The 32 research papers in this volume examine the mode and natureof igneous, metamorphic, tectonic, sedimentological and biologicalprocesses associated with the evolution of ophiolites in Earth'shistory. Divided into six sections, the book presents a wealthof new data and syntheses from ophiotites around the world.Introductory chapters review the distribution of ophiolitesin space and time and present a synoptic discussion on theirimportance in Earth history. Papers in the second section presentdiverse data from Tethyan ophiolites and provide refined geodynamicmodels for their evolution. The following two sections presentcase studies documenting magmatic, metamorphic and tectonicprocesses in ophiolite genesis and hydrothermal and biogenicalteration of fossil oceanic crust. Mechanisms of ophioliteemplacement are explored in Section V with a focus on the Semailmassif (Oman). The last section examines the regional occurrenceand geodynamic significance of ophiolite belts on differentcontinents.
The book reflects the contemporary work of the internationalcommunity in a most up-to-date treatment of process-orientedquestions on the evolution of ophiolites.
