Basement Geology

The aim of the course is to provide: i) tools (comprehension of meso- and mega-scale geometries; individuation of a sampling strategy; microstructural analysis) for the reconstruction of the structural-metamorphic and / or structural-magmatic evolution of crystalline basement rocks; ii) the theoretical basis necessary for the microstructural analysis of crustal and mantle rocks, polymetamorphic and polydeformed, and of igneous rocks with particular regard to mafic and ultramafic systems. The practical works are devoted to the observation, at the optical microscope, of the microstructures of polydeformed metamorphic tectonites of various compositions, for the interpretation of the structural, magmatic and metamorphic evolution of the oceanic and continental lithosphere.

Learning outcomes include: the understanding of active deformation mechanisms and correlation to the main flow laws; interpretation of the microstructural evolution of polydeformed mantle and crust rocks of metamorphic terrains; the integration of structural data acquired at various scales for the reconstruction of the tectono-metamorphic evolution. The acquisition of these notions is fundamental to investigate the evolution of chemical composition of mineral phases as a function of different microstructural sites.