Petrography of garnet-containing rocks of the Ufalei block, the Southern Urals

Abstract

Object of study. The article presents of the petrographic study results of the garnet-containing rocks from the Ufaleiskii complex, located on the border of the Ufaleyskii metamorphic gneiss-amphibolite block with the Main Ural Fault (GUR). Methods. Petrographic studies were conducted using a polarizing microscope Axiolab ZS и Olimpus BX 51. Chemical composition of garnets is performed on the raster electron microscope of the РЭММА-202М with an energy dispersive spectrometer LZ-5. Results. Investigations made it possible to distinguish two types of garnet-containing rocks. One type, in which garnet was formed after amphibole (amphibolites and gornbendites), and the second one, in which garnet is the primary mineral (metamorphic schists). Zoisite and chlorite are formed in rocks of the first type together with granate. CaO, MgO, FeO and Al2O3 were extracted from amphibole, in the process of crystallization of garnet, some of these components went to form zoisite and chlorite, and the released silica formed quartz. Garnet grains in these rocks are 64–68% composed of almandine. In the rocks of the second type, represented by biotite-hornblende, biotite-chlorite-quartz and double-mica schists, garnet is the primary mineral formed from the original rocks in the process of progressive metamorphism. The composition of the garnet in these rocks correlates with the composition of the original rock. Conclusion. A complex of garnet-containing rocks with a high content of granulated quartz may be of interest as a raw material for obtaining pure quartz concentrates. The paper presents the results of a detailed petrographic study of all types of rocks of the complex and discusses possible options for their genesis.