Recent methodological and technological advances have improved our capability to observe the fingerprints of geological processes at much finer spatial and temporal resolutions. These improved capabilities allow us to provide enhanced evidence that several geological processes of key importance from volcanism (e.g. crystallization during flow), earthquake triggering mechanisms (e.g. fluid interaction) and metamorphism (e.g. fast mineral growth) occur at conditions far from chemical equilibrium. Experiments coupled with computational approaches that go beyond conventional equilibrium thermodynamics may not be ready to provide definitive understanding of these processes, but are under constant development and represent the possible way forward to tackle these challenging problems.
In this session we invite contributions that aim at challenging the difficulties related to observation, quantification and interpretation of processes marked by strong disequilibrium at any spatial and temporal scale in a variety of rocks and geological environments. Disequilibrium chemical processes comprise diffusion, attachment and detachment of atoms at mineral interfaces and nucleation; we welcome studies which highlight the relative importance of, and interplay between, these processes.