Essentials of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

All Earth Science students need to understand the origins, environments, and basic processes that produce igneous and metamorphic rocks. This concise introductory textbook provides students with the essential knowledge needed to understand how petrology relates to other topics in the geologic sciences, and has been written specifically for one-semester courses. Throughout, the emphasis is on interpreting the mineralogy and petrology of rock suites in terms of origin and environment, with the first half of the book concentrating on igneous rocks, and the second half on metamorphic rocks. This Second Edition has been thoroughly revised and brought completely up-to-date. It now includes a new chapter on the application of stable and radiogenic isotopes in petrology, introducing students to the concept of isotopic fractionation and describing the process of radioactive decay. The discussions of phase diagrams, connections between igneous and metamorphic rock suites, and convergent margin magmatism have also been expanded. There is a new glossary of terms, updated end-of-chapter exercises, and updated further readings.

Preface; Acknowledgments; What is new in the second edition; 1. Introduction to igneous petrology; 2. An introduction to igneous phase diagrams; 3. Introduction to silicate melts and magmas; 4. Chemistry of igneous rocks; 5. Application of stable and radiogenic isotopes in petrology; 6. Basalts and mantle structure; 7. Oceanic magmatism; 8. Convergent-margin magmatism; 9. Intracontinental volcanism; 10. Intracontinental plutonism; 11. Interpretation of granitic rocks; 12. Introduction to metamorphic petrology; 13. Interpretation of metamorphic phase diagrams; 14. Metamorphic facies and the metamorphism of mafic rocks; 15. Metamorphism of peridotitic rocks; 16. Metamorphism of pelitic rocks; 17. Metamorphism of calcareous rocks and the role of fluids in metamorphism; 18. Thermobarometry and the conditions of metamorphism; 19. Regional occurrence and tectonic significance of metamorphosed rocks; Appendix; Glossary; References; Index.

B. Ronald Frost is Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Wyoming. He has conducted extensive field research in the Precambrian basement of Wyoming, as well as in Siberia, Greenland, Northern Canada, and the Broken Hill area of Australia. He is the author of more than 110 scientific papers on topics ranging from serpentinization and the metamorphism of serpentinites, ocean floor metamorphism, granulites, thermobarometry, the geochemistry of granites, and melting of sulfide ore deposits. He was previously an associate editor for the Journal of Metamorphic Geology and Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Petrology.
Carol D. Frost joined the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming in 1983 after receiving her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. She investigates the origin and evolution of the continental crust, the provenance of clastic sedimentary rocks, granite petrogenesis, and applies isotope geology and geochemistry to environmental issues including water co-produced with hydrocarbons and geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. She is a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America, Geological Society of America, and the Geochemical Society, and served as Division Director for the Division of Earth Sciences at the National Science Foundation from 2014–18.