Compositional Variations and 

Abundances of Selected Elements 

in Granitoid Rocks %#. and

Constituent Minerals, Central 

Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1248
Compositional Variations and 

Abundances of Selected Elements 

in Granitoid Rocks and 

Constituent Minerals, Central 

Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

By F. C. W. DODGE, H. T. MILLARD, JR., and H. N. ELSHEIMER 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1248

A geochemical study of the lateral compositional 

variations in granitoid rocks across the 

central Sierra Nevada batholith

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1982
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

JAMES G. WATT, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Dallas L. Peck, Director

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 82-600541

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, D.C. 20402
CONTENTS

Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1

Background summary ............................................................................................................................ 1

Analytical procedures ...................................................................................................... . 2

Elemental abundances and compositional variations ................................................................... 2

Rare-earth elements ............................................................................................................................ 2

Alkali metals and alkaline earths .................................................................................................... 4

Elements covariant with iron ............................................................................................................ 5

Variations of other elements .............................................................................................................. 5

Variations across the batholith ..................................................................................................... 8

Variations relative to Si02 ................................................................................................................ 9

Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 12

References cited ........................................................................................................................................ 13

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figures 1-17. Graphs showing:

1. Twelve representative chondrite-normalized rare-earth-element patterns of Sierra Nevada granitoids ................ 3

2. Rare-earth-element mineral-rock ratios or ranges of ratios for some constituent minerals of Sierra Nevada 

granitoids ....................................................................................................................--..-.-.--...........^^^^ 4

3. Potassium plotted against caesium and rubidium for Sierra Nevada granitoids .......................................................... 5

4. Atomic proportions of large alkali metals in potassium-feldspars and biotites of Sierra Nevada granitoids ........ 6

5. Potassium plotted against barium for Sierra Nevada granitoids and constituent biotites and potassiumfeldspars ..............................................................................................................................----.-.-------.---...^^ 6

6. Cobalt plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada granitoids ................................................................. ......-.....-.... . 7

7. Scandium plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada granitoids and constituent ferromagnesian minerals .............. 7

8. Vanadium plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada granitoids .......................................................................................... 7

9. Uranium plotted against thorium for Sierra Nevada granitoids ...................................................................................... 8

10. Hafnium plotted against zirconium for Sierra Nevada granitoids .................................................................................... 8

11. Uranium and thorium in biotites, hornblendes, and feldspars relative to host granitoids .......................................... 8

12. Total rare-earth elements plotted onto a line approximately normal to the axis of the Sierra Nevada

batholith ...............................................................^^^ 8

13. Correlation coefficients (r) of total rare-earth elements and individual rare-earth elements relative to easterly

distance across the batholith .................................................................................... ................. ... . .. 9

14. Tantalum plotted onto a line approximately normal to the axis of the Sierra Nevada batholith .............................. 9

15. Barium plotted onto a line approximately normal to the axis of the Sierra Nevada batholith .................................. 9

16. Selected elements and elemental ratios plotted against silica for Sierra Nevada granitoids ...................................... 10

17. Solid/liquid distribution coefficients of rare-earth elements for minerals of mafic and intermediate rocks .......... 12

TABLES

Page

Table 1. Rock units and locations of the representative samples .................................................................. ... .... ............... .--..-.. --..-- 16

2. Elemental analyses of representative granitoid rocks showing compositional variation .................................................................... 17

3. Neutron activation analyses of potassium feldspar ........................................................................................................................................ 20

4. Neutron activation analyses of plagioclase and plagioclase+quartz concentrates .................................................................................. 21

5. Neutron activation analyses of biotite ...................................................................................................................................- . 22

6. Neutron activation analyses of hornblende ..................................................................................................... ........-- ---- - ---.. 23

7. Neutron activation analyses of magnetite ............................................................................................................. ... 24

III

COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF SELECTED ELEMENTS IN

GRANITOID ROCKS AND CONSTITUENT MINERALS, 

CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

By F. C. W. Dodge, H. T. Millard, Jr., and H. N. Elsheimer

ABSTRACT

Contents of several elements have been determined in 27 representative granitoid samples from the central Sierra Nevada batholith and in 36 separates of their major constituent minerals. The 

chemical data confirm some previously established lateral compositional trends and also demonstrate eastward increase in light rareearth elements and tantalum across the batholith. These variations 

are attributable to the heterogeneity of the source regions from 

which magmas were derived.

Continuous fractionation of ferromagnesian minerals throughout 

the differentiation history of Sierra Nevada magmas is suggested by 

systematic decrease of iron and a group of related trace elements 

with increasing SiOa. Chemical and mineralogical evidence indicate 

that hornblende dominated fractionation when the magma contained 55-72 percent SiOa, and at higher SiOa levels iron depletion 

reflects removal of small amounts of magnetite. Biotite was apparently not an important fractionated phase. Below 72 percent SiOa, 

several elemental variations are largely controlled by hornblende 

fractionation, whereas above 72 percent both strontium and Eu/Eu* 

drop abruptly indicating a shift to plagioclase as a controlling fractionate. The low barium content of a high SiOa leucogranite implies 

K-feldspar depletion, and the rock may be a true eutectic granite.

INTRODUCTION

In recent years there has been increasing realization 

that knowledge of the distribution of chemical constituents provides important evidence for origin and 

magmatic history of granitic batholiths. In the Sierra 

Nevada batholith, which has been intensively studied 

in a wide belt across its central part between lat 36°45' 

and 38°00' N., the gross distribution of its- chemical 

constituents is difficult to discover because the batholith is made up of many differing plutonic bodies. For 

this study, part of a continuing program of geochemical study of this batholith, the chemical constituents in 

27 samples of granitoid rocks and in 36 separates of 

their major constituent minerals have been determined. Analyses by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence have revealed the distribution of several elements, including rare-earth elements (REE) and 

alkali metals.

Rock samples used in this investigation are from 

carefully identified localities and were collected as 

representative of mapped rock units (table 1). The

same samples have been used in many other detailed 

studies of the batholith: for example, Hurley and others, 1965; Kistler and others, 1965; Dodge and others, 

1968, 1969; Piwinskii, 1968; Naeser and Dodge, 1969; 

Bateman and Dodge, 1970; and the samples have been 

previously analyzed for major element oxides and have 

been studied petrographically.

BACKGROUND SUMMARY

The Sierra Nevada batholith is a composite of many 

plutonic bodies ranging in outcrop area from less than 

a square kilometer to several hundred square kilometers. Individual bodies are either in sharp contact 

with one another or are separated by remnants of metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks.

Several of the bodies in the central Sierra Nevada 

have been grouped into intrusive sequences. Each 

sequence consists of rocks emplaced during a single 

intrusive epoch; field, petrographic, and chemical 

data suggest that the rocks in each sequence are cogenetic. Within individual sequences there is a chronological progression from mafic to felsic; the oldest 

rocks have silica contents as low as 55 weight percent 

and contain abundant hornblende, biotite, and intermediate plagioclase. Successively younger rocks in 

each sequence have increasingly greater silica contents, lesser hornblende and biotite, and more sodic 

plagioclase. The youngest rocks in some sequences 

have as much as 80 weight percent silica, contain 

abundant quartz, K-feldspar, and sodic plagioclase, 

and are void of hornblende.

