Liquidus diagram for the system forsterite-diopside anorthite. Primary phase boundaries are shown for pressures of 0.1 and 700 MPa. (Image courtesy of Prof. Timothy Grove.)
Course Highlights
Course Description
Principles of thermodynamics are used to infer the physical conditions of formation and modification of igneous and metamorphic rocks. It includes phase equilibria of homogeneous and heterogeneous systems and thermodynamic modelling of non-ideal crystalline solutions. It also surveys the processes that lead to the formation of metamorphic and igneous rocks in the major tectonic environments in the Earth's crust and mantle.