Field characteristics, petrography, and geochronology of the Hohonu Batholith and the adjacent Granite Hill Complex, North Westland, New Zealand

Abstract

Detailed geological mapping, petrography, geochemistry, and geochronological studies in the Hohonu Batholith, North Westland, have identified 10 granitoid plutons emplaced during three intrusive episodes. The earliest episode is represented by a single dated Paleozoic pluton, Summit Granite (new) (381.2 ± 7.3 Ma), which is correlated with a discrete pulse of Mid—Late Devonian plutonism recognised in the Karamea Batholith. The undated Mount Graham Granite (new) is also likely to be Paleozoic, based on chemical and petrographic characteristics. The bulk of the batholith (seven plutons) was emplaced in the mid Cretaceous (114–109 Ma) and comprises two related, yet distinct, geochemical suites, which correlate with the previously defined Rahu Suite. The plutons identified are (from north to south): Pah Point Granite; Jays Creek Granodiorite (new); Uncle Bay Tonalite; Te Kinga Monzogranite; Deutgam Granodiorite; Turiwhate Granodiorite (new); and Arahura Granite (new). Mid‐Cretaceous plutonism in the Western Province is considered to be the result of crustal thinning and extension following overthickening during collision of the Early Cretaceous Median Tectonic Zone volcanic arc. Late Cretaceous alkaline activity is represented by the emplacement of the A‐type French Creek Granite at 81.7 ± 1.8 Ma, contemporaneous with intrusion of a major swarm of doleritic‐lamprophyric dikes—the Hohonu Dike Swarm. These events correlate with the first appearance of oceanic crust in the Tasman Sea. The Granite Hill Complex is a suite of amphibolite facies gneisses occurring as an uplifted wedge between the Alpine Fault and the Hohonu Batholith. These gneisses are considered to represent an extension of the Fraser Complex to the south. A detailed understanding of their geological affinities and history is yet to be established.