AIPG FIELD TRIP - ELEPHANTS • NATURAL WATER PARK • MONUMENTS


The Graniteville Granite commonly is known as “Missouri Red,” and has been quarried in the region since 1969 (Kisvarsanyi et al., 1981). The stone is a popular building stone and can be found in numerous build- ings across the Midwest. There are only a few outcrops of Graniteville Granite in the area. Based on magnetic anomaly and grav- ity maps, the formation is hypothesized to underlie the Belleview Valley, which is a topographic low.


Kisvarsanyi (1980) has hypothesized that


the granite pluton was emplaced during a resurgent cauldron cycle. Alternatively, intrusion of the Graniteville Granite may be due to back-arc extension during formation of the Southern Granite Rhyolite (SGR) province at ~1370 ma (Rohs, 2001).


Johnson Shut-Ins State Park In 2005, a dam atop a nearby mountain


Figure 3. Geologic map of the St. Francois Mountains. In this map, units labeled ‘v’ are volcanic and those labeled ‘i’ are igneous. Both types of igneous rocks are Precambrian in age.


failed, releasing a tremendous volume of water into the Black River. Most of Johnson- Shut-Ins park was damaged. Footpaths were washed away, and a tremendous volume of sediment was deposited in the river channel. We will walk down to the Shut-Ins and observe the rhyolites.


Aaron Johnson


TPG Editor Adam Heft stands on the Graniteville Granite at


Elephant Rocks State Park, where linear joint planes control the distinctive weathering patterns.


www.aipg.org


At Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, the Black River cuts through resistant Precambrian rhyolite, creating potholes and steep-walled channels. AIPG


Executive Director Aaron Johnson stands near the center of the photo, high- lighting the impressive scale of these geologic features.


Jan.Feb.Mar 2026 • TPG 27


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