350 °C) which probably closes at lower amphibolite facies conditions (Xc ~Cls75; Tc ~550 °C). White micas are solid solutions of the end-members muscovite, ganterite (Ba0.5 K0.5)Al2(Al1.5Si2.5)O10(OH)2, paragonite, celadonite with a significant substitution of [VI]Al by Cr. Zoning is a common feature with cores being enriched in Ba. The data document extensive Ba substitution for K from muscovite to ganterite, exclusively controlled by the coupled substitution [XII]K + [IV]Si ↔ [XII]Ba + [IV]Al and strongly dependent on bulk composition. The extent of solid solution from (Ms+Gnt) towards paragonite and celadonite end-members is controlled by the miscibility gap in the (Ms+Gnt)–Pg–Cel pseudoternary, with the Pg-substitution depending on temperature and the Cel-substitution on pressure. [IV]Si values between 3.1 and 3.3 in Ba-poor micas indicate minimum pressures of chemical equilibration in the order of 3–5 kbar, while the most sodian compositions of low-celadonite micas provide an upper temperature estimate of ~550 °C, consistent with P-T estimates for assemblages of metapelites (500–550 °C, 4–5 kb).