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FIELD REPORTS GROUP B DAY 2

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Afternoon Field Report DAY 2 (20 Septermber 2014)

(written by Sachar Matkovskiy, Group B)
The Naxos Fieldtrip which took place between the 19. and 25. September 2014 served to learn more
about the geology of Metamorphic Core Complexes with an emphasis on structure and flow patterns.
This report covers the afternoon section of the second day (Saturday, 20.09.14).

Fig. 1. Path taken on the afternoon of the second day. Geologic overlay from Kruckenberg et al.,
2011.

Logistics
1 Kalados Bay (35S, 363678 m E, 4088824 m N), 2:00 pm
Starting off after the lunchbreak in Kalados Bay (Fig. 12, pin 1) we (the group) were given a lecture
on the concept of shearing, folding, and flow. Consecutively we proceeded afoot some 600 m
westward along the shoreline in order to observe the specific alignment of different structural
elements related to the shearing direction (e.g. stretching lineation, boudins, sheath folds, etc.)
along certain planes. From there, we returned to the original outcrop near the beach and set out for
the cars which were parked some 400 m to the northwest. We then drove on a paved road northward
until we arrived at the next outcrop.

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Fig. 2. Overview of outcrops and stops.

2 SCMylonite (35S, 365005 m E, 4093061 m N), 4:40 pm
A stop was made at an outcrop on the right side of the street (Fig. 12, pin 2), not further than 500 m
to the south of the chapel Theologos Kaminou. Some measurements of cleavage and of the
shearbands, as well as photos of the rocks (and semiexotic flowers) were taken briefly before we
continued by car along the road heading northeast.

3 Marble Tectonite (35S, 365409 m E, 4095732 m N), 5:15 pm

Following the road from the previous outcrop to the northeast we passed Himaros Tower (Fig. 1) on a
short bit of dirt road. After changing to a paved road it made a turn and we continued westward to
the next outcrop of a massive marble tectonite (Fig. 12, pin 3) southwest of Agios Georgios and
southeast of Agios Tryfanos. After briefly investigating the outcrop and taking measurements we
continued northward to the next outcrop by car.
4 Graphite Quartzite (35S, 364831 m E, 4097683 m N), 5:35 pm
Stopping at the last outcrop (Fig. 12, pin 4) before proceeding to Chora we took some brief
measurements of dip and dip direction as well as an oriented sample for anisotropic magnetic
susceptibility measurements of the graphite quartzite.
Theory of Shear and Observations
1 Kalados Bay
The rocks present at Kalados Bay are interlayered and strongly deformed marble and schist sequences
and exhibit perceivable isoclinal folds with amplitudes of several dm to m. The fold axis appears to
be mostly parallel to the stretching lineation. However, since the fold axis is also bent we assumed
that sheath folding may have occurred in this region. In addition, the rocks are heavily faulted as
testified by a plethora of veins and conjugate joints (Fig. 3). In the schist sequence the foliation
corresponds to the axial plane of the isoclinal folds observed. Although the marble is a poor flow
indicator on its own, it occasionally contains sigma and deltaclasts which can be used as a pointer
for flow direction (Fig. 4), since the foliation bends wherever a strong object (e.g. a dolomite block)
is hidden underneath.
Further to the west of the outcrop small, cubic minerals of 5 mm diameter with brown streak have
been found, presumably oxidized Pyrite or Magnetite.
The fact that the rocks here underwent a strong yet ductile deformation (more than in sedimentary
basins) can be explained by a crustalscale shear zone on Naxos which can be considered analogous to
faults in the upper crust.
During the lecture, we discussed two different types of shear: Pure Shear and Simple Shear (Fig. 5).
Pure Shear generates symmetrical structures and is linked to coaxial flow. Simple Shear generates
asymmetrical structures and is linked to noncoaxial flow. It is also much easier to produce large
deformations with Simple Shear.
Instantaneous deformation events with Instantaneous Stretching Axes (ISA) work in the same way, i.e.
the flow is not coaxial. As a consequence, rigid components must invariably start to rotate (thus the
occurrence of sigma and deltaclasts).

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Fig. 3. Sigma clast (indent) with bent bedding. Photo by Anna Lewin.

Fig. 4. Rigid dolomite blocks in marble, partly stretched. Photo by Tilman Scheele.

Fig. 5. Comparison between the Pure Shear and Simple Shear Model.
During retrograde metamorphism, when buried rocks are exhumed, they reach a point at a certain
depth where the differential stress increases while the rocks stay ductile; the interplay leads to simple
shear. Since it is a crustalscale fault, the mscale thickness of the rock is stretched out along
distances on the kmscale. What remains of the package is stretched beyond recognition until for a
high enough shear strain the massive rock becomes a line (Fig. 6). The corresponding strain ellipsoid
resembles a surfboard. This stretching lineation is observable in the field and is a good indicator for
the sense of shear.
In addition, the occurrence of folds in the field may lead to the assumption of shortening related to a
compressional regime. This need not necessarily be the case, since Simple Shear may suffice to

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produce said structures (Fig. 7). For sufficiently high strains the product will be a sheathfold.

