Dynamic recrystallization and chemical evolution of clinoamphibole from Senja, Norway

Clinoamphibole from a mylonitic amphibolite exhibits microstructures characteristic of dynamic recrystallization, including porphyroclasts in a finer grained matrix of needle-shaped amphibole. The matrix amphibole defines an LS fabric and porphyroclasts have core and mantle structures with a core containing undulose to patchy extinction and (100) deformation twinning surrounded by a mantle of recrystallized grains. In addition intragranular grains also occur within the cores. TEM analyses of the porphyroclasts reveal that they contain a wide variety of lattice defects including high densities (5 × 108cm−2) of free dislocations and dislocation arrays, dissociated dislocations, stacking faults, and (100) micro-twins. TEM also shows that matrix grains and intragranular grains have relatively low defect densities, and that the intragranular new grains occur at localities in the porphyroclasts characterized by high densities of dislocations. These observations along with the chemical and orientation relationships between the recrystallized grains and porphyroclasts indicate that the new grains may have formed by heterogeneous nucleation and that further growth probably occurred by both strain assisted and chemically induced grain boundary migration or liquid film migration. This recrystallization event is interpreted to be synkinematic based on the fact that no recrystallization textures are present in the matrix grains and that the matrix grains define an LS fabric. However, the low defect densities in the matrix grains and the lack of intracrystalline strain in other phases indicate that post-kinematic recovery processes were active.