Endogenous petrology

In the first part of this course, we'll look at the genesis and evolution of magmas from a petrological (microscopic observations of rocks and minerals, phase equilibrium) and geochemical (major, trace and isotopic element composition of minerals and rocks) point of view in different geodynamic contexts: oceanic ripples, hot spots and subduction zones.

In the second part of this course, we introduce the main variables and geodynamic contexts of metamorphism. You will learn to recognize mineral reactions and interpret them using the geometric rules of chemiography. We will look at the notion of metastability and the influence of rock chemistry on metamorphic evolution.

Hourly volumes :

CM: 9

TP: 18

Identify the structures and textures of magmatic and metamorphic rocks under the microscope, and understand the conditions of their genesis in different geodynamic contexts.

Fundamentals of mineralogy and crystallography: definition of a mineral, what it's made of, what properties help identify them, recognition of common minerals (macroscopy and microscopy).

Geochemical knowledge: notion of incompatible/compatible elements, partition coefficient, stable and radioactive isotope, partial melting/fractional crystallization equation.

Recommended prerequisites :

The content of the L1 "Earth and its resources", "Rocks and minerals" and "Geochemistry" courses in the L2 Earth-Water-Environment course is an ideal prerequisite for this course.

Assessment: Continuous assessment. During the semester, students will be assessed on the basis of 3 tests to evaluate the practical and theoretical knowledge acquired in lectures and practical work.

• Synthetic description of the concepts covered in CM :

CM1 1.5 h: Textures of magmatic and metamorphic rocks.

CM2 1.5 h: Genesis of magmatic rocks in the context of oceanic ripples and hot spots.

CM3 1.5 h: - Genesis of magmatic rocks in the context of subduction and collision zones.

CM4 1.5 h: Metamorphism and geodynamics: recent mountain ranges

CM5 1.5h: Metamorphism and geodynamics: ancient mountain ranges

CM6 1.5h: Texture of metamorphic rocks and introduction to the chemical representation of metamorphic reactions

• Synthetic description of TP sessions and number of hours associated with each session

Practical exercise 1: Optical microscopy - Recognition of minerals using polarized/analyzed light.

Practical exercise 2: Optical microscopy - Recognition of minerals using polarized/analyzed light.

TP3: Optical microscopy of magmatic rocks in the context of oceanic ripples and hot spots.

TP4: Optical microscopy of magmatic rocks in the context of subduction and collision zones

TP5: Optical microscopy of metamorphic rocks

TP6: Observations of thin sections reflecting hot Barrovian and Abukuma metamorphic gradients (MP/HT and LP/HT)

Skills targeted by the EU:

• Recognize the main minerals in magmatic and metamorphic rocks, their texture and structure, and deduce their formation conditions.
• Know how to relate the mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of rocks and discuss their genesis in their geodynamic context.
• Know how to work independently, describe, write and synthesize.