Lateral gross compositional changes across the entire batholith are superimposed on the recurrent compositional variations within individual sequences. A 

study by Bateman and Dodge (1970) of variation of 

major chemical constituents showed clearly that K^O 

increases systematically eastward, suggested that 

Fe2 03 and TiC>2 may also increase eastward, but that 

FeO, MgO, and CaO may decrease, and indicated no 

significant change in amount of Si02, A1203, Na2 0,
VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

H20, P205, and MnO across the batholith. The oxidation ratio [mol(2Fe203xlOO)/(2Fe203+FeO)] increases 

eastward (Dodge, 1972a). In addition, the minor elements rubidium, uranium, thorium, and beryllium 

have been shown to increase eastward (Dodge, 1972b) 

as does the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio (Kistler and Peterman, 1973). Batholithic rocks generally range in age 

from Triassic to middle Cretaceous (Evernden and 

Kistler, 1970); however, the regional compositional 

patterns are independent of age patterns (Kistler, 

1974). The age succession, from oldest to youngest, of 

the intrusive sequences mentioned in this report is: 

Scheelite, Palisade, Fine Gold, Shaver (Taft Granite is 

tentatively included with the Shaver), and John Muir; 

the generalized geographic position, from west to east 

is: Fine Gold, Shaver, John Muir, Palisade, and 

Scheelite.

ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES

Rocks analyzed in this study were selected from a 

suite of intensively studied samples. Separates of several constituent minerals were prepared for analysis 

from carefully sized rock powders of some of the same 

rock samples by electromagnetic and density concentration. With the exception of plagioclase and quartz, 

which generally could not be separated from one 

another, final sample purity of individual separates 

generally exceeded 98 percent.

Rocks and major mineral phases were analyzed by 

instrumental neutron activation analysis (Gordon and 

others, 1968; Hertogen and Gijbels, 1971) for REE, 

alkali metals, and an assortment of other elements. 

Splits of 1.5 grams of rock powders, mineral separates, 

and standards (U.S. Geol. Survey standard rock G-2 

and synthetic standards prepared by mixing elements 

with high-purity quartz powder) were irradiated for 

30 minutes in the USGS Denver TRIGA reactor in a 

neutron flux of 3xl010 n/cm2/s, and then counted over a 

4-hour decay interval using coaxial Ge(Li) detectors 

(resolution 2.0 keV FWHM at 1333 keV, efficiency -10 

percent). The samples and standards were then irradiated for a second time for 8 hours in a neutron flux of 

3xl012 n/cm2/s and counted with both coaxial Ge(Li) 

detectors and planar Ge(Li) detectors (resolution ~500 

eV FWHM at 122 keV) after decay times of 7,14, and 

60 days. Spectra of induced gamma-ray activities were 

stored on magnetic tape, and areas under photopeaks 

were calculated and compared to the standards by 

computer. A few of the elements determined by neutron activation in this study have been determined on 

some of the materials in other studies (for example, 

Dodge and others, 1968, 1969, 1970; Greenland and 

others, 1968, 1971; Wollenberg and Smith, 1968; Tilling and others, 1969); in general, agreement with previous analyses is satisfactory.

Rock analyses for Sr, V, and Ni were performed on 

pressed cellulose powder pellets with a sample/cellulose ratio of 85/15. Conventional X-ray fluorescence 

techniques were employed utilizing an automated, 

computerized X-ray spectrometer system. Results 

were determined using previously established calibration curves for standard silicate rocks; the curves were 

generated using multiple linear regression equations 

taking into account various matrix effects.

ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND 

COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS

Rock analyses have been grouped in table 2 according to rock type using the classification and nomenclature recommended by the IUGS Subcommission on 

the Systematics of Igneous Rocks and are arranged 

within groups in order of increasing silica contents. 

Mineral analyses of tables 3 through 7 are listed 

simply in order of increasing silica contents of host 

rocks.

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

REE data on the granitoid rocks have been normalized to chondrite values summarized by Hermann 

(1970). Twelve chondrite normalized patterns are 

shown in figure 1. The patterns show an overall REE 

enrichment and heavy REE depletion relative to light 

REE. They are generally similar to those determined 

by Frey, Chappell, and Roy (1978) for granitoid rocks 

of the Tuolumne Intrusive Series of the central Sierra 

Nevada, except for lower light REE in a quartz gabbro (CL-1) and a trondjhemite (ST-1) and the presence 

of large negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*, the ratio of 

the actual chondrite-normalized Eu value to the 

chondrite-normalized Eu value if there were no anomaly, of less than 0.5) in four leucogranite samples (FD12, HL-29, R-99, MG-2). Undetermined REE values 

have been estimated by extrapolation using chondritenormalized diagrams. Total REE contents range from 

74 to 250 ppm if the determined values are added to the 

estimated values. La/Yb ratios range from 2.9 to 48, 

but the ratios for three-quarters of the samples range 

between 15 and 40.

Contents of REE in separates of major mineral 

phases from the Sierra Nevada granitoid rocks are 

generally somewhat lower than contents reported on 

the same minerals from granitic suites in other regions 

(for example, Towell and others, 1965; Buma and others, 1971; Masuda and others, 1972), whereas REE 

contents of Sierra Nevada accessory sphenes and apatites (Dodge and -Mays, 1972) are similar to those
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS

1000 1000

La Ce Nd Sm Eu Tb Dy

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Tm Yb Lu La Ce Nd Sm Eu Tb Dy

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Tm Yb Lu

La Ce Nd Sm Eu Tb Dy

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Tm Yb Lu La Ce Nd Sm Eu Tb Dy

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Tm Yb Lu

Figure 1. Twelve representative chondrite-normalized rare-earth-element patterns of Sierra Nevada granitoids. A, Plagioclase-rich

granitoids, B, quartz monzodiorites, C, granodiorites, and D, leucogranites.
VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

reported from several granitic suites in other regions 

(for example, Towell and others, 1965; Lee and others, 

1969,1973; Nagasawa, 1970; Staatz and others, 1977). 

As noted by Towell, Winchester, and Spirn (1965), 

small amounts of accessory mineral impurities would 

concentrate relatively large amounts of REE in major 

mineral phases, and the bulk of REE in magnetites 

(table 7) are probably contained in accessory mineral 

impurities. The Sierra Nevada separates are as pure 

as is practicable without resorting to acid washing. 

Nagasawa (1970) has shown that, at least in zircon, 

acid washing preferentially leaches the lighter REE. 

The range of mineral/rock ratios for hornblendes, 

K-feldspars, and sphenes, based on 12 sphene analyses 

used by Dodge and Mays (1972) from the same rocks as 

those analyzed in this study, and the ratios for a plagioclase are shown in figure 2. Ranges are not shown for 

biotites, as only a relative few of the REE have been 

determined, or for magnetites. The mineral/rock ratios 

fall within rather limited ranges and are similar to 

mineral/groundmass partition coefficients for REE in

1000

La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Oy Y 

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Ho Er Tm Yb

Figure 2. Rare-earth-element mineral-rock ratios or ranges of 

ratios for some constituent minerals of Sierra Nevada 

granitoids.

dacitic volcanic rocks (for example, Higuchi and 

Nagasawa, 1969; Schnetzler and Philpotts, 1970; 

Nagasawa and Schnetzler, 1971; Arth and Barker, 

1976).

ALKALI METALS AND ALKALINE EARTHS

Sodium in the granitoid rocks shows little relation to 

the other alkalis. Bateman and Dodge (1970) showed 

Na20 ranged from less than 2 to over 5 weight percent 

in 193 samples of Sierra Nevada granitoids, but 80 

percent of the samples contained between 3 and 4 percent Na20. The 27 rock samples of the study have Na20 

within or very near the 3 to 4 percent range.

