Evaluation of grain boundaries as percolation pathways in quartz-rich continental crust using Atomic Force Microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Hydrous fluids play a vital role in the chemical and rheological evolution of ductile, quartz-bearing continental crust, where fluid percolation pathways are controlled by grain boundary domains. In this study, widths of grain boundary domains in seven quartzite samples metamorphosed under varying crustal conditions were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which allows comparatively easy, high magnification imaging and precise width measurements. It is observed that dynamic recrystallization at higher metamorphic grades is much more efficient at reducing grain boundary widths than at lower temperature conditions. The concept of force-distance spectroscopy, applied to geological samples for the first time, allows qualitative estimation of variations in the strength of grain bou

SUBMITTER: Dobe R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8111022 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature