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Formation of late Caledonian subvolcanic breccia pipes at Cruachan Cruinn, Grampian Highlands, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

I. M. Platten  and
M. S. Money
I. M. Platten
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, City of London Polytechnic, Walburgh House, Bigland Street, London El 2NG, England
M. S. Money
Affiliation:
Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Drummond Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, England
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Abstract

Pipe-shaped breccia bodies associated with diorite intrusions are composed mainly of angular clasts of local schists with a few transported clasts of quartzite. Plate shaped fragments are commonly oriented to define planar fabrics in the breccias. These features indicate the operation of gas fluidisation within the pipes and both entrainment and expanded bed conditions are inferred. The fabrics result from the collapse of the fluidised suspensions as the gas flow declined. Dilational fracture patterns in the country rock comparable with the stress release patterns found around mine shafts can be matched with the fractures required to produce the angular schist clasts. It is concluded that fracturing and the introduction of fragments into the fluidised breccia system was a continuous process and that the pipe diameter increased progressively with time. Microdiorite sheets and related stock like bodies of diorite cut and metamorphose the breccias. Compaction, hornfelsing and hydrothermal alteration also contributed to breccia formation.

Keywords

Cementationcompactiondioriteexplosion-brecciafabricsfluidisationhydrothermal alterationintrusive brecciarock burstsubvolcanic brecciawall parallel joints
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 78 , Issue 2 , 1987 , pp. 85 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

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