Conversion of carbonaceous material to graphite within the Greywacke Zone of the Eastern Alps

Morphology and reflectance of carbonaceous material (CM) in Late Carboniferous metasediments of the eastern Greywacke Zone (Eastern Alps) indicate a mixture of vitrinite, grainy textured and lamellar shaped particles. As imaged by high-resolution atomic-force microscopy, vitrinite and the grainy textured particles show mesophase structures which can be described as facetted nanocrystals within the carbon matrix. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy has revealed two types of microtextures representing different degrees of graphitization. The first type is characterized by elongated ring-shaped microtextures, whereas the second type is characterized by graphite lamellae and polygonal flakes with long-range ordered aromatic layers. In spite of the heterogeneity of the CMs, the geographical distribution of quantitative metamorphic parameter (Raman spectra parameter, X-ray diffraction pattern, microscopic reflectance) suggests a graphitization process which is promoted by advective heat transport during post-collisional processes. In a tentative pressure-time path, Late Cretaceous thrusting results in a turbostratic ordering of the aromatic layer. Ordering to long-range ordered aromatic layers was achieved during the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene exhumation of mid-crustal rocks beneath the eastern Greywacke Zone.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]