High-pressure anatectic paragneisses from the Namche Barwa, Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis: Textural evidence for partial melting, phase equilibria modeling and tectonic implications

► Careful micro-textural investigations revealed that the kyanite-bearing paragneisses from the Namche Barwa contained a proportion of trapped liquid (melt) now replaced by minerals. ► Phase equilibria modeling supports that the kyanite-bearing migmatites underwent peak metamorphism in the High-P granulite facies at conditions around 15 kbar and 850C. ► Most of the mineral compositions and of the microtextures in these rocks are related to the retrograde solidification of a melt fraction, at conditions of around 10 kbar and 800C for the investigated samples. ► Phase equilibria modeling predicts that for such felsic and aluminous rocks being metamorphosed along a clockwise P-T path with a peak in the High-P granulite facies , the main melting reactions occur during burial with a very low potential for decompression melting.