Precambrzan Research, 8 (1979) 137--143

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Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

Discussion

THE ST. MALO MIGMATITE BELT: A LATE PRECAMBRIAN GNEISS

DOME -- A COMMENT

JEAN-PIERRE BRUN and HERVE MARTIN

Centre Armortcam d'Etude Structurale des Socles, 35042 Rennes Cedex (France)

(Received June 8, 1978)

INTRODUCTION
Brown (1978) has described a sequence of metamorphic and structural
events which have affected the Precambrian rocks of the St. Malo region
(France). He describes four successive phases of deformation attributable to
events of Pentevrian (1000 Ma) age and three phases of Cadomian (1000 600 Ma) age. The migmatisation of the rocks of the St. Malo massif are
considered in terms of two distinct stages during the Pentevrian. The two
systems, Pentevrian and Cadomian, are distinguished from one another on
qualitative structural grounds.
This identification and separation of two major systems does not appear
to be justified. The Precambrian rocks of the St. Malo region present
evidence of a single orogenesis to which we attribute a Cadomian age (Brun,
1975a; Martin, 1977). We do n o t wish to consider here the details of the analysis presented by Brown (1978) but to outline in brief the main elements of
our own work in so much as it offers an alternative geodynamic interpretation for the consideration of the reader. The main elements of this outline
are taken from work published elsewhere (Brun, 1975a, 1977; Brun and
Martin, 1977, 1978).
THE AGE OF THE ST MALO MIGMATITE
The migmatites, as well as the metamorphic rocks of the St Malo massif
in their entirety, form part of a larger metamorphic complex which extends
southwards to Dinan (Jeannette, 1972). The progressive passage from the St.
Malo series to the Dinan series and the similarity of their tectonic and metamorphic development is well exposed along the Rance valley.
Recent work around Dinan (Jeannette, 1972; Paris, 1977) shows t h a t the
schistose rocks of Dinan: (a) pass conformably and w i t h o u t discordance into
the low grade Brioverian metasediments of central Brittany, and (b) are contact metamorphosed by the Bonnemain granite, whose magmatic cooling
age is given by the Rb/Sr whole rock isochron m e t h o d at 487 + 15 Ma (Jonin
and Vidal, 1975).

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In consequence, the St. Malo migmatites, as those of Dinan, can n o t be

Pentevrian in age since they are developed at the expense of brioverian sediments. Furthermore, the migmatites pre-date the intrusion of the Bonnemain
granite. It is m o s t reasonable to a t t r i b u t e the m i g m a t i t e s to the Cadomian
( L a t e Precambrian ).
STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF THE St MALO MIGMATITE DOME

Our own work on the St. Malo Massif is principally concerned with the
temporal and spatial evolution of the structure of the massif (see Brun,
1977) and the micro to megastructural relationships between deformation
and metamorphism (Brun and Martin, 1978).
Structure

At the mapping scale the St. Malo massif has the form of an elliptical
dome, with a migmatitic core. The dome is overturned towards the south
and elongate in a N 60E direction.
We have identified, passing southwards from the migmatitic core along the
Rance valley (Fig. 1A), a marginal synform succeeded by an antiform, both
being overturned to the southeast; they are followed southwards by an
upright synform in micaschists.

8
Fig. 1.A, Block diagram of the St Malo dome in the region of the Rance valley.
1, migmatite core; 2, cordi~rite---sfllimanite gneiss belt; 3, m icaschist envelope; 4,
synformal axial trace; 5, antiformal axial trace; 6, smimanite isograd (represented in
vertical section only).
B, Variation in geometrical orientation of F 2 folds along the Rance valley
C, Variation in geometrical orientation of F 3 folds along the Rance valley.
D, Variation in F2/F 3 interference structures along the Rance valley.

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Phases of deformation
Three deformation phases have been identified.
D1 structures are fairly uniform throughout the massif. They are essentially characterized b y a foliation parallel to the banding in fine grained gneisses,
intra-folial centimetric scale folds and a fine stretching lineation parallel to
the fold axes, especially visible on the surface of paragneiss bands. It is practically impossible to give a precise idea of the original orientation of these
linear features. Furthermore, no major structure, to which the minor
structures may be related, has been identified.
D2 structures show a zonation a b o u t the migmatitic core (Brun, 1977),
F2 folds in the micaschists are cylindrical, upright to slighly southward overturned, passing progressively into non-cylindrical, strongly southward overturned folds in the gneisses (Fig. 1B). These folds have an average axial
direction of N 60E to N 80E in the northern gneisses and micaschists. In
the vicinity of the migmatitic core the folds become non-cylindrical and
oriented generally north--south. This variation of the geometrical characteristics of the F2 folds is accompanied by a progressive change in the nature of
the $2 schistosity. From a crenulation cleavage in the micaschists, it passes
into a penetrative schisosity in the gneisses, then all but disappears in the
vicinity of the migmatitic core.
D3 structures are characterized by upright to somewhat overturned folds
(Fig. 1C) accompanied by a weak crenulation cleavage in the micaschists
and, locally, a more penetrative schistosity in the gneisses which contour the
migmatitic core. These folds show (a) progressive variation of axial direction
passing from north-south in the core to N 40E in the micaschists, and (b) a
radial disposition with respect to the migmatitic zone. Towards the end of
the D3 event, shear zones develop within and in the immediate vicinity of
the migmatitic core.

