U/PB ZIRCON AGES OF SALTESE UPLAND CONSERVATION AREA, PRIEST RIVER CORE COMPLEX

The Saltese Upland Conservation Area provides a window into the Priest River Core Complex with Lake Hauser gneiss grading to migmatite, garnet-baring amphibolite juxtaposed with granitic to orthogneiss rocks. U/Pb ages from LA-ICP-MS of separated zircon grains show trends very similar to detrital 207Pb/206Pb ages of the Belt Supergroup. The amphibolite displays a much stronger peak at 1.4 to 1.5 Ga , possibly related to the emplacement of Mesoproterozoic dikes. The amphibolite and granitic rocks also contain a number of grains with 238U/206Pb around 60 Ma preserving events from the uplift of the Priest River Complex in the Spokane area. The Saltese Uplands are a very common location for sharing natural sciences to the public, so these results help decipher the history of a part of the Priest River Core Complex and also provide data and support to develop a story for the public to understand complex geologic areas.