1997 Volume 106 Issue 5 Pages 682-688
This paper considers the importance of “the process model” in petrology, taking a transition model of coesite inclusion as an example. The process model, as a new trend in petrology, deals a dynamics of physico-chemical processes in rocks and also in the crust, in contrast to the static analysis of the equilibrium state in the traditional petrology. It will provide a unified view and a perspective in interpretations of natural data, when combined with the results of the traditional petrology such as phase equilibrium analyses and pressure-temperature-time analyses. The process model stimulates the traditional petrology, leading to the establishments of more and more quantitative petrology.