Contrasting magmas in metapelitic and metapsammitic migmatites in the Cooma Complex, Australia

Metapelite-derived migmatites {bedded migmatites} formed in the low-pressure/ high-temperature (LPHT) Cooma Complex, southeastern Australia, contain magma (neosome and leucosome) confined to the metapelitic beds in which they were generated. The metapsammitic beds were more ductile than the metapelitic beds (and the metapelitic parts of graded beds), which underwent fracture and boudinage, thereby providing space for the magma, though some also occurs in axial surface folia. Transitions from bedded to stromatic migmatites can be seen, but the magma mainly remained in the metapelites, even in the most strongly deformed stromatic migmatites. This, together with boudinage and transposition of the leucosome, as well as microstructural evidence of quartz recrystallization, suggest that much or most of the stromatic layering was formed by solid-state deformation. In contrast, magmas (neosomes) formed by partial melting of feldspathic metapsammites at Cooma moved out of their parent rocks, and coalesced into veins and small intrusions of diatexite, because (1) the host rocks deformed more homogeneously, and no interboudin space was made for the melts, and (2) the melt escape threshold was exceeded, probably with the assistance of deformation. Metapsammite melting occurred after solidification of the metapelite-derived magma, and the mobile metapsammite-derived magma (diatexite) disrupted and incorporated fragments of the metapelitic migmatites. The metapsammite-derived magma, together with this solid metapelitic material, locally coalesced into bodies closely resembling the Cooma Granodiorite.