The relation between K and the two less abundant 

large alkali metals, Rb and Cs, is shown in figure 3. 

Potassium ranges a full magnitude from 0.484 to 4.01 

weight percent (0.583-4.83 percent K20), Rb from 13.8 

to 182 ppm, though not determined in the least potassic 

sample (CL-1), and Cs from 1.10 to 8.56 ppm. Rubidium varies positively with K throughout the entire 

suite, as shown previously by Dodge, Fabbi, and Ross 

(1970) and Kistler and Peterman (1973) for Sierra 

Nevada granitoid rocks. Although there is considerable scatter in the K-Cs plot, it is apparent that the 

relationship of Cs to K is quite different from that of Rb 

to K. In low K samples, Cs is low, but tends to increase 

with increasing K to a maximum at 2 weight percent 

K, then abruptly decreases at higher K contents.

Relative contents of the three large alkali metals in 

K-feldspar and biotites, which contain the bulk of 

these elements in the granitoid rocks, are shown in 

figure 4. Rubidium is concentrated in biotite (498- 

1,740 ppm) relative to K-feldspar (212-468 ppm), and 

Cs is even more relatively concentrated in the biotite 

(10.1 to 157 ppm) compared to K-feldspar (1.15 to 5.70 

ppm); similar relations have been reported by Carron 

and Lagache (1972) and Bernotat, Carron, and Lagache (1976) among others. The dropoff of Cs in rocks 

with high K contents reflects the decreasing amounts 

of biotite contained in these rocks, an effect probably 

present but not so pronounced for Rb.

Barium, generally thought to be characterized by its 

ability to substitute for K, shows a rather poor correlation with K (fig. 5). Bateman and Chappell (1979) have 

also noted that Ba, which they expected to follow K, is 

unexpectedly erratic in its behavior in the Tuolumne 

Intrusive Series of the central Sierra Nevada. Of the 

two potassic minerals, K-feldspar and biotite, Ba tends 

to be much more highly concentrated in the former 

(fig. 5). K-feldspar has an average K/Ba ratio of only 

28, whereas biotite has an average ratio of 94, and if a 

single biotite which does not coexist with K-feldspar is 

excluded, the ratio is even greater at 100. The presence 

of significant amounts of Ba in both hornblende and
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS

10

<: i.o

0.1

v 

v

w

V

W V 

V v AA

A

v

EXPLANATION

V Caesium

A Rubidium

i i i i

1.0 10 100 

CAESIUM, RUBIDIUM, IN PARTS PER MILLION

1000

Figure 3. Potassium plotted against caesium and rubidium for Sierra Nevada granitoids.

plagioclase may help account for the rather poor correlation of Ba with K.

Evernden and Kistler (1970) and Kistler and Peterman (1973) recorded a range of 86 to 764 ppm Sr and of 

0.14 to 2.14 Rb/Sr for Sierra Nevada granitoid rocks. 

With the exception of a leucogranite sample with 42 

ppm Sr and 4.14 Rb/Sr, all samples of this study are 

within these ranges. We do not present data for Sr in 

mineral analyses herein; however, relatively low Sr 

values of 16-65 ppm have been reported for hornblendes (Dodge and others, 1968) and of less than 6-28 

ppm for biotites (Hurley and others, 1965; Dodge and 

others, 1969) from granitoids of the central Sierra 

Nevada. These values were determined on many of the 

same mineral separates analyzed in the present study. 

In addition, the following Sr values have been determined spectrographically on four of the K-feldsparsof 

table 6 (R. E. Mays, written commun.): HL-29,40ppm; 

BP-1,120 ppm; MG-1,150 ppm; MG-3,240 ppm. Thus, 

the major rock-forming minerals, hornblende, biotite, 

and K-feldspar, all have considerably lower Sr contents than their respective host rocks, and the bulk of 

the Sr in the granitoids is believed to be contained in 

plagioclase feldspar.

ELEMENTS COVARIANT WITH IRON

Several elements, including Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and

Ni, show a high positive correlation with Fe (r - 0.6) 

and are largely concentrated in the ferromagnesian 

minerals. The plot of Co against Fe (fig. 6) and Sc 

against Fe (fig. 7) in the granitoids illustrates the close 

relations between these elements exceptionally well. 

Vanadium shows two distinctly different, though 

strongly positive, trends relative to Fe (fig. 8). The 

reason for the divergent V trends is not clear.

Although these elements are concentrated in the 

ferromagnesian minerals, consistent strong partitioning of the elements between coexisting individual ferromagnesian minerals is shown only by Cr, which is 

generally concentrated in magnetite, and importantly 

by Sc, which is enriched in hornblende, concentrated 

to a lesser extent in biotite, and impoverished in magnetite (fig. 7). This partitioning is further shown by the 

greater Sc contents of hornblende-bearing rocks relative to hornblende-free rocks. Interestingly, biotites 

that do not coexist with hornblendes have greater Sc 

contents than those that do. Vanadium and Ni were 

determined only on whole rocks in this study; however, 

previous work on constituent biotites and hornblendes 

(Dodge and others, 1968,1969) show little partitioning 

of these elements.

VARIATIONS OF OTHER ELEMENTS

Of the potpourri of remaining determined elements,
VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

PotassiumxO.01

EXPLANATION

+ Biotite

0 Potassium feldspar

Rubidium Caesium x 100

Figure 4. Atomic proportions of large alkali metals in potassium 

feldspars and biotites of Sierra Nevada granitoids.

U and Th (fig. 9) and Zr and Hf (fig. 10) are geochemically coherent pairs.

Uranium and Th contents and the U/Th ratios of the 

analyzed rocks are similar to those determined by Wollenberg and Smith (1968) on numerous samples from 

the central Sierra Nevada batholith. Feldspars tend to 

contain less Th relative to their host rocks than do 

biotites or hornblendes, whereas U contents normalized to host granitoid rocks for all these minerals show 

no consistent differences (fig. 11). The bulk of the U 

and Th in these rocks is undoubtedly concentrated in 

accessory phases, particularly zircon, sphene, allanite, 

and monazite (Wollenberg, 1973).

The Zr/Hf ratio of the granitoids falls in a limited 

range from 35 to 60. The bulk of the Zr is believed to be 

present in accessory zircon, and Zr values are not given 

for mineral separates. It is of interest that Hf contents 

of hornblende generally exceed those of biotite by 

nearly an order of magnitude; a single exception is a 

biotite (ST-1) which contains appreciable Hf and does 

not coexist with hornblende.

100

1.0

D

EXPLANATION

+ Biotite 

 Whole rock

LJ Potassium feldspar

100 1000 

BARIUM, IN PARTS PER MILLION

10,000

Figure 5. Potassium plotted against barium for Sierra Nevada granitoids and constituent biotites and potassium feldspars.
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS

1UU

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J**x X*X

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_______ 1 ____ 1 1 1 1 1 1 l_l 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-

0.1

IRON, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

Figure 6. Cobalt plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada 

granitoids.

10 0.1 1

IRON, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

10

Figure 8. Vanadium plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada 

granitoids.

