SE Vermont Introduction Modern techniques in metamorphic petrology allow a series of tectonic events to be distinguished and characterized. These tectonic events will have distinctive and characteristic deformational structures, and they can be correlated with fluid flow events, compositional alteration events, ore deposition events, and ore remobilization events.
Metamorphic petrology is more than simply determining the peak metamorphic pressure and temperature.
It can make important contributions to deciphering the genesis and history of metamorphic ore deposits. To have any meaning, thermobarometry requires thorough documentation of which portions of which grains were analyzed, the relation of these compositions to the compositional zoning of the minerals, an interpretation of the reaction history, demonstration of equilibrium for the chosen set of mineral compositions, and interpretation of which portion of the P-T history is being accessed. In ordinary rocks, mineral assemblages will vary in a known manner across P-T space, and this variation is the basis of petrogenetic grids. Thus, the results of routine thermobarometry will be trusted only when the values fall within generally accepted ranges for the given mineral assemblages, and the results often yield no new information. As a direct consequence of these factors, tables of calculated P-T conditions are generally of use only as a student exercise and are usually not suitable for publication.