Pure and applied problems in metamorphic petrology

这项研究计划的目标是推进变质岩石学的理论和技术，并将其与相关技术相结合，以解决地球科学中更广泛的问题。变质岩石学是地质学的一个专门分支，研究岩石的矿物学和结构因地球岩石圈的埋藏和加热而发生的变化。它为理解地球的演化和行为提供了独特而重要的信息。通过阅读变质岩的记录，我们可以拼凑出地球板块随着时间的推移相互作用的复杂历史，解释未暴露的地球深处的地球物理特征，并了解矿床形成的环境。 这项拟议的研究采取了双管齐下的方法：(1)改进变质岩石学的专业“工具”，特别是在地球的巨大深度和温度下控制变质矿物开发的技术和理解；(2)应用这些工具更好地了解加拿大辽阔多样的地质的演化和矿产资源。“行业工具”的目标包括：(1-1)改进热力学预测的矿物组合与它们在自然界中的赋存状态之间的匹配；(1-2)研究在变质矿物组合和结构发展过程中平衡、动力学和岩石变形之间的相互作用。这项“应用”旨在利用变质岩石学来破译加拿大的古代造山事件。这些活动包括：(2-1)识别不列颠哥伦比亚省东南部变质岩域的性质、时间和界面，对世界著名的加拿大科迪勒拉山脉及其丰富的矿物储量的地质演化具有影响；以及(2-2)绘制和表征加拿大古代遭受侵蚀的前寒武纪山脉带的变质作用，包括马尼托巴省和萨斯喀彻温省的富含矿物的弗林弗隆-雪湖带，以及基本上未被研究的加拿大北极边境地区，如坚果派大陆的一部分和巴芬岛。

The objective of this research proposal is to advance the theory and techniques of metamorphic petrology, and to apply these in concert with allied techniques to solve broader problems in Earth Science. Metamorphic petrology is a specialized branch of geology that is concerned with changes in the mineralogy and textures of rocks in response to burial and heating in the Earth's lithosphere. It provides unique and essential information for understanding Earth evolution and behavior. Reading the record of metamorphic rocks allows us to piece together the complex history of Earth's plate interactions through time, to account for geophysical features deep in the unexposed Earth, and to understand the environment in which ore deposits form. The proposed research takes a two-pronged approach: (1) improvement of the specialized 'tools of the trade' of metamorphic petrology, in particular the techniques and understanding of what controls metamorphic mineral development when subjected to the great depths and temperatures in the Earth; and (2) application of these tools to better understand the evolution and mineral endowment of Canada's vast and varied geology. The 'tools of the trade' aims include: (1-1) improving the match between thermodynamically predicted mineral assemblages and their occurrence in nature; and (1-2) investigating the interplay between equilibrium, kinetics and rock deformation in the development of metamorphic mineral assemblages and textures. The 'application' aims centre on using metamorphic petrology to decipher ancient mountain building events in Canada. These include: (2-1) discerning the character, timing and interface of metamorphic domains in southeastern British Columbia, with implications for the geological evolution of the world-renowned Canadian Cordillera and its ample mineral inventory; and (2-2) mapping out and characterizing the metamorphism of ancient, eroded Precambrian mountain belts in Canada, including the minerals-rich Flin Flon-Snow Lake belt in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and frontier areas of Arctic Canada that are largely unstudied, such as parts of mainland Nunavut and Baffin Island.