1000

2 100

o

I I \ I T \ I |

EXPLANATION

LJ Biotite without hornblende 

H Biotite accompanying hornblende 

O Hornblende-free granitoid rocks 

x Hornblende

9 Hornblende granitoid rocks 

+ Magnetite

O O

o

o',0 o

o

J____I___I III

\ I I I

X

D

D

0.1

IRON, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

Figure 7. Scandium plotted against iron for Sierra Nevada granitoids and constituent ferromagnesian minerals.

100
VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

100 p

10

0.1

10 

THORIUM, IN PARTS PER MILLION

100

Figure 9. Uranium plotted against thorium for Sierra Nevada 

granitoids.

10 ~l I I I I I IT

* XJ 

XXX *

100 

ZIRCONIUM, IN PARTS PER MILLION

1000

Figure 10. Hafnium plotted against zirconium for Sierra 

Nevada granitoids.

0.01

o

D

D

X

D 

O

EXPLANATION

x Plagioclase (±quartz) 

+ Potassium feldspar 

D Biotite 

O Hornblende

0.001 0.01 0.1 

THORIUM IN MINERAL/THORIUM IN ROCK

Figure 11. Uranium and thorium in biotites, hornblendes, and 

feldspars relative to host granitoids.

Distribution of Ta in Sierra Nevada granitoids is 

similar to its distribution in rocks of the southern California batholith (Gottfried and Dinnin, 1965); however, overall the element is more abundant in the Sierran rocks, ranging from about 0.2 ppm in two plagioclase-rich granitoids to more than 2 ppm in a leucogranite. Hornblende generally contains greater 

amounts of Ta than coexisting biotite although biotites 

from hornblende-free rocks are especially enriched in 

the element.

Antimony, which ranges from less than 0.1 to more 

than 1.0 ppm in the granitoids, shows little relation to 

other determined elements. Greatest Sb contents are 

in hornblendes, and, unlike Ta, biotites from hornblende-free rocks are not enriched in Sb.

VARIATIONS ACROSS THE BATHOLITH

Previous workers (Wollenberg and Smith, 1968; 

Bateman and Dodge, 1970; Dodge and others, 1970; 

Dodge, 1972a, b; Kistler and Peterman, 1973) have 

demonstrated eastward increase in K, Rb, U, Th, Be, 

and the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio and the oxidation ratio, 

that is, the molecular ratio (2Fe203xlOO)/(2Fe203+ 

FeO), across the central Sierra Nevada batholith. 

Although our data are limited to a few samples, they 

confirm some of these trends and indicate others may 

be coexistent.

The most important other geographic trend is that of 

total REE. In figure 12, the total REE, including 

values estimated from chondrite-normalized diagrams, are plotted onto a line which crosses the batholith approximately normal to its axis. Although there 

is some scatter, total REE clearly increases gradually 

from an average of about 80 ppm in the western Sierra

300

52

200

I- OC

5S 150

100

50

+ 

+ +

0 40 80

DISTANCE ACROSS BATHOLITH, IN KILOMETERS

Figure 12. Total rare-earth elements plotted onto a line 

approximately normal to the axis of the Sierra Nevada 

batholith.

120
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS

Nevada foothills to over 160 ppm in the eastern part of 

the batholith. Of the 14 REE, the lightest 2, La and Ce, 

constitute from one- to two-thirds of the total REE of 

the granitoids. Thus, the light REE dominate the total 

REE, and the trend is basically a reflection of variation in contents of light REE. This dominance is 

graphically illustrated in figure 13, where correlation 

coefficients of contents of individual REE are plotted 

relative to easterly distance across the batholith. The 

light REE show a high positive degree of correlation, 

the intermediate REE a poor correlation with Eu 

being slightly negative, and the heavy REE show progressively higher positive correlation coefficients. 

La/Yb ratios, a measure of REE fractionation, and 

Eu/Eu* ratios show considerable scatter and no clearly 

discernible trends when projected onto a line crossing 

the batholith.

Tantalum also clearly increases eastward even 

though there is considerable scatter in the data (fig. 

14). Barium does not show a clear trend completely 

across the batholith, but two samples suggest a sharp 

decrease of the element on the extreme west side of the 

batholith (fig. 15). A third low-Ba sample on the east 

side of the batholith probably has no geographic significance; it is discussed further in the following sections.

VARIATIONS RELATIVE TO SiO2

To further investigate compositional variations, K, 

Rb, Cs, Sr, Ba, Sc, Fe, total REE, and the ratios La/Yb

0.7

Ce Sm Gd Tb| Dy Tm Yb

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Figure 13. Correlation coefficients (r) of total rare-earth 

elements and individual rare-earth elements relative to 

easterly distance across the batholith.

and Eu/Eu* have been plotted against Si02, an index 

of differentiation in granitoid rocks (fig. 16). Hornblende-free and hornblende-bearing rocks have been 

distinguished on the plots; hornblende, which decreases as silica increases, is absent in rocks with more 

than 70-72 percent silica.

Several of the elements and elemental ratios show 

fundamental changes in trends at about 72 percent 

Si02. One of the most pronounced changes is shown by 

Sr, which displays considerable scatter and no discernible trend at Si02 values below 72 percent, but 

between 72 and 74 percent Si02 it drops abruptly from 

values greater than 300 ppm to less than 200 ppm and 

decreases to less than 100 ppm at 80 percent Si02. The 

Eu/Eu* ratio is relatively constant, but with scatter, 

from 55 to 72 percent Si02 , generally ranging from 0.6 

to 1.0, then drops abruptly above 72 percent Si02 to

*+

, 1 1 1 i ii il i n n ii 1 i ii

0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104 112 120 

DISTANCE ACROSS BATHOLITH, IN KILOMETERS

Figure 14. Tantalum plotted onto a line approximately normal to 

the axis of the Sierra Nevada batholith.

1500

500

0 8 16 ?4 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104 112 120 

DISTANCE ACROSS BATHOLITH, IN KILOMETERS

Figure 15. Barium plotted onto a line approximately normal to 

the axis of the Sierra Nevada batholith.
10 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

40.000

30,000

20,000

200

150

100

I I I T

65 70 

SILICA, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

z 700 

o

I 600

or

£ 500

< 400

-z.

^ 300

=3

z 200

o

cc

" 100 

0

2000 r r

1500

1000

500

30 r-rr

2 10

65 70 

SILICA, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

Figure 16. Selected elements and elemental ratios plotted against silica for Sierra Nevada granitoids. Dots, hornblende-bearing

granitoids; circles, hornblende-free granitoids.

values below 0.5. The high Eu/Eu* value at 72 per- erable scatter throughout the entire range of Si02

cent Si02 is from a high Si02, low K20, garnet-bearing values, whereas the La/Yb ratio shows a rather illtrondhjemite from a borehole in the extreme western defined increasing trend with increasing Si02 to about

Sierra Nevada (sample ST-1). Total REE show consid- 70 percent, then even more scatter at higher Si02
ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES AND COMPOSITIONAL VARIATIONS 11

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

300

250

200

150

100

* 

I

1 1 1 1 1

05

SILICA, IN WEIGHT PERCENT

Figure 16. Continued.

values. The plot of Sc against Si02 shows a systematic 

decrease of Sc with increasing Si02 to 70-72 percent 

Si02 . At higher Si02 percentages, the Sc trend flattens, and the element stays fairly constant at about 2 

ppm. Conversely, Fe does not exhibit a change in 

trend, progressively decreasing throughout the range 

of Si02 values.

