Tales Granites Tell

May 22^nd, Jackson Sr. Center, 12:15 pm “Tales Granites Tell” Presented by Dr. Carol D. Frost Department of Geology and Geophysics University of Wyoming

Today, the origin of granite by solidification of magma is well accepted, but that understanding is born of a history of controversy. This talk describes the ideas about the formation of granite from the eighteenth century until its igneous origin was settled in the late 1950s. In the years following granites received little attention until it was recognized that their geochemistry and isotopic compositions identify families of granites with distinct origins and tectonic environments. In this talk I will illustrate the tales granites tell by describing three different intrusions in Wyoming, the pioneering geologists who studied them, and the information they provide about igneous processes, both plutonic and volcanic, and ancient to modern.