Fig. 6. Every body approximates a line via volumeconstant stretching by Simple Shear.

Fig. 7. Shearbased folding without shortening.

Since the occurence of composite fabrics like e.g. sigmaclasts or the stretching lineation are always
oriented in a specific way to each other, the plane containing said fabrics can be deduced from
observing the other fabrics orientations (Fig. 8). For example the Metabauxitebearing boudinage is
parallel to the xy plane (as is the bedding) and can only be observed in the xz or yz plane.

Fig. 8. Block diagram containing all relevant fabrics and their relative orientation towards each
other. Stretching lineation corresponds to flow direction after Buick, 1991.

2 SCMylonite
At the next outcrop we encountered a Marble SchistosityCleavageMylonite and used it to determine
the sense of shear (Fig. 9). Shear sense is determined by measuring the Cleavage (C) Planes, because
the shear bands are sometimes found destabilized unpredictably (Appendix 1). Like the rocks found at
Kalandos Bay, these lack Biotite as well.

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Fig. 9. Interpreted SCMylonite with ToptotheNorth shear sense. Red (S) indicates shear bands and
blue (C) Cleavage. Photo by Anna Lewin.
3 Marble Tectonite
The next outcrop represents a massive marble with extremely fine grains (< 0.5 mm) and flow
structures (e.g. boudins). The rock is heavily fractured and the fracture faces are weathered gently
(Fig. 10). The small grain sizes are probably related to the detachment fault and this outcrop likely
represents a late shearzone after the M2phase (Appendix 2).

Fig. 10. Marble Tectonite with extremely fine grains is a witness of a late, postmetamorphic shear
zone. Photo by Tilman Scheele.
4 Graphite Quartzite
The consecutive outcrop represents a Quartzite Mylonite, consisting of zones with large quartz grains
and zones of small quartz grains finely dispersed with graphite particles. A possible origin of the fine
layers including graphite could be organicrich sandstone from the Carboniferous (Appendix 3).
How it fits into the Big Picture
Since the afternoon was spent in the south of Naxos, somewhat off the Metamorphic Core Complex
(Fig. 1), everything encountered should not be surprising at all. The three main lithologies include
high grade marble and schist as well as some quartzite. These either exhibit distinct flow or
deformation structures. The schist and marble of Kalados Bay show a developed stretching lineation
indicative of flow over large distances by the process of Simple Shear. One could expect to find
glaucophane related to blueschist hpltmetamorphism. However, the rocks are overprinted by
greenschist to amphibolite metamorphism and the homogeneous marble is a fault core remnant of
late, brittle deformation, as is demonstrated by distinct fracturing. The marble tectonite further to
the north is comparable but the smaller grain size and higher amount of fracturing is indicative of
higher stresses; it is thus representative of a late shear zone after the greenschist metamorphosis.
Both mylonites lack a distinct stretching lineation but are helpful in understanding regional
(macroscopic) processes and link them to microscopic, grainrelated processes. The graphitic quartzite
mylonites are closer to the core complex and were produced through ductile deformation during
shearing by dynamic metamorphism under amphibolite facies conditions (Krabbendam et al., 2003).
The preferential NS stretching which is evident in the stretching lineation at Kalados Bay and in the
cleavage orientation of the marble mylonite can be found as well in the graphitic quartzite mylonite

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(Fig. 11), at least for samples taken at Stavros Pass (Krabbendam et al., 2003).

Fig. 11. Thin section of quartz mylonite (Image width is 27 mm). Note the zones of large grains
which are graphite free and the zones of small grains where the quartz is pinned down by graphite
grains. Thin section from Krabbendam, 2003.

Appendix 1. Stereoplot of the poles to cleavage (blue) and shear bands (red) of the SCmylonite.
Note how the cleavage planes uniformly dip NNE.

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Appendix 2. Stereoplot of bedding (black) and lineation (hollow) of the marble tectonite.

Appendix 3. Stereoplot of the poles to s0 (black), s1 (blue), and sv (red) of the Graphitic Quartzite
Mylonite.
References
Buick, I. S. (1991). The late Alpine evolution of an extensional shear zone, Naxos, Greece. Journal of
the Geological Society, London, 148, pp. 93103.
Krabbendam, M., Urai, J. L., & van Vliet, L. J. (2003). Grain size stabilisation by dispersed graphite
in a highgrade quartz mylonite: an example from Naxos (Greece). Journal of Structural Geology 25,
pp. 855866.

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Kruckenberg, S.C., Vanderhaeghe, O., Ferr, E.C., Teyssier, C. & Whitney, D.L. (2011). Flow of
partially molten crust and the internal dynamics of a migmatite dome, Naxos, Greece. Tectonics, 30,
TC3001
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