Granite - Rolesville Batholith - Mitchell's Millpond State Natural Area

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Technical Information:  This specific location is not described but a detailed description of  a similar location in the Rolesville batholith is described for Stop 11 in Carolina Geological Society Field trip 1994.

Carolina Geological Society Field Trip guide 1994 - Stop 11

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Simplified Information:

Granite of the Rolesville Batholith is well exposed at Mitchell’s Millpond State Natural Area.  This 93-acre site is a Registered Heritage Area, and contains some of the best examples of native plant communities that grow in such a “granitic flatrock” environment.  

The location is also an excellent spot to examine a very large exposure of granite belonging to the Rolesville batholith.  Granite is an igneous rock that cooled very slowly from magma (molten rock).  The magma was generated during the collision of the ancient African continent with ancient North America during the formation of the supercontinent Pangea approximately 300 million years ago.  At Mitchell's Millpond, medium-grained biotite granite, with a variety of special features, including pegmatite dikes and quartz veins that cut the granite are present.  Other features present are joints and exfoliation surfaces and the effects of erosion by running water, including numerous potholes.

 

Figure 1: View of "granite flatrock" like exposure at Mitchell's Millpond State Natural Area

Figure 2: View of fresh surface of granite from Mitchell's Millpond State Natural Area

Figure 3: Spring-time view of flowering plants growing on the "granite flatrock" surface