With the ever increasing spatial resolution in the characterization of microstructures, textures and chemical as well as isotopic patterns and the continuously improving sensitivity and precision in mineral chemical and isotopic analysis, increasing evidence has emerged indicating that phase relations in rocks from high-temperature environments may be modified during exhumation and cooling and that the original equilibrium phase relations may not have been preserved or that equilibrium may never have been attained fully even at high temperatures. This volume accompanies an EMU School intended bring contemporary research on mineral reaction kinetics to the attention of young researchers and to put it into the context of recent developments in related disciplines. The school and the accompanying volume cannot give a comprehensive review of the current state of geomaterials research. Rather a selection of topics, methods and concepts, which the contributors deem currently most relevant and instructive, is presented. The aim is to provide a methodologically sound insight into the theoretical foundations of mineral reaction kinetics, to help students to become acquainted with contemporary methods in experimentation and analytical techniques, and to give worked examples that illustrate recent advances in geoscience based on an improved characterization and understanding of mineral and rock systems.