U-Pb zircon geochronology of rocks in the Salinas Valley region of California: A reevaluation of the crustal structure and origin of the Salinian block

Research Article| June 01, 2003 U-Pb zircon geochronology of rocks in the Salinas Valley region of California: A reevaluation of the crustal structure and origin of the Salinian block Andrew P. Barth; Andrew P. Barth 1Department of Geology, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Joseph L. Wooden; Joseph L. Wooden 2U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marty Grove; Marty Grove 3Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Carl E. Jacobson; Carl E. Jacobson 4Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jane N. Pedrick Jane N. Pedrick 5Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Andrew P. Barth 1Department of Geology, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA Joseph L. Wooden 2U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA Marty Grove 3Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA Carl E. Jacobson 4Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Jane N. Pedrick 5Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 13 Nov 2002 Revision Received: 19 Feb 2003 Accepted: 20 Feb 2003 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (6): 517–520. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2003)031<0517:UZGORI>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 13 Nov 2002 Revision Received: 19 Feb 2003 Accepted: 20 Feb 2003 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Andrew P. Barth, Joseph L. Wooden, Marty Grove, Carl E. Jacobson, Jane N. Pedrick; U-Pb zircon geochronology of rocks in the Salinas Valley region of California: A reevaluation of the crustal structure and origin of the Salinian block. Geology 2003;; 31 (6): 517–520. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2003)031<0517:UZGORI>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Salinian block in the Salinas Valley region of central California consists of arc granitic and metasedimentary rocks (schist of Sierra de Salinas) sandwiched between coeval high-pressure, low-temperature mélange belts. U-Pb zircon ages of three granitic plutons from this region range from 88 to 82 Ma, and coexisting biotite yielded 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of 76–75 Ma. The U-Pb ages from detrital zircons indicate derivation of the protolith of the schist from a 117–81 Ma igneous provenance. Muscovite and biotite 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of 72–68 Ma from the nearby schist are distinctly younger than those from the granitic plutons. These data indicate that deposition and metamorphism of the schist occurred after emplacement of adjacent granitic rocks, contradicting the prevailing view that the schist comprises the local framework for the Salinian arc. We propose that the schist of Sierra de Salinas was thrust beneath the Salinian magmatic arc along a Campanian thrust fault that has not been recognized. This hypothesis implies that the Salinian arc originated as a klippe of basement rocks derived from the vicinity of the western Mojave Desert. Thrusting initiated southeastward-migrating Laramide tectonism of a style similar to that which formed the Vincent thrust and the latest Cretaceous and Paleocene Pelona and Orocopia Schists of southern California and southwestern Arizona. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.