Recent geochemical, petrological and geophysical data have revised our picture of how the lithosphere is formed and what it represents for the solid earth.

The most recent developments and results in different fields underlined the strong heterogeneities in the structure and composition of the lithospheric mantle, and invoked processes such as melt/rock interactions at the asthenosphere-lithosphere transition, asthenospheric rejuvenation of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), large scale movements of lithospheric fragments subducted and recycled in the convective mantle with the preservation of the geochemical characteristics of such fragments over long periods of time, in addition to the well-established process of depletion of the mantle lithosphere after melt extraction.

In this session, we encourage contributions which investigate basic melt generation, mantle xenoliths, ophiolitic complexes and dredged and drilled material from the oceanic lithosphere (i.e. IODP), covering the entire spectrum of geological sciences, i.e. petrology, geochemistry, geophysical measurements, physical and thermodynamic modelling, mineral physics, experimental petrology and rock deformation studies.