The development of large batholiths associated with subduction tectonics is of considerable interest in crustal genesis. Prior work in the Sierra Nevada has indicated that the present erosion surface cuts obliquely through a 30 kilometer depth section, thus offering an opportunity to develop a model of both shallow and deep portions of the same batholith-dominated crust. The work involves structural, petrographic and geochronological studies aimed at understanding the development of the batholith as of approximately 100 million years ago. Results will refine understanding of subduction-related plutonism in California, which should also apply to general models of batholith development.
