A RAMAN MICROPROBE STUDY OF ECLOGITE FROM THE MÜNCHBERG GNEISS MASS

• Main Authors: D. K. Breitinger, G. Brehm, R. G. Schwab
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: eclogite; Raman microprobe; pyrope; omphacite; antartic*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.517.9334

Abstract: Eclogite from the Münchberg (Bavaria) gneiss mass has been studied by Raman micro-probe, and the garnet pyrope, the pyroxene omphacite and quartz have been identified as main com-ponents. Typical high-pressure minerals have not been found so far. Eclogite is a worldwide rare highly metamorphic rock. Samples of this kind of rocks from Nor-way, China and even Antartica have been studied by micro-Raman spectrometry recently [1, 2, 3] (and references therein). A very interesting Raman microprobe study of an archeological artefact ('greenstone axe-head') made of eclogite with unknown origin in the Americas has also been pub-lished [4]. In Central Europe one of the few occurrences of eclogite is the Münchberg gneiss mass (north of Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany) with scattered pieces, but also massive eclogite rock on the summit of the Weissenstein mountain. This highly metamorphic gneiss mass has been formed in the lower earth crust (∼30 km depth) in the early to middle Devonian (about 380 Ma ago), then lifted and shifted to its present site in the late lower Carbon age (∼350 Ma b.p.); the origin of this gneiss com-plex is probably the north-western edge of the Moldanubikum in the Bohemian mass [5]. Chips of the Weissenstein eclogite have been studied without further preparation using the Reni-