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Inter-related plutonism and deformation in South Victoria Land, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

Simon C. Cox
Simon C. Cox
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Abstract

The Lower Palaeozoic Bonney Pluton is a regionally extensive coarse-grained, variably megacrystic, monzodioritic to granitic body that crops out over 1000 km2 in South Victoria Land. It intruded upper amphibolite facies Koettlitz Group metasediments and interlayered orthogneisses. Magmatic fabrics are developed in the centre of the pluton by flow alignment of K-feldspars before the majority of phases had crystallized, whereas solid-state fabrics developed in the pluton margins by ductile–plastic deformation. Structures developed in the host-rocks vary around this elongate northwest–southeast-trending pluton. Upright, tight northwest–southeast-trending macroscopic folds are developed at the sides of the pluton, with axis-parallel stretching lineations and boudinage indicating strong northwest–southeast extension. Broad warps of tight macroscopic folds, and mesoscopic refolded folds, sheath folds and complicated interference patterns characterize areas at the ends of the pluton. Emplacement of the pluton involved radial expansion in a regional northeast–southwest compression, and growth predominantly in the northwest–southeast direction. Superposition of the radial expansion and regional compression resulted in an inhomogeneous strain field at a regional scale, with coaxial strain at the sides of the pluton and non-coaxial strain at the ends. Upright folds developed at the pluton's sides, and became tighter with continued coaxial deformation. Non-coaxial structures developed at the ends of the pluton and were pushed aside by the growing pluton into areas of coaxial deformation, resulting in complex folding, re-folding and sheath folds. Metamorphism of the host-rocks and migmatite development was more intense at the sides of the pluton than near the ends, possibly due to different P-T-t paths of host-rocks around syntectonic plutons.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 130 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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