Discipline

Petrology

peh-TROL-uh-jee
Branch of Geology

The branch of geology that studies rocks: their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form. Its three subdivisions, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary petrology, divide the work along the same lines as the rock cycle itself; the first two lean heavily on chemistry and phase diagrams, while sedimentary petrology is usually taught with stratigraphy because it deals with the processes that form sedimentary rock.

Facts
Central Question
How do rocks form, and what do their mineralogy, composition, texture and structure record about the conditions that made them? 1
Scope
Petrology studies the origin, composition, distribution and structure of rocks, classifying them into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic families. 1
Significance
Petrology reconstructs the pressure, temperature and chemical history that formed a rock, which in turn reveals the tectonic setting it formed in. 1
Scope
Solid Earth 1
Petrology
Filter Results1 entry
Connections

Associated With

Petrology reads the mineralogy of rocks; the two disciplines share their subject at different scales.

Source Petrology (Wikipedia)

Has Scientist

Source Auguste Michel-Lévy (Wikipedia)
Source Hatten Yoder (Wikipedia)
Source Henry Clifton Sorby (Wikipedia)
Source Lawrence Wager (Wikipedia)

Includes

Source Wikipedia: Batholith
Source Bowen's Reaction Series (Wikipedia)
Magmatism, Processes
Source Magmatism (Wikipedia)

Metamorphic petrology is the study of metamorphism.

Source Metamorphism (Wikipedia)
Source Metasomatism (Wikipedia)
Source Serpentinization (Wikipedia)
Source Ultra-high-pressure metamorphism (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Petrology (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form
  • Lead paragraph
    Petrology (from Ancient Greek πέτρος (pétros) 'rock' and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is the branch of geology that studies rocks, their mineralogy, composition, texture, structure and the conditions under which they form.
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Magmatism (Wikipedia)
Includes: Magmatism, Lead
Quote, Includes: Magmatism, Lead
Evidence for magmatic activity is usually found in the form of igneous rocks formed from magma.
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Metasomatism (Wikipedia)
Includes: Metasomatism, Lead
Quote, Includes: Metasomatism, Lead
It is the replacement of one rock by another of different mineralogical and chemical composition.
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Ultra-high-pressure metamorphism (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ultra-High-Pressure Metamorphism, Identification
Quote, Includes: Ultra-High-Pressure Metamorphism, Identification
Petrological indicators of UHP metamorphism are usually preserved in eclogite.
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Serpentinization (Wikipedia)
Includes: Serpentinization, Lead
Quote, Includes: Serpentinization, Lead
Serpentinization is a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ferromagnesian minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene, in mafic and ultramafic rock to produce serpentinite.
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Auguste Michel-Lévy (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Auguste Michel-Lévy, Lead, occupation
Quote, Has Scientist: Auguste Michel-Lévy, Lead, occupation
was a French geologist
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Henry Clifton Sorby (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Henry Clifton Sorby, Lead, thin sections
Quote, Has Scientist: Henry Clifton Sorby, Lead, thin sections
development of techniques for thin sectioning of rocks and minerals
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Hatten Yoder (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Hatten Yoder, Lead, petrologist
Quote, Has Scientist: Hatten Yoder, Lead, petrologist
experimental petrologist
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Lawrence Wager (Wikipedia)
Has Scientist: Lawrence Wager, Lead, petrology discipline
Quote, Has Scientist: Lawrence Wager, Lead, petrology discipline
The work on the Skaergaard Intrusion has been described as possibly "the most significant single contribution yet made to the science of petrology".
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Wikipedia: Batholith
WikipediaIncludes: Batholith, Lead section (in-discipline Petrology)
Quote, Includes: Batholith, Lead section (in-discipline Petrology)
A batholith (from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús), meaning "deep", and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone") is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than 100 km2 (40 sq mi) in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust.
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Bowen's Reaction Series (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Bowen's Reaction Series, Lead section (in-discipline Petrology)
Quote, Includes: Bowen's Reaction Series, Lead section (in-discipline Petrology)
Bowen, who summarized, based on experiments and observations of natural rocks, the sequence of crystallization of common silicate minerals from typical basaltic magma undergoing fractional crystallization (i.e. crystallization wherein early-formed crystals are removed from the magma by crystal settling, leaving behind
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