Mantle and Lower Crust Exposed in Oceanic Ridges and in Ophiolites

The processes involved in accretion taking place at oceanic ridges are approached in this text via petrological and structural analysis of oceanic rocks in present-day oceanic ridges, combined with similar studies based on ophiolites, and includes present cases of slow and fast oceanic spreading and inferred analogues in ophiolites. A complementary model study of cyclic oceanic activity reconciles the extreme cases of slowly and rapidly spreading ridges. In essence, based as it is on the analysis of "real rocks", this book on mantle-crust interactions reinforces the well-known contrast between processes taking place at slow and fast oceanic ridges. It contains useful information for scientists interested in the nature and generation of the ocean floor in present-day oceanic ridges and in their ophiolite counterparts.