Remnants of Melt Pools and Melt Films Associated with Dewatering of Nominally Anhydrous Minerals in Lower Crustal Granite

Water locked in structural sites and in fluid inclusions in nominally anhydrous minerals in lower crustal granitoids may act as a flux for partial melting of these source rocks. Microtextural study of the 2.6 Ga Stevenson granite of the Athabasca Granulite Terrane of northern Saskatchewan shows that increasing intensity of deformation of the granite correlates with migration of water from within crystals to grain boundaries. Dark, ultrafine-grained, water-richer matrix material consisting of quartz, plagioclase, alkali feldspar and fine iron oxides are interpreted to be former melt films that resulted, at least in part, from fluxing by NAM-derived water. Melt films on the grain boundaries of plagioclase, potassium feldspar and quartz are approximately 20 microns wide. Melt pools are up to 100+ microns in diameter. Water in nominally anhydrous minerals has the potential to lower the solidus significantly enough to initiate partial melting in lower crustal granitoids at high ambient temperatures. 3000 ppm water in minerals that make up large volumes of crustal rocks (alkali feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, quartz) would lower the dry solidus of granite by 273oC at 1 GPa, for initiation of partial melting. Generation of small volumes of partial melt on grain boundaries may lead to further rock weakening and localization of further deformation.