Contrib Mineral Petrol (1999) 134: 1732
Frank S. Spear Matthew J. Kohn John T. Cheney
P -T paths from anatectic pelites
Received: 5 March 1998 / Accepted: 7 August 1998
Abstract A relatively simple petrogenetic grid for par-
tial melting of pelitic rocks in the NCKFMASH system
is presented based on the assumption that the only H2O
available for melting is through dehydration reactions.
The grid includes both discontinuous and continuous
Fe-Mg reactions; contours of Fe/(Fe+Mg) for
continuous reactions dene P-T vectors along which
continuous melting will occur. For biotite-bearing
assemblages (garnet+biotite + sillimanite + K-feld-
spar + liquid and garnet + biotite + cordierite +
K-feldspar + liquid), Fe/(Fe+Mg) contours have
negative slopes and melting will occur with increasing
temperature or pressure. For biotite-absent assemblages
(garnet + cordierite + sillimanite + K-feldspar + li-
quid or garnet + cordierite + orthopyroxene + K-
feldspar + liquid) Fe/(Fe + Mg) contours have at
slopes and melting will occur only with increasing
pressure. The grid predicts that abundant matrix K-
feldspar should only be observed if rocks are heated at
P < 3.8 kbar, that abundant retrograde muscovite
should only be observed if rocks are cooled at P > 3.8
kbar, and that generation of late biotite + sillimanite
replacing garnet, cordierite, or as selvages around leu-
cosomes should be common in rocks in which melt is not
removed. There is also a predicted eld for dehydration
melting of staurolite between 5 and 12 kbar. Textures in
migmatites from New Hampshire, USA, suggest that
F.S. Spear (&)
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA;
E-mail: spearf@rpi.edu
M.J. Kohn
Earth and Environmental Sciences and Institute for Geophysics
and Planetary Physics Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Livermore, CA 94550, USA
J.T. Cheney
Department of Geology, Amherst College,
Amherst, MA 01002, USA
Editorial responsibility: T.L. Grove
Springer-Verlag 1999
prograde dehydration melting reactions are very nearly
completely reversible during cooling and crystallization
in rocks in which melt is not removed. Therefore, many
reaction textures in ``low grade'' migmatites may repre-
sent retrograde rather than prograde reactions.
Introduction
Partial melting of pelites involves reactions that are
predictable within the context of a petrogenetic grid.
Accordingly, reaction textures produced during partial
melting and associated mineral zoning can provide
powerful clues about a rock's P-T evolution.
Numerous experimental studies have constrained the
P-T conditions for many of the melting reactions im-
portant to pelites (e.g., Huang and Wyllie 1973, 1974,
1975, 1981; Huang et al. 1973; Le Breton and Thompson
1988; Gardien et al. 1995; Patino Douce and Johnston
1991; Vielzeuf and Holloway 1988; Vielzeuf and Clem-
ens 1992). In addition, several petrogenetic grids have
been presented for pelites in the melting region, and
some of these have considered the implications of vapor-
saturated, Puid < Ptotal, and vapor-absent melting re-
actions (e.g., Thompson and Algor 1977; Thompson and
Tracy 1979; Thompson 1982; Grant 1985a, b; Powell
and Downes 1990; Carrington and Harley 1995;
Thompson and Connolly 1995).
The purpose of this paper is to present a relatively
simple petrogenetic grid for partial melting of low
variance pelitic rocks that can be used to help interpret
reaction textures with respect to their P-T signicance.
Assumptions of the melting model
The approach followed here is somewhat dierent from
previous studies. In this paper, three critical assumptions
are made regarding the behavior of H2O in the system.
18
First, it is assumed that the only water available for
melting is that derived from dehydration of hydrous
silicates and that no water is added externally. Second, it
is assumed that in the solidus region a vapor phase is
present, but in vanishingly small quantities. This as-
sumption presumes that H2O is being continuously
evolved during metamorphism by the progress of de-
hydration reactions, but that the porosity of the rock is
small. That is, all H2O evolved by dehydration leaves the
rock. Third, once melting begins it is assumed that the
rock is closed to the loss of H2O. That is, any H2O
evolved by dehydration reactions in the presence of a
melt phase (i.e., so-called ``dehydration melting reac-
tions'') dissolves into the melt and remains in the rock as
long as the liquid is not removed.
With these assumptions, the plethora of possible
melting reactions considered by previous workers re-
duces to a simple few because the only vapor-saturated
melting reaction that is stable is the minimum-melting
reaction in the system, and all other reactions are vapor-
absent. So long as a hydrous silicate is present in the
rock (biotite or cordierite for the system under consid-
eration), the activity of water is dened by equilibria
between melt and silicates. These assumptions are
equivalent to the ``minimum water content of granitic
melts'' discussed by Holtz and Johannes (1994).
Fig. 1 Pressure-temperature diagram showing the locations of select-
ed reactions in the KASH system. The Al2SiO5 triple point is from
Pattison (1992). Muscovite dehydration (reaction 1) calculated from
thermodynamic data of Berman (1988). Melting reactions inferred
from data in Huang and Wyllie (1974). Label IP1 is an invariant point
Phase relations
The grid is developed in stages, starting with the KASH
system, where reactions are constrained by numerous
experimental studies, and expanding into the
KFMASH, the NaKFMASH and nally the CNKF-
MASH systems. Quartz is assumed to be present in all
assemblages.
KASH system
There are ve reactions in the quartz-saturated KASH
system, which intersect at an invariant point (IP1) at
approximately 730 C, 6.1 kbar (Fig. 1):
Muscovite quartz Al2 SiO5 K-feldspar H2 O 1
Muscovite quartz Al2 SiO5 K-feldspar liquid 2
Muscovite quartz H2 O Al2 SiO5 liquid 3
K-feldspar Al2 SiO5 quartz H2 O liquid 4
Muscovite K-feldspar quartz H2 O liquid: 5
The rst four of these are signicant for melting in pe-
lites. Reaction (5) will only be observed in sillimanite-
absent rocks and the vapor-saturated melting reaction in
a typical pelite will be reaction (3) or (4). Of course,
given the assumptions of the model (vanishingly small
quantities of vapor in the subsolidus region) only van-
ishingly small quantities of melt will be produced at the
vapor-saturated solidus. However, the vapor-saturated
solidus delimits the boundary where vapor-absent
melting can begin. Following the arguments of Pattison

(1992), the Al2SiO5 triple point is assumed to be 550 C,
4.5 kbar in order that a eld for andalusite + liquid can
exist in the NaKFMASH system (see below).
With the three assumptions of the melting model
(vanishingly small quantities of H2O present in the
subsolidus, all H2O is sequestered into the melt above
the solidus, and no water added to the system), melting
can only take place in aluminous pelites as a result of
muscovite dehydration melting at pressures above IP1.
