Rise and fall of a nested Christmas-tree laccolith complex, Elba Island, Italy
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Published:January 01, 2004
Abstract
In two separate areas of western and central Elba Island (Italy), Late Miocene granite porphyries are found as shallow-level intrusions inside a stack of nappes rich in physical discontinuities. Detailed mapping of intrusive rocks, along with their relations with country rocks, show that outcrops from western and central Elba Island expose the same rock types, with matching intrusive sequence, petrography and geochemical features. Structural and geological data indicate that these layers were originally part of a single sequence that was split by eastward-directed décollement and tilting. The two juxtaposed portions of the original sequence allow the restoration of a...
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Contents
Physical Geology of High-Level Magmatic Systems

This book gives an up-to-date overview of the physical geology of sub-volcanic intrusions. Topics covered in this wide-ranging volume include important aspects of the field geology and physical volcanology of sills, laccoliths and sub-volcanic complexes, magma-sediment interaction and numerical and experimental studies aimed at quantifying more precisely the emplacement mechanics of high-level magmatic intrusions. Provocative papers ask whether laccoliths and high-level sills are forming today, and question the nature of the relationship between high-level intrusions and contemporaneous volcanic activity. Several contributions also deal with the more applied aspects of high-level magma emplacement and 3D seismic imaging of sill and laccolith complexes as relevant to the hydrocarbons industry. It is hoped that with the publication of this volume a consensus will emerge that will help to advance our understanding of the more important physical factors governing the emplacement of high-level intrusions in the continental crust, along with their wider geotectonic implications.