Understanding Tectonic Evolution: From Deformed Grains to Tectonic Plates
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2025) | Viewed by 240
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Large-scale tectonic plate motions typically result in macroscale structure nucleation, which may significantly control crustal architecture and landscape evolution. Such major tectonic features require careful assessment of their physico-chemical characteristics to gain insights into crustal rheology and the (de)coupled evolution along the internal layers of the lithosphere. Field structural analysis of deformed terranes can be significantly widened by quantitative microstructural analysis, which, in combination with microgeochemistry, high-resolution geochronology, and in situ petrochronological dating, can yield important clues on deformation mechanisms and conditions that ultimately dictate the mechanical behavior of the lithosphere.
This Special Issue invites macro- to microscale studies to connect grain-scale deformation mechanisms and fluid-rock interactions with large-scale lithospheric evolution to further understand the processes that govern tectonic plate boundaries. We welcome contributions that combine field structural analysis, microstructures, mineral chemistry, and high-resolution geochronologic techniques to investigate the mechanics of plate interference along ancient and active tectonic boundaries. Theoretical and experimental predictions tested against numerical simulations are equally welcomed, constituting a key aspect of understanding Earth’s dynamics. By assessing crustal dynamics through a multiscale approach, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the modes of strain distribution and its subsequent localization along lithospheric layers and at lithosphere/asthenosphere boundaries.
Prof. Dr. Luis Gustavo Ferreira Viegas
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- tectonics
- plate boundaries
- deformation
- petrology
- geochronology
- geochemistry
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