Vapor-saturated melting reactions (3 and 4) produce
very little melt inasmuch as it is assumed that the po-
rosity (and hence the quantity of free H2O) is vanish-
ingly small.
The IP1 is of primary importance in the evolution of
reaction textures (cf., Tracy 1978). Muscovite-bearing
Fig. 2 Pressure-temperature diagram showing the locations of select-
ed melting and dehydration reactions in the KFMASH system. Dotted
lines are KMASH system, dashed lines are KFASH system. Labels
IP1 to IP4 are invariant points. Subsolidus KMASH system (dotted
lines) calculated from thermodynamic data in Berman (1988) and
Spear and Cheney (1989) with melting reactions from Vielzeuf and
Clemens (1992). KFASH system (dashed lines) calculated from
thermodynamic data in Berman (1988), and data derived from
experimental data of Mukhopadhyay and Holdaway (1994) and
Bohlen et al. (1983). KFMASH reactions calculated from unpublished
thermodynamic data based on Berman (1988) and constrained by the
Grt-Bt-Opx-As-Crd-Qtz-L invariant point (IP4) from Carrington
and Harley (1995). The reaction Grt + Sil Spl + Crd is calcu-
lated based on observed Fe-Mg partitioning (XFe,Spl > XFe,Grt >
XFe,Crd; Vernon et al. 1990; Droop 1989). (Ms muscovite, Qtz quartz,
Kfs K-feldspar, As aluminosilicate, V vapor, Ky kyanite, And
andalusite, Sil sillimanite, Crd cordierite, Phl phlogopite, Bt biotite,
Ann annite, Chl chlorite, Grt garnet, Alm almandine, Opx orthopy-
roxene, En enstatite, Spl spinel Hc hercynite, L liquid)
19
rocks that heat at pressures below IP1 will dehydrate to
K-feldspar before melting reaction (4) is encountered,
and dispersed matrix K-feldspar or K-feldspar
porphyroblasts are expected. Muscovite-bearing, K-
feldspar-absent pelites that heat at pressures above IP1
will melt when reaction (2) is encountered. Little K-
feldspar is produced by this reaction compared with
reaction (1) because the potassium dissolves into the
melt, so abundant matrix K-feldspar is not expected. In
addition, cooling at pressures below IP1 will cause
crystallization of melts to form free water, which we
assume leaves the rock. Thus, no water is available for
production of retrograde muscovite by reaction (1).
However, cooling at pressures above IP1 will encounter
reaction (2) with water dissolved in melt, so retrograde
muscovite will be produced, if melts have not migrated
out of the rock.
KFMASH system
Addition of FeO and MgO to the model system adds
several additional reactions, the locations of which are
constrained, in part, by reactions in the KFASH and
KMASH sub-systems (Fig. 2). In the KFMASH system,
both discontinuous (variance 1) and continuous
(variance > 1) reactions can occur. Vapor-saturated
melting in the KFMASH system is proxied by reactions
(3) and (4); limited solubility of Fe and Mg into liquid
and muscovite results in only a small shift in the tem-
perature of these reactions. Two important discontinu-
ous KFMASH dehydration reactions
Biotite Al2 SiO5 quartz garnet cordierite
K-feldspar H2 O 6
20
Biotite garnet quartz cordierite orthopyroxene
K-feldspar H2 O
intersect reaction (4) and generate invariant points IP2
and IP3 (primes denote invariant points in the
KFMASH system) from which emanate the discontin-
uous (in KFMASH) dehydration melting reactions
Biotite Al2 SiO5 quartz garnet cordierite
K-feldspar liquid
Biotite garnet quartz cordierite orthopyroxene
K-feldspar liquid:
Reactions (8) and (9) intersect at an invariant point
(IP4), which has been located experimentally by Car-
rington and Harley (1995) at approximately 900 C, 8.8
kbar. The discontinuous KFMASH reaction
Garnet sillimanite spinel cordierite quartz 10
has been written to be consistent with partitioning de-
rived from natural parageneses; namely, XFe,Spl > X-
Fe,Grt (e.g., Vernon et al. 1990; Droop 1989). It should
be noted that Hensen and Harley (1990) assume
XFe,Grt > XFe,Spl, which results in reaction (10) falling
to the high pressure (rather than high temperature) side
of the FAS reaction almandine + sillimanite hercy-
nite + quartz.
Fig. 3 Pressure-temperature diagram showing locations of selected
melting and dehydration reactions in the NaKFMASH system.
Dashed lines: KFASH system; dotted lines: KMASH system; nely
dotted line: pelite vapor-saturated melting reaction (3)
NaKFMASH system
7
Sodium can dissolve in muscovite (paragonite compo-
nent), alkali feldspar and melt. As a limiting case, we
consider the addition of sucient sodium to the
KFMASH system to stabilize albite. Invariant point
IP1 (double primes denote invariant points in the
NaKFMASH system) shifts to approximately 650 C,
8 3.8 kbar (Fig. 3) (Huang and Wyllie 1975), and
KFMASH invariant points shift accordingly. The vari-
ance of reactions does not change, however, inasmuch as
9 both a component and a phase are added to the system.
The shift of IP4 with the addition of Na is not known
quantitatively, but has been estimated in the following
manner. First IP2 and IP3 were relocated based on the
intersections of reactions (5) and (6) with the vapor-
saturated melting curve. Slopes of reactions (7) and (8)
were left unchanged, resulting in a shift of IP4 to ap-
proximately 865 C, 8.5 kbar (IP4; Fig. 3).
CNKFMASH system
Addition of calcium introduces no new phases, so re-
actions become divariant and P-T melting conditions
depend on the bulk Na/Ca ratio (e.g., Tracy 1978). In-
asmuch as plagioclase partitions Ca more strongly than
liquid, the minimum melting temperature for typical
pelites with plagioclase of approximately An2040 will
increase slightly. Calcium is also incorporated into gar-
net, resulting in a shift of garnet equilibria that will be a
function of the bulk Ca content. Manganese will also
aect reactions involving garnet in a qualitatively similar

fashion. Complications due to the addition of Ca (and
Mn) will not be addressed further, and the remaining
discussion will be restricted to the NaKFMASH system.
It should be noted that the grids presented in Figs. 2,
3 ignore equilibria involving staurolite. A eld for
staurolite dehydration melting may occur, but discus-
sion of this speculative result is deferred until later.
