Syn-metamorphic B-bearing fluid infiltrations deduced from tourmaline in the Main Central Thrust zone, Eastern Nepal Himalayas

Abstract

Mode of occurrence and chemical composition of tourmaline in pelitic schists from the Main Central Thrust (MCT) zone of the Lesser Himalayan Sequences (LHS) are described in detail with the aim of deducing the chemical characteristics of tourmaline formed through B-bearing fluid infiltration and of estimating the composition of the syn-metamorphic fluids. Metasomatic tourmalines from the tourmalinized wall rocks show significant increases in XCa [=Ca/(Ca + Na)] at almost constant XMg [=Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)] from the cores or mantles to the rims. Tourmaline in tourmaline-rich (> 1.0 vol%) pelitic schists from the biotite zone to the kyanite zone also show marked increase in XCa at almost constant XMg, and are interpreted as a product of B-bearing fluid infiltration. Abundant margarite and anorthite formed in the pelitic schists intercalated with the metadolostone layers suggesting that the B-rich fluid became Ca enriched as it interacted with metadolostone layers, and metasomatically introduced Ca into the pelitic schists. Infiltration of such B- and Ca-rich fluids into pelitic schists likely resulted in production of abundant tourmaline with the compositional trend of increasing XCa at almost constant XMg. Most of the tourmaline in tourmaline-rich pelitic schists are in equilibrium with plagioclase, suggesting that the fluid composition was buffered by the pelitic schists. Composition of tourmaline in the pelitic schists with <1 vol% tourmaline mostly show increase in XCa and wider range of XMg values, reflecting its growth during prograde metamorphism. The composition of fluids that coexisted with tourmaline is estimated by applying experimentally-determined fluid/tourmaline chemical relationships to the composition of tourmaline from veins associated with tourmalinization, pelitic schists with <1 vol% tourmaline and tourmaline-rich pelitic schists. Assuming coexisting anion to be Cl, the salinity estimated for these rock types was ~0.44–0.59 mol/l NaCl + CaCl₂ that is similar to or slightly lower than the present-day seawater. Veins associated with tourmalinization and tourmaline-rich pelitic schists are sporadically distributed in the MCT zone of the LHS, suggesting that the syn-metamorphic, B-bearing saline fluid infiltrations took place widely in the MCT zone, and the fluid pathways were localized and channeled. Our observation supports the scenario whereby infiltration of fluid into the High Himalayan Crystallines (HHC) caused vapor-saturated partial melting of the HHC to give tourmaline leucogranite melts contemporaneous with inverted metamorphism in the MCT zone.