Epidotization as an Effect of Fluid Rock Interaction, Recorded by a Granitoid From Hågadalen, Uppsala

Sammanfattning: A common driving mechanism of metamorphic processes, from which secondary mineralizations and structures develop in a protolith, is known to be a change of the immediate P-T environment that a rock resides in. A factor in this process, which is poorly understood, however, is how the presence of metamorphic fluids in a system, influences the alteration of primary igneous rocks. How these volatile solutions interact with the solid mediums of the crust is thereby a topic which requires further research to unravel.    Incidentally, an opportunity to study the result of these interactions, has presented itself in the southern part (59o80’92”N, 17o59’91”E) of Hågadalen-Nåsten nature reserve in Uppsala, Sweden. In this area, a green mineral assemblage, believed to belong to the epidote group, has been observed. This mineral is theorized to have formed as a result of fluid-rock interactions that have occurred in the region and is therefore a subject of interest. A detailed study of the origin of this mineral assemblage could possibly shed light on the finer aspects of the fluid-rocks interactions that have occurred, and also provide and account of the transport of fluids throughout the local bedrock. The aim of this project was to identify the minerology and formation process of this green mineral, which occupies the joints in a cliff of granitic composition. The determination of how and when this mineral assemblage formed is believed to grant a more in depth understanding of the metamorphic and metasomatic processes that have transpired at this location, in addition to providing an account of the fluid transport and fluid-rock interactions in the area.   Through fieldwork and sampling, combined with descriptions of the regional bedrock provided by SGU, the local lithology was determined. With this information, in addition to data collected from optic microscopy and an EMP analysis, the mineral was identified to be an iron rich epidote, showing signs of weak zoning. The formation of this secondary mineralization can be determined to be the result of the alteration of anorthite to saussurite (saussuritization of plagioclase) in addition to the direct precipitation of epidote from the liquid medium onto joint surfaces. Through the use of BSEM, it could also be determined that a majority of the fluids migrated through open fracture systems in the bedrock.