Discussion of the grid
Several experimental studies have determined the P-T
conditions of the melting curves for rocks with bulk
compositions within the NaKFMASH system, but these
results do not show explicitly on the grid of Fig. 3. As
discussed by Carrington and Harley (1995), each bulk
composition studied generally produced high variance
melting reactions that occur only in that specic bulk
composition. The reactions shown in Fig. 3 are the
dominant univariant reactions that appear in the
NaKFMASH system and therefore encompass the
melting reactions dened by these higher variance as-
semblages. For example, melting of the assemblage bio-
tite + sillimanite + plagioclase + quartz garnet +
K-feldspar + liquid (e.g., Le Breton and Thompson
1988; Vielzeuf and Holloway 1988; Patino Douce and
Johnston 1991; Gardien et al, 1995) is divariant in the
NaKFMASH system (and higher variance in the natural
rocks used in the experimental studies) and is bounded by
reactions (2) and (8) of Fig. 3. Each reaction may shift to
higher or lower T with addition of other components,
especially Ti or F in biotite and Mn or Ca in garnet, to
expand or contract the melting regions depending on bulk
composition. Nonetheless, the overall sense of each
melting reaction (e.g., breakdown of biotite plus alumi-
nosilicate to produce garnet, cordierite, K-feldspar and
liquid) should be preserved.
Each of the univariant reactions on the grid (Fig. 3)
bounds a P-T eld that contains divariant and higher
variance NaKFMASH mineral assemblages. It is par-
ticularly instructive to examine the divariant assem-
blages and how the mineral compositions evolve in these
assemblages, because they account for most of the
modal changes in mineralogy. The divariant assem-
blages of interest are shown on the AFM diagrams in
Fig. 4 and listed in Table 1.
Within each divariant eld, mineral compositions will
shift in Fe/Mg with changing P-T conditions (Fig. 5)
and slopes of Fe/(Fe+Mg) contours are a function of
mineral assemblage (e.g., Hensen 1971; Hensen and
Green 1973). The assemblage garnet + biotite + Al2-
SiO5 + quartz + muscovite is H2O-independent in the
KFMASH system, and isopleths of Fe/(Fe+Mg) in
garnet are relatively at in the sillimanite and andalusite
elds and negative in the kyanite eld. In the melting
region, isopleths of garnet Fe/(Fe+Mg) in the two
biotite-bearing assemblages (Grt + Bt + As and Grt
+ Bt + Crd) are negative and relatively steep because
of the large entropy increase as biotite undergoes melt-
21
ing by continuous reaction. Isopleths in the assemblages
garnet + cordierite+ sillimanite and garnet + cordierite
+ orthopyroxene are nearly temperature independent,
as predicted by Hensen and Green (1973). It is inter-
esting to note that whereas the discontinuous mica
dehydration melting reactions (reactions 2, 8 and 9) have
positive slopes, the continuous ones as represented by
the Fe/(Fe + Mg) contours (reactions 12 and 14) have
negative slopes.
The isopleths of garnet Fe/(Fe+Mg) are important
for understanding the paragenesis of rocks along various
P-T paths. In the NaKFMASH system, garnet will grow
along paths that cross the isopleths toward decreasing
Fe/(Fe + Mg) and be consumed along paths in the
opposite direction. Subsolidus assemblages in the mus-
covite + sillimanite or andalusite elds will only grow
signicant garnet on P-T paths involving increases in
pressure (e.g., Spear et al. 1990, 1995). Garnet + bio-
tite + K-feldspar sillimanite or cordierite liquid
assemblages grow garnet with increasing temperature
whereas garnet + cordierite sillimanite or orthopy-
roxene only grow garnet with increasing pressure.
Addition of other components will modify the slopes
of the isopleths somewhat and will shift the P-T posi-
tions of the reactions, but the general pattern will remain
the same. Moreover, the addition of MnO or CaO to
garnet will permit garnet to appear in assemblages in
which it would not appear in the NaKFMASH system.
This complicates the interpretation of natural assem-
blages, but can readily be incorporated into the grid
(e.g., Spear and Cheney 1989).
It is important to note that a single bulk composition
will undergo melting by the reactions indicated over only
a portion of the divariant eld because of the con-
sumption of reactant phases, similar to dehydration re-
actions. Perhaps the best way to think of the phase
equilibria of the divariant dehydration melting reactions
is in exactly the same way as dehydration reactions, with
liquid serving as a proxy for H2O. The only notable
dierence is that in a rock undergoing progressive
melting, the activity of H2O continuously decreases rel-
ative to pure H2O at the same conditions as the melt
becomes increasingly undersaturated.
Comparison with other published grids
The proposed grid is broadly consistent with other
published petrogenetic grids for the melting of pelites.
Sub-system portions of the grid (e.g., the NKASH sys-
tem) are qualitatively similar to previous studies. (e.g.,
Huang and Wyllie 1973, 1975; Vielzeuf and Holloway
1988; Le Breton and Thompson 1988; Grant 1985a, b;
Thompson and Algor 1977; Thompson and Tracy 1979;
Thompson 1982). Reaction (8) was noted by Thompson
(1982) and Grant (1985a, b) although Thompson (1982)
placed the KFASH invariant point from which reaction
(8) emanates (almandine + Al2SiO5 + Fe-cordierite +
annite + K-feldspar + quartz) within the melting re-
22

Fig. 4 Petrogenetic grid for the NaKFMASH system (from Fig. 3)
with AFM diagrams for principal divariant elds (labeled with
Roman numerals)
gion whereas recent experiments by Mukhopadhyay and
Holdaway (1994) suggest a lower pressure and temper-
ature for this invariant point (625 C, 2 kbar in Fig. 2).
Biotite dehydration melting has received considerable
attention (e.g., Le Breton and Thompson 1988; Clemens
1984; Vielzeuf and Clemens 1992; Patino Douce and
Johnston 1991; Gardien et al. 1995; Vielzeuf and Montel
1994; Bohlen et al. 1983). All of the experimental studies
were conducted on specic bulk compositions designed
to be representative of crustal rocks. In these studies,
biotite begins melting when the solidus for that bulk
composition is reached, and most of these experimental
studies were done on high variance assemblages that will
not intersect the univariant NaKFMASH reactions (see
discussion in Carrington and Harley, 1995)
An exception is the rock melted by Patino Douce and
Johnston (1991), which contained garnet and biotite
with initial Fe/(Fe + Mg) values of 0.84 and 0.59, re-

Table 1 Divariant assemblages

of the NKFMASH system Assemblage
(Fig. 4)
Field I Garnet + biotite + Al2SiO5 + muscovite + quartz (+liquid)
Field II Garnet + biotite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz (+H2O)
Cordierite + biotite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz (+H2O)
Field III Garnet + biotite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Cordierite + biotite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Field IV Garnet + cordierite + biotite + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Garnet + cordierite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Garnet + orthopyroxene + biotite + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Field V Garnet + cordierite + orthopyroxene + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Garnet + cordierite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Field VI Garnet + orthopyroxene + cordierite + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Garnet + spinel + cordierite + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Spinel + cordierite + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid
Field VII Garnet + orthopyroxene + Al2SiO5 + K-feldspar + quartz + liquid

Fig. 5 Petrogenetic grid for the NaKFMASH system (Fig. 3)
showing contours of Fe/(Fe+Mg) in garnet in selected divariant
assemblages (labeled with mineral assemblage). Slopes of contours
calculated using the Gibbs method with thermodynamic data of
Berman (1988) for the solids and a molecular mixing model for the
melt involving the components SiO2, AlO3/2, MgO, FeO, KAlSi3O8,
NaAlSi3O8 and H2O. Entropy, volume and heat capacity data for the
liquid were estimated from Lange and Carmichael (1990). Spacing of
contours in the melting region was constrained to be consistent with
the measured compositions at IP4 from Carrington and Harley
(1995). Large arrows labeled 14 are P-T paths discussed in text.
