Petrographic and geochemical comparisons between the lower crystalline basement-derived section and the granite megablock and amphibolite megablock of the Eyreville B core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure, USA

Special Paper of the Geological Society of America
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Abstract

The Eyreville B core from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA, contains a lower basement-derived section (1551.19 m to 1766.32 m deep) and two megablocks of dominantly (1) amphibolite (1376.38 m to 1389.35 m deep) and (2) granite (1095.74 m to 1371.11 m deep), which are separated by an impactite succession. Metasedimentary rocks (muscovite-quartz-plagioclase-biotite-graphite ?? fibrolite ?? garnet ?? tourmaline ?? pyrite ?? rutile ?? pyrrhotite mica schist, hornblende-plagioclase-epidote-biotite- K-feldspar-quartz-titanite-calcite amphibolite, and vesuvianite-plagioclase- quartz-epidote calc-silicate rock) are dominant in the upper part of the lower basement-derived section, and they are intruded by pegmatitic to coarse-grained granite (K-feldspar-plagioclase-quartz-muscovite ?? biotite ?? garnet) that increases in volume proportion downward. The granite megablock contains both gneissic and weakly or nonfoliated biotite granite varieties (K-feldspar-quartz-plagioclase-biotite ?? muscovite ?? pyrite), with small schist xenoliths consisting of biotite-plagioclase-quartz ?? epidote ?? amphibole. The lower basement-derived section and both megablocks exhibit similar middleto upper-amphibolite-facies metamorphic grades that suggest they might represent parts of a single terrane. However, the mica schists in the lower basement-derived sequence and in the megablock xenoliths show differences in both mineralogy and whole-rock chemistry that suggest a more mafi c source for the xenoliths. Similarly, the mineralogy of the amphibolite in the lower basement-derived section and its association with calc-silicate rock suggest a sedimentary protolith, whereas the bulk-rock and mineral chemistry of the megablock amphibolite indicate an igneous protolith. The lower basement-derived granite also shows bulk chemical and mineralogical differences from the megablock gneissic and biotite granites. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Petrographic and geochemical comparisons between the lower crystalline basement-derived section and the granite megablock and amphibolite megablock of the Eyreville B core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure, USA
Series title Special Paper of the Geological Society of America
DOI 10.1130/2009.2458(13)
Issue 458
Year Published 2009
Language English
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Special Paper of the Geological Society of America
First page 255
Last page 275
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