As an aid in evaluating plots of the trace alkali elements and Ba, K has also been plotted against Si02. A 

detailed discussion of variations of K^O relative to Si02 

in the central Sierra Nevada batholith has been presented by Bateman and Dodge (1970); they concluded 

that the K20/Si02 ratio decreases systematically with 

decreasing Si02 within individual intrusive sequences, 

but that the decrease is more pronounced in easterly 

sequences. Samples have not been distinguished by 

sequences on the plots herein; however, the samples

with K contents less than 20,000 ppm are all from the 

western Sierra Nevada and the three hornblende-free 

samples with low K contents are from the most westerly intrusive sequence. Excluding these three samples, there is an overall trend of increasing K20 with 

increasing Si02, although there is considerable scatter 

in the data as several different sequences are represented on the K versus Si02 plot. Rubidium behaves 

very similar to K, increasing with increasing Si02 with 

considerable scatter, and low Rb, hornblende-free 

samples are all from the extreme western Sierra Nevada. In contrast, the Cs against Si02 plot shows no 

discernible trend and considerable scatter. Barium 

values are also widely dispersed relative to Si02. Two 

samples with low K from the western Sierra Nevada 

and one significant sample with the highest K and SiC>2 

from the eastern Sierra Nevada have Ba values con-
12 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

siderably below the range of values of the other samples; this finding tends to confirm the earlier made 

statement that there is a rather poor correlation of Ba 

and K in these granitoid rocks.

CONCLUSIONS

Regional lateral chemical variations across the central Sierra Nevada batholith, particularly exemplified by K but including some other elements and 

ratios, have been attributed to changes in the compositions of the sources from which the magmas were 

derived. Thus, the eastward increase in total REE 

manifested particularly by the light REE, which confirms a trend noted by Dodge and Mays (1972) in 

sphenes from the granitoid rocks, is believed to be 

another reflection of these changes. Enrichment of 

light REE is characteristic of sediments of the earth's 

crust (Haskin and Frey, 1966), and the Sierra Nevada 

trend may be the result of progressively increasing 

amounts of crustally derived materials included easterly in juvenile, presumably mantle-derived material.

Eastward increasing depths of magma generation 

have been proposed as an alternative hypothesis to 

changes of source materials as a means of explaining 

lateral compositional variations across the Sierra 

Nevada (Dickinson, 1970; Kistler and Peterman, 1978). 

Green and Ringwood (1969) have suggested that chemical characteristics of various calc-alkaline suites are 

dependent on their depth of origin. According to their 

model, there is a continuum of fractionation processes 

with depth; at shallow levels of melting, magma compositions will largely be governed by separation of 

amphibole, at increasingly deeper levels, by separation of garnet, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, and 

finally at even greater depths by garnet and clinopyroxene. This model is difficult to evaluate, as Sierra 

Nevada granitoid rocks were derived from highly 

evolved magmas. A basalt or andesite source with a 

constant amount of melting or fractionation and a systematic progression of amphibole to garnet or simply 

increasing garnet separation could not have produced 

the lateral trend of eastward increasing total REE, as 

the REE partitioning pattern for garnet from basaltic 

and andesitic rocks intersects unity (that is, from 

where removal of the mineral will cause enrichment to 

where it will cause depletion) at intermediate REE 

(fig. 17). If increasing amounts of garnet separation or 

a shift from amphibole to garnet separation were 

responsible for light REE enrichment eastward, these 

kinds of separation would produce a concurrent depletion in heavy RE E; this depletion was not observed. On 

the other hand, a decrease in the percent of melting 

along with a change from amphibole to residual garnet

could buffer heavy REE while light REE increased. 

Depth-dependent processes at relatively shallow levels 

involving only increasing amphibole separation from a 

mafic source are unlikely, because although K and Rb 

contents increase eastward, the K/Rb ratio does not 

change significantly (Dodge and others, 1970); amphiboles from basalts characteristically have high K/Rb 

ratios (Hart and Aldrich, 1966), and increasing separation of amphibole would cause significant lowering 

of the K/Rb ratio from resultant easterly magmas. 

Also Sc, which has been shown to be concentrated in 

Sierra Nevada hornblendes, would be expected to 

decrease eastward; it does not show significant lateral 

variation. In any case, REE variation, like that of K 

and some other elements and ratios, is independent of 

the age of the granitic rocks, making it unlikely that 

this variation was necessarily caused by eastward 

increasing depth of magma generation.

As with total REE, the eastward increase in Ta is 

also thought to reflect a progressive shift in source 

materials. Wedepohl (1978) notes that Ta increases in 

weathered products relative to alkali, alkali earth, and

0001

La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu

(Y) 

RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS

Figure 17. Solid/liquid distribution coefficients of rare-earth 

elements for minerals of mafic and intermediate rocks (from 

data compiled by Arth, 1976).
REFERENCES CITED 13

several other major elements.

Age relations of contiguous sequences of the Sierra 

Nevada batholith generally indicate that the oldest 

plutons of the sequences are the most mafic, and the 

progressively younger plutons are increasingly more 

felsic. This succession has been explained by hypothesizing that each sequence was formed from a single 

fusion event, and subsequent fractional crystallization 

of the derived magmas formed individual plutons 

(Presnall and Bateman, 1973). Silica contents that do 

not systematically vary laterally across the batholith 

(Bateman and Dodge, 1970) are probably largely 

independent of differing source materials. Thus the 

amount of SiC>2 offers a measure of fractionation of the 

granitoid rocks or degree of melting of source rocks, or 

both.

The systematic decrease of Fe and related elements 

with increasing Si02 suggests continuous fractionation of ferromagnesian minerals throughout most of 

the differentiation history of Sierra Nevada magmas. 

Progressive decrease of Sc indicates that hornblende 

dominated the crystal fractionation when the Si02 

ranged from 55 to 72 percent. This reference is substantiated by the absence of hornblende in the granitoids that contain more than 72 percent Si02. Biotite, 

on the other hand, apparently was of minor importance as a fractionate throughout differentiation in 

view of the considerable scatter of Cs relative to SiC>2 

and the general increase of Rb with increasing SiC>2. 

Depletion of Fe above 72 percent SiC>2 may merely 

reflect removal of small amounts of magnetite.

Below 72 percent Si02 , neither the Eu/Eu* ratios 

nor Sr values show systematic changes. This fact suggests that at lower Si02 contents crystal fractionation 

of feldspar was overshadowed by hornblende fractionation. On the other hand, above 72 percent Si02 both 

Eu/Eu* and Sr drop abruptly; this indicates significant depletion of feldspar at the higher Si02 values. 

Although the plot of Ba against Si02 is complicated 

with two low Ba rocks from the extreme western 

Sierra Nevada, the general absence of a trend suggests 

that the feldspar fractionate was plagioclase rather 

than K-feldspar. The low Ba content of the highest 

SiC>2 rock in eastern Sierra Nevada implies K-feldspar 

was depleted, and the rock may be a true eutectic 

granite, having solidified from a magma from which 

both plagioclase and K-feldspar had fractionated.

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p. 41-47.

Arth, J. G., and Barker, Fred, 1976, Rare-earth partitioning

between hornblende and dacitic liquid and implications for the 

genesis of trondhjemitic-tonalitic magmas: Geology, v. 4, 

p. 534-536.

Bateman, P. C. ( and Chappell, B. W., 1979, Crystallization, fractionation, and solidification of the Tuolumne Intrusive Series, 

Yosemite National Park, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin, part 1, v. 90, p. 465-482.