Numbers in boxes are reaction labels. P-T paths that cross garnet Fe/
(Fe+Mg) isopleths toward lower values result in garnet growth
spectively. At 7 and 10 kbar, muscovite (10% initial
mode) had been completely consumed by 800 C (the
lowest temperature of the experiments) producing ap-
proximately 10% melt. With increasing temperature,
melting continued, producing melt + garnet + rutile at
the expense of biotite + Al2SiO5 + quartz + ilmenite
until biotite was consumed at temperatures over 950 C.
Moreover, the measured Fe/(Fe + Mg) of biotite
steadily decreased over this interval (e.g., from 0.59 at
825 C, 10 kbar to 0.32 at 975 C, 10 kbar). Noting that
the maximum thermal stability of biotite will be aected
by additional components (e.g., Ti), these observations
are in qualitative agreement with Fig. 5.
The continuous nature of Fe-Mg melting reactions
has been discussed qualitatively (e.g., Thompson 1982;
Powell and Downes 1990; Carrington and Harley 1995),
but the only previous attempt to contour the divariant
melting regions for Fe/Mg is that of Harley (1998).
Unfortunately it is not possible at present to calculate
these contours directly from thermodynamic data. In the
23
present study, only the slopes of isopleths were calcu-
lated using the methods described in the caption for
Fig. 5 with the spacing constrained by the location of
KFASH reactions [where Fe/(Fe + Mg) 1] and the
compositions of minerals at IP4 determined from the
experiments of Carrington and Harley (1995). Despite
the semi-quantitative nature of the isopleths, they are,
nevertheless, extremely useful for interpreting reaction
textures and mineral zoning produced by continuous
melting reactions.
The most signicant dierence between the grid pre-
sented here and previous versions is its relative simplic-
ity. The important restriction here is that water activity
is not considered to be an independent variable but is
strictly controlled by equilibrium with the hydrous sili-
cates. The plethora of melting reactions that are possible
at intermediate water activities are not shown. The grid
shown is therefore the minimal melting diagram for low
variance pelites. Barring disequilibrium, it is not possible
for rocks with the appropriate assemblages to achieve
temperatures in the dehydration melting interval with-
out encountering these reactions (Thompson 1982).
Additional melting may occur if water is added, but
lesser melting is impossible.
P-T paths and predicted parageneses
The grid in Figs. 4 and 5 permits prediction of the types
of mineral parageneses that are likely to be preserved in
rocks of appropriate bulk compositions. Emphasis will
be placed on the reaction textures and chemical zoning
24
likely to be observed in garnet, and only the lower
temperature part of the grid (T < 800 C) is considered.
Both the prograde and retrograde parts of the path are
important inasmuch as garnets displaying resorption
textures are more common in high grade rocks than are
idioblastic crystals.
Four paths are shown on the grid in Fig. 5 to rep-
resent the dierent types of parageneses that may be
observed. Paths 1 and 2 are isobaric heating and cooling
paths and paths 3 and 4 are clockwise and counter-
clockwise P-T loops, respectively. More importantly,
paths 1 and 2 are drawn at pressures above and below
IP1, respectively, on both the heating and cooling paths.
Paths 3 and 4 pass above and below IP1, respectively, on
the heating path and below and above IP1, respectively,
on the cooling path. This gives rise to dierent types of
prograde and retrograde parageneses as discussed in
detail in this section.
Path 1
The rst melting reaction encountered by pelites
containing the assemblage garnet+ biotite + sillima-
nite + muscovite + plagioclase + quartz is the mini-
mum melt reaction for pelites (reaction 3). Because of
the assumption of vanishingly small porosity, little or no
melting is expected to occur at this reaction. Pelites
within Field I (Fig. 4) do not evolve water by the con-
tinuous reaction
Biotite Al2 SiO5 garnet muscovite
because this reaction is water-conserving. Plagioclase-
bearing pelites will evolve water by the reaction
Paragonite quartz sillimanite albite liquid 11
which will result in a small amount of melting (calcula-
tion of melt volumes produced by specic reactions are
presented below).
The rst major melting reaction encountered is re-
action (2), the muscovite dehydration melting reaction,
modied for the presence of plagioclase:
Muscovite plagioclase quartz Al2 SiO5
K-feldspar liquid: 20
The reaction is univariant in the NaKFMASH sys-
tem and divariant in NCKFMASH, but the temperature
interval of the reaction is small. This reaction produces
modal amounts of melt roughly proportional to 70% of
the volume of original muscovite (see discussion below).
Therefore, in typical pelites with 1030 modal percent
muscovite, this reaction accounts for the rst appear-
ance of macroscopic leucosomes.
Once reaction (2) is passed, the assemblage becomes
garnet + biotite + sillimanite + K-feldspar + pla-
gioclase + liquid with all H2O produced from muscovite
dehydration dissolved into the melt. In this assemblage
(Field III of Fig. 4), continued isobaric heating will result
in garnet growth by the continuous reaction
Biotite sillimanite garnet K-feldspar liquid 12
and the garnet produced will have decreasing Fe/
(Fe + Mg) toward the rim. All water produced by the
dehydration of biotite + sillimanite will dissolve in the
melt and, unless the melt leaves the rock, will remain in
situ.
On cooling along path 1, the melt begins to crystallize
as reaction (12) operates in reverse. In contrast to sub-
solidus cooling paths where crystallization of new hy-
drous phases requires the inux of externally derived
H2O, the crystallizing melt will release H2O continuously
providing an internal source of H2O for retrogression
(e.g., Kohn et al. 1997). Garnet will be consumed and
biotite + sillimanite will be produced. It is unlikely that
exactly the same bits of garnet grown by reaction (12) will
be consumed so parts of the prograde garnet will likely be
preserved. The biotite + sillimanite produced may form
selvages around the leucosomes, or be dispersed in the
matrix. On encountering reaction (2), the melt crystal-
lizes fully, releasing the remaining H2O and producing
muscovite. This muscovite may be located within the leu-
cosome, or be dispersed throughout the matrix where it
will likely crosscut the dominant foliation (so-called
``late, crosscutting muscovite''). Very little K-feldspar
will be present in the nal assemblage, having been con-
sumed in the production of the late muscovite, and will
likely be restricted to the leucosomes.
