This new edition of “Petrogenesis of Metamorphic Rocks” has several completely revised chapters and all chapters have updated references and additional or redrawn figures. All chapters of the book have been rewritten. The references made to important websites relating to metamorphic petrology tutorials, software, mail base, etc. have been updated. However, it should be noted that some of the links to these sites might fail to work in the future. A large number of new figures showing assemblage stability diagrams have been computed using the Theriak/Domino software by Ch. de Capitani of the University of Basel.

Igneous rocks formed at relatively high temperatures of approximately 650° to 1200°C and sediments deposited at the earth's surface represent extreme ends of the temperature range realized in the processes of rock formation.

The process of rock metamorphism changes the mineralogical and chemical composition, as well as the structure of rocks. Metamorphism is typically associated with elevated temperature and pressure; thus it affects rocks within the earth's crust and mantle. The process is driven by changing physical and or chemical conditions in response to large-scale geological dynamics.

There are three categories of rocks- igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks have been formed by solidification of hot silicate melts known as magmas, which may be erupted at the Earth's surface as lavas from volcanoes. Sedimentary rocks form by a variety of processes at low temperatures near the surface, including the bottom of the seas and oceans. Metamorphic rocks, the third category, were originally either igneous or sedimentary, but their character has been changed by processes operating below the surface of the Earth. The constituent minerals of the rocks may be changed, or the shapes, sizes and mutual spatial relationships of the crystals may change. There are a variety of processes involved, and they are collectively described by the term metamorphism. <...>

Монография представляет собой первую попытку рассмотрения метода минимизации термодинамических потенциалов с позиций решения проблем петрологии метаморфических горных пород. На основе этого метода приципиально возможно моделирование многокомпонентных и многофазных метаморфогенных мегасистем с определением параметров условий их образования и оценкой величин химических потенциалов всех породообразующих компонентов, что является дальнейшим развитием физико-химического метода анализа минеральных парагенезисов. Рассмотрены модели твердых минеральных растворов для основных породообразующих минералов, с помощью которых решаются обратные задачи в формулировке выпуклого программирования. Приведены примеры моделирования реальных минеральных ассоциаций в метаморфических породах, образованных в условиях гранулитовой и амфиболитовой фаций.

Для геологов, а также студентов, аспирантов.