Prolonged high-temperature, low-pressure metamorphism associated with ∼1.86 Ga Sancheong-Hadong anorthosite in the Yeongnam Massif, Korea: Paleoproterozoic hot orogenesis in the North China Craton

Elevated heat flow in association with mafic magmatism in an orogenic belt commonly leads to high-temperature, low-pressure (HTLP) metamorphism and the production of granulite-facies assemblages. We studied such a HTLP complex in the vicinity of the Sancheong-Hadong anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) suite, Yeongnam Massif, Korea, in order to constrain the P-T conditions, timing, and duration of metamorphism. This complex primarily consists of massif-type anorthositic-gabbroic bodies emplaced at ∼1.87-1.86 Ga and a series of country rocks comprising orthopyroxene-bearing gneisses as well as anatectic granites and migmatites. Migmatitic gneisses were studied in detail because melt-related features are abundant and well preserved; for example, inclusion-rich peritectic phases such as cordierite or K-feldspar are characteristic for the prograde melt-forming stage, whereas biotite-quartz symplectites mantling garnet or orthopyroxene represent the cooling stage consuming melt. Pseudosection P-T analyses of migmatitic gneisses suggest peak metamorphic conditions of 810-840 °C and 5.9-6.2 kbar, followed by near-isobaric cooling and melt crystallization at  ∼780 °C and  ∼5.5 kbar. SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) U-Th-Pb ages of zircon and monazite from six migmatitic gneisses are in the range of 1870-1854 Ma. The oldest age, recorded only in high Y monazite, suggests that prograde metamorphism commenced at ∼1870 Ma. In contrast, melt crystallization had culminated by 1860-1855 Ma producing widespread leucosomes and anatectic granites. Our results suggest that high thermal gradient (∼40 °C km−1) attending the granulite-facies metamorphism is attributable to coeval, pulse-like emplacement of anorthositic-gabbroic magmas. Moreover, the HTLP metamorphism lasted over a period of ∼15 Ma, indicating a long-lived process corresponding to the late stage of Paleoproterozoic (∼1.95-1.85 Ga) hot orogenesis in the North China Craton.