MCI Project Summaries 2008 - Smithsonian Institution

MCI 6223 Volcanic Rocks from Panama
MCI Staff: Nicole C. Little, Agustin Cardona, R. Jeff Speakman, Javier Iñañez
Major and trace element data were gathered to geochemically characterize volcanic rocks
from Panama, tracing the tectonic evolution of the Central American Isthmus. ICP-MS analyses
of approximately 200 pulverized rock samples were performed for major and trace element
analysis: SiO2, TiO2, Al2O2, Fe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, P2O5 and Sc, V, Co, Ni, Cr,
Zn, Rb, Sr, y, Zr, Nb, Ta, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hf, Pb, Th, U, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tbm Dy, Ho,
Er, Th, Yb, and Lu. Results provided insights on how the composition of the volcanic rocks of
the Central American isthmus has changed during the last 70 million years, and how these
changes reflect the evolving geological configuration of the margin and the final emergence of
the American land bridge.
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