Recent discoveries of diamond and coesite in the ultrahigh- pressure (UHP) metamorphosed supracrustal rocks have provoked a new challenge to present-day geodynamic ideas. A worldwide shift towards a new paradigm on the Earth's dynamics is imminent. Facing the new challenge, Chinese geologists have been taking an active role. The Dabieshan-Sulu region, the largest and best exposed UHP belt in the world, has attracted international attention. This comprehensive book describes many aspects of the UHP rocks in the Dabieshan-Sulu region, including the geotectonic setting, mode of occurrence, mineralogy and petrology, isotope chronology, major and trace element chemistry, and metamorphic PTt path. The possible geodynamic mechanisms involved in the deep subduction and rapid exhumation of UHP rocks are also discussed.
This book will be of particular interest to researchers and graduate students of metamorphic petrology and global tectonics.