Bateman, P. C., and Dodge, F. C. W., 1970, Variations of major 

chemical constituents across the central Sierra Nevada batholith: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 81, p. 409-420.

Bernotat, W. H., Carron, J. P., and Lagache, Martine, 1976, K/Rb 

and Rb/Cs partition between K-feldspars and biotites of preCambrian granites from Sinai: Tschermaks Mineralogische und 

Petrographische Mitteilungen, v. 23, p. 23-38.

Buma, Grant, Frey, F. A., and Wones, D. R., 1971, New England 

granites: trace element evidence regarding their origin and differentiation: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 31, 

p. 300-320.

Carron, J.-P., and Lagache, Martine, 1972, Etude du partage des 

elements alcalins Na, K, Li, Rb, Cs entre les mineraux de 

quelques roches granitiques de France: 24th International Geological Congress Proceedings, Section 10, Montreal, 1972, p. 

60-66.

Dickinson, W. R., 1970, Relations of andesites, granites, and derivative sandstones to arc-trench tectonics: Reviews of Geophysics 

and Space Physics, v. 8, p. 813-860.

Dodge, F. C. W., 1972a, Variation of ferrous-ferric ratios in the 

central Sierra Nevada batholith, U.S.A.: 24th International Geological Congress Proceedings, Section 10, Montreal, 1972, p. 

12-19.

___1972b, Trace-element contents of some plutonic rocks of the 

Sierra Nevada batholith: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1314- 

F, p. F1-F13.

Dodge, F. C. W., Fabbi, B. P., and Ross, D. C., 1970, Potassium and 

rubidium in granitic rocks of central California, in Geological Survey research 1970: U.S. Geological Survey Professional 

Paper 700-D, p. D108-D115.

Dodge, F. C. W., and Mays, R. E., 1972, Rare-earth element fractionation in accessory minerals, central Sierra Nevada batholith, in 

Geological Survey research 1972: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 800-D, p. D165-D168.

Dodge, F. C. W., Papike, J. J., and Mays, R. E., 1968, Hornblendes 

from granitic rocks of the central Sierra Nevada batholith, California: Journal of Petrology, v. 9, p. 378-410.

Dodge, F. C. W., Smith, V. C., and Mays, R. E., 1969, Biotites from 

granitic rocks of the central Sierra Nevada batholith, California: 

Journal of Petrology, v. 10, p. 250-271.

Evernden, J. F., and Kistler, R. W., 1970, Chronology of emplacement of Mesozoic batholithic complexes in California and western Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 623,42 p.

Frey, F. A., Chappell, B. W., and Roy, S. D., 1978, Fractionation of 

rare-earth elements in the Tuolumne Intrusive Series, Sierra 

Nevada batholith, California: Geology, v. 6, p. 239-242.

Gordon, G. E., Randle, K., Goles, G. G., Corliss, J. B., Beeson, M. H., 

and Oxley, S. S., 1968, Instrumental activation analysis of standard rocks with high resolution X-ray detectors: Geochimica et 

Cosmochimica Acta, v. 32, p. 369-396.

Gottf ried, David, and Dinnin, J. I., 1965, Distribution of tantalum in 

some igneous rocks and coexisting minerals of the southern California batholith, in Geological Survey research 1965: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 525-B, p. B96-B100.

Green, D. H., and Ringwood, A. E., 1969, High-pressure experimental studies on the origin of andesites, in McBurney, A. R., ed., 

Proceedings of the Andesite Conference: Oregon Department of 

Geology and Mineral Industries Bulletin 65, p. 21-32.
14 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

Greenland, L. P., Gottfried, David, and Tilling, R. I., 1968, Distribution of manganese between coexisting biotite and hornblende in 

plutonic rocks: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 32, p. 

1149-1163.

Greenland, L. P., Tilling R. I., and Gottfried, David, 1971, Distribution of cobalt between coexisting biotite and hornblende in igneous rocks: Neues Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie Monatshefte, v. 1, p. 

33-42.

Hart, S. R., and Aldrich, L. T., 1966, Fractionation of potassium/ 

rubidium by amphiboles: implications regarding mantle composition: Science, v. 155, p. 325-327.

Haskin, L. A., and Frey, F. A., 1966, Dispersed and not-so-rare 

earths: Science, v. 152, p. 299-314.

Hermann, A. G., 1970, Yttrium and lanthides, in Wedepohl, K. H., 

ed., Handbook of geochemistry, V. II: Berlin, Springer-Verlag, 

p. 39, 57-71-B-l to 39, 57-71-0-9.

Hertogen, J., and Gijbels, R., 1971, Instrumental neutron activation 

analysis of rocks with a low-energy photon detector: Analytica 

Chimica Acta, v. 56, p. 61-82.

Higuchi, Hideo, and Nagasawa, Hiroshi, 1969, Partition of trace 

elements between rock-forming minerals and the host volcanic 

rocks: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 7, p. 281-287.

Hurley, P. M., Bateman, P. C., Fairbairn, H. W., and Pinson, W. H., 

Jr., 1965, Investigation of initial Sr87/Sr86 ratios in the Sierra 

Nevada plutonic province: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 76, p. 165-174.

Kistler, R. W., 1974, Phanerozoic batholiths in western North America: a summary of some recent work on variations in time, space, 

chemistry, and isotopic compositions: Earth and Planetary 

Science Annual Review, v. 2, p. 403-418.

Kistler, R. W., Bateman, P. C., and Brannock, W. W., 1965, Isotopic 

ages of minerals from granitic rocks of the central Sierra Nevada 

and Inyo Mountains, California: Geological Society of America 

Bulletin, v. 76, p. 155-164.

Kistler, R. W., and Peterman, Z. E., 1973, Variations in Sr, Rb, K, 

Na, and initial Sr87/Sr86 in Mesozoic granitic rocks and intruded 

wall rocks in central California: Geological Society of America 

Bulletin, v. 84, p. 3489-3512.

 1978, Reconstruction of crustal blocks of California on the basis 

of initial strontium isotopic compositions of Mesozoic granitic 

rocks: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1071, 17 p.

Lee, D. E., Mays, R. E., Van Loenen, R. E., and Rose, H. J., Jr., 1969, 

Accessory sphene from hybrid rocks of the Mount Wheeler mine 

area, Nevada, in Geological Survey research 1969: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 650-B, p. B41-B46.

Lee, D. E., Van Loenen, R. E., and Mays, R. E., 1973, Accessory 

apatite from hybrid granitoid rocks of the southern Snake 

Range, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of Research, v. 1, 

no. 1, p. 89-98.

Macdonald, G. A., 1941, Geology of the western Sierra Nevada 

between the Kings and San Joaquin Rivers, California: University of California Publications Bulletin of the Department of 

Geological Sciences, v. 17, p. 325-386.

Masuda, Yasuyuki, Yagi, Shinjiro, Nishimura, Susumu, and 

Asayama, Tetsuji, 1972, Rare-earth distributions in the Ibaragi 

granitic complex, Osaka Prefecture, Japan: Journal of the Geological Society of Japan, v. 78, no. 10, p. 521-530.

Naeser, C. W., and Dodge, F. C. W., 1969, Fission-track ages of 

accessory minerals from granitic rocks of the central Sierra 

Nevada batholith, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 80, p. 2201-2212.

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apatites and their host dacites and granites: Earth and Planetary 

Science Letters, v. 9, no. 4, p. 359-364.

