Evaluating the Genetic Links between Spatially Associated Intrusive and Extrusive Rocks at the Mount Aetna Caldera, Colorado
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
-
Hallman, Jason
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geological Sciences
- Abstract
- The epizonal Mount Aetna caldera in central Colorado consists of the Mount Aetna pluton and the associated large-volume Badger Creek Tuff. New CA-TIMS U/Pb zircon ages are consistent with field relations that demonstrate that the Badger Creek Tuff was erupted during the incremental assembly of the ~34.9-34.3 Ma Mount Aetna pluton. The youngest dated portion of the pluton intrudes the ~34.5 Ma Badger Creek Tuff and yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 34.28 ± 0.06 Ma. This sample also contains 34.9 Ma antecrysts that date the onset of pluton emplacement, but none that are similar in age to the ignimbrite. Similarly, the Badger Creek Tuff has no antecrysts that date the emplacement of the pluton. New major and trace element data are consistent with older studies, and suggest that the Badger Creek Tuff is not the fractionated equivalent of the Mount Aetna pluton. The disparity in age between these units also precludes this possibility. We interpret the eruption of the Badger Creek Tuff to be the result of a sudden and temporary spike in magma flux against the background low-flux assembly of the Mount Aetna pluton.
- Date of publication
- spring 2014
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: Charles and Elaine Mims Fellowship
- Advisor
- Coleman, Drew S.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 20
Relations
- Parents:
This work has no parents.