Day one road log: Mid-Tertiary igneous rocks and mineral deposits in the central Wasatch Mountains, Utah

Society of Economic Geologists guidebook series
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Abstract

Today's field trip examines late Eocene and Oligocene granitoid intrusions, cogenetic volcanic rocks (Keetley Volcanics), and associated hydrothermally altered and mineralized rocks in the central Wasatch Mountains. Because of late Cenozoic tilting related to Basin and Range extension, a continuum of mid-Tertiary paleodepths is exposed that ranges from about 11 km on the west side of the Little Cottonwood stock to the actual paleosurface on the east side of the range (Fig. 1; John, 1989a). Consequently, we will see a wide variety of textures and styles of emplacement in the intrusive rocks, and a correspondingly wide variety of hydrothermal alteration types and mineral deposits (Lawton et al., 1980; John, 1989a).

Mid-Tertiary igneous rocks in the central Wasatch Mountains consist of three phaneritic stocks exposed in the western and central parts of the range (Little Cottonwood, Alta, and Clayton Peak stocks); six porphyry to fine-grained phaneritic stocks exposed in the middle and eastern parts of the range, primarily in the Park City mining district (Flagstaff, Glencoe, Mayflower, Ontario, Pine Creek, and Valeo stocks); a subvolcanic porphyry complex (Park Premier stock) exposed near the Park Premier mine which is now partly covered by water filling the Jordanelle Reservoir; and coeval volcanic rocks (Keetley Volcanics), subvolcanic intrusions, and a volcanic neck (Indian Hollow plug) are exposed on the east side of the range (Figs. 2 and 3). The intrusive rocks range from coarse-grained, coarsely porphyritic on the west to fine-grained, porphyroaphanitic on the east (John, 1989a). They form a high-K, calc-alkaline series (Vogel

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Day one road log: Mid-Tertiary igneous rocks and mineral deposits in the central Wasatch Mountains, Utah
Series title Society of Economic Geologists guidebook series
DOI 10.5382/GB.29.05
Volume 29
Year Published 1997
Language English
Publisher Society of Economic Geologists
Contributing office(s) Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Description 9 p.
First page 59
Last page 67
Country United States
State Utah
Other Geospatial Wasatch Mountains
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