Shape and intrusion style of the Coastal Batholith, Peru

Abstract

The Coastal Batholith of Peru extends over 1600 km parallel to the coast along the Andean trend. Gravity profiles on three traverses across the batholith indicate the geometry is essentially that of a flat slab with average thickness from 2.0–3.2 km, and a thick root 4–10 km wide to the west. Granitic material does not extend to depths greater than 3 km below sea level datum.This study supports recent gravity work which indicates plutons are commonly thin, 5 km or less in thickness. Detailed mapping in the Lima segment of the Coastal Batholith reveals thin plutons where space was made dominantly by downward displacement via floor depression. However, early roof uplift also created some space. Stoping occurs but is not a major space maker. Floor depression may be modelled by cantilever or piston mechanisms and although the strong marginal deformation with mylonites, tuffisites, microbreccia, faults and shear zones suggests the piston model best describes the mechanism of emplacement of much of the Coastal Batholith some space was probably made by a cantilever mechanism. In brief, space making processes involved early roof uplift and regional doming, then floor depression mainly by piston and probably subsidiary cantilever mechanisms and, finally, local stoping producing the cut-out rectilinear nature of the batholith.The Coastal Batholith formed on shallow partial melting of hydrous basaltic marginal basin rocks between 5 and 10 km. Floor depression occurred as the crustal column foundered into an actively deflating layer of partial melt. This is an efficient space making process and is limited here to shallow levels of the upper crust only. The melts ascended to within 2 or 3 km of the surface, up dyke-like conduits then spread horizontally to form tabular plutons.