Andesites

Students of a phenomenon as common but complex as andesite genesis often are overwhelmed by, or overlook, the volume and diversity of relevant information. Thus there is need for periodic overview even in the absence of a dramatic breakthrough which "solves the andesite problem" and even though new ideas and data keep the issues in a state of flux. Thus I have summarized the subject through mid·1980 from my perspective to help clarify the long-standing problem and to identify profitable areas for future research. Overviews are more easily justified than achieved and there are fundamental differences of opinion concerning how to go about them. It is professionally dangerous and therefore uncom mon for single authors, especially those under 35 such as I, to summarize a broad, active field of science in book-length thor oughness. Review articles in journals, multi-authored books, or symposia proceedings appear instead. The single-authored approach is intimidating in scale and can result in loss of thoroughness or authority on individual topics. The alternatives lack scope or integration or both.

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 to engender 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.

European geologists, many from former Soviet bloc countries, present 14 studies they delivered at an October 2002 workshop in Freiberg, Germany on the physical geology of sub-volcanic systems. The subject has not been so thoroughly examined since 1970, they say, and could be of interest to igneous petrologists, volcanologists, structural geologists

A comprehensive, expertly authored account of the orogenic andesite association. Focuses on the classification, petrology, and mineralogy of orogenic volcanic rocks. Describes the characteristics and evolution of active orogenic provinces. Examines: the volcanological, chemical, and isotopic characteristics and experimental petrology of andesites and the roles of andesites in continental growth and in the formation of mineral deposits.

This book compiles information gained by an EU research network over six years of research on European volcanic soils. It gives comprehensive coverage of soils in volcanic regions within Europe, dealing with most aspects of modern day soil science. New methodology is introduced and the synthesis of the research casts a new light on soils with andic soil properties.