Diagenesis and Very Low‐grade Metamorphism of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in Eastern Changchun, China: Evidence from Clay Mineral Geothermobarometers

The metamorphic conditions of the Upper Permian Yangjiagou Formation in eastern Changchun, China, were evaluated based on the mineral assemblage, illite crystallinity, illite polytypism, the b dimension of illite, and the chemical composition of chlorite. The pelitic rocks in the Yangjiagou Formation are characterized by illite + kaolinite + chlorite ± mixed‐layer chlorite/smectite and detrital quartz + plagioclase. Illite in the formation has a crystallinity of 0.38–0.55 and comprises mixed 2M 1 and 1M d polytypes, indicating a metamorphic temperature of >200°C. Based on the chemical composition of chlorite and the chlorite geothermometer, we estimated diagenetic to very low‐grade metamorphic conditions with temperatures of 185°C–204°C. The b dimension of illite varies from 8.992Å to 9.005Å. We used a mathematical algorithm to extend Guidotti and Sassi's (1986) diagram relating illite b dimension with temperature and pressure, and used this diagram, together with illite crystallinity and chlorite chemical composition, to semi‐quantitatively estimate the formation pressure at<1.2 kbar. These reveal that the Yangjiagou Formation has experienced very low‐grade metamorphism.