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sgr ms thesis - University of Maine

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Chapter 4<br />

THERMAL FRAMEWORK FOR CONTACT METAMORPHISM<br />

To fully understand the development <strong>of</strong> the Shatter Zone, it is first<br />

necessary to determine the characteristics <strong>of</strong> contact metamorphism within the<br />

unit. In this chapter, I discuss how thermal energy drives metamorphism along<br />

the contact between the Cadillac Mountain Granite and Bar Harbor Formation,<br />

and how modeling and isograd data can potentially tell us about the condition <strong>of</strong><br />

the wall rock before the formation <strong>of</strong> the Shatter Zone. Important constraints are<br />

discussed in order to develop a useful model for intrusive thermal behavior. I use<br />

a conductive heat transfer-based, instantaneous single intrusion model. Although<br />

the model is a simplified version <strong>of</strong> the intrusion complex, it provides endmember<br />

results for the true thickness <strong>of</strong> the metamorphic zones, the dominant<br />

heat transfer mode, and the effect <strong>of</strong> extended chamber activity and wall rock<br />

brecciation on contact metamorphism. I find that the model is a good first order<br />

approximation for contact metamorphism in the Shatter Zone, but convective<br />

heat transfer, extended pluton activity, and wall rock brecciation are all important<br />

factors that have been ignored here.<br />

4.1. Characteristics <strong>of</strong> Contact Metamorphism<br />

Contact metamorphism involves a balance <strong>of</strong> heat transfer (Bergantz,<br />

1991; Labotka, 1991): as the wall rock heats up from contact, the intrusion must<br />

cool down by a proportional amount. Contact metamorphism is limited to a<br />

26

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