The role of serpentinization in exhumation of high- to ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rocks

Generated by serpentinization process, pressure can play an important role in both forcing an exhuming block up and/or detaching the upper part of the subducting slab from its bottom part. An absence of serpentinites of the Archean age proves that serpentinization cannot play a significant role in exhumation of high-grade rocks in the Archean.