Application of the microboudin method to palaeodifferential stress analysis of deformed impure marbles from Syros, Greece: Implications for grain-size and calcite-twin palaeopiezometers

Microboudinage structures developed within glaucophane are found in the calcite matrix of blueschist-facies impure marbles from Syros, Greece. The presence of these structures enables the successful application of the microboudin method for palaeodifferential stress analysis, which was originally developed for rocks with a quartzose matrix. Application of the microboudin method reveals that differential stress increased during exhumation of the marble; the estimated maximum palaeodifferential stress values are approximately 9–15 MPa, an order of magnitude lower than the values estimated using the calcite-twin palaeopiezometer. This discrepancy reflects the fact that the two methods assess differential stress at different stages in the deformation history. Differential stresses in the Syros samples estimated using three existing equations for grain-size palaeopiezometry show a high degree of scatter, and no reliable results were obtained by a comparison between the results of the microboudin method and grain-size palaeopiezometry.

Research highlights
► Successful application of the microboudin method for palaeostress analysis to impure marbles.
► Increasing the differential stress during exhumation, and
► Comparison of estimated palaeodifferential stress values by the three methods (the microboudin, calcite-twin and grain-size methods).