Contact Metamorphism in the Supracrustal Rocks of the Sukumaland Greenstone Belt in the North West Tanzania

Abstract

Biotite-granite intrusions in meta-ironstones at Geita Hills and the Bukoli alkali-granite intrusion in metabasites at Mawemeru area produced heat that baked the respective country rocks through epidote-amphibolite- to amphibolite-facies. Critical and informative mineral assemblages in the metairostones of Geita Hills are garnet-grunerite-epidote-quartz and garnetferrogedrite- biotite-quartz and in the metabasites of Mawemeru is ferrotschermakite-(Naplagioclase)- quartz. Peak temperatures ranging between 438°C and 544°C were calculated from the above mineral assemblages and a pressure not exceeding 3 kbar was inferred to from the composition of magnesium-iron amphiboles (grunerite with XFe ratio of 0.83, i.e. Gru83). Hornfels textures in the metaironstones are suggested by euhedral poikiloblastic garnet and quartz with grain boundaries intersecting at approximately 120° (granoblastic polygonal texture) and biotite aggregates forming an interlocking network of elongate grains aligned in all directions and bounded by rational crystal faces (decussate texture).

Keywords: Contact metamorphism, intrusions, Sukumaland Greenstonebelt, Neoarchaean

Tanz. J. Sci. Vol. 37 2011, 144-155