In summary, pelites that follow path 1 are expected to
contain abundant, dispersed leucosomes that may have
selvages of biotite + sillimanite and cores that contain
late muscovite, garnets that are extensively resorbed,
very little K-feldspar, and late muscovite that cuts across
the fabric.
Path 2
Pelites containing the assemblage garnet+ biotite +
sillimanite + muscovite + plagioclase + quartz will
again display very little reaction along path 2 at
temperatures below reaction (1). When reaction 1 is
encountered, muscovite will dehydrate to produce K-
feldspar + sillimanite or andalusite and the H2O will be
expelled from the rock. The K-feldspar produced from
reaction (1) will likely appear dispersed throughout the
rock or as porphyroblasts. Once muscovite is replaced
by K-feldspar, the continuous reaction
Biotite sillimanite garnet K-feldspar quartz H2 O 13
will produce garnet with decreasing Fe/(Fe + Mg) on
heating until the pelite minimum melting curve is en-
countered. Very little melting is expected to occur at the
pelite minimum melting reaction because the amount of
water present in the rock is assumed to be small. Once
the minimum melting reaction is crossed, however, the
assemblage becomes garnet+biotite+ sillimanite + K-
feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + liquid and melting
will proceed by continuous operation of reaction (12).

As before, H2O produced by this reaction will dissolve
into the melt; garnet will be zoned with decreasing Fe/
(Fe+Mg) toward the rim.
When reaction (8) is encountered, there is a major
change in assemblage, and either biotite or sillimanite
will be consumed, depending on the relative modal
percentages, producing either of the two assemblages
garnet + cordierite + K-feldspar + plagioclase +
quartz + liquid + either biotite or sillimanite. If silli-
manite is exhausted leaving the assemblage gar-
net + cordierite + biotite, then garnet will continue to
grow by the continuous melting reaction
Cordierite biotite garnet K-feldspar liquid: 14
Conversely, if biotite is consumed before sillimanite,
then little garnet growth or additional melting will be
expected by continued heating because the continuous
reaction
Cordierite K-feldspar garnet sillimanite liquid 15
has relatively at Fe/(Fe+Mg) isopleths (Fig. 5).
On cooling, reactions (14) or (15) operate in reverse
as the crystallizing melt releases H2O, potentially giving
rise to cordierite coronas after garnet. It is important
that these coronas can form simply by cooling in the
presence of melt, rather than by a decrease in pressure,
as is commonly inferred. Crossing reaction (8) will
consume much of the cordierite that was produced, plus
similar volumes of garnet. Continued cooling to the
granite minimum melting reaction (4) will cause reaction
(12) to operate in a retrograde sense consuming still
more garnet. Once the pelite minimum melting reaction
is encountered, all the melt crystallizes and no more H2O
is available for retrogression. No retrograde muscovite
will be produced (unless H2O is introduced into the
rock).
In summary, pelites that follow path 2 are expected to
contain abundant K-feldspar, no retrograde muscovite,
garnet that has been strongly resorbed, and cordierite
that has been retrograded to biotite + sillimanite.
Path 3
Pelites containing the assemblage garnet + biotite +
sillimanite + muscovite + plagioclase + quartz that
evolve along path 3 will experience parageneses very
similar to path 1 until reaction (8) is encountered, at
which point garnet + cordierite will grow until either
biotite or sillimanite is exhausted. On the low pressure/
high temperature side of reaction (8), isopleths of Fe/
(Fe+Mg) in garnet in the assemblages garnet+ cor-
dierite+sillimanite and garnet + cordierite + biotite
have slopes such that rocks on P-T path 3 will begin to
crystallize melt, as well as consume garnet (reactions 14
and 15 operating from right to left). As cooling continues,
melt continues to crystallize, garnet is resorbed, and cor-
dierite is produced. Final crystallization occurs when
path 3 intersects the minimum melting curve (reaction 4).
25
In summary, pelites metamorphosed along path 3
should show resorbed garnets and late crystallized cor-
dierite biotite, leucosomes that contain K-feldspar,
complex textural relations between leucosomes and
porphyroblasts of garnet and cordierite, and no retro-
grade muscovite.
Path 4
Pelites containing the assemblage garnet + biotite +
sillimanite + muscovite + plagioclase + quartz that
evolve along path 4 will rst produce K-feldspar from
dehydration of muscovite (reaction 1), then garnet will
be produced by dehydration reaction (13), then
garnet + cordierite form from sillimanite + biotite
(reaction 6). Melt will begin to form on crossing the
H2O-saturated solidus and will continue to be produced
by reactions (14) or (15) in divariant Field IV (Fig. 4).
Garnet will also grow at the expense of cordierite by
reaction (14) or (15) depending on whether biotite or
sillimanite is present. Crossing reaction (8) with in-
creasing P may remove all of the cordierite from the
assemblage and will crystallize melt. Further cooling
through Field III will produce biotite + sillimanite at
the expense of garnet, with the H2O being supplied from
the crystallizing melt until the muscovite dehydration
melting curve is intersected (2), at which point muscovite
will crystallize directly from the melt.
In summary, pelites metamorphosed along path 4
should contain early dispersed K-feldspar and late
muscovites in the leucosomes and cutting the rock fab-
ric. Garnets will show evidence of growth (reaction 13),
growth with cordierite (reaction 6), continued growth
(reaction 13 or 14) and resorption (reaction 8 in the
retrograde sense) and cordierite will show one episode of
growth (reaction 6) then resorption (reactions 13 or 14
and reaction 8 in the retrograde sense).
It must be emphasized that the above discussion as-
sumes that the rock retains all melt. Removal of melt
will remove dissolved H2O and prevent progress of ret-
rograde hydration reactions, thus preserving the high
grade mineral assemblages and preventing the produc-
tion of late, hydrous assemblages. Moreover, inasmuch
as much of the K in the rock is contained in the liquid,
removal of melt leaves a K-poor restitic bulk composi-
tion that is commonly devoid of K-feldspar.
Garnet zoning
Continuous reactions produce changes in the composi-
tion of the rim of garnet as it grows or is consumed. The
petrogenetic grid can be used to predict the type of zoning
that will be observed in garnet that evolved along the four
P-T paths. Rocks that contain biotite experience growth
of garnet along the prograde parts of each P-T path. The
biotite-absent assemblage (Grt + Crd + As) experiences
garnet growth with increasing pressure (path 4).
