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Geologic Map of the Maysville Quadrangle, Chaffee County, Colorado

Geologic Map of the Maysville Quadrangle, Chaffee County, Colorado

Geologic Map of the Maysville Quadrangle, Chaffee County, Colorado

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quadrangle surface area.<br />

No ages have been determined for <strong>the</strong> Proterozoic rocks in or adjacent to <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Maysville</strong> quadrangle. The classification <strong>of</strong> Proterozoic intrusions into Routt and<br />

Berthoud-types is based on mineralogical and textural characteristics and field relations<br />

in comparison to type descriptions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se intrusive suites by Tweto (1987). However,<br />

<strong>the</strong> classification <strong>of</strong> Routt-type intrusions is supported by limited age determinations in<br />

<strong>the</strong> Salida region (Bickford and o<strong>the</strong>rs, 1989).<br />

The Proterozoic rocks are exposed in <strong>the</strong> Sawatch Range rift-shoulder uplift on<br />

<strong>the</strong> west side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Upper Arkansas Valley and South Arkansas grabens. They are<br />

present in two structural blocks in <strong>the</strong> western half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> quadrangle: a 24,000 ft long by<br />

1,000 ft wide, N35° E-trending zone along <strong>the</strong> west margin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Arkansas River Valley<br />

graben in <strong>the</strong> north; and a 18,000-ft by 15,000-ft zone along <strong>the</strong> west margin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South<br />

Arkansas graben in <strong>the</strong> south. The relationship between <strong>the</strong> two structural blocks is<br />

unclear but <strong>the</strong>y may be separated by <strong>the</strong> west-northwest extension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Salida-<br />

<strong>Maysville</strong> fault, west <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Maysville</strong> quadrangle (See Structural Geology section).<br />

Proterozoic intrusive rocks are divided into three groups: younger intrusions<br />

related to <strong>the</strong> Berthoud Plutonic Suite; a group <strong>of</strong> miscellaneous intrusions <strong>of</strong> uncertain<br />

age and relation to <strong>the</strong> Berthoud and Routt Plutonic Suites; and older intrusions related to<br />

<strong>the</strong> Routt Plutonic Suite.<br />

BERTHOUD PLUTONIC SUITE (~1.40 Ga) – The Berthoud Plutonic Suite is<br />

represented by abundant, volumetrically minor but widespread dikes and small intrusions<br />

<strong>of</strong> coarse-grained pegmatite (YXp) and composite granite and pegmatite bodies (YXgp)<br />

that cut <strong>the</strong> older Early Proterozoic metamorphic and intrusive rocks. Pegmatite and<br />

granite and pegmatite dikes and sills are extremely abundant in <strong>the</strong> Proterozoic terrane in<br />

<strong>the</strong> southwest quadrant <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Maysville</strong> quadrangle. In <strong>the</strong> Proterozoic metamorphic<br />

rocks, no systematic criterion is recognized that could be used to distinguish whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong><br />

pegmatite-granite intrusions are related to <strong>the</strong> Routt- or Berthoud-type suites. Evidence<br />

for Berthoud-type granite pegmatites is supported by areas <strong>of</strong> abundant granite and<br />

pegmatite dikes cutting <strong>the</strong> two intrusions <strong>of</strong> Routt-type Early Proterozoic granodiorite<br />

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