Unknown mechanisms of granitization of basalts

Abstract

Back in the late 18th century, J.-B. Lamarck, a famous French representative of Neptunism, believed that granites were of aqueous origin, but at that time he could not provide compelling data to substantiate his point of view, and the opinion of Plutonists, who held that granites had a magmatic genesis, won. The latter approach was challenged by V.I. Vernadsky, who considered granites as “traces of bygone biospheres.” However, even today geological science follows the views of Plutonists despite insuperable barriers on this way. The author of this article substantiates a fundamentally new and previously unknown mechanism of granite formation through the transformation of basalts by water. He shows that the water–basalt system always contains a nonequilibrium state that ensures the continuous dissolution of the latter and the formation of new minerals and entire rock massifs, the composition of which depends on the time of evolution of the water–rock system. The granitization of basalts is the final stage of evolution in nonliving matter.