Judson Mead Geologic Field Station

X429c/498c Igneous Intrusive and Extrusive Systems uses field relationships and geochemistry to unravel the geologic history and petrogenesis of a Late Cretaceous igneous intrusive complex.

 This course explores topics associated with the temporal and geochemical history of a complex igneous intrusive complex. You will use field relations, petrological observations, and geochemical analyses of the igneous rocks in conjunction with stratigraphic, structural, and metamorphic relationships in the country rocks to define the intrusive history.

 The specific intrusive complex we study is a satellite pluton associated with the Boulder Batholith and coeval Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics. Each year the X498c/X429c team extends the work of the previous years’ teams and solves new problems. The goal of the overall study is to unravel the petrogenetic evolution of the parent magma, interactions with the country rocks, and to identify the relationship, if any, to Sevier and/or Laramide deformation.