Proterozoic Massif-Type Anorthosites

This type comprises the most voluminous anorthosites on Earth. They have been described and studied for over a century, and although plausible petrological hypotheses have been put forward, considerable disagreement still exists as to their origin. There is an extensive literature on massif-type anorthosites, including several review papers (Emslie 1978a,b 1980, 1985; Ashwal 1982b; Morse 1982b; Duchesne 1984; Leelanandam 1987), focusing on various aspects. In this chapter, I attempt to summarize current knowledge on the subject.