Georgia Geological Society

FALL FIELDTRIP 2005

 

GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS OF ELBERTON GRANITE AND SURROUNDING ROCKS

 

October 7-9, 2005

 

This year’s fieldtrip will focus on the “granite capital”. According to trip coordinators, Mike Roden and Sam Swanson, we will visit operating quarries in the Elberton and Danberg granites as well as cutting sheds at the Keystone Quarry. The Elberton and Danburg granites are two Alleghenian granites with similar chemistry but distinctly different texture; while the Elberton is medium grained the Danburg is very coarse with Rapakivi texture. We will review previous work on the granites and associated rocks by Jim Whitney, Jay Stormer, Dave Wenner and Dave Dallmeyer but also emphasize new work. In particular this will include work by:

 

  • Mohammed Khalifa and Rob Hawman on seismic imaging of the Elberton pluton.

  • Doug Dvoracek and Mike Roden on the petrology and geochemistry of mafic inclusions in the Danburg Granite.

  • Paul Schroeder on the weathering of the Elberton granite, and Piedmont rocks in general

  • Sam Swanson on petrology and mineralogy teaching strategies using the various rocks cut for monumental stone at Elberton granites.

  • Radon issues associated with the Elberton granite

  • Environmental geology of the Broad River watershed.

  • A textbook example of a diabase dike with well preserved chill zones.

  • Enigmatic ultramafic bodies with perfectly preserved igneous textures overlying the Piedmont gneisses near Elberton

 

Headquarters for the trip will be at the Holiday Inn ($72) and Holiday Inn Express ($82-102) in Athens (706-546-8122 or 1-800-Holiday). Blocks of rooms are reserved and members should make reservations before September 16th. The reservation code for Holiday Inn Express is ‘GEO’ and for Holiday Inn ‘UGA Geological Society’

 

Watch for further details and registration forms in the Fall Newsletter due out at the beginning of September.

 

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