Granitoid Rocks

The general term "granite" is a deceptively simple name for a complex group of rocks that forms the most abundant material in the crust of the Earth. As a result of this complexity and abundance, granitic rocks have been at the centre of geological controversy for over 200 years. "Occurrence and Origin of Granitoid Rocks" presents the information required to understand the diverse origins of granitoid rocks. The principal tools for unravelling the petrogenetic history of a granitoid body - field relations, mineralology, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, and experimental petrology - appear in successive chapters. Another chapter deals specifically with processes that lead to mineralization in peraluminous, metaluminous, and peralkaline granitoids. The major chapter of the book presents six detailed examples emphasizing an integrated application of the petrogenetic tools to discovering the origins of chronologically, chemically, and tectonically variable types of granitoids. The book concludes with a chapter on future directions for research in the petrogenesis of granitoid rocks.