Introduction

Dear colleagues!

You are invited to participate in field trips during the First International Geological Conference “Granites and Earth’s Evolution: Geodynamic Setting, Petrogenesis and Ore Content of Granitoid Batholiths”.

An idea of organizing the granite conference in Transbaikalia appeared not accidentally. When looking at geological map of Transbaikalia, the well known expression “sea of granites” is involuntarily reminded. In fact, more than 80% of the regional area is occupied by granites of various composition and age. Among them, the Late Paleozoic granitoids of the Angara-Vitim batholith being one of the largest in the world predominate. A whole number of large and unique rare metal deposits is associated with the Mesozoic granitoids in Transbaikalia. It can be said without any exaggeration that Transbaikalia is a natural laboratory, where any problems that are related to petrology of granitoids, their geodynamical setting and ore content can be practically settled down.

The previous International “granitoid” geological excursion in Transbaikalia, i.e. field conference for two weeks took place more than 10 years ago, in 1995 and roused a great interest among its participants. From that time, the new data and ideas appeared that can be best of all tested at the well studied geological objects. Therefore, the organizers of the Conference considered it important to attract once more your attention to some objects that were visited by the participants of the previous field conference. We beforehand apologize, if our excursion will not be new for some participants.

When preparing the Guide for publication, the materials of previous excursion (Excursion Guide…, 1995), but mostly the recent publications, with their references being in the corresponding sections, were partially used.

For the two days of excursions, it is planned to visit two objects. They are: (1) Shaluty quartz syenite-granite pluton of the Zaza Late Paleozoic intrusive complex; and (2) Ermakovka fluorine-beryllium deposit that is genetically associated with the Mesozoic intrusion of alkaline aegerine granites.

We hope that visits to these objects will be interesting and useful and give rise to new discussions on problems of granite formation and ore content of granitoid magmatism.

Welcome to Transbaikalia!