Pikes Peak Granite Composition

The pikes peak granite is a 1 08 billion year old widespread geologic formation found in the central part of the front range of colorado it is a coarse grained pink to light red syenogranite with minor gray monzogranite and it has a distinctive brick red appearance where it outcrops the granite gets its name from the 14 115 foot 4 302 m pikes peak which is made up almost entirely of this rock.

Pikes peak granite composition. The main type is a very coarse grained biotite granite or granitite in most places red. Colorado has a wonderful variety of indoor attractions. The ancient dikes composed of cambrian sawatch sandstone figure 2 formed long after the pikes peak granite was present. When the pikes peak granite was subjected to intense compression during the laramide orogeny extreme force was concentrated on the sandstone resulting in it being pressurized heated and fluidized.

The cripple creek victor mining district producing from an unusual oligocene 30 million year old volcanic intrusive rock called phonolite is one of the most important gold and silver districts in the united. Although there may have been volcanoes overlying the intrusion the majority of the magma never reached the surface but formed and cooled at a depth of about 1 to 2 miles 1 6 to 3 3 km. The mass of pikes peak is principally made up of a single granite type belonging to what is apparently one great body extending for many miles in all directions. View this itinerary.

The pikes peak granite formed in several stages. Due to construction on the summit and the limited parking availability most guests will need to ride our complimentary shuttle from one of three shuttle lots. The pikes peak granite is a widespread geologic formation found in the central part of the front range of colorado the granite gets its name from the 14 110 foot 4 300 m mountain pikes peak which is made up almost entirely of the distinctive brick red rock pikes peak itself is only a small part of a much larger formation known as the pikes peak batholith. In the initial stage about 1 02 billion years ago a large mass of magma intruded into what is now the front range of colorado.

The pikes peak granite is a 1 03 billion year old precambrian granite which extends for over 120 km along the front range of colorado near colorado springs. Over 1 billion years ago magma pushed up into the front range of colorado. Check out our pikes peak shuttle page for more information. Pikes peak granite is part of the pikes peak batholith formed between 1 02 1 08 billion of years ago deep underground by hot magma produced from earth s core and a later the source of volcanic eruptions.

Please note that there is very limited views and access on the summit due to construction activities. In the pikes peak type proper biotite is quite subordinate but on either. Masks are required in the gift shops and on the shuttles all access is.