PIKES PEAK GRANITE
One of the most visited mountain peaks in the American
Cordillera is central Colorado's Pikes Peak. The rocks of this mountain & surrounding
area represent the Pikes Peak Batholith, a fairly large, late
Mesoproterozoic-aged igneous intrusion that was emplaced 1.08 billion years
ago. Published research on the Pikes Peak Batholith has shown that
several igneous facies are present (e.g., Hutchinson, 1987).
Pikes Peak (looking W from between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs).
All of the pinkish-red rocks are granites of the Pikes Peak Batholith
(1.08 b.y.).
Eastern side of summit of Pikes Peak (looking ~SSW) & granites of the Pikes Peak
Batholith (1.08 b.y.).
View from Pikes Peak summit (looking ~E toward the Great Plains & Colorado
Springs urban area).
Pikes Peak Batholith (looking ~ESE) - 1.08 b.y. coarsely-crystalline,
porphyritic granites (pgpm2 facies) a little east of the summit house of Pikes
Peak.
View from Pikes Peak summit (looking ~NNE toward the Front Range).
Pikes Peak Granite (pgpm2 facies) from a little east of the summit house
of Pikes Peak. This facies is coarsely- to very coarsely-crystalline and
porphyritic. It is dominated by K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite mica
Pikes Peak Granite (pgpf dike facies) (left: 6.0 cm across at its
widest; right: 6.1 cm across at its widest) from next to the summit
house of Pikes Peak, west of Colorado Springs, western El Paso County, central
Colorado, USA (38° 50' 29" N, 105° 02' 29" W). This facies is
finely-crystalline, porphyritic, and reported to be fluoritic.
Pikes Peak Granite (pgpm2 facies) (12.0 cm
across) from a little east of the summit house of Pikes Peak. This facies
is coarsely- to very coarsely-crystalline and porphyritic. It is
dominated by K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite mica.
Pikes Peak Granite (pgmc facies) (10.5 cm
across) from the parking lot for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway on the western side
of the town of Manitou Springs, eastern base of Pikes Peak, western El Paso
County, central Colorado, USA (38° 51' 20" N, 104° 55' 58" W).
This facies is coarsely-crystalline and porphyritic. It is dominated by
K-feldspar, quartz, and some biotite mica.
Reference cited:
Hutchinson, R.M.
1987. Granite-tectonics of the Pikes Peak intrusive center of Pikes Peak
composite batholith, Colorado. Geological Society of America
Centennial Field Guide 2: 331-334.