Aragonite-calcite-dolomite relationships in UHPM polycrystalline carbonate inclusions from the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

The presence of aragonite in polycrystalline carbonate inclusions in garnet in diamond-grade metamorphic rocks from the Kokchetav Massif, N. Kazakhstan was identified for the first time by means of Raman analyses and mapping, cathodoluminescence images and optical and scanning electron microscopy. Aragonite appears within the inclusions as dirty, chaotically oriented materials surrounded by a clean monocrystalline calcite shell; the grain boundary between the host-garnet and the aragonite-bearing inclusions is often characterized by a wavy or amoeboid shape; no cracks occur around the aragonite-bearing inclusior s; no significant shift in the main aragonite Raman band was measured. These observations indicate that residual pressure within the inclusion is minor. These features are inconsistent with an origin of aragonite at peak metamorphic conditions (6 GPa) by decomposition of dolomite.