back to Llano Uplift
Late Plutonism
Late stage granite plutons and
small intrusive bodies intrude metamorphic rocks of all three
lithotectonic domains,
indicating accretion by ~1.1 Ga (Mosher, 1998). The oldest syn-tectonic granites range from
1126 to 1116 Ma
in age, whereas
post-tectonic granites are 1116 to 1070 Ma in age. A low-pressure, mid-amphibolite
facies (525-625o C at P ~0.3 GPa) metamorphism is associated with the
granite plutons (Carlson, 1998).
|
 
The oldest 1119-1118 Ma plutons are
deformed by late stage deformation. For example, the Wolf
Mountain Intrusion in the central uplift is folded by an F5
sycline (left). The Grape Creek pluton in the southeastern uplift is
cut by a ductile shear zone forming protomylonitic to ultramylonitic
fabrics (right) (Reed, 1999). |
 |
In the western
uplift, 1126+5/-4 Ma granitic dikes correlated with the late plutons are
folded by F5 (Hunt, 2000).
Later pegmatites dated at 1076 Ma cut all structures
(Roback et al. 1999). |

In the southeastern uplift a melarhyolite dike (rhyolite composition but
dark in color) dated at 1098 +/- Ma cuts all deformation fabrics (S1-S5)
and is undeformed. Note flow foliation in closeup of dike margin
and the cross cutting of the pronounced foliation
(Nelis et al., 1989). |

Late post-tectonic granite plutons, such as Enchanted Rock pictured
above, form over 40% of the Llano Uplift exposures. These granites
are undeformed internally (right) although the adjacent country rock
may show evidence of deformation during intrusion. These
plutons range in age from ~1091 to 1070 Ma (Walker,
1992; Connelly, unpublished work).
Plutons younger than 1116 Ma are undeformed
internally, although the country rock around plutons as young as 1091 Ma
was deformed during intrusion
(Reed, 1999) |
For more information, see
(Reed, 1999),
Mosher (1998).