GRAPHITE-BEARING CO2-FLUID INCLUSIONS IN GRANULITES: INSIGHTS ON GRAPHITE PRECIPITATION AND CARBON ISOTOPE EVOLUTION

Abstract

Graphite in deep crustal enderbitic (orthopyroxene + garnet + plagioclase + quartz) granulites (740°C, 8.9 kb) of Nilgiri hills, southern India were investigated for their spectroscopic and isotopic characteristics. Four types of graphite crystals were identified. The first type (GrI), which is interstitial to other mineral grains, can be grouped into two subtypes, GrIA and GrIB. GrIA is either irregular in shape or deformed, and rough textured with average δ13C values of −12.7 ± 0.4‰ (n = 3). A later generation of interstitial graphite (GrIB) shows polygonal crystal shapes and highly reflecting smooth surface features. These graphite grains are more common and have δ13C values of −11.9 ± 0.3‰ (n = 14). Both subtypes show well-defined Raman shifts suggesting a highly crystalline nature. Cores of interstitial graphite grains have, on average, lower δ13C values by ∼0.5‰ compared to that of the rim. The second type of graphite (GrII) occurs as solid inclusions in silicate minerals, commonly forming regular hexagonal crystals with a slightly disordered structure. The third type of graphite (GrIII) is associated with solid inclusions (up to 100 μm) that have decrepitation halos of numerous small (