Abstract:

 Quantitative textural analysis of igneous rocks has been improving the traditional qualitative and semiquantitative petrographic methods to a new level that can be compared to geochemical analysis, which includes crystal size distribution(CSD), spatial distribution pattern(SDP), crystal alignment factor, dihedral angle, etc. These quantitative textural analysis techniques and their basic theoretical equations, magma dynamic and kinetic implications and application processes are introduced and summarized in this paper. In particular, the principles and current situations of two dimensional thin sections, serial thin sections and Xray tomography techniques in quantitative textural analysis are summarized. The closure and validity of crystal size distribution are discussed briefly. Some important kinetics and dynamics of magma solidification processes, including crystal nucleation and growth, crystal accumulation, fractionation and fragmentation, magma mixing, compaction, compactionpressuresolution and magma flow, textural adjustment and equilibration, are comprehensively elaborated with regard to crystal size distribution. Combined with the published dataset of crystal size distribution and spatial distribution pattern, the characteristics of the closed and open magmatic systems are summarized briefly in terms of the quantitative textural parameters, and the kinetic processes of magma solidification displayed by the correlations of the textural parameters are also presented. Finally the analytical procedures and attentions of the two dimensional thin sections technique are discussed, and it can be concluded that the comprehensive techniques of combining quantitative textural analysis with geochemical analysis would become the important tools for studying the dynamic processes of diagenesis and mineralization, and would also extend to the field of the diagenesis and mineralization mechanisms analysis of magmatic related deposits and ore deposits forecasting in future. 

Key words: igneous rocks texture, quantitative, crystal size distribution, spatial