Petrology and structure of greenstone blocks encased in mud-matrix melange of the Franciscan complex near San Simeon, California
Greenstones comprise about 20% of all mappable (>1 m) blocks encased in blueschist-block-bearing mud-matrix melange exposed in a 10 km-length of sea cliffs near San Simeon. Field and petrographic analysis of 25 blocks show they vary from finely crystalline (<1 mm) locally porphyritic or amygdaloidal, volcanics to coarsely crystalline (1 to 5 mm) diabase. Some are in contact with bedded chert and two have relict pillows. However, most blocks are intensely deformed. Pinch-and-swell and boundinage are recognized on scales from cm to about 10 m. Distortion was accommodated by cataclasis to an aggregate of pieces from mm to m across. Generally, m-sized blocks are pervasively cataclastic whereas larger blocks are crosscut by cataclastic zones that emanate from pervasively cataclastic margins or necked regions of boudins. Discontinuous, cm-thick veins and cavities that are lined by quartz and clacite and rarely, laumontite, prehnite and aragonite locally crosscut all other structures. Relict igneous textures show the primary minerals are plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Abundant secondary minerals, particularly in cataclastic zones, are albite, chlorite, pumpellyite (some have high Al), and calcite. The metamorphic parageneses indicate relatively minor greenschist-facies, sea-floor-type alterations under static conditions followed by lower-temperature alterations synchronous with cataclasis and the development of boudinage. If the blocks are fragments of disrupted ophiolites, only the uppermost section of the suite are present within the mud-matrix melange near San Simeon. The simplest explanation for their crystallization, metamorphism and incorporation into the melange is that they are fragments of seamounts dismembered during subduction.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Texas, Austin (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6651222
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Journal Information:
- Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Vol. 17; Conference: 98. annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, Orlando, FL, USA, 28 Oct 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CALIFORNIA
SCHISTS
VOLCANIC ROCKS
PETROGENESIS
PETROLOGY
METAMORPHISM
CRYSTALLIZATION
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
LITHOLOGY
MAPPING
MINERALOGY
PARAGENESIS
PETROGRAPHY
SUBDUCTION ZONES
TECTONICS
TEXTURE
FEDERAL REGION IX
GEOLOGY
IGNEOUS ROCKS
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
NORTH AMERICA
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
ROCKS
USA
580300* - Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics- (-1989)