| Session Details | |
| Section | SE - Solid Earth Sciences |
| Session Title | Frontiers in Geochemistry with Reference to Lithospheric Evolution and Metallogeny |
| Main Convener | Dr. Balaram Vysetti (National Geophysical Research Institute, India) |
| Co-convener(s) | Prof. Chuan-Chou Shen (National Taiwan University, Taiwan) |
| Session Description | •Sub themes • Evolution of Archaean Greenstone-Granite-Granulite Terrains • Isotope Geochemistry • Kimberlite-Alkaline Rock Magmatism • Archaean and Proterozoic Crustal Evolution • Evolution of Continental Flood Basalts Provinces and their Mineral Potential • Tectonics and structural controls in mineral exploration • Geochemical Exploration for Gold, PGE and Base metals • Surface Geochemical Prospecting for Hydrocarbons • Marine Mineral Resources • Advances in Geoanalytical Techniques and Chemometrics (structure and tectonics….) Some salient features of this session Some currently important and challenging problems in geochemistry are, understanding of the processes leading to the formation of different zones within litho-astheno-mesospheres, their composition, chemical evolution, structure and tectonics, as well as the crust-mantle interactions in space and time. These studies have implications for i) understanding the finer structure and evolution of the mantle through composition of mantle xenoliths and indicator minerals in kimberlitic rocks and mineral inclusions in diamonds, ii) understanding the role of continental and oceanic magmatic activity, and associated metallogenic processes (e.g. gold, PGE, uranium, thorium and diamonds) through geological time, iii) dispersion and differentiation of elements through weathering, transport, deposition, diagenetic and metamorphic processes and iv) development of new methods/guides for mineral exploration (for both on-land and off-shore resources) in conjunction with geological, geophysical and geochemical techniques for discovering concealed world-class mineral deposits which remained undetected by conventional methods of exploration. All the above studies demand in-situ and bulk sample analysis of relative and absolute abundances of elements and isotopes for understanding the processes leading to the distribution and migration of individual elements and isotopes in various parts of the Earth System (core, mantle, crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere) with the objective of discovering the principles governing them. The impact of the technological advances on geochemical studies are significant and many unresolved questions in these fields are expected to be successfully addressed soon. |