Deformation and chemical reaction in an ultramafic terrane boundary: the Livingstone Fault, New Zealand

Abstract:

The Livingstone Fault is a >1000 km long terrane boundary that defines the eastern margin of the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt in New Zealand. The fault is spectacularly exposed where it juxtaposes ultramafic parts of the ophiolite belt (e.g. peridotite, serpentinite) against quartzofeldspathic rocks of the continental Caples Terrane. In such areas, the fault consists of a 50-400 m-wide foliated serpentinite shear zone entraining competent pods of massive serpentinite, Caples Terrane rocks and various volcanic rocks. The Livingstone Fault provides an excellent example of deformation styles (e.g. distributed vs. localized) and chemical reactions where peridotite, serpentinite and quartzofeldspathic rocks are juxtaposed, a common situation in many plate tectonic settings (e.g. portions of the San Andreas Fault, central and southern sectors of the Alpine Fault). We will present some initial results of fieldwork carried out in the Olivine Wilderness Area (NE of Milford Sound) focusing on: 1) the transition from intact peridotite to partly serpentinized peridotite to a fully serpentinized shear zone, 2) the distribution of strain within the serpentinite shear zone, 3) the significance of highly localized slip within entrained pods of peridotite and serpentinite, and 4) the nature and possible mechanical effects of talc-forming metasomatic reactions between serpentinite and quartzofeldspathic rocks.