Introduction to the origin of granites and related rocks

Abstract

The origin and classification of granites and related rocks are the two fundamental aspects of igneous petrology. This special volume is based on the 9th Hutton symposium that was held at Nanjing University in China in 2019. It focuses on micro- to macro-scale aspects that are temporally and spatially linked to sources and processes of granitic magmatism. These aspects are a key to understanding a wide spectrum of phenomena in continental geology, involving not only partial melting of ancient and juvenile crustal rocks but also fractional crystallization of mantle-derived mafic magmas at convergent plate boundaries. Papers in this volume report progresses in mineralogical, petrological, geochronological and geochemical studies of granites and related rocks, with tectonic settings varying from accretionary to collisional orogens. Microbeam in-situ analyses of various minerals are successfully utilized to solve petrogenetic problems involving crustal anataxis and magma mixing. In addition to their geochronological applications to dating of magmatic processes in different stages of partial melting and fractional crystallization, microbeam techniques have also served as an efficient means to trace different generations of mineral growth during granitic magmatism. Furthermore, dehydration and melting of the crustal rocks at different depths are emphasized with respect to their operation in continental interiors. These have provided new insights into the formation and evolution of continental crust at convergent plate boundaries.