Late Cretaceous UHP metamorphism recorded in kyanite-garnet schists from the Central Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria

In this study, we report the first discovery of microdiamond inclusions in kyanite–garnet schists from the Central Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. These inclusions occur in garnets from metapelites that are part of a meta-igneous and meta-sedimentary mélange hosted by Variscan (Hercynian) orthogneiss. Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) conditions are further supported by the presence of exsolved needles of quartz and rutile in the garnet and by geothermobarometry estimates that suggest peak metamorphic temperatures of 750–800°C and pressures in excess of 4GPa. The discovery of UHP conditions in the Central Rhodopes of Bulgaria compliments the well-documented evidence for such conditions in the southernmost (Greek) part of the Rhodope Massif. Dating of garnets from these UHP metapelites (Chepelare Shear Zone) using Sm–Nd geochronology indicates a Late Cretaceous age (70.5–92.7Ma) for the UHP metamorphic event. This is significantly younger than previously reported ages and suggests that the UHP conditions are associated with the Late Mesozoic subduction of the Vardar Ocean northward beneath the Moesian platform (Europe). The present-day structure of the RM is the result of a series of subduction–exhumation events that span the Cenozoic, alongside subsequent post-orogenic extension and metamorphic core complex formation.