Geology of crystalline rocks of northern Fiordland: details of the granulite facies Western Fiordland Orthogneiss and associated rock units

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics
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Abstract

A c. 700 km2 area of northern Fiordland (South Island, New Zealand) is described in which Early Cretaceous high-pressure metamorphic rocks and virtually unmetamorphosed plutonic rocks occur. The dominant rocks are orthogneisses developed from synmetamorphic basic-intermediate intrusive complexes, the youngest and most widespread of which is the Early Cretaceous Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO). The latter has undergone granulite facies metamorphism and occurs throughout much of western Fiordland. WFO was emplaced synkinematically in a subduction-related magmatic arc. A collisional event during or immediately following magma emplacement resulted in crustal thickening equivalent to onloading of a 20 km thick section over rocks already buried at mid-crustal depths. This event was responsible for peak load pressures of c. 12-13 kbar. The steeply dipping Surprise Creek Fault juxtaposes high-pressure metamorphic rocks of western and central Fiordland against virtually unmetamorphosed gabbroic rocks of the Early Cretaceous Darran Complex. -from Author
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Geology of crystalline rocks of northern Fiordland: details of the granulite facies Western Fiordland Orthogneiss and associated rock units
Series title New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics
DOI 10.1080/00288306.1990.10425702
Volume 33
Issue 3
Year Published 1990
Language English
Publisher Taylor and Francis
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics
First page 465
Last page 484
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