H2O contents and D/H ratios of nominally anhydrous minerals from ultrahigh-pressure eclogites of the Dabie orogen, eastern China.

Garnet and omphacite from ultrahigh-pressure eclogites from the Dabie orogen, eastern China were investigated by Micro-FTIR. The results show that all garnet and omphacite grains contain structural water occurring as hydroxyl (OH), with H2O contents varying from 14 to 1915 ppm (H2O wt) and from 105 to 695 ppm, respectively. Within the same sample, the water contents are either homogeneous at the grain scale or vary systematically from higher in the core to lower in the rim. Low water contents at crystal rims possibly result from hydroxyl exsolution after pressure decrease upon rock exhumation. The delta D values of omphacites are between -108.4 parts per thousand and -114.2 parts per thousand, and independent of water contents. Heterogeneous water contents of garnet occur at the centimeter scale and fluid mobility during UHP metamorphism was very limited. The estimated whole-rock water content based on mineral H2O contents is between 260 and 750 ppm, thereby implying that eclogitic rocks formed during continental subduction have the potential to recycle (at least) several hundreds ppm water to mantle depths. The preserved chemical differences likely indicate that the eclogitic rocks resided at mantle conditions for a limited time span, and imply that they were exhumed shortly after subduction. The water released during decompression might represent the early-stage retrograde fluid.