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and acidic igneous magma: Geochmica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 

35, no. 9, p. 953-968.

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earths, thorium, and other minor elements in sphene from some 

plutonic rocks in west-central Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey 

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Peck, D. L., 1981, Isotopic U-Pb ages of zircon from the granitoids of the central Sierra Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1185, 17 p.

Tilling, R. I., Greenland, L. P., and Gottfried, David, 1969, Distribution of scandium between coexisting biotite and hornblende in 

igneous rocks: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 80, p. 

651-668.

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70, no. 14, p. 3485-3496.

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73-0-1.

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Exploration 1972: London Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, p. 

347-358.

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the central part of the Sierra Nevada batholith, California: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 73, no. 4, p. 1481-1495.
TABLES 1 - 7
16 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

Table 1. Rock units and locations of the representative samples

Sample Rock unit USGS 15' Latitude Longitude 

No. quadrangle (N.) (W.)

John Muir intrusive sequence (Bateman and Dodge, 1970)

MG-1 Lamarck Granodiorite Mount Goddard 37°13' 118°36'

MT-2 Round Valley Peak Granodiorite Mount Tom 37°28' 118°43'

BCa-20 Mount Givens Granodiorite Blackcap Mountain 37°14' 118°57'

BCc-12 ~ do do 37°05' 118°58'

HC-1 do do 37°08' 118°59'

R-99 Alaskite of Evolution Basin Mount Goddard 37°07' 1180 38'

Shaver intrusive sequence (Bateman and Dodge, 1970)

SL-l Granodiorite of Dinkey Creek Shaver Lake 37°06' 119°18'

BCc-13 do Blackcap Mountain 37°01' 118°59'

SL-18 do Shaver Lake 37°09' 119°18'

HL-29 Quartz monzonite of Dinkey Dome Huntington Lake 37°10' 119°06'

FD-12 Taft Granite Yosemite 37°43' 119°36'

Fine Gold intrusive sequence (Stern and others, 1981)

CL-1 Pyroxene quartz diorite of Macdonald (1941) Clovis 36°54' 120°04'

jB-l Tonalite of Blue Canyon Shaver Lake 37°06' 119°23'

HV-1 Tonalite south of Black Mountain (?) Watts Valley 36°58' 119°29'

Sj_l Plagiogranite of Ward Mountain Millerton Lake 37°06' 119°44'

SL-3? Tonalite of Blue Canyon Shaver Lake 37°02' 119°23'

ST-1 Tonalite of Sherman Thomas drill hole Le Grand 37°10' 120°04'

FD-?0 Granodiorite of Knowles Raymond 37°12' 119 0 53'

Palisade intrusive sequence (Bateman and Dodge, 1970)

MG-3 Inconsolable Granodiorite Mount Goddard 37°07' 118°3T

BP-? Granodiorite of McMurray Meadows Big Pine 37°06' 118 0 22'

BP-i Tinemaha Granodiorite do 37°07' 1180 27'

FD-2 Hunter Mountain Quartz Monzonite Independence 36°48' 118°02'

FD-4 Tinemaha Granodiorite do 36°57' 118°08'

FD-3 Paiute Monument Quartz Monzonite do 36°49' 118°02'

Scheelite intrusive sequence (Bateman and Dodge, 1970)

MT-1 Wheeler Crest Quartz Monzonite Mount Tom 37°23' 118 0 38' 

MG-2 Tungsten Hills Quartz Monzonite Mount Goddard 37°14' 118°36'

Unassigned metamorphosed granitic rock 

KR Granodiorite of the Goddard pendant Blackcap Mountain 37°12' 118°47'
Table 2. Elemental analyses of representative granitoid rocks showing compositional variation

[Sr, V, and Ni determined by X-ray fluorescence methods by H. N. Elsheimer; all other elements by instrumental neutron 

H. T. Millard, Jr.. Results in parts per million]

Element

La 

re ___

Nd 

cm ___ _

Eu 

Tb 

Dy -

VI*

Lu 

Na 

K _ 

Rb 

Cs 

D^

Th 

u 

cr _ __ _

"7««

Uf

Ta 

(V__ _ ._

Mn 

Fe 

Co 

cu.

Q r _____

V 

KM 

Plagioclase-rich

CL-1

6.94

1C O

8

C1

3.31

QQC

£QO

 3 3ft

364

9 Qfi

390

 22,900

A a Art

1.10

1 OQ

1

r\c

OQ Q

01 7

2

f\C

.174

106

1 ,040

 60,200

oc o

4ftK

320

675

37

SL-1

26.8 

50.1 

14.9 

5.04 

1.40 

.916 

3.50 

.261 

1.74 

.377 

25,600 

14,400 

55.1 

1.82 

690 

5.07 

1.40 

18.1 

179 

4.21 

.881 

25.1 

968 

51 ,700 

16.2 

.203 

550 

152 

11

granitoid rocks

WV-1

21.4 

43.7 

19.5 

4.75 

.948 

.574 

2.69 

.288 

1.47 

.309 

27,400 

18,700 

73.8 

2.29 

621 

5.87

13.9 

191 

4.34 

.344 

24.5 

664 

35,700 

12.4 

.262 

315 

77 

in

ST-1

11.5 

22.6 

11.3 

2.52 

.883 

.256 

1.12

.704 

.113 

30,100 

5,530 

13.8 

1.40 

244 

1.43

2.66 

134 

3.74 

.195 

9.91 

434 

15,900 

2.02 

.391 

405 

7

7

MG-3

31.6 

58.9 

26.6 

5.94 

1.21 

.725 

3.55 

.206 

2.05 

.299 

27,400 

27,200 

117 

3.34 

1,000 

14.1 

2.73 

15.8 

202 

5.20 

.682 

33.9 

863 

45,200 

17.6 

.433 

570 

495 

?d

Quartz monzodiorite

JB-1

30.2 

53.9 

21.7 

6.12 

1.52 

.981 

3.41

1.77 

.310 

24,500 

20,000 

79.8 

2.92 

715 

6.37 

2.89 

9.66 

241 

5.23 

1.27 

22.8 

849 

48,000 

13.8 

.302 

452 

140 

11

KR

30.2 

53.8 

21.5 

5.63 

1.10 

.387 

3.56 

.406 

2.99 

.426 

31,700 

33,600 

111 

1.30 

984 

17.5 

4.91 

17.8 

208 

4.20 

1.54 

9.98 

1,400 

45,100 

12.0 

.814 

450 

126 

in

26,3

34,0

1,0

2

7

32,6

4
Table 2. Elemental analyses of representative granitoid rocks showing compositional variation Continued

Element

La 

Nd ......

Cm _____

Tb 

Dy 

Tm 

vu

Lu 

Na 

Rb 

Ra

TU

u .......

Sc 

7***

Hf

Ta 

O ____

Mm

f*~

Sb 

V .......

Ni ......

