Michel Bestmann

and 5 more

Coarse-grained quartz veins from the Prijakt Nappe (Austroalpine Unit, Schober Mountains, Eastern Alps), that formed under amphibolite facies conditions, were overprinted by lower greenschist facies deformation. During overprinting, subgrain rotation (SGR) recrystallization was the dominant mechanism assisting the evolution from protomylonite to (ultra)mylonite. The initial Ti-concentration [Ti] (3.0-4.7 ppm) and corresponding cathodoluminescence (CL) signature of the quartz vein crystals were reset to different degrees mainly depending on the availability of fluids and their partitioning across the microstructure. The amount of strain played a subordinate role in resetting. In recrystallized aggregates the most complete re-equilibration ([Ti] of 0.2-0.6 pm) occurred in strain shadows surrounding quartz porphyroclasts, acting as fluid sinks, and in localized shear bands that channelized fluid percolation. We applied a correlative multi-analytical workflow using optical and electron microscopy methods (e.g. electron backscatter diffraction and cathodoluminescence) in combination with secondary ion mass spectroscopy for [Ti] measurement. The most efficient [Ti] resetting mainly occurs along wetted high angle boundaries (misorientation angle >10-15°), and to a minor extend (partial resetting) along dry low angle boundaries (<10-15°). This key-study prove for the first time that pure subgrain rotation recrystallization in combination with dissolution-precipitation under retrograde condition is able to provide microstructural sites to apply the TitaniQ geothermobarometer at deformation temperatures down to 300-350 °C provided that information on pressure and Ti-activity is available.