> The 2 rocks of Saint-Benoit <
A. Phyllonites are the most abundant rocks. They outcrop on both banks of the Portefeuille, at the southeastern end of the map sheet. They are widely visible in the Saint-Benoît-du-Sault quarry where they are mined. They represent the mylonitic base of the Pin–Frûlon and Chénier units. These grayish, fine-grained rocks with a silvery sheen have a phyllitic appearance with well-developed mylonitic foliation. Locally, they show concentrations of micas and a talcose appearance. These mylonitic rocks consist of: – quartz (25 to 30%), in interlocking xenomorphic grains with undulose extinction; it can also be extremely stretched into ribbons, recrystallized and annealed;
– potassium feldspars (20 to 25%), in xenomorphic grains undergoing sericitization; they are cataclased, with undulose extinction and inclusions of quartz, muscovite, and automorphic chloritized biotite;
– plagioclase (10 to 15%), mainly represented by sericitized oligoclase with polysynthetic twinning and inclusions of quartz, muscovite, and biotite;
– biotite (20% on average), in pleochroic, subautomorphic crystals, often frayed and folded. There are two generations of this mineral: the first emphasizes the foliation and the second, larger one, cuts across it;
– muscovite (20 to 30%), deformed with undulose extinction and frayed edges;
– garnet (rare), cataclased with inclusions of quartz, biotite, and feldspar;
– sillimanite, in fibrolite; - 20 - – zoned, late-stage tourmaline;
– accessory minerals (very rare), pinnite, sphene, zircon, apatite, opaque minerals; – calcite, automorphic, filling fractures.
B. The leptynites are only visible in the Saint-Benoît-du-Sault quarry, where they are intercalated in massive layers 3 to 5 meters thick within the phyllonites. Light in color (cream, pink to greenish), they often exhibit small folds. This rock, with a granoblastic texture, is composed of: – quartz (50%), in xenomorphic, interlocking grains with undulatory extinction, often recrystallized with muscovite inclusions;
– potassium feldspars (30%), undergoing sericitization with indications of microcline;
– plagioclase (10%), oligoclase undergoing sericitization;
– biotite (5%), partially bleached and undergoing chloritization; – muscovite (5%), folded and frayed.
