| Professor Wyllie's main interest is in the processes
associated with magmatic phenomena, starting with mantle convection or
flux of volatiles in the mantle that initiates partial melting, continuing
through the migration and emplacement of igneous bodies in mantle or crust,
and culminating in volcanic eruptions. The experimental determination
of phase relationships at high pressures and temperatures for complex
rock systems and for related simple synthetic systems places constraints
on the processes involved in the origin of rocks, and supplements other
approaches of geochemistry, geophysics and fluid dynamics. Research topics
have included the origin of granitic, batholiths, andesites, kimberlites,
carbonatites, and associated ore deposits, evaluated from the phase relationships
of minerals and rocks at high pressures and temperatures. Results from
two recent projects are outlined in the Research
Report, with current references (April 1999). Professor Wyllie is
President,
IUGG International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, 1995-1999. |
