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The
Florissant Formation: A Virtual Tour
Pikes Peak Granite Close-Up |
 Close-up of Pikes Peak Granite |
Pikes Peak Granite Pikes Peak Granite is the oldest stratigraphic unit in the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, dated at 1.08 Ga. Pikes Peak Granite is a medium to course grained pink to reddish-tan granite. The pink color is due to the potassium rich feldspar minerals. The granite also contains the minerals quartz, biotite and hornblende. Cripple Creek Granite found south to southwest of Florissant is also a pink granite, but is fine to medium grained and contains muscovite, which is lacking in the Pikes Peak Granite (Meyer, Veatch, and Cook, 2004, p. 154). |
Bibliography |
| Meyer, H.W., Veatch, S.W. and Cook, A. (2004). Field guide to the paleontology and volcanic setting of Florissant fossil beds, Colorado (pp. 151-166). In Nelson, E.P. and Erslev, E.A. [Eds.] Field Trips in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA. Geological Society of America Field Guide 5. |