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Boulder Batholith
The Boulder Batholith is a relatively small batholith in southwestern Montana, United States, exposed at the surface as granite (more specifically quartz monzonite) and serving as the host rock for rich mineralized deposits at Butte and other locations. The batholith lies roughly between Butte and Helena, and between the Deer Lodge (Upper Clark Fork) Valley and the Broadwater (Upper Missouri) Valley. The volcanic Elkhorn Mountains are a large mass of forested lava associated with the batholith. The batholith is composed of at least seven, and possibly as many as 14, discrete rock masses called plutons, which had formed beneath the Earth's surface during a period of magma intrusion about 73 to 78 million years ago (Late Cretaceous time). The rising buoyant plutons resulted from subduction along what was then the west coast of North America, which was near today's border between Montana and Idaho. Regional uplift brought the deep-seated granite to the surface, where erosion expo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Idaho Batholith
The Idaho Batholith is a granitic and granodioritic batholith of Cretaceous- Paleogene age that covers approximately of central Idaho and adjacent Montana. The batholith has two lobes that are separate from each other geographically and geologically. The Bitterroot lobe is the smaller lobe and the larger lobe is the Atlanta lobe. The Bitterroot lobe is in the north and is separated from the larger Atlanta lobe in the south by the Belt Supergroup metamorphic rocks that compose the Salmon River Arch. Much of the Atlanta and Bitterroot lobes are in the Idaho Batholith ecoregion. The overall intrusive event that created the Idaho batholith lasted for around 55 million years from Late Cretaceous to the Eocene (98 to 43 Ma) of magmatism and includes the younger Challis suite which is not considered to be part of the Idaho Batholith. The Challis suite intruded both the Atlanta and Bitterroot lobes of the Idaho Batholith as well as the surrounding areas to the east of the Atlan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subduction
Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere and some continental lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at the convergent boundaries between tectonic plates. Where one tectonic plate converges with a second plate, the heavier plate dives beneath the other and sinks into the mantle. A region where this process occurs is known as a subduction zone, and its surface expression is known as an arc-trench complex. The process of subduction has created most of the Earth's continental crust. Rates of subduction are typically measured in centimeters per year, with rates of convergence as high as 11 cm/year. Subduction is possible because the cold and rigid oceanic lithosphere is slightly denser than the underlying asthenosphere, the hot, ductile layer in the upper mantle. Once initiated, stable subduction is driven mostly by the negative buoyancy of the dense subducting lithosphere. The down-going slab sinks into the mantle largely under its own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batholiths Of North America
A batholith () is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock (also called plutonic rock), larger than in area, that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust. Batholiths are almost always made mostly of felsic or intermediate rock types, such as granite, quartz monzonite, or diorite (see also ''granite dome''). Formation Although they may appear uniform, batholiths are in fact structures with complex histories and compositions. They are composed of multiple masses, or ''plutons'', bodies of igneous rock of irregular dimensions (typically at least several kilometers) that can be distinguished from adjacent igneous rock by some combination of criteria including age, composition, texture, or mappable structures. Individual plutons are solidified from magma that traveled toward the surface from a zone of partial melting near the base of the Earth's crust. Traditionally, these plutons have been considered to form by ascent of relatively buoyant magma in large masses called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spheroidal Weathering
Spheroidal weathering is a form of chemical weathering that affects jointed bedrock and results in the formation of concentric or spherical layers of highly decayed rock within weathered bedrock that is known as ''saprolite.'' When saprolite is exposed by physical erosion, these concentric layers peel (spall) off as concentric shells much like the layers of a peeled onion. Within saprolite, spheroidal weathering often creates rounded boulders, known as ''corestones'' or ''woolsack'', of relatively unweathered rock. Spheroidal weathering is also called onion skin weathering, concentric weathering, spherical weathering, or woolsack weathering.Fairbridge, RW (1968) ''Spheroidal Weathering.'' in RW Fairbridge, ed., pp. 1041–1044, The Encyclopedia of Geomorphology, Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences, vol. III. Reinhold Book Corporation, New York, New York. Ollier, C.D. (1971). ''Causes of spheroidal weathering. ''Earth-Science Reviews 7:127–141.Neuendorf, KKE, JP Mehl Jr., and JA J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrothermal Vein
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation. The hydraulic flow involved is usually due to hydrothermal circulation. Veins are classically thought of as being planar fractures in rocks, with the crystal growth occurring normal to the walls of the cavity, and the crystal protruding into open space. This certainly is the method for the formation of some veins. However, it is rare in geology for significant open space to remain open in large volumes of rock, especially several kilometers below the surface. Thus, there are two main mechanisms considered likely for the formation of veins: ''open-space filling'' and ''crack-seal growth''. Open space filling Open space filling is the hallmark of epithermal vein systems, such as a stockwork, in greisens or in certain skarn environments. For open space filling to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volcanics
Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and metamorphic rocks and constitute an important element of some sediments and sedimentary rocks. For these reasons, in geology, volcanics and shallow hypabyssal rocks are not always treated as distinct. In the context of Precambrian shield geology, the term "volcanic" is often applied to what are strictly metavolcanic rocks. Volcanic rocks and sediment that form from magma erupted into the air are called "pyroclastics," and these are also technically sedimentary rocks. Volcanic rocks are among the most common rock types on Earth's surface, particularly in the oceans. On land, they are very common at plate boundaries and in flood basalt provinces. It has been estimated that volcanic rocks cover about 8% of the Earth's current land surface. C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedimentation is any process that causes these particles to settle in place. Geological detritus originates from weathering and erosion of existing rocks, or from the solidification of molten lava blobs erupted by volcanoes. The geological detritus is transported to the place of deposition by water, wind, ice or Mass wasting, mass movement, which are called agents of denudation. Biological detritus is formed by bodies and parts (mainly shells) of dead aquatic organisms, as well as their fecal mass, suspended in water and slowly piling up on the floor of water bodies (marine snow). Sedimentation may also occur when dissolved minerals precipitate from aqueous solution, water solution. The sedimentary rock cover of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesoproterozoic
The Mesoproterozoic Era is a geologic era that occurred from . The Mesoproterozoic was the first era of Earth's history for which a fairly definitive geological record survives. Continents existed during the preceding era (the Paleoproterozoic), but little is known about them. The continental masses of the Mesoproterozoic were more or less the same ones that exist today, although their arrangement on the Earth's surface was different. Major events and characteristics The major events of this era are the breakup of the Columbia supercontinent, the formation of the Rodinia supercontinent, and the evolution of sexual reproduction. This era is marked by the further development of continental plates and plate tectonics. The supercontinent of Columbia broke up between 1500 and 1350 million years ago, and the fragments reassembled into the supercontinent of Rodinia around 1100 to 900 million years ago, on the time boundary between the Mesoproterozoic and the subsequent Neoprot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syenogranite
Syenogranite is a fine to coarse grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite. They are characteristically felsic. The feldspar component of syenogranite is predominantly alkaline in character (usually orthoclase). For example, the syenogranite in the Salmon Mountains in Idaho is pink to tan and composed of 45–55% alkali feldspar, 15–20% plagioclase, 15–20% quartz, 5–8% biotite, 3–5% hornblende, and accessory magnetite (Evans and Green, 2003). Syenogranite is similar to syenite, however the major difference is its higher content of quartz (15-25%) usually at the expense of some alkali feldspar (45-50%), the domination of biotite over hornblende and the presence of muscovite and rutile as additional accessories in the syenogranite. Some syenogranite contain rare idiomorphic amphibole (Fe-hornblende and Fe-edenite), biotite ( annite 25%-35%), plagioclase (An3), along with K-feldspar and quartz. (Mafti, 2001). In the Sao Jose do Campestre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monzogranite
Monzogranite is a plutonic rock that occupies the middle of the QAPF diagram, consisting of between 20–60% quartz, and of the remainder, between 35–65% alkali feldspar and the remainder plagioclase. Examples Pilgangoora belt, Pilbara craton, Western Australia Monzogranite is associated with the Pilbara craton, a terrane that collided with Western Australia approximately 3.315 Ga, forming a greenstone belt. These monzogranites are typically highly fractionated, rich in potassium, poor in aluminum, and have trace element compositions consistent with remelting of an older tonalitic– trondhjemitic– granodioritic crust. Carlindi monzogranites in the same greenstone belt are light greyish-pink coloured, with roughly equal parts plagioclase, quartz, and microcline, and small amounts of muscovite and mafic minerals. The texture of these monzogranites is similar to granodiorite. Quebec's near north In Quebec's near north, early monzogranites are moderately to st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Granodiorite
Granodiorite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from granite to diorite, including granodiorite. The term ''granodiorite'' was first used by George F. Becker, G. F. Becker (1893) to describe granitic rocks in the Sierra Nevada, United States. Composition According to the QAPF diagram, granodiorite has a greater than 20% quartz by volume, and between 65% and 90% of the feldspar is plagioclase. A greater amount of plagioclase would designate the rock as tonalite. Granodiorite is felsic to intermediate composition, intermediate in composition. It is the Intrusive rock, intrusive igneous equivalent of the extrusive igneous dacite. It contains a large amount of sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca) rich plagioclase, potassium feldspar, quartz, and minor amounts of muscovite mica as the lighter colored miner ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to the west; the state shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north with the Canadian province of British Columbia. Idaho's State capital (United States), state capital and largest city is Boise, Idaho, Boise. With an area of , Idaho is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 14th-largest state by land area. The state has a population of approximately two million people; it ranks as the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 13th-least populous and the List of U.S. states by population density, seventh-least densely populated of the List of US states, 50 U.S. states. For thousands of years, and prior to European colonization, Idaho had been inhabited by Native American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
