Timescales of Magmatic Processes: From Core to AtmosphereISBN: 978-1-4443-3261-2
Paperback
272 pages
December 2010, Wiley-Blackwell
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Quantifying the timescales of current geological processes is
critical for constraining the physical mechanisms operating on the
Earth today. Since the Earth’s origin 4.55 billion years ago
magmatic processes have continued to shape the Earth, producing the
major reservoirs that exist today (core, mantle, crust, oceans and
atmosphere) and promoting their continued evolution. But key
questions remain. When did the core form and how quickly? How are
magmas produced in the mantle, and how rapidly do they travel
towards the surface? How long do magmas reside in the crust,
differentiating and interacting with the host rocks to yield the
diverse set of igneous rocks we see today? How fast are volcanic
gases such as carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere?
This book addresses these and other questions by reviewing the latest advances in a wide range of Earth Science disciplines: from the measurement of short-lived radionuclides to the study of element diffusion in crystals and numerical modelling of magma behaviour. It will be invaluable reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as igneous petrologists, mineralogists and geochemists involved in the study of igneous rocks and processes.