Diagenesis and Very Low-Grade Metamorphism of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in Eastern Changchun, China:Evidence from Clay Mineral Geothermobarometers

The metamorphic conditions of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in eastern Changchun, China, were evaluated based on the mineral assemblage, illite crystallinity, illite polytypism,the b dimension of illite, and the chemical composition of chlorite. The pelitic rocks in the Yangjiagou Formation are characterized by illite + kaolinite + chlorite ± mixed-layer chlorite/smectite and detrital quartz + plagioclase. Illite in the formation has a crystallinity of 0.38-0.55 and comprises mixed 2 M1 and1 Md polytypes, indicating a metamorphic temperature of >200℃. Based on the chemical composition of chlorite and the chlorite geothermometer, we estimated diagenetic to very low-grade metamorphic conditions with temperatures of 185℃～204℃. The b dimension of illite varies from 8.992 A to 9.005 A.We used a mathematical algorithm to extend Guidotti and Sassi's（1986） diagram relating illite b dimension with temperature and pressure, and used this diagram, together with illite crystallinity and chlorite chemical composition, to semi-quantitatively estimate the formation pressure at<1.2 kbar. These reveal that the Yangjiagou Formation has experienced very low-grade metamorphism.