Department or Program
Geology
Abstract
Relatively few studies have investigated the geochemistry of the Descabezado Grande-Cerro Azul (DGCA) volcanic complex, located in the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) of the Chilean Andes. Lava samples were collected in stratigraphic order from vertical stacks of flows exposed along the walls of steep canyons incised in the flanks of the Casitas shield of Cerro Azul. In order to determine dominant petrogenetic processes and identify changes in the composition of the magmatic system over time, this project obtained mineral analyses using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) as well as textural analyses of petrographic thin sections using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Analyses of the younger lavas were found to be composed mostly of basalts with some basaltic andesite compositions, results that are more primitive than older lavas previously sampled in this section and throughout the Southern Volcanic Zone.
Level of Access
Open Access
First Advisor
Andrew Wulff
Date of Graduation
5-2023
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Recommended Citation
Mikulski, Maeve S., "Petrogenetic history of lava flows from the Casitas Shield in the Southern Volcanic Zone, Chile" (2023). Standard Theses. 66.
https://scarab.bates.edu/geology_theses/66
Number of Pages
44
Components of Thesis
1 pdf file
Open Access
Available to all.