9628380 Miller The response of the continental crust to extension is complex and incompletely understood, as is the role that magmatisms plays. This project will examine the response to extension in the Eldorado Mountain area of the Colorado River extensional Corridor where a strong depth gradient is exposed. to the north, extension is accommodated by primarily brittle features while to the south, large-scale normal faults bring deeper-level rocks to the surface. Mapping and structural analysis of the plutons and structural features, supported by geochronologic geochemical and paleomagnetic studies, will establish the composition and three-dimensional partitioning of strain in the thick crustal section. Results should provide important insights into several fundamental problems including mechanism of crustal extension, how continental crust is modified by extension and the role of magmatism in extending terranes.
