The formation, exhumation and distribution of ultrahighpressure (UHP), high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphic orogens in convergent plate margins have important implications in understanding the dynamics of the continental crust, as well as the assembly and dispersion of continental fragments on the globe. Crustal metamorphism at extreme pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions generates characteristic UHP, HP and UHT mineral assemblages. The petrologic, phase equilibria, geochemical, structural and geochronologic studies of these rocks are important in understanding the history of the continental crust in the evolving Earth. This Special Issue of Geological Journal assembles ten selected contributions on this topic, covering the various aspects of extreme metamorphism in relation to continental dynamics.The first four contributions in this Special Issue relate to ultrahigh-pressure processes. In the opening paper, Massonne (2011) present results from phase equilibria studies based on pseudosection analysis on siliceous marbles which were subjected to ultrahigh pressure (UHP) conditions. The study focuses on siliceous calcite-dolomite marble from the Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan and a dolomite marble from the UHP unit of the Sulu terrane, China. The results show that lawsonite-clinopyroxene (T < 7508C) and garnet-clinopyroxene (T > 7008C) are the typical assemblages of UHP siliceous marbles. The XCO 2 of the mixed H 2 O-CO 2 fluid phase, coexisting with UHP siliceous marbles, increases with rising T and shows low values at UHP and T < 8008C. The results are consistent with the metamorphic conditions estimated in previous studies. The study demonstrates the application of the pseudosection technique to deduce the metamorphic history of UHP carbonate rocks.Palmeri et al. (2011) address the high-to ultrahighpressure (HP/UHP) rocks from the northern Victoria Land, Antarctica -a Palaeozoic fold belt formed at the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana. The mafic and ultramafic rocks occurring within a metasedimentary sequence of gneisses and quartzites are exposed at the Lanterman Range. Geological, petrological and geochronological data suggest that the mafic, ultramafic and felsic host rocks underwent a common metamorphic evolution with an UHP eclogite-facies stage at ca. 500 Ma. The estimated metamorphic temperatures are up to 8508C and pressures up to 3.3 GPa, with exhumation characterized by a nearly isothermal path from UHP conditions. This is the only known UHP locality in Antarctica and is therefore significant in addressing the tectonics along the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana.The next paper by Amaral et al. (2011) reports the occurrence and geochemistry of metamafic rocks from the Forquilha Eclogite Zone in NE Brazil. The ca. 30 km-long UHP belt comprises garnet amphibolites, retrograded eclogites and clinopyroxene-garnet amphibolites. In terms of their geochemical characters, the garnet amphibolites are the most depleted rocks and constitute a highly fractionated group, ranging from picr...