Orogenic Andesites and Crustal Growth
Description:... Orogenic andesites have long intrigued scientists because of their
remarkable compositional similarities to the continental crust. The
significance of orogenic andesites as proxies to continental crust
formation has been recognized for over 30 years, but no consensus model
of andesite genesis exists. Much of the controversy revolves around
whether orogenic andesites are primary mantle melts of slab and mantle
materials, or instead evolve from basaltic mantle melts at shallower
crustal levels. In three sections, this book provides an overview of
andesite genesis at convergent margins that focuses on the slab–mantle
interaction, crustal processing and andesite evolution through the life
of volcanic arcs. Without favouring a particular view, the books aims toengender cross-fertilization and discussion that will smooth the
pathway towards a holistic communal model of andesite petrogenesis and
its role within the broader geochemical cycles of the Earth.
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