Geology Bites - New Episode July 31, 2024 - Roberta Rudnick on the Continental Crustal Composition Paradox

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Società Geologica Italiana

Carissimi Associati SGI,
Carissimi Soci Società Associate,

su segnalazione di Rodolfo Carosi (Università di Torino e Presidente SGI) vi segnaliamo l'ultimo podcast di Geology Bites (Conversations about geology with researchers making key contributions to our understanding of the Earth and the Solar System):

The Continental Crustal Composition Paradox -  di Roberta Rudnick (Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth Science at the University of California Santa Barbara).

Di seguito troverete il messaggio dell'ideatore, Oliver Strimpel, e il link al  sito web di Geology Bites.

Cordiali saluti,

La Segreteria


Hello, listeners,

The latest episode is with Roberta Rudnick who is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth Science at the University of California Santa Barbara.

Over 30 years ago, she was one of the first to discover a discrepancy between the composition of the magma derived from the mantle that forms continental crust and the composition of continental crust itself.  This has come to be known as the continental crustal composition paradox.

Continental crust is very heterogeneous, varying a great deal from place to place (viz. the hard, dry cratons and wet deformation belts described by Alex Copley in the last Geology Bites episode) and from the surface down to the base at the Moho, so I was surprised that we can get a good enough handle on its average composition to know there is a paradox.  But Rudnick explains that many different approaches all give a similar result for continental crustal composition.  However, while there is no controversy as to the existence of the paradox, a controversy still rages as to what can explain it.  Listen to the podcast to hear about the competing hypotheses and what solution she favors.

I hope you enjoy listening,

Oliver
geologybites.com