Petrology of Metavolcanic Rocks in the Bishop Corners – Donaldson Area, Grenville Province, Ontario

A calc-alkalic suite, with an apparent thickness of 7 km, varies from alkali basalt and tholeiite composition in the lowest part exposed, through andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks, to rhyodacite pyroclastics at the top. Sixty-two chemical analyses demonstrate a single volcanic cycle. Volcanism was succeeded by carbonate sedimentation and intrusion of granodiorite plutons. After deposition of clastic rocks, the entire succession was deformed and metamorphosed in the amphibolite facies.Isograds divide the metavolcanic rocks into five mineral zones: chlorite, biotite, blue-green hornblende, green hornblende, and diopside. Equivalent zones in the pelites are: chloritoid–staurolite, kyanite–staurolite, and sillimanite–muscovite.Fe in epidote, Ca in plagioclase, K and Na in hornblende, and ferric/ferrous ratio in rocks, biotite, and hornblende all increase in mafic and intermediate rocks, with increasing metamorphic grade. In biotite and hornblende, octahedral Al decreases with grade, whereas other chemical variables are related to bulk composition. Mineral assemblages and hornblende compositions indicate metamorphic conditions between Abukuma and classical Barrovian facies series.