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We report contrasting pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) paths of migmatites developed in the highest‐grade metamorphic zone (Grt–Crd zone) and the contact metamorphic zone (Crd–Kfs zone) of the Mikawa area, Ryoke belt, southwest Japan to discuss the complex P–T–D–t evolution of the middle crust that experienced pulsed granitoid intrusions. In the Grt–Crd zone, sillimanite‐grade high‐T metamorphic condition prevailed from ca. 97 to 87 Ma, followed by cooling to ~500 °C, ~4 kbar. The intrusion of gneissose granitoids below the Grt–Crd zone isobarically reheated the Grt–Crd zone rocks again to the sillimanite‐grade high‐T condition at ca. 84 Ma. This was followed by ca. 71–70 Ma contact metamorphism. Ductile deformation that formed and folded the foliation of migmatites started before ca. 89 Ma and continued at least until ca. 84 Ma in the Grt–Crd zone. On the other hand, ca. 74 Ma age of the Crd–Kfs zone migmatite developed around the Inagawa Granodiorite in addition to ca. 70 Ma age of a syn‐tectonic pegmatite vein revealed that the intrusion of "75–69 Ma granitoids" caused partial melting and locally triggered low‐strain ductile deformation in their contact aureoles. Comparison with other areas of the Ryoke belt suggests that plutono‐metamorphic evolution of the Mikawa and Aoyama areas are similar with each other in that ca. 80 Ma reheating events (i.e., contact metamorphism) are observed, while absence of separate reheating event postdating peak metamorphism in the Yanai area is a rather uncommon feature in the Ryoke belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical disequilibrium of coexisting garnet and zircon in pelitic migmatites (Aoyama area, Ryoke belt, SW Japan) is shown by microtextural evidence and their heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns. In zircon, two stages of metamorphic rim growth is observed under cathodoluminescence image, although their SHRIMP U Pb zircon ages are similar at ca. 92 Ma. Inner and outer rims of zircon tend to show steep HREE patterns irrespective of the U Pb age. The inner rims tend to give higher U content than the outer rims; some rim analyses give various Th/U ratios of 0.02–0.07 compared to the very low (<0.02) values seen in the rest of rim analyses. The higher-Th/U values are ascribed to the mixed analyses between thin prograde domains and thick retrograde overgrowths. Zircon grains with inclusions similar to previously-reported melt inclusions are further enclosed in garnet, supporting the growth of thin zircon domains coexisting with garnet during the prograde metamorphism. Garnet rims are commonly replaced by biotite-plagioclase intergrowths, indicating a back reaction with partial melts. Garnet exhibits decrease in HREE and Y concentrations towards the rim, pointing to its prograde growth. The garnet cores have prograde xenotime inclusions, show steep HREE patterns, and yield growth temperature of ~530–570 °C by a YAG-xenotime thermometer. On the other hand, the garnet rims have no xenotime inclusion and show flat HREE patterns. Rare garnet domains including sillimanite needles also show flat HREE patterns and low Y concentrations, which is interpreted as a product of dehydration melting consuming biotite and sillimanite at near-peak P - T conditions (~800 °C and ~0.5 GPa). One such garnet domain gives nearly-equilibrium REE distribution pattern when paired with the matrix zircon rims. Retrograde xenotime is present in the cracks in garnet and in the biotite-plagioclase intergrowths, suggesting that retrograde breakdown of garnet released HREE and Y to form it. Considering the availability of HREE and Zr and presence of melt inclusions in zircon rims, most part of the zircon rims with positive HREE patterns likely grew during the melt crystallization stage, meaning that the zircon rims and presently-preserved garnet domains did not grow in equilibrium. The above scenario was tested by the array plot analysis and it gave a result consistent with microtextural and traditional REE distribution constraints. Combination of microtextural and the array plot analyses may become a powerful tool to reliably correlate the zircon ages to the P-T evolution of the high-grade metamorphic rocks. • REE patterns of garnet and zircon from the high- T , low- P Ryoke metamorphic belt are determined. • HREE pattern of zircon rims are steep, whereas HREE pattern of garnet is steep in the cores and flat in the rims. • Zircon rims of prograde origin may be thin and retrograde crystallization from melt is more abundant. • Disequilibrium REE distribution between garnet and zircon rims is due to different growth timings of the two. • Combination of microtextural and array plot analyses is a powerful tool to reconstruct the metamorphic P-T-t evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We revisit the origin of the metamorphic field gradient exposed in the Ryoke Belt (SW Japan) — the type locality for low pressure/high temperature (L P /H T ) conditions — based on combined structural, petrological and geochronological data from the Iwakuni–Yanai area (W Ryoke). In this area metasedimentary rocks pass from schist in the north to partly migmatitic paragneiss in the south, and are surrounded by numerous granitoid bodies. Three deformation phases are emphasized; an accretionary-stage or burial deformation of weak intensity (D0), a vertical shortening (D1) which generated a subhorizontal, locally extensional foliation in the southern gneiss zone, and E–W upright folding (D2) which reworked both the northern schist and southern gneiss zones. Crystallization–deformation relationships indicate that, in the schist zone, most andalusite, cordierite and mica porphyroblasts formed after D0 and before D1. Syn-D1 