Petrogenesis of metamorphic rocks within a subduction-accretion terrane, Signy Island, South Orkney Islands
Whole‐rock and mineral analyses of polydeformed mica‐schist, quartzite, marble and amphibolite are presented from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, part of the Scotia metamorphic complex. Whole‐rock chemistry suggests that the amphibolites are the metamorphosed equivalent of enriched tholeiitic and alkali basalts of an oceanic intraplate basalt series. These, together with limestones and Mn‐rich cherts of an oceanic island assemblage were tectonically mixed with trench or trench inner slope basin sediments in a subduction zone environment. Variation in mineral chemistry indicates an increase in temperature and decrease in pressure during metamorphism; pressures of 8 kbar and temperatures of approximately 545°C were reached during amphibolite facies metamorphism in the latter stages of deformation. These new data provide good evidence to support the previous interpretation of the Scotia metamorphic complex as a subduction complex.