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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2009

R. G. Coleman
Affiliation:
Stanford University
Xiaomin Wang
Affiliation:
Stanford University
Robert G. Coleman
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Xiaomin Wang
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
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Summary

The new discoveries of diamond and coesite previously thought to form only in the mantle or under cataclysmic conditions have mobilized the petrologic community into an intense search throughout the world for new occurrences of these minerals in crustal rocks. The advancement in petrologic knowledge has taken shape in three separate and interconnected spheres that have allowed us to explore further into the depths of our planet. Continued high temperature and pressure laboratory experimental synthesis produced heretofore unrecognized naturally occurring species that initiated a search for these minerals in nature. Identification and chemical analysis of micron-size mineral inclusions in resistant minerals by the electron and ion probe have provided the ground truth for verifying the presence of such ultrahigh pressure minerals (UHPM) occurring naturally. At a much different scale, geophysical seismic profiles across young orogenic zones containing UHP minerals, such as the Alps, reveal that fragments of subducted crust indeed penetrate into the mantle and that plate movements are capable of moving crustal materials to such great depths. In all new discoveries, such as this one, there has been an enthusiasm developed for discovering yet another occurrence of diamond or coesite. Nearly a decade ago these discoveries were not predicted, and so the reality of these new finds is only now being considered by the earth science community; therefore, we can look forward to new paradigms explaining the origin of UHP minerals.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1995

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  • Preface
  • Edited by Robert G. Coleman, Stanford University, California, Xiaomin Wang, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism
  • Online publication: 24 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511573088.001
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  • Preface
  • Edited by Robert G. Coleman, Stanford University, California, Xiaomin Wang, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism
  • Online publication: 24 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511573088.001
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Edited by Robert G. Coleman, Stanford University, California, Xiaomin Wang, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Ultrahigh Pressure Metamorphism
  • Online publication: 24 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511573088.001
Available formats
×