26
The major elements Fe, Mg and Mn diuse su-
ciently rapidly at the P-T conditions of partial melting
that any prograde growth zoning in garnet is not likely
to be preserved intact. Therefore, for each of the four
P-T paths, the zoning that is observed will result from
changes in garnet rim compositions, caused by contin-
uous, garnet producing and consuming reactions, ac-
companied by diusion from the rim of the garnet
inward. Garnets that are resorbed will show almandine,
spessartine and Fe/(Fe + Mg) increasing toward the
garnet rim and pyrope decreasing (e.g., Spear et al. 1990;
Spear and Florence 1992).
Diusion of calcium is suciently slow that at least
parts of the prograde zoning may be preserved. In the
typical pelites discussed here, Ca zoning in garnet is
governed by the equilibrium
3anorthite grossular Al2 SiO5 quartz
which has isopleths with positive slopes that roughly
parallel the kyanite-sillimanite boundary, so that the
ratio anorthite/grossular should increase with increasing
temperature along all four paths. However, Ca zoning in
garnet is also governed by the Rayleigh fractionation
between garnet, plagioclase and melt. Rayleigh frac-
tionation alone results in zoning isopleths that parallel
garnet growth isopleths, which in this system are roughly
parallel to the Fe/(Fe + Mg) contours (Fig. 5). There-
fore, Ca concentration will decrease as garnet grows
along isobaric heating paths and will likely increase
along isothermal loading paths (path 4).
Although garnet is not produced along the mus-
covite dehydration melting curve (reaction 2), subse-
quent to crossing this reaction, garnet will have
increased grossular content, depending on the pressure
(e.g., Spear and Kohn 1996). This results because in
the CNKFMASH system, plagioclase is involved in
muscovite dehydration melting and across the melting
interval both plagioclase and melt become more calcic.
When garnet resumes growth in Field III, the Ca on
the rim of garnet will be higher in order to adjust to
this new plagioclase composition, resulting in a step in
grossular content. These steps in grossular will only
occur with heating at pressures higher than IP1 and
the magnitude of the step should be a function of the
pressure. Such a step has been described in garnet
rims in metapelites from the Valhalla complex, British
Columbia (Spear and Parrish 1996, Fig. 3b) and at
Fall Mountain, New Hampshire (Spear and Kohn
1996; Kohn et al. 1997).
Trace element zoning in garnet may also display some
distinctive features. Spear and Kohn (1996) have de-
scribed discontinuous changes in Cr, Sc, Y and P in
garnet from migmatites in central New England. Trace
element zoning correlates strongly with Ca zoning and is
interpreted to be a consequence of muscovite dehydra-
tion melting.
Volume of melt produced
The volume of melt produced by a particular dehydra-
tion melting reaction depends primarily on two factors:
(1) the amount of H2O released by the reaction (which
depends on the stoichiometry of the specic reaction and
the modal amount of reacting hydrous phase) and (2)
the water content of the melt at the P-T conditions of
interest (Clemens and Vielzeuf 1987; Holtz and Joh-
annes 1994; Gardien et al. 1995; Johannes and Holtz
1996; Thompson 1996). Contours showing the weight
percent H2O in a quartzalbiteorthoclase eutectic melt
(Holtz and Johannes 1994) are shown superimposed on
the NaKFMASH grid in Fig. 6a. At the conditions of
muscovite dehydration melting (reaction 1), 8 wt% H2O
dissolves into the melt, and it decreases with increasing
temperature and decreasing pressure.
Because all the water produced from dehydration
reactions dissolves into the melt (an assumption of the
melting model), the volume of melt produced can be
calculated as
Vmelt (moles of melt) (molar volume of melt)
Vmelt nH2 O =XH2 O;melt Xqtz V qtz XAb V Ab
Xor V or XH2 O;melt V H2 O
where nH2 O is the moles of H2O produced by the dehy-
dration melting reaction, XH2 O;melt is the mole fraction of
H2O in the melt and Xi and V i are the mole fractions and
partial molar volumes of component i in the melt, re-
spectively. Although the anhydrous composition of
granitic melts depends on a number of factors including
T, P and aH2 O (see, Holtz and Johannes 1994; Johannes
and Holtz 1996; Thompson 1996), to a rst order the
proportions of quartz:albite:orthoclase are 1:1:1 (by
weight) over typical crustal conditions. Assuming partial
molar volumes of melt components similar to those in
glasses (e.g., Robie et al. 1978), volumes of melt pro-
duced from dehydration of 1 cm3 of muscovite, biotite
and staurolite have been calculated as a function of the
weight percent H2O in melt (Fig. 7). These values can
readily be scaled for modes of mica typical in pelites (10
30 modal percent).
Calculation of melt produced from muscovite dehy-
dration melting is simplied because the melting curve is
nearly coincident with the isopleth for wt% H2O 8.
Muscovite produces approximately 0.7 cm3 of melt per
cm3 muscovite (Fig. 7). For a pelite that contains 1020
modal percent muscovite, reaction (2) will therefore
produce 714 modal percent liquid.
Under the discussion of P-T path 1 above, it was
mentioned that the reaction
Paragonite quartz sillimanite albite liquid 11
could produce melting in Field I (Fig. 4). The amount of
H2O produced by this reaction is the same as that pro-
duced by reaction (2). If it is assumed that the parago-
nite component in muscovite decreases from
approximately 20 to 5 percent over the P-T interval of

Fig. 6 a P-T grid for the NaKFMASH system (Fig. 3) with contours
for the weight percent of water dissolved in the melt (dashed lines)
after Holtz and Johannes (1994; Fig. 2). Dotted lines are contours of
Fe/(Fe+Mg) in garnet from Fig. 5. b Plot of volume percent of melt
produced along isobaric heating paths at 4 and 10 kbar as a function
of temperature. Initial assemblage included 15% muscovite and 15%
biotite. Reactions encountered and weight percent H2O are labeled at
points along each path
Field I (e.g., Evans and Guidotti 1966), a rock with 10
20 modal percent muscovite will evolve 12 modal per-
cent melt over this interval. This small amount of melt
might be dicult to recognize.
