Granite provenance and intrusion in arcs: Evidence from diverse zircon types in Big Bear Lake Intrusive Suite, USA

Abstract

Textural, geochemical and hafnium isotopic data from diverse zircon domains allow discrimination between source and emplacement-level processes in the formation of a large-volume calc-alkalic intrusion. The Big Bear Lake Intrusive Suite is composed of satellite plutons and a main intrusive mass zoned from mafic granodiorites at its margins to central biotite±muscovite granites, and is estimated to be 7–10km thick and have a volume of 3500–5100km3. Zircons in the main intrusive mass and in the satellite plutons are composed of one or more of four domain types: (a) Archean to Proterozoic premagmatic domains and (b) Mesozoic premagmatic domains, both occurring as cores, which are overgrown by (c) luminescent early magmatic domains with low U+Th and relatively high estimated crystallization temperatures and (d) high U+Th main phase magmatic domains. U-Pb zircon geochronology indicates the main intrusive mass was emplaced 78–77Ma, preceded by satellite plutons intruded 85–81Ma. Zircon hafnium isotope ratios span 54 epsilon units, recording age and compositional diversity in magma sources and magma batches. We propose a model for assembly of the intrusive suite involving mixing between lithospheric mantle-derived magma and a hybrid lower crustal source, followed by incremental emplacement of magmas in the upper crust at ~0.003–0.005km3 my−1. This flux rate was sufficiently rapid to generate a large volume of mobile magma that underwent differentiation by limited and imperfect fractional crystallization to form the granodioritic margins and central granites. The estimated flux rate is several times higher than that estimated for other Cretaceous, incrementally emplaced intrusive suites in the California arc, indicating that both source-level and emplacement-level processes played roles in forming these intrusions.