This metamorphosed granite has a weak spaced foliation defined by moderately aligned elongate minerals and slight compositional layering. The opaque phases are segregated into two discrete bands, along which, large quartz grains show a crystallographically preferred orientation, causing them to appear nearly isotropic. Alternatively, this nearly isotropic phase could be untwinned leucite, however, an the lack of twins and association with the remaining phases is unlikely. The chlorite and muscovite phases appear to be collectively pseudomorphing a preexisting phase, as evidenced by dark, elongate inclusions within the chlorite grains.
The three essential felsic species occur in two sizes. The larger plaioclases are euhedral and zoned and are pheocrysts, in places glomeroporphritic. A few large subhedral kaolinized orthoclase grains are present as are large quartz anhedra. These are set in a poorly defined groundmass of variable grained quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, biotite, and hornblende. Of these the mafics are subhedral, the plagioclase is euhedral, and the others anhedral. Hornblende, more strongly altered than biotite, is variably colored in pale green, bluish green and buff. It is replaced by chlorite and epidote. Accessories are magnetite, apatite, sphene and zircon.
This allotriomorphic granite shows evidence of weathering as most feldspars are partially obscured by a dusting of clay minerals. Tartan twinning of microcline is obvious throughout the sample. The curving of biotite cleavage and subhedral grain shapes indicates the biotite is not pristine. It is commonly found occurring with subhedral hornblende as well as large, clear to light brown, anhedral sphene crystals.
This thin section contains two main zones. One half contains subhedral grains of k-feldspar, quartz, orthopyroxene, biotite and opaques. Kink bands, deformation twins, and core-mantle structures (fine-grained felspar rimming the older grain) in the the feldspars show evidence of strain accomodation. Aggregates of finer-grained serieate-lobate quartz grains with thickened grain boundaries and uniform extinction show evidence of grain boundary migration. Larger quartz grains with undulose extinction and deformation lamellae also indicate strain accomodation. The opaque mineral(s) have rounded, anhedral grain shapes and tend to cluster with biotite and orthopyroxene. Biotite is subhedral, with kink bands and undulose extinction; it is generally found in the intersticies between grains, most commonly adjacent to orthopyroxene grains. Orthopyroxene is subhedral and occasionally embayed. The other half of the thin section is dominated by two porphyroclasts of feldspar. This portion of the thin section abounds with symplectic intergrowths of quartz and feldspar as well as much subgrain development in both mineral. Growing normal to the rims of opaques and biotite grains is a poplulation of acicular aluminosilicate.
The feldspars in this thin section are partially sericitized and somewhat poikilitic and the biotite is substantially altered. Grains are generally anhedral in shape.
Though dominated by k-feldspar, albite and quartz, this thin section contains biotite pseudomorphs after hornblende, and trace monzaite (distinguished by its high relief, high birefringence colors, and square to diamond shape).
This allotriomorphic granite is dominated by feldspar phases which are altering to clays. The mica phases are anhedral, emabyed, and filled with unaligned opaque inclusions.
The quartz and feldspar grains in this thin section have rather amoeboid, though elongated shapes. These elongated grains are roughly aligned giving this syenite a somewhat layered appearance. Feldspar intergrowths are primarily of the flame lamellae variety. Rare biotite grains are observed.
Although stored with a series of amphibolites, this hornblende-bearing granodiorite preserves more igneous textures than metamorphic. This hypidoimorphic sample consists of equigranular feldspars, randomly oriented, euhedral biotites, and rather anhedral hornblendes grains. Small, rounded, colorless but dusty crystals of titanite are distrubuted throughout the specimen.
The four phenocrystic phases in this thin section all display disequilibrium textures. Tabular plagioclase pheoncrysts are oscillatorily-zoned at the core and surrounded by as many as three distinct, cloudy, inclusion-rich rims. Quartz phenocrysts are rounded by resorbtion; thick coronas of calcite and hematite pepper, though do not entirely replace, their rims. Relict biotite phenocrysts, pseudomorphed by an opaque phase, are recognized more readily by the consistant rectancular and hexagonal shape than by the rare inclusion of the residual 'host'. These grains, frequently clustered together, have thick black rims and are sometimes infilled with a calcite-like mineral. This calcite-like mineral, frequently found replacing the biotite and as part of the quartz phenocryst coronas, is also observed pseudomorphing a tabular-shaped mineral found both as a phenocryst and part of the groundmass. The calcite seems to be replacing rectangular serpentine phenocrysts, presumably, pyroxene pseudomorphs themselves. The trachytic groundmass consists predominantly of microlites of plagioclase, prismatic opaques, glass, and the periodic rectangular calcite pseudomorph. Granular hematite veins cross-cut the thin section.
This coarse-grained sample is dominated by subhedral to anhedral k-feldpsar and subhedral garnet, with pockets of quartz aggregates clustering near the feldspar grains and less abundant biotite and orthopyroxene grouped with the garnet phase. Symplectic growth concentrates along boundaries between garnet and k-feldspar. Contacts between garnet are typically host to a mixture of chlorite and biotite. The orthopyroxene grains are strongly fractured and embayed.
