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Title

De-bugging the 'Millipede' Porphyroblast Mocrostructure: A Serial Thin-section Study and 3-D Computer Animation
Authors

Scott Johnson
Ross Moore
Journal / Anthology

Journal of Metamorphic Geology
Year: 1996
Volume: 14
Page range: 3-14
Description

Seventy-five spatially orientated, serial thin sections cut from a single rock containing 'millipede' porphyroblast microstructure from the Robertson River Metamorphics, Australia, reveal the three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of oppositely concave microfolds (OCMs) that define the microstructure. Electronic animations showing progressive serial sections of the 3-D microstructure are made available via the World Wide Web. The OCM amplitudes decrease regularly from a maximum in near-central sections to a minimum in near-marginal sections, whereas the OCM interlimb angles increase regularly from a minimum in near-central sections to a maximum in near-marginal sections. These observations illustrate that the OCMs are noncylindrical surfaces with culminations located in near-central sections. Because the porphyroblase cores appear to have been present before significant development of the syn-OCM foliation, al the OCMs were formed by heterogeneous extension around these cores. The overall geometry of the OCMs described here reflects the strain state, and cannot be used to constrain deformation paths.
Subject

*Science > Geology and Geophysics