mineral assemblages define E–W trending metamorphic zones with increasing grade from north to south, and rare syn-D2 parageneses reveal a similar pattern. Continuous magmatic activity lasted from ca. 105 to 94 Ma. The oldest granitoids (Shimokuhara, Soo, Namera), found in the western part of the belt, were emplaced below schistose rocks at 105–100 Ma. Subsequently, syn- to post-D1 granodiorite (Gamano) intruded concordantly with the foliation of southern, high-grade gneissic rocks from 100 to 94 Ma. A large, syn-D1 pluton (Kibe) intruded the center of the belt at 98 Ma, whereas a younger granite (Iwakuni) and its satellite dykes were emplaced to the northeast at 96–94 Ma. Constraints on the timing of D1 (103–99 Ma) and the likely diachronous D2 phase (100–94 Ma) suggest a deformation continuum during magma intrusion and metamorphism. We conclude that the exposed metamorphic field gradient is an apparent, but fortuitous, alignment of P – T data resulting from spatially and temporally distinct thermal events. Peak temperature conditions in the relatively shallow schist zone were attained during a first, pre-tectonic, contact metamorphic event. A second, regional metamorphic overprint arose from the syn-tectonic intrusion of granitoids in the deeper gneiss zone. A younger contact metamorphic event locally affected the eastern part of the schist zone. The revised tectono-thermal history highlights the composite and diachronous character of the Ryoke metamorphic field gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavior of zircon at the schist/migmatite transition is investigated. Syn-metamorphic overgrowth is rare in zircon in schists, whereas zircon in migmatites has rims with low Th/U that give 90.3 ± 2.2 Ma U-Pb concordia age. Between inherited core and the metamorphic rim, a thin, dark-CL annulus containing melt inclusion is commonly developed, suggesting that it formed contemporaneous with the rim in the presence of melt. In diatexites, the annulus is further truncated by the brighter-CL overgrowth, suggesting the resorption and regrowth of the zircon after near-peak metamorphism. Part of the zircon rim crystallized during the solidification of the melt in migmatites. Preservation of angular-shaped inherited core of 5-10 μm in zircon included in garnet suggests that zircon of this size did not experience resorption but developed overgrowths during near-peak metamorphism. The Ostwald ripening process consuming zircon less than 5-10 μm is required to form new overgrowths. Curved crystal size distribution pattern for fine-grained zircons in a diatexite sample may indicate the contribution of this process. Zircon less than 20 μm is confirmed to be an important sink of Zr in metatexites, and ca. 35-μm zircon without detrital core are common in diatexites, supporting new nucleation of zircon in migmatites. In the Ryoke metamorphic belt at the Aoyama area, monazite from migmatites records the prograde growth age of 96.5 ± 1.9 Ma. Using the difference of growth timing of monazite and zircon, the duration of metamorphism higher than the amphibolite facies grade is estimated to be ca. 6 Myr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron method (CHIME) monazite dating was carried out for pelitic-psammitic migmatites and the Ao granite (one of the Younger Ryoke granites) from the Aoyama area, Ryoke metamorphic belt, Southwest Japan. The Ao granite gives an unequivocal age of 79.8 ± 3.9 Ma. The monazite grains in migmatites yield an age of 96.5 ± 1.9 Ma with rims and patchy domains of 83.5 ± 2.4 Ma. The 83.5 ± 2.4-Ma overprinting on migmatites over the garnet-cordierite zone suggests a wide and combined effect of thermal input and fluid activity on the monazite grains caused by the contact metamorphism by the Younger Ryoke granites including the Ao granite. This contact metamorphism has not been detected from the major metamorphic mineral assemblage previously, possibly because the migmatites already possessed the high-temperature mineral assemblage before the granite intrusions and were immune from contact metamorphism in terms of major metamorphic minerals. However, monazite records contact metamorphism clearly. Therefore, the field mapping of the CHIME monazite age is a powerful tool for recognition of polymetamorphism in high-temperature metamorphic terrains where later thermal effects can not be easily detected by the growth of new major metamorphic minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourmaline-out isograd formed by the breakdown of tourmaline is defined in the upper amphibolite-facies metapelites in the Yanai area, Ryoke metamorphic belt, SW Japan. The rim composition of tourmaline progressively becomes aluminous with ascending metamorphic grade, and the chemical zoning of tourmaline is controlled by X□AlNa–1Mg–1 and MgTiYAl–2 vectors in low- to medium-grade zones where muscovite is stable, whereas it is controlled by Mg(OH)YAl–1O–1, CaMgOX□–1YAl–1(OH)–1 and MgTiYAl–2 vectors in further higher–grade, muscovite-unstable zones. The size of tourmaline increases drastically where breakdown of muscovite+quartz takes place, probably due to the growth of tourmaline during breakdown of muscovite. On the high-temperature side of the tourmaline-out isograd, depletion of whole-rock boron is observed. Escape of boron-bearing melt or the fluid evolved from the melt during its crystallization probably caused this depletion, although locally trapped, boron-bearing melt or fluid formed irregularly shaped tourmaline and dumortierite during retrograde metamorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the residual disease in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Japan. Clonal rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes; Effects of chemotherapy on the disease; Prognosis of childhood ALL.