Eclogite varieties and petrotectonic evolution of the northern Guatemala Suture Complex

ABSTRACTField and petrologic characteristics of two new eclogite localities within the Guatemala Suture Complex (GSC) north of the Motagua Fault are presented. The Tuncaj Hill locality exposes a coherent body of retrogressed eclogite hundreds of metres long that is associated with serpentinite of the North Motagua Unit. The Tanilar River locality exposes numerous bands and lenses of eclogite hosted in sialic gneisses of the Chuacus Complex. The Tuncaj eclogite has a two-stage prograde evolution containing the peak assemblage Grt + Omp + Ttn + Czo + Zo ± Am, formed at temperatures <720°C. In contrast, eclogites of the Tanilar unit are characterized by the paragenesis Omp + Grt + Rt ± Phg ± Qtz ± Ep giving higher peak conditions of T = 720–830°C and P = 2.1–2.7 GPa, near the stability field of coesite. Previously obtained data and our thermobaric calculations suggest distinct petrotectonic evolutions for the various types of eclogites within the suture. The lawsonite eclogites south of the Motagua Fault wer...