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Department of Earth Sciences

 
Read more at: Dating the emplacement of the Shap granite using zircon
Dating the emplacement of the Shap granite using zircon

Dating the emplacement of the Shap granite using zircon

19 November 2018

G5a - the distinctive coarse-grained, pink granite exposed at Shap in Cumbria - has long been a favourite igneous hand specimen for Earth Sciences teaching in Cambridge. New research uses the age of zircon crystal formation to suggest a long gestation period in the mid-crust before its final emplacement 405 million years ago.