ABSTRACT

The southernmost Hidaka metamorphic belt consists mainly of cordierite tonalite intrusions and pelitic metamorphic rocks ranging from the greenschist to the granulite facies. Anatectic migmatites are common in the higher amphibolite and granulite facies zones. Compositional changes in major, rare earth elements and some other trace metals are so small that they are undetectable among the pelitic metamorphic rocks of zones A + B + C and D, but they are large enough to be detected in the higher amphibolite (zone D) to the granulite facies rocks (zone E). The enrichment of Fe, Mg, Na, Eu, and Sc, and the depletion of K, P, La, Ce, Nd, Cs and Rb are statistically significant in pelitic granulites, while heavy REEs are very variable. The chemical variation of pelitic granulite was derived from the accumulation of plagioclase + garnet. This suggests that more than 50-60% of the total volume of pelitic granulite was melted to produce a large amount of tonalitic magma, leaving pelitic granulite as a restite. Migmatites of the higher amphibolite facies are anatexites, and their K, P, Cs, Rb and light REE content is the same as that of lower grade metamorphic rocks. Migmatites of the higher amphibolite facies melted incipiently to segregate only a small amount of melt, and could not produce a large magmatic mass such as the cordierite tonalites. Cordierite tonalites are S-type granites, and their major elements, Cs, Rb and light REE concentrations are similar to those of lower grade metamorphic rocks. The chemical variation of cordierite tonalites is explained by the extraction of plagioclase + garnet from a tonalitic magma and the variation of original sedimentary rocks. The small chemical difference between the cordierite tonalites and the lower grade metamorphic rocks suggests that the former was derived from a massive melting of metapelites or that much of the restite is retained. The material migration among higher amphibolite facies rocks, pelitic granulites, migmatites and cordierite tonalites took place through mineral/melt interaction in the lower crust.