| State | Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Name | Narragansett Pier Granite |
| Geologic age | Permian |
| Lithologic constituents |
Major
Igneous > Plutonic > Granitic > GranitePink to red, medium- to coarse-grained (commonly pegmatitic), generally massive (not gneissic) granite, composed of microcline, oligoclase, quartz, and biotite, and accessory muscovite and magnetite.
Minor
Igneous > Plutonic > Granitic > Leucocratic-granitic > PegmatiteConsiderable associated pegmatite.
|
| Comments | Part of Eastern Uplands; Avalonian (Continental) Terrane. Narragansett Pier Granite and Westerly Granite, which occur in both the Hope Valley and Esmond-Dedham terranes (the Avalon Superterrane of this report) are here assigned to the Narragansett Plutonic Suite (new name). Outcrops trend East-West along the coasts of RI and CT. Similar rocks have also been recognized in southeastern MA. According to Zartman and Hermes (1987), the granites are essentially coeval. The Westerly, though dated at 276+/-7 Ma (U/Pb)), may slightly postdate the Narragansett Pier (U/Pb 273+/-2 Ma) based on apparent intrusive contacts. The Westerly occurs mainly as dikes. Described as gray with tints of blue to pink, equigranular and fine-grained calc-alkaline quartz monzonite to granodiorite. Consists mainly oligoclase, microcline, quartz, and biotite with minor muscovite (Skehan and Rast, 1990) per CT014. |
| References | Rodgers, John, compiler, 1985, Bedrock Geological Map of Connecticut: Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, Hartford, Connecticut, 2 sheets, scale 1:125,000.Skehan, J.W. and Rast, Nicholas, 1990, Pre-Mesozoic evolution of Avalon terranes of southern New England, IN Socci, A.D., Skehan, J.W., and Smith, G.W., eds., Geology of the composite Avalon terrane of southern New England: Geological Society of America Special Paper, 245, p. 13-53. |
| NGMDB product | |
| Counties | New London |