Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Crustal Deformation During Arc-Flare Up Magmatism: Field And Microstructural Analysis Of A Mid-Crustal, Melt Enhanced Shear Zone, John Bennett Gilbert

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This study combines structural field data with microstructural observations in an analysis of a mid-crustal shear zone related to the emplacement of the Misty pluton during a high-flux magmatic event in Northern Fiordland, New Zealand. These high-flux magmatic events transport massive amounts of heat and material as they develop along accretionary continental margins, and represent a primary source of continental crust. Fiordland, New Zealand possesses, perhaps, the most extensive middle and lower crustal exposure of these systems on earth. Therefore, this study area provides a significant opportunity to understand processes of continental crust formation in the mid-crust and how these …