By stressing the various techniques used to determine the petrogenic history of granites, and by bridging the gap between undergraduate and research texts, this book provides a clear understanding of the current state of knowledge of the granite family.

Granites (sensu lato) represent the dominant rock-type forming the upper–middle continental crust but their origin remains a matter of long-standing controversy. The granites may result from fractionation of mantle-derived basaltic magmas, or partial melting of different crustal protoliths at contrasting P–T conditions, either water-fluxed or fluid-absent. Consequently, many different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the compositional variability of granites ranging from whole igneous suites down to mineral scale. This book presents an overview of the state of the art, and envisages future avenues towards a better understanding of granite petrogenesis. Particular emphasis of this Volume is on the following topics: Compositional variability of granitic rocks generated in contrasting geodynamic settings during Proterozoic to Phanerozoic Periods, Main permissible mechanisms producing subduction-related granites, Crustal anatexis of different protoliths, and the role of water in granite petrogenesis, New theoretical and analytical tools available for modelling whole-rock geochemistry, in order to decipher the sources and evolution of granitic suites.

Metamorphic rocks are one of the three classes of rocks. Seen on a global scale they constitute the dominant material of the Earth. The understanding of the petrogenesis and significance of metamorphic of geological education. rocks is, therefore, a fundamental topic There are, of course, many different possible ways to lecture on this theme. This book addresses rock metamorphism from a relatively pragmatic view point. It has been written for the senior undergrad uate or graduate student who needs practical knowledge of how to interpret various groups of minerals found in metamorphic rocks. The book is also of interest for the non-specialist and non-petrolo gist professional who is interested in learning more about the geolo gical messages that metamorphic mineral assemblages are sending, as well as pressure and temperature conditions of formation. The book is organized into two parts. The first part introduces the different types of metamorphism, defines some names, terms and graphs used to describe metamorphic rocks, and discusses principal aspects of metamorphic processes. Part I introduces the causes of metamorphism on various scales in time and space, and some principles of chemical reactions in rocks that accompany metamorphism, but without treating these principles in detail, and presenting the thermodynamic basis for quantitative analysis of reactions and their equilibria in metamorphism. Part I also presents concepts of metamorphic grade or intensity of metamorphism, such as the metamorphic-facies concept.

This Special Publication sheds light on crust formation and tectonic processes in early Earth by focusing on Archaean granitoids and related rocks from West Greenland in the North Atlantic Craton, Karelia Province of the Fennoscandian Shield, Eastern Dharwar and Bundelkhand cratons in the Indian Shield and Bug Complex of the Ukrainian Shield. Resulting from the IGCP-SIDA 599 project `The Changing Early Earth’, this compilation of papers provides explanations on the nomenclature of Archaean granitoids and explores the petrology, element and isotope geochemistry, geochronology and metamorphism of granitoids and supracrustal rocks of variable metamorphic grade. This volume provides information on the increase and timing of crust-mantle interactions and granitoid diversification from early Archaean protoliths of island arc origin to the emergence of multi-source high-K calc-alkaline granitoid batholiths at convergent continental margins. The formation of abundant granitoid batholiths suggests a significant change in mantle dynamics and plate tectonics towards the end of the Archaean.

viii debate of those earlier days has been beautifully summarized by H. H. Read in his famous "Granite Controversy" (1957). Read's formulation of the controversy occurred at the time when geochemistry was as a new and powerful tool. The new techniques opened era during which emerging an granites were considered mainly from this new viewpoint. Geochemical signatures have shown that mantle and crustal origins for granites were both possible, but the debate on how and why granites are emplaced did not progress much. Meanwhile, structural geology was essentially geometrical and mechanistic. In the early 70's, the structural approach began to widen to include solid state physics and fluid dynamics. Detailed structural maps of granitic bodies were again published, mainly in France, and analysed in terms of magmatic and plastic flow. The senior editor of this volume and his students deserve much of the credit for this new development. Via microstructural and petrofabric studies, they were able to discriminate between strain in the presence of residual melt or in the solid-state, and, by systematically measuring magnetic fabrics (AMS), they have been able to map magmatic foliations and lineations in ever finer detail, using the internal markers within granites coming from different tectonic environments. The traditional debate has been shifted anew. The burning question now seems to be how the necessary, large-scale or local, crustal extension required for granite emplacement can be obtained.