The influences of incremental pluton growth on magma crystallinity and aureole rheology: numerical modeling of growth of the Papoose Flat pluton, California

Abstract

The Papoose Flat pluton in the White-Inyo Range, California, is one of the best examples of forcefully emplaced plutons within an arc crust, having internal fabrics and a contact aureole that deformed in a ductile manner. A 2-D numerical model for the thermo-rheological evolution of the pluton–wall rock system is proposed. We explore how the frequency of magma input, from instantaneous, episodic to continuous, affects magma chamber crystallinity and rheology of both the pluton and its contact aureole. We model pluton growth in the depth range of 10–13 km, which is at the brittle–ductile transition of the crust, and in the 7–4 km depth range, where the host rocks are initially brittle. For incremental growth (episodic and continuous), the pluton begins as a sill. With subsequent injections to the bottom, the pluton grows into a laccolith. Results of mid-crustal models show that the ductile region above the Papoose Flat pluton is related to thermal weakening. The ductile region during incremental growth is 100–150 m thick, matching the observed thickness. It is ten times thinner than in the instantaneous growth model. In episodic and continuous models, the upper part of the pluton is fully or quasi-crystalline throughout growth. During continuous growth, it is likely to remain ductile with potential for the development of solid-state fabrics. During episodic growth, strain rates within the pluton during each injection may become sufficiently high to cause embrittlement of magma. In no case a ductile aureole develops above the pluton at the upper-crustal level, but may develop below the pluton, which serves as thermal insulator. Thus, the pluton’s floor may sag. During incremental growth, most of the pluton is below the solidus and brittle. The results suggest that large volcanic eruptions are unlikely to occur by slow pressurization of magma chambers; instead they require rapid injections of large melt volumes.