Constraints on Composition, Structure and Evolution of the Lithosphere

The idea for this special issuewas triggered at the Goldschmidt Conference held in Florence (August 25-30, 2013), where we convened a session titled “Integrated Geophysical-Geochemical Constraints on Composition and Structure of the Lithosphere”. The invitation to contribute was extended not only to the session participants but also to a wider spectrum of colleagues working on related topics. Consequently, a diverse group of Earth scientists encompassing geophysicists, geodynamicists, geochemists and petrologists contributed to this Volume, providing a comprehensive overview on the nature and evolution of lithospheric mantle by combining studies that exploit different types of data and interpretative approaches. The integration of geochemical and geodynamic datasets and their interpretation represents the state of the art in our knowledge of the lithosphere and beyond, and could serve as a blueprint for future strategies in concept and methodology to advance our knowledge of this and other terrestrial reservoirs. Noteworthy, although all the papers of this Volume are based on geochemical data, the Authors invariably considered first-order geological and geophysical data in their interpretations. This holistic approach fulfilled the spirit envisioned by the Guest Editors, providing a Special Issue that should be valuable for the wide range of readers of Tectonophysics.