Granite magma formation, transport and emplacement in the Earth's crust

The origin of granites was once a question solely for petrologists and geochemists. But in recent years a consensus has emerged that recognizes the essential role of deformation in the segregation, transport and emplacement of silica-rich melts in the continental crust. Accepted petrological models...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 2000-12, Vol.408 (6813), p.669-673
Main Authors: McCaffrey, K. J. W, Petford, N, Vigneresse, J.-L, Cruden, A. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemistry
Continental crust
Crystalline rocks
Deformation
Earth
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geology
Granite
Humanities and Social Sciences
Igneous and metamorphic rocks petrology, volcanic processes, magmas
multidisciplinary
review-article
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Silica
Stone
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Summary:The origin of granites was once a question solely for petrologists and geochemists. But in recent years a consensus has emerged that recognizes the essential role of deformation in the segregation, transport and emplacement of silica-rich melts in the continental crust. Accepted petrological models are being questioned, either because they require unrealistic rheological behaviours of rocks and magmas, or because they do not satisfactorily explain the available structural or geophysical data. Provided flow is continuous, mechanical considerations suggest that—far from being geologically sluggish—granite magmatism is a rapid, dynamic process operating at timescales of ≤100,000 years, irrespective of tectonic setting.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/35047000