Metamorphism and deformation

All of the rocks of the St. Malo massif show evidence of an intense postkinematic recrystallization as evidenced b y the mimetic character of biotite,
muscovite and even sillimanite with respect to both F2 and F3 folds and
by the isometric quartz texture and growth of large muscovite and tourmaline poikiloblasts.
In the metatexites, the structural setting of the leucosomes (Brun and
Martin, 1978, fig. 3) indicates that metatexis developed from D1 through
to D3, but with a syn-D2 climax. Structural and cartographic examination of
the diatexites (Brun and Martin, 1978, figs. 4 and 5) however, shows that
although diatexis c o m m e n c e d during D1, it attained a maximal development
during D3.
The existence of relics of destabilized sillimanite indicates that at an early
stage of the metamorphism, the entire sequence of rocks in the Rance valley

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was located on the higher temperature side of the siUimanite isograd (M1).
Examination of parageneses moreover, allows one to trace the final metamorphic isograds (M2), which are centred on the migrnatitic core. The sillimanite isograd has been folded about the core (Fig. 1A). A geochemi'cal
profile along the Rance valley confirms the interpretation of the cartographic form of the sillimanite isograd as the result of folding of the metamorphic zonation rather than as a thermal anomaly (Brun and Martin, 1978,
fig. 8).
It may appear paradoxical that micro-textures indicate the metamorphism
to be a late event (post-D3), whereas at the mapping scale the isograds appear
to be deformed by the main D2 folding. This however, suggests that the
metamorphic maximum was synchronous with D2.
Diapiric evolution o f the dome
The well-marked spatial zonation of D2 and D3 about the migmatitic core
has led one of us (Brun, 1975a, 1977) to interpret the development of the
massif in terms of diapirism, by comparison with experimental models {Ramberg, 1967). The spatial and temporal evolution of the metamorphism and
its relationship to the structural evolution (Martin, 1977) leads us to propose
the following model (Brun and Martin, 1977, 1978).
The migmatisation initiates and controls the development o f a progressive
deformation.
(a) A thermal anomaly, developed in a succession of pelites and psammites, results in the local initiation of metatexis. In consequence of the
resulting decrease in viscosity and density of the parent material, an initial
instability is produced which gives rise to elongate (N 60E ) domes (e.g.,
St Malo and Dinan) with the development of F2 folds whose axial direction
is parallel to the long axes of the domes. During this stage, the initial foliation, which is responsible for the thermal anisotropy of these rocks, rotates
into a more or less vertical orientation, so facilitating the rise of heat in the
core region (Talbot, 1971; Borradafle, 1976) and thereby accelerating the
migmatisation.
(b) When diatexis becomes dominant in the migmatisation process, a
second instability is set up within the dome. The anatectic granites leave the
migmatitic core and intrude the overlying superstructure. The rise of the
granites results in a contraction of the migmatitic core and the development
of F3 folds whose axes are radially disposed about the dome.
During this evolution, the interaction of thermal and mechanical phenomena is such that the thermal anomaly is deformed by the action of the very
process of which it is the causal agent. Such interaction is well known in
numerical convection model's (see Elder, 1977, fig. 4).

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DISCUSSION

The structural sequence above described is not very different from that
which Brown (1978) describes in "pentevrian sediments" except that we
find three phases of deformation rather than four. However, in contrast to
Brown, we consider this deformation to be entirely Cadomian in age (1000-600 Ma) on the basis of the stratigraphical and petrographical arguments
outlined above.
We consider that the distinction between a Cadomian and a Pentevrian
system on either side of the fault at Quatre Vaux beach (Brown et al., 1971;
Brown, 1978) is not convincing as it is not based upon any unequivocal
stratigraphical or geochronological evidence.
Our structural study of the Rance valley (Brun, 1977) shows that the
character of the above described structural sequence varies greatly between
the micaschists and the migmatites.
We suggest that the differing character of the rocks on either side of
the Quatre Vaux fault is due, not to a disconformity between systems of
different orogenic age, but to a relative displacement bringing into contact
two different structural levels.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was undertaken under the direction of J. Cogne and J. Hameurt
as part of the " A c t i o n th~matique programm~e: Ph~nom~nes de Transport"
(C.N.R.S. France). The English text was improved by S.K. Hanmer. Thanks
are due to B. Auvray, R. Capdevila, P. Choukroune, P.R. Cobbold, S.K.
Hanmer and C1. Le Corre who read and c o m m e n t e d on the manuscript.

