Arc composition at mid-crustal depths: Insights from the Coast Ridge Belt, Santa Lucia Mountains, California

Abstract

The Coast Ridge Belt (CRB, Santa Lucia Mts., central California) comprises mid-crustal rocks (750-800°C and 0.8 GPa) of the California magmatic arc. We estimated the bulk composition of the CRB and converted our results to seismic velocities expected at the observed pressures and temperatures. The bulk composition of this arc section changes abruptly at 25 km depth from a granodiorite to a quartz-diorite or diorite. These data are in agreement with results from other Cordilleran batholiths suggesting 1.5 to 2 times thicker felsic columns than interpreted for modern continental arcs, and a relatively sharp transition from a felsic upper crustal batholith, and a mafic deep crust. This implied rheological boundary may have significant implications for intracrustal faulting or convective removal of the roots of batholiths.