Large k-feldspar and quartz crystals provide a backdrop for the smaller, less well-preserved mafic phases in this sample. Decomposing biotite is frequently found interfingered with chlorite. Hornblende grains are rather skeletal. Plagioclase crystals have relatively rounded corners and tend to cluster together. Large anhedral aggregates of sphene are interspersed in the interstices between k-feldspar grains.
This medium-grained phaneritic rock contains an equal ratio of plagioclase to clinopyroxene grains. Much of the plagioclase is strongly sericitized and several grains are concentrically-zoned. The clinopyroxenes are frequently twinned, heavily-fractured, riddled with inclusions, and show low degrees of alteration to chlorite and serpentine. The pyroxene cleavage is prominent in this sample. Chlorite, serpentine, iddingsite, biotite, and opaques tend to cluster in randomly oriented mats, where chlorite and serpentine growth are often at the expense of biotite.
A notable feature of this thin section are the large, equant and tabular, concentrically-zoned plagioclase phenocrysts with accumulations of k-feldspar around the margins. The quartzofeldspathic phases within the groundmass of the sample are subhedral in shape, often exhibiting rather cuspate-lobate grain boundaries. Subhedral biotite is scattered throughout the sample, though it frequently clusters with chlorite, calcite, and opaques in greenish aggregates, which appear in handsample as green phenocrysts.
This amphibolite has a strong, continuous foliation defined by the alignment of hornblende. Elongate, granular aggregates of epidote are present.
The groundmass in this thin section is a salt-n-pepper mixture of fine-grained, amorphous quartzofeldspathic phases. All phenocryts are subhedral in shape, and the largest of these, the k-feldspar and plagioclase are host to abundant hematite-filled fractures. Biotite and hornblende phenocrysts are much smaller. A few spherulites, seen more clearly in plane than cross polarized light, are found in the groundmass.
This sample is a strongly mylonitized pelitic schist with a continuous schistoscity defined by strongly alligned biotite, fibrous sillimanite, and opaques and interspersed with discontinuous quartz and k-feldspar ribbons. K-feldspar is strongly sericitized. The sense of shear is ambiguous.
The minerals in this sample all appear to intergrow with one another. Most grain boundaries are lobate, especially between feldspar phases and flame lamellae and perthitic intergrowths abound. Although a few hornblende crystals are euhdral in shape, the majority are found as rims around possible clinopyroxene or olivine grains and they tend to group with the other mafic phases. Euhedral apatite appear throughout.
The flame lamellae that pervade this thin section are cut thicker than ususal and thus display first order yellows and oranges, though the tartan twinning of the microcline retains the ususal first order grey birefringence. Grain boundaries between feldspars are lined with smaller feldspar grains, which gives the larger grains a scalloped appearance. The hornblende grains are highly irregular in shape and contain many inclusions of feldspar, opaques, biotite, and other unidentifiable phases.
Grain shapes in this thin section are consistantly anhedral. Weathering of the feldspars give them a dusty appearance. Because the thin section is cut too thick, the birefringence of quartz and some k-feldspars is as high as second order blues. Mnay hornblende crystals are nearly opaque and they are frequently found surrounding and likely replacing inclusions of pyroxene (perhaps). The biotite and hornblende are rather skeletal. Euhedral sphene and apatite are occasionally scattered throughout.
This thin section is divided in half diagonally by texture and grain size. The fine-grained side consists of roughly equigranular quartz, microcline, albite, biotite, and riebeckite. More quartzofeldspathic-rich portions have sutured grain boundaries whereas in more mafic patches the grains are typically equant and subhedral. The mineral phases in the coarse-grained half of the thin section are the same though the grain size increases several fold and clear grain boundaries are rarer.
Although the bulk of this thin section has an aplitic texture of quartz and feldspar, several larger feldspar phenocrysts punctuate the mosaic texture of the smaller population of quartzofeldspathic phases. Biotite is sparse and where present, skeletal in shape.
This hypidiomorphic, equigranular monazite has a classic granitic texture with a mosaic of grains all crystallizing simultaneously and impinging on one another's growth. Hornblende is particularly abundant and generally in contact with some combination of biotite, chlorite, and opaques. Some plagioclase grains are concentrically zoned.
Subhedral biotite and uralitized augite crystals are the prominent mafic phases in this sample, though olivine is also present in lesser amounts and as an inclusion in one of the two other mafic phases. K-feldspar, zeolites, and apatite are the primary leucocratic constituents. There is a good deal of intergrowth between and alteration of minerals in this thin section.
The groundmass of this thin section contains a combination of glass and indiscernible crystals. It is densely populated by phenocrysts of a wide range of sizes and composition, which due to their angularity, lend a very fragmental texture to the rock. The quartzofeldspathic phases span a broad range of sizes, though the largest phenocrysts are all brittley-fractured and may be strongly embayed. No reaction rims are present in this sample. Biotite grains do not get as large as the quartzofeldspathic phases and display varying degrees of 'freshness.'