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Caledonian metamorphic zones in the SW Scottish Highlands? Geol. Mijnb., 55 (1--2)
41--45.
Brown, M , 1978 The tectonic evolution of the Precambrian rocks of the St Malo region,
Armorican Massif, France. Precambrian Res., 6 1--21.
Brown, M., Barber, A.J., and Roach, R.A., 1971. Age of the St Malo Migmatite Belt,
Northern Brittany. Nature Phys. Sci., 236: 77--79.
Brun, J P., 1975a. Zongographie de la d~formation dans les dBmes gneissiques Un
module: le Massif de St Malo. RSun. Annu. Sci. Terre, Montpellier, p 82.
Brun, J.P., 1975b. Contribution ~[l'gtude d ' u n dSme gneissique: Le Massif de St Malo
(Massif Armoricain). Analyse de la d~!formation. Th~se 3~me cycle, Centre Armoricain
d'Etude Structurale des Socles, Rondo, 97 pp.
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St Malo (Massif Armoricain, France). Can. J. Earth. Sci., 14 (8): 1697--1707
Brun, J.P. and Martin, H., 1977. RSle mgcanique de l'anatexie dans les dSmes gneissiques.
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l'~volution d'un dSme migmatitique. Le Massif de St. Malo. Bull. Soc. Geol. France,
(7), xx, 1. 91--101.
Elder, J.W., 1977. Thermal convection. J. Geol. Soc. Lond., 133 293--309.
Jeannette, D., 1972. Analyse tectonique de Formations Pr$cambriennes. Etude du NordEst de la Bretagne. Sci. Geol., Strasbourg, MSm., 3 6 : 1 7 4 pp.
Jonin, M. and Vidal, Ph., 1975. Etude g$ochronologique des granitoides de la Mancelha,
Massif Armoricain, France Can. J. Earth Sci., 12 (6): 920--927.
Paris, F., 1977. Carte g~ologique de la France ~ 1/50.000~me. FeuiUe de Caulnes, No. 28
B.R.G.M., OrlSans.
Ramberg, H., 1967. Gravity, Deformation and the Earth's Crust as Studmd by Centrifuged Models. Academic Press, London and New York, 214 pp.
Talbot, C.J., 1971. Thermal convection below the solidus m a mantled gneiss dome,
Fungwi Reserve, Rhodesia. J. Geol Soc. Lond., 1 2 7 : 3 7 7 - - 4 1 0

THE ST. MALO MIGMATITE BELT -- A REPLY

MICHAEL BROWN

Geology Unit, Oxford Polytechmc, Headmgton, Oxford (Great Brttam)

(Received June 8, 1978)

Brown (1978) has grouped the Precambrian rocks of the St. Malo region
into two tectono-stratigraphical units: a sequence of metasediments, metatexites and diatexites correlated with the Pentevrian Complex; and a
sequence of turbidites correlated with the Brioverian succession. Brun and
Martin (1979) reject this interpretation but their reasons are not compelling
and their alternative interpretation is implausible: it fails to account for the
structural and metamorphic differences between the two units. The recognition of these tectono-stratigraphical units is based upon two criteria. First,
the metasediments, metatexites and diatexites assigned by Brown (1978)
to the Pentevrian Complex have a longer structural history and a higher
metamorphic grade than the adjacent turbidite sequence which is accepted as
part o f the Brioverian succession. Second, the metasediments, metatexites
and diatexites assigned by Brown (1978) to the Pentevrian Complex have
been deformed and retrogressed in ductile shear belts by the same Cadomian
earth movements which were responsible for the deformation and prograde
metamorphism of the Brioverian turbidite sequence.
It is not possible to elucidate the tectonic evolution of the St. Malo region
by limiting study either to the excellent section across the regional strike
provided by the River Rance (e.g., Brun, 1977) or to that section together
with other selected areas within the St Malo migmatite belt itself (e.g., Brun
and Martin, 1978). By limiting their area of study Brun and Martin (1979)
have failed to appreciate the importance of Cadomian ductile shear belts to
the elucidation of the teconic evolution of the St. Malo region, an