Ophiolite are section of the Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that have been uplifted and exposed above sea level and often emplaced onto continental crustal rocks. This book describes typical formations, how these geological structures are formed, and how geophysical processes around oceanic ridges contribute to their formation.
I - Introduction and Analytical Methods
1. Introduction
2. Analytical methods in ophiolites
II - Typical Ophiolite Complexes
3. Oman ophiolite: the harzburgite ophiolite type
4. Xigaze and Trinity ophiolites-Plagioclase lherzolite massifs: the lherzolite ophiolite type
5. Bogota Peninsula and N.E. districts of New Caledonia - Wadi Tayin in Oman - Coastal Complex of Newfoundland: possible origin in transform faults
6. Canyon Mountain ophiolite: possible origin in an island arc
III - Activity of Oceanic Spreading Centers and the Origin of Ophiolites
7. Melt generation and extraction in mantle diapers
8. The various ophiolites and their oceanic environments of origin
9. Mantle flow, tithospheric accretion and segmentation of oceanic ridges
10. Magmatic processes in the uppermost mantle at oceanic spreading centers
11 - Generation of oceanic crust
IV - Emplacement of Ophiolites Through Space and Time
12 - Ophiolites emplacement
13 - Ophiolite belts through time
"This is a very valuable book for both oceanographers and geologists interested in the formation of oceanic crust and its accretion into continents. The author has carefully gone through much of the literature on this subject, so the bibliography is extremely valuable for those trying to catch up or those just starting research in the field."
– Episodes, 13:1, 1990