Historically, the field of metamorphic petrology has advanced largely due to the implementation of techniques for quantifying the chemical compositions of rocks in situ. Today, concentrations of major and trace elements are routinely measured on the micrometer scale with instruments like the Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA) and others. Quantitative chemical maps of minerals produced by […]
B20: A Petrographic Analysis of Shonkinites in the Adel Mountain Range
A rare rock type known as a shonkinite was found in the Adel Mountain range of Southwest Montana near the Missouri River and we set out to determine its crystallization history and magmatic evolution. As a first step towards this research goal, thin sections were made, and a petrographic analysis was conducted to determine composition […]
B03-T: A Microanalytical and Petrochemical Approach to Investigating Megacrystic Feldspar Crystallization, CA
Crystal-rich, chemically evolved, coarse-grained igneous rocks provide opportunities to investigate the differentiation and solidification of magmas within Earth’s crust. Specifically, by investigating the micro-scale textural, chemical, and chronological record of these crystal populations insights into the processes which operated during magmatic crystallization and intrusion of large magma bodies within Earth’s crust can be evaluated. This […]
C04-T: How Fast does Magma Move? Insights from Volcanoes of the Central Andes
Reaction rims surrounding amphiboles in hornblendites allow for the investigation of the timescales associated with magmatic ascent beneath volcanoes and new insights into the magma dynamics beneath active volcanic centers. The hornblendites of this study originated from andesitic-dacitic lavas that erupted from the Quillicas Volcanoes of the Central Bolivian Andes approximately 1.4 million years ago. […]