Two metamorphic processes, i.e. subsolidus dehydration and partial melting occurring in MORB, metasediments and peridotite of subducted oceanic lithosphere are discussed on the basis of available experimental work and phase equilibrium modeling. Phase diagrams of hydrous MORB show that in most cold subduction P-T (pressure-temperature) regimes a large portion of water in the basic layer has released below the onset of blueschist facies (< 20 km), and at a depth (60―70 km) of transition from lawsonite blueschist to lawsonite eclogite facies through glaucophane dehydration; only a smaller portion of water will escape from the slab through dehydration of lawsonite and chloritoid in the depth range suitable for arc magma formation; and a very small portion of water stored in lawsonite and phengite will fade into the deeper mantle. The role of amphibole for arc magma formation is still arguable. In cold subduction P-T regimes, the dehydration of chlorite and talc in Al-poor metasediments, and chloritoid and carpholite in Al-rich metapelites at a depth around 80―100 km will make some con- tributions to the formation of arc magma. Comparatively, dehydration of serpentine in hydrated peridotite occurs at depths of 120―180 km, playing an important role in the arc magmatism. Subduction of oceanic crust along warm P-T regimes will cross the solidi at a depth over 80 km, resulting in partial melting under fluid-saturated and fluid-absent conditions in the metasediments involving biotite and phengite, and in the basic rocks involving epidote and amphibole. The melt compositions of the basic crust are adakitic at pressures < 3.0 GPa, but become peraluminous granitic at higher pressures.
The existence of pelitic granulite in the Altai orogen was confirmed for the first time by detailed petrographic research and P-T pseudosection modeling. The pelitic granulite has the assemblage of garnet + cordierite + K-feldspar + biotite + sillimanite + plagioclase + quartz with some samples containing the paragenesis of cordierite + spinel. Peak conditions of the pelitic granulite determined from the P-T pseudosection involved P = 0.5―0.6 GPa, T = 780―800℃, belonging to medium-to low-pressure type. SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircon presented a metamorphic age of 292.8 ± 2.3 Ma. The discovery of pelitic granulite reflects an extensional environment with high heat flow in the southern margin of the Altai orogen during the Early Permian, which provides an important petrological constraint on the evolution of the Altai orogen.
