The Santiago Peak Volcanic rocks of the Peninsular Ranges batholith, Southern California: volcanic rocks associated with coeval gabbros

Abstract

Analyses of the latest Jurassic Santiago Peak volcanic rocks from the western zone of the Peninsular Ranges batholith reveal the existence of two independent groups; one comprising basalts and andesites of the island arc tholeiitic series, and the second made up of the dacites and rhyolites of the subalkaline (calc-alkaline?) series or silicic series. The basalts and andesites have V, Co and Ni contents similar to those estimated for the residual melts in equilibrium with the Peninsular Ranges gabbros. This fact together with the tholeiitic nature of the gabbros and the intimate spatial and temporal relationship between the SPV and the gabbros suggests that the basalts and andesites had a common origin with the gabbros. The mafic volcanism and plutonism seems to have occurred in a youthful island arc and the silicic volcanism in a mature island arc or a continental margin.