Perspectives in Petrology

Carbonatites are rare igneous rocks that host the largest resources of REE and Nb, yet, their genesis and evolution are far from clear. The leading models of carbonatite formation are the direct melting of carbonate-bearing peridotites, silicate-carbonatite liquid immiscibility, and fractionation ...

This article reports on the state-of-the-art and future perspectives of machine learning (ML) in petrology. To achieve this goal, it first introduces the basics of ML, including definitions, core concepts, and applications. Then, it starts reviewing the state-of-the-art of ML in petrology. ...

Complex zoning in crystals including repeated resorption and overgrowth is characteristic for arc magmas and occurs in response to closed-system changes in magmatic P–T– f O 2 conditions and open system processes such as magma mixing and degassing or regassing. However, over which time frame do ...

Volcanism is the surface expression of extensive magmatic systems, with their intrusive counterpart representing ~80% of the total magma budget. Our knowledge of igneous processes therefore largely relies on our understanding of deep plutonic processes. In continental or oceanic environments, most ...

Crystal clusters are common in both extrusive and plutonic rocks, but the mechanisms by which they form are not well-constrained. Following a consideration of the physics of nucleation, we outline the expected microstructural characteristics of clusters formed by heterogeneous nucleation and those ...

Chemical diversity in convergent margin magmas is a product of igneous differentiation in crustal hot zones, vertically extensive regions characterised by a low-volume (<20%) mobile melt phase dispersed in a crystal-rich mush. Chemical reaction between buoyant, percolating melts and the ...

Elucidating the origin, composition and physical properties of primary kimberlite melts is crucial to our understanding of their source, petrogenesis, ascent mechanisms and ultimately the origin of diamonds. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the study of olivine, which is one of the ...

Fluid–rock interaction has profound effects on the dynamics of the lithosphere. This Perspectives article describes the catalytic effects of water on the kinetics of mineral reactions and on the strength of rocks in terms of coupled dissolution and precipitation mechanisms on a macro- and ...

A large compilation of quality-curated major and trace element data has been assembled to investigate how trace element patterns of mafic and ultramafic magmas have varied with time through particular settings from the Archean to the Phanerozoic, the primary objective being to recognise at what ...

Previous studies have concluded that dehydration of serpentinites in subduction zones produces oxidizing fluids that are the cause of oxidized arc magmas. Here, observations of natural samples and settings are combined with thermodynamic models to explore some of the factors that complicate ...

We present a review of a unique non-destructive method for the real-time monitoring of phase transformations and nano-pore evolution in dehydrating rocks: transmission small- and wide-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS). It is shown how SAXS/WAXS can be applied to investigating rock ...

The astonishing progress of personal computer technology in the past 30 years as well as the availability of thermodynamic data and modeling programs have revolutionized our ability to investigate and quantify metamorphic processes. Equilibrium thermodynamics has played a central role in this ...

Olivier Bachmann is Professor of volcanology and magmatic petrology at the ETH Zürich. He obtained his PhD at the University of Geneva, and held positions of post-doctoral fellow and professor at the University of Washington (USA) before moving to Zürich in 2012. Olivier has always enjoyed ...

Inclusions in minerals, whether fluids, melts or crystalline phases, are small pieces of the large-scale puzzle of Nature, time-consuming to investigate and often of difficult interpretation. Yet they are windows into the past of their host mineral. Mineral inclusions provide the opportunity to ...

Over the last few decades, significant advances in using geophysical techniques to image the structure of magma plumbing systems have enabled the identification of zones of melt accumulation, crystal mush development, and magma migration. Combining advanced geophysical observations with ...

The formation of adcumulates necessitates the continued growth of primocrysts down to low porosities. Gravitationally driven viscous compaction at the base of a crystal mushy layer on the magma chamber floor, driven by the weight of the mushy layer itself, is commonly suggested as a significant ...