The Platta-Totalp massifs in the Alps (Switzerland)
The Platta-Totalp massifs in the Eastern Central Alps (Grison, Switzerland) represent a type example of a zone of exhumed continental mantle and offer a complete stratigraphic sequence of an OCT. A detailed study of the geochemistry and microstructures is undertaken to characterise the deformation in such setting.
More details and pictures soon
The Lanzo massif in the Alps (Italy)
The contact between two blocks of ultramylonite
Joana Duarte, a Master student, studies ultramylonitic peridotites from the Lanzo massif, near Torino in Italy. These ultramylonites located in a kilometric mantle shear-zone, represent the final localization of deformation during mantle exhumation from high to low temperature. The peridotite is impregnated by a large quantity of melt focusing in centimetric discontinued amphibole-rich gabbroic veins, and the peridotite also contains deformed high and low temperature amphibole.
Joana is undertaking a detailed petrological, geochemical and microstructural study of these rocks to decipher the conditions and mechanisms of deformation in such context.
Mary-Alix Kaczmarek 