Biotite contains approximately 0.0066 moles of H2O/
cm3 of crystal. The discontinuous dehydration melting
reaction
Biotite Al2 SiO5 quartz garnet cordierite reacts by reaction (12) will produce 6.5 to 16 modal
K-feldspar liquid 8
contains both cordierite and liquid as H2O-bearing
products, so water produced must be partitioned be-
tween these two phases. The H2O content of both liquid
and cordierite depends on the activity of water (i.e., P-T
conditions), but Carrington and Harley (1996) have
obtained a constant value of approximately 4.4 for the
H2Oliquid/H2Ocordierite partition coecient at 900 C, 5
kbar over a range of water contents in undersaturated
liquids. Adopting this value to be representative of the
partition coecient for undersaturated melts at other
27
Fig. 7 Plot of volume of melt produced per cm3 of muscovite, biotite
and staurolite as a function of weight percent H2O in the melt
P-T conditions (S.L. Harley, personal communication,
1998), approximately 81% of the water partitions into
the melt and 19% into cordierite. Thus, approximately
0.0053 moles of water per cm3 of biotite is available to
dissolve into the melt by reaction (8). At 4 kbar, reaction
(8) is encountered at approximately 710 C where the
H2O content of the melt is 6 wt%. A rock with 1020
modal percent biotite will melt via reaction (8) produc-
ing 714 modal percent liquid. At P-T conditions near
IP4 the activity of water is lower and the weight percent
of water dissolved in the melt is approximately 3. At
these conditions, a rock with 1020 modal percent bio-
tite will produce 1326 modal percent melt.
Biotite is also involved in the continuous melting re-
action
Biotite sillimanite garnet K-feldspar liquid: 12
Over the P-T region where this reaction operates (Field
III), the weight percent of water in melt varies from 8 to
3, resulting in 0.651.66 cm3 melt per cm3 biotite, re-
spectively (Fig. 7). Thus, 10 modal percent biotite that
percent liquid, respectively, depending on the P-T con-
ditions (lower temperature of reaction results in less melt
because of the greater quantity of H2O dissolved in the
melt). The P-T interval over which the continuous re-
action (12) may operate in a rock of a specic bulk
composition has been estimated using the Fe/
(Fe + Mg) contours for garnet in this assemblage
shown in Fig. 6a. In order completely to remove biotite
from the assemblage garnet + biotite + sillimanite +
quartz + plagioclase by reaction (12) requires garnet to
decrease Fe/(Fe + Mg) by approximately 0.12. Exami-
nation of the contours in Fig. 6a reveals that this will
28
occur over a temperature interval of approximately 50
degrees.
It is important to note that melting will continue with
increased temperature even after muscovite and biotite
have completely reacted away owing to the decrease in
water content of the melt with increasing temperature
(e.g., Johannes and Holtz, 1996, Fig. 2.28). The melting
reaction after all biotite and muscovite are removed
from the assemblage is
K-feldspar albite quartz Al2 SiO5 garnet liquid:
To place these calculations into a specic context,
Fig. 6b was constructed to show the evolution of melt
fraction over isobaric heating paths at 4 and 10 kbar.
The initial assemblage was assumed to contain 15 modal
percent each of muscovite and biotite. At 10 kbar, par-
agonite component in muscovite dehydrates (reaction
11) to produce 12 percent melt. At the muscovite de-
hydration melting reaction (reaction 2), approximately
11 percent melt is produced. Reaction (12) produces
melt continuously in both rocks. At 10 kbar, biotite is
used up at approximately 790 C, but at 4 kbar, reaction
(8) is encountered with approximately 8 modal percent
biotite still in the rock. Once biotite has been used up
(710 C at 4 kbar and 790 C at 10 kbar), approximately
26 percent melt has been produced along either path.
Further heating continues to produce melt by reaction
Fig. 8 P-T diagram for the NaKFMASH system showing possible
staurolite dehydration melting reaction (reaction 18) that arises from
the intersection of the pelite vapor-saturated melting reaction (3) and
the staurolite dehydration reaction (17)
(16) (e.g., Holtz and Johannes 1994). Estimates of the
critical melt percentage for melt migration are on the
order of 2035 volume percent (e.g., Clemens and Vie-
lzeuf 1987), so melt may begin to leave the source region
before all biotite is exhausted. Once hydrous minerals
are melted and the melt leaves the rock, further melting
by reaction (16) will cease.
16 Staurolite dehydration melting
As rst recognized by Thompson and Connolly (1995),
the terminal stability reaction for staurolite in pelites
Staurolite muscovite garnet biotite Al2 SiO5 H2 O 17
intersects the pelite minimum melting reaction (reaction
3) and creates a eld where staurolite dehydration
melting is possible. Figure 8 has been constructed to
show the proposed reactions for staurolite melting, al-
though the details of the invariant point topologies have
not been worked out. The staurolite vapor-absent
melting reaction becomes
Staurolite muscovite garnet biotite Al2 SiO5 liquid:
18
Staurolite contains approximately 0.002 moles H2O
per cm3 of crystal. Melting of staurolite will occur under
conditions where the H2O of the melt 912 wt%, so
melting of 10 modal percent staurolite will generate
approximately 1.52 modal percent melt. This small
amount of melt may be dicult to detect petrographi-
cally. Thompson and Connolly (1995) also discuss the

possibility of a chlorite dehydration melting eld, but
chlorite melting is not predicted in Fig. 8 where the
terminal stability of chlorite in typical pelites is bounded
by the reaction staurolite + chlorite + muscovite
Al2SiO5 + biotite + H2O.
Discussion
An example from New England migmatites
Rocks from the higher grade parts of central New En-
gland have undergone partial melting, as evidenced by
the presence of abundant leucosomes. The Fall Moun-
tain nappe in western New Hampshire has been meta-
morphosed to peak conditions at 45 kbar whereas the
structurally higher Chesham Pond nappe has been
metamorphosed at 2.54 kbar. Both nappes contain
Fig. 9a, b Photomicrographs of reaction textures from the Chesham
Pond nappe, New Hampshire: a Cordierite and garnet porphyroblasts
replaced by biotite + sillimanite with symplectites of quartz + pla-
gioclase; b Biotite + sillimanite crystallizing from melt, biotite +
sillimanite replacement of garnet and quartz + plagioclase symplec-
tites
29
migmatites, but the mineralogy and textures are quite
dierent.
Migmatitic rocks from the Fall Mountain nappe dis-
play dispersed leucosomes 14 cm long with selvages of
biotite + sillimanite and centers that locally contain late
muscovite. Conspicuous in the rocks are late muscovites
that cut across the fabric. Garnet is resorbed with zoning
consistent with progress along reaction (12) in the ret-
rograde sense (right to left) (Spear et al. 1990; Spear and
Florence 1992; Kohn et al. 1997). Little or no K-feldspar
is present and is restricted to inclusions within garnet and
plagioclase. All of the features of these migmatites sug-
gest they followed a path similar to path 1.
Additional support for the Fall Mountain samples
having followed path 1 comes from examination of trace
element zoning in garnet and oxygen isotope systematics
(Spear and Kohn 1996; Kohn et al. 1997). Zoning of Cr,
P, Sc, and Y can best be explained by garnet growth by
reaction (12) following muscovite dehydration melting.
