Teaching Petrology Using the Primary Scientific Literature

This is a compilation of scholarly articles recommended for use in igneous and metamorphic petrology courses. The original compilation was made by Allen Glazner, University of North Carolina, with subsequent contributions made by colleagues on the Mineralogical Society of America email list.

Use readings from the primary literature to: provide a historical perspective of our science; promote critical thinking; help students develop analytical and synthetic thinking; demonstrate applications of modern scientific methods and techniques; and prepare students to begin to contribute to our scientific heritage.

Teaching Strategies

• Friday Forum: Reading from the Primary Literature -- Cameron Davidson, Carleton College
• Exercises to teach scientific reading comprehension and mineralogic concepts -- Kurt Hollocher, Union College
• Metastability during metamorphism (reading a metamorphic petrology paper from the literature) -- William Peck, Colgate University
• Critical Review of a Journal Article: An Assessment Activity -- Dave Mogk, Montana State University

General Resources

Consider using chapters from the Reviews of Mineralogy and Geochemistry series. See a complete listing of topics in this series, and purchase these volumes, at the Mineralogical Society of America Bookstore

For a historical perspective, work through Landmark Papers in Volcanic Petrology, papers selected by Ian S. W. Carmichael (2004). Order from the Mineralogical Society of America. A collection of "classic" articles, with editorial commentary on the context and impacts of these important contributions. View the

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Landmark Papers No 3, Metamorphic Petrology(2007), edited by B.W. Evans. Order from the Mineralogical Society of America. A collection of "classic" articles, with editorial commentary on the context and impacts of these important contributions.

Suggested readings from Elements Magazine

• v3, n1 Zircon related papers,
• v2, n5 Melt papers,
• v2, n4 Early Earth papers.
• v1, n5 Large Igneous Provinces papers,
• v1, n2 Diamond papers

Recommended Articles on Igneous Petrology

• Bowen, N. L., and Andersen, O., 1914, The binary system MgO-SiO2: American Journal of Science, v. 37, p. 487-500.
• Bowen, N. L., 1948, The granite problem and the method of multiple prejudices: in Origin of Granite, Geological Society of America Memoir 28, p. 79-90. (See Read paper and other papers and discussion in that volume)
• Clemens, J.D., 2003, S-type granitic magmas--petrogenetic issues, models and evidence: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 61, p. 1-18.
• Coleman, D. S., Gray, W., and Glazner, A. F., 2004, Rethinking the emplacement and evolution of zoned plutons: Geochronologic evidence for incremental assembly of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite, California: Geology, v. 32, p. 433-436, doi: 10.1130/G20220.1.
• Collins, W. J., 2002, Hot orogens, tectonic switching, and creation of continental crust: Geology, v. 30, no. 6, p. 535-538.

• Eichelberger, J. C., 1978, Andesitic volcanism and crustal evolution: Nature, v. 275, p. 21-27.
• Eichelberger, J.C. 1980, Vesiculation of mafic magma during replenishment of silicic magma reservoirs, Nature, v. 288, p.446.
• Glazner, A. F., Bartley, J. M., Coleman, D. S., Gray, W., and Taylor, R. Z., 2004, Are plutons assembled over millions of years by amalgamation from small magma chambers? GSA Today, v. 14, p. 4-11, doi: 10.1130/1052-5173(2004)014<0004:APAOMO>2.0.CO;21996.
• Hamilton, W. B., 2003, An Alternative Earth: GSA Today, v. 13, no. 11, p. 4-12. (tough going, but it has provided endless fun)
• Holness, M.B., 2005, Spatial constraints on magma chamber replenishment events from textural observations of cumulates: the Rum Layered Intrusion, Scotland: Journal of Petrology, v. 46, p. 1585-1601.
• Long and Wood, 1986, Structures, textures and cooling histories of Columbia River basalt flows, GSAB v. 97, p. 1144 [this is a bit advanced, but is a fantastic paper for going from outcrop scale observations of jointing, to petrographic observations, to basic thermal modelling]
• McBirney, A. R., and Hunter, R. H., 1995, The cumulate paradigm reconsidered: Journal of Geology, v. 103, no. 1, p. 114-122.
• Perfit, M.R., (2001). Mid-Ocean Ridge Geochemistry and Petrology. in Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, J. Steel, S. Thorpe and K. Turekian, eds., Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1778-1788.
• Perfit, M.R. et al., 1994, Small-scale spatial and temporal variations in mid-ocean ridge crest magmatic processes: Geology, v. 22, p. 375-379
• Read, H. H., 1948, Granites and granites: in Origin of Granite, Geological Society of America Memoir 28, p. 79-90. (See Bowen paper and other papers and discussion in that volume)
• Sparks et al, 1977, Magma mixing: a mechanism for triggering acid explosive eruptions. Nature, v. 267, p315

Recommended Articles on Metamorphic Petrology

• Bohlen, S.R., Valley, J. W., and Essene, E. J., 1985, Metamorhism in the Adiriondacks. I. Petrology, Pressure and Temperature, Jour. of Petrology, vol 26, p. 971-992.
• Edmond, J.M., 1992, Himalayan tectonics, weathering processes, and the strontium isotopic record in marine limestones: Science 258, 1594-1597.
• Ernst, W.G., 1988, Tectonic history of subduction zones inferred from retrograde blueschist P-T paths: Geology 16, 1081-1084.
• Kemp A.I.S., Hawkesworth C.J., Paterson, B.A. and Kinny, P. (2006). Episodic growth of the Gondwana supercontinent from hafnium and oxygen isotopes in zircon. Nature, 439, 580-583—could accompany the Collins paper.
• Mezger, K., Bohlen, S. R., and Hanson , G. N., 1990, Metamorphic history of the Archean Pikwitonei granulite domain an dthe Cross Lake subprovince, Superior Province, Manitoba, Canada, Jour of Petrology, vol 31, p. 483-517.
• Selverstone, J., Pun, A., and Condie K. C., 1999, Xenolithic evidence for Proterozoic crustal evolution beneath the Colorado Plateau, GSA Bulletin v. 111 #4, p. 590-606.
• Smith, C.A., Sisson, V. B., Ave Lallemant, H. G., and Copeland, P., 1999, Two contrasting pressure-temperature-time paths in the Villa de Cura blueschist belt, Venezuala: possible evidence for Late Creataceous initiation of subduction in the Caribbean. GSA Bull, v. 111 #6, p. 831-848.
• Whitney, D.L., Teyssier, C., and Vanderhaeghe, O. (2004) Gneiss domes and crustal flow. In: Whitney, D.L., Teyssier, C., and Siddoway, C.S., (eds.) , Gneiss Domes in Orogeny , Geological Society of America Special Paper 380, 15-33.