Most interestingly, garnet resorption by retrograde
progress of reaction (12) was very localized. Some gar-
nets preserved nearly all of the prograde growth zoning
whereas others nearby were suciently resorbed that
most of the growth history is lost. Oxygen isotope sys-
tematics of retrograde minerals are consistent with
closed system behavior; that is, the H2O required to
produce the abundant retrograde muscovite was derived
locally from crystallizing melts.
In contrast, rocks of the garnet + cordierite zone of
the Chesham Pond nappe contain large K-feldspar
porphyroblasts and abundant leucosomes (e.g., Fig. 11E
of Chamberlain, 1986). Cordierite is retrogressed in
nearly all samples and commonly pseudomorphed by
biotite+ sillimanite (Fig. 9a). Interestingly, the biotite
within cordierite pseudomorphs has nearly identical Fe/
Mg as biotite in the foliation, but much lower TiO2
contents (0.1 wt% compared with 2.03.5 wt%, respec-
tively), and is pale green compared with brown biotite of
the matrix. These dierences between matrix and pseu-
domorph biotite suggest that Fe and Mg equilibration
occurs on at least a thin section scale whereas Ti equil-
ibration during retrogression is more localized. Simi-
larly, many garnet porphyroblasts have been partly
consumed by biotite + sillimanite (Fig. 9a). Both the
cordierite and garnet textures suggest progress in the
down-temperature or up-pressure direction of reactions
8, 12 or the continuous reaction (Field III):
Biotite Al2 SiO5 cordierite K-feldspar liquid: 19
Many samples contain symplectic intergrowths of
biotite + sillimanite + quartz + plagioclase (Fig. 9b),
indicating that these phases were crystallizing from the
melt during cooling, also consistent with reactions 8, 12,
or 19. Most importantly, late muscovite is rare; most
samples examined contain no late muscovite at all.
The observations on the Chesham Pond nappe sam-
ples are consistent with muscovite breakdown at a
pressure below IP1 by reaction 1, followed by partial
melting by reactions 12, 19, and 8. The presence of K-
30
feldspar porphyroblasts and absence of late muscovite in
the Chesham Pond nappe require the P-T path to have
passed at pressures below IP1. Conversely, the absence
of K-feldspar porphyroblasts and abundance of late
muscovite require the P-T path of the Fall Mountain
nappe to have passed at pressures above IP1.
Finally, the retrograde reactions observed in each
suite of rocks are consistent with the recycling of uid
that was produced during dehydration melting. That is,
all H2O produced during melting was sequestered into
the melt and was released during cooling to help drive
retrograde reactions, which is consistent with the initial
assumptions used to construct the grid. This behavior in
the Fall Mountain samples is also supported by oxygen
isotope partitioning between minerals and retrograde
diusional zoning proles within garnet, both of which
are consistent with retrograde hydration reactions in a
closed system (Kohn et al. 1997).
Mount Staord area, central Australia
An excellent example of melting along P-T path 2 (or
slightly lower pressure) is described in rocks from the
Mount Staord area, Arunta Block, central Australia by
Vernon et al. (1990) and Greeneld et al. (1996, 1998).
Metamorphism is related to granite intrusion and four
metamorphic zones are delineated: muscovite; andalu-
site + cordierite + K-feldspar; spinel + cordierite +
K-feldspar; and orthopyroxene + garnet + cordierite
+ K-feldspar. All except the muscovite zone are ac-
companied by migmatites. A common texture is the re-
placement of cordierite by symplectites of andalusite +
biotite and locally by sillimanite + biotite, indicating
retrograde progress of the reaction (19). Symplectites of
cordierite + spinel suggest reaction (10). It is signicant
in these rocks that plagioclase is rare; thus the
KFMASH grid (Fig. 2) more appropriately represents
the phase relations. In KFMASH, a signicant P-T re-
gion exists for spinel + cordierite parageneses below the
stability of orthopyroxene + cordierite, consistent with
observations at Mt. Staord. The existence of spinel and
orthopyroxene zones in the highest grade rocks suggests
the peak temperatures were close to 800 C, consistent
with thermobarometric results (Greeneld et al. 1998).
The presence of andalusite in these symplectites is sig-
nicant because it requires the andalusite - sillimanite
boundary to intersect the melting region, as is compat-
ible with the Al2SiO5 triple point of Richardson et al.
(1969) and the arguments of Pattison (1992).
Southern Brittany migmatite belt, France
Jones and Brown (1990) infer a clockwise P-T path from
reaction analysis in migmatites from southern Brittany,
France. The path is similar to path 3 (Fig. 5), but the
prograde part is at a higher pressure. Isobaric heating at
a pressure of approximately 8 kbar up to a peak tem-
perature of 800 C is consistent with the observation of
porphyroblastic garnets in leucosomes formed from re-
action (12). Subsequent, nearly isothermal decompres-
sion produced cordierite hercynite in a variety of
complex textural relationships and resorption of garnet.
These textures are consistent with reaction (8) and
continuous reactions in Field IV. Late crystallization of
muscovite suggests that nal cooling was slightly above
the pressure of IP1, consistent with thermobarometry
from these rocks. Similar reaction textures reecting
more subdued clockwise P-T paths from migmatitic
rocks from the Ryoke Belt, southwest Japan, are pre-
sented by Brown (1998).
Concluding remarks
The relatively simple petrogenetic grid for dehydration
melting of fertile pelites appears to explain reaction
textures in migmatite terranes metamorphosed at dif-
ferent pressures and along dierent P-T trajectories.
More importantly, the grid predicts mineral textures
that can be used to infer P-T histories from observed
reaction sequences. For example, the presence or ab-
sence of K-feldspar porphyroblasts indicates prograde
metamorphism at pressures below or above IP1, re-
spectively, and the presence or absence of late muscovite
indicates cooling at pressures above or below IP1, re-
spectively.
In addition, retrograde hydration reactions are an
expected consequence of melting and solidifying, pro-
vided, of course, that the melt does not leave the rock.
As the percent of melt increases beyond 2030%, melt
migration is expected, and the water will leave with the
melt. Therefore, the amount of retrograde hydration
observed becomes indicative of the amount of melt that
has left the system. In the Fall Mountain and Chesham
Pond nappes, the degree of retrograde hydration indi-
cates most melts remained in situ (and, in fact, the leu-
cosomes are present in the rocks). Restitic assemblages
with little retrogression indicate nearly complete melt
removal, as, for example, is observed in the highest
grade Acadian metamorphic rocks in central Massa-
chusetts (e.g., Schumacher et al. 1990).
Acknowledgments This work was supported, in part, by NSF
grants EAR-9508104 and EAR-9706473 (to F.S.S.), and by a grant
from the DOE's Oce of Basic Energy Sciences (to F.J. Ryerson)
at LLNL under the auspices of contract W-7405-Eng-48.
Thoughtful reviews by S. Harley and an anonymous reviewer
helped improve the manuscript substantially.
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