FD-4

36 4

60.7

24.1

4.55

.971

534

2.11

213

1.65

.291

23,600

35,700

149

3 94

767

137

K 76

7 13

174

3 58

1 "33

8 

on

510

24,800

7 42

302

510

67

11

Granite

FD-3

32.5 

56.1 

20.0 

4.10 

.899 

.398 

1.65 

.190 

1.56 

.257 

27,100 

37,200 

157 

2.37 

878 

9.85 

3.03 

3.94 

167 

4.18 

.894 

6.56 

576 

18,500 

3.90 

.190 

480 

38 

8

Leucogranite

MT-1

37.4 

56.4 

17.0 

3.16 

.764 

.332 

1.80 

.239 

1.40 

.237 

23,600 

33,400 

182 

4.98 

1,540 

21.0 

5.81 

4.67 

147 

2.63 

1.20

685 

19,500 

3.90 

.197 

450 

50 

7

FD-12

48.1 

87.0 

28.6

.682 

1.08 

6.44 

.523 

5.19 

.630 

28,500 

36,600 

162 

3.21 

1,110 

37.3 

8.85 

1.30 

219 

4.50 

.594 

3.58 

144 

4,670 

.478 

.362 

182

9

HL-29

32.5 

52.2 

17.8 

3.97 

.477 

.424 

2.09 

.267 

1.61 

.282 

27,300 

29,500 

168 

5.31 

808 

22.4 

6.57 

2.18 

152 

3.32 

1.68

398 

7,330 

.539 

.304 

131 

77 

8

R-99

29.1 

45.9 

15.7 

2.77 

.383 

.378 

1.77

2.08 

.346 

26,200 

37,300 

182 

2.90 

581 

18.8 

8.19 

2.35 

152 

3.51 

2.05

408 

8,090 

.907 

.238 

116 

4 

4
Table 2. Elemental analyses of representative granitoid rocks showing compositional variation Continued

Element

La 

Ce 

Nd~

Sm~

Eu 

Tb 

Dy~

Tm 

Yb 

Lu 

Na 

K 

Rb~ 

CsBa 

Th 

U 

Sc 

Zr«

HfTa~

Cr~

Mn 

Fe~

Co 

Sb 

Sr 

V 

N1 

BCc-13

23.0

44.8

20.6

4.87

1.12

.669

3.20

.284

1.64

.314

25,300

18,900

108 

5.80 

553 

23.1

7.93

14.7

242

5.23

.966

17.9

822

43,100

14.5

.623

420

440

11

MG-1

32.1

55.0

28.0

4.62

.927

.515

2.41

.252

1.56

.260

25,000

26,900

120 

4.93 

943 

14.8

4.86

9.55

189

4.02

1.02

11.3

669

32,900

11.3

1.11

530

345

14

SL-18

51.9

86.9

38.1

6.47

1.08

.743

3.34

.257

2.32

.370

22,300

25,000

129 

5.54 

684 

26.3

4.89

12.7

251

4.87

1.24

12.3

705

38,000

11.3

.800

335

107

10

BP-1

36.9

66.1

24.6

5.35

1.15

.515

2.63

2.10

.360

29,700

24,900

97.9 

1.27 

760 

16.3

4.10

10.5

164

3.78

1.14

9.59

679

32,800

12.0

.157

600

345

13

Granodiorite

MT-2

49.7

77.5

29.2

4.67

1.01

.555

2.20

1.20

.219

26,700

24,300

109 

3.33 

1170 

19.5

6.26

8.60

192

3.57

.910

13.9

777

30,400

9.45

.250

BCa-20

56.0

90.5

25.4

4.68

.974

.796

3.65

1.97

.337

24,600

28,500

138 

8.56 

812 

28.2

8.17

10.2

210

3.77

.497

13.4

641

31,100

10.4

1.02

360

93

12

BCc-12

27.1

46.5

23.0

3.83

.904

.353

1.62

.998

.149

29,400

24,200

109 

6.68 

852 

14.6

5.00

5.73

181

3.75

.782

8.54

516

25,100

7.71

.709

550

285

11

HC-1

29.8

44.8

14.6

2.60

.691

.349

2.28

.123

.625

31,200

29,000

158 

6.91 

750 

20.8

13.2

3.82

211

3.50

.741

12.8

416

19,300

5.23

.512

470

39

9

SJ-1

17.2

34.4

13.1

3.45

.909

.365

.098

.479

.0589

31,900

15,600

43.1 

1.97 

976 

3.83

.922

3.19

97.0

2.70

.298

2.45

213

12,800

1.69

.0800

465

17

7

SL-3

16.

30.

2.

.

 

 

.

.

.

28,300

29,300

120 

5.7

588 

19.7

5.5

3.6

143

3.4

1.1

9.0

366

16,700

.

345

38
Table 3. Neutron activation analyses of potassium feldspar 

[H. T. Millard, Jr., and R. J. Knight, analysts. Results in parts per million]

Element

La 

Ce -

Md .

Cm ____________ .

Eu -

Tb -

Lu -

Ha -

I/

Rb .

r s -

Q ^

Th -

u .

Sc -

U-f

Ta -

O 

Mn .

Fe -

Co .

MG-3

3 -54

_ 1 25

1 77

.619

.0189

.0817

 110,000

_ 230

1.77

6,020

9m

.0648

__ ???

.0147

occ

11.7

_ 530

.144

.113

MG-1

1 .59

1 65

.0696

1 51

.0142

.0384

.0103

10,500

111 ,000

9Q9

2 (\Q

4 380

.241

.471

.0652

ryoo£

91 C.

9.17

541

205

SL-18

1.22

1.40

.0643

.0521

6,890

116,000

OCC

-3 QQ

3,950

.217

.0452

.0284

.0639

.396

1.76

465

.0780

.104

BP-1

2.14

2.31

.0685

nono

nncin

.0470

m 9ft

12,400

104,000

241

115

4,050

7 AC

.290

.0587

.0417

.0151

.259

1O £

422

11 3

.0701

MT-1

1 31

1.41

.0931

.119

.0129

.0615

10,900

101,000

432

4.36

4,210

51 Q

1R6

.0768

.0521

0394

C"7O

17.2

451

.127

noc o

FD-20

i no

1.12

.0991

.746

.0161

.0111

7,190

i oo rw"\r*

212

2

f-~j

4,820

.150

,202

.0339

.237

79ft

103

f\OO

.081
TABLES 21

Table 4. Neutron activation analyses of plagioclase and plagiodase+quartz concentrates

[Analyzed by H. T. Millard, Jr., and R. J. Knight. Results in parts per million]

Element Plagioclase 

CL-1

Plagioclase and quartz

MG-1 SL-18 BP-1

La 4.60

Ce 5.65

Nd 2.04

Sm .224

EU .611

Tb .0191

Yb .0416

Lu .0042

Ma 38,700

K 2,740

Rb 2.36

C S .0882

Ba 193

Th .136

U .0908

Sc .115

Hf .0261 

Ta 

Cr .414

Mn 23.0

Fe 1,960

Co .883

Sb .0950

3.84

3.60

1.22

.118

.157

.0163

.0310

25,400

2,630

9.39

.495

99.8

.337

.444

.0623

.0840

.278

9.66

516

.121

.141

3.03

3.73

1.44

.141

.291

.0171

.0488

24,400

1,670

7.43

2.62

87.9

.704

.662

.0492

.193

.0079

.362

6.89

561

.111

.252

6.19

6.01

1.79

.156

.243

.0223

.0478

.0133

32,400

3,060

10.6

.266

174

1.28

.437

.182

.0810

.0157

21.8

827

.295

.0773
22 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

Table 5. Neutron activation analyses ofbiotite 

[H. T. Mil lard, Jr., and R. J. Knight, analysts. Results in parts per million]

Element

La .

Ce .

Nd .

Sm -

Lu 

Na -

Rb .

C S 

n.

Th 

U 

Sc -

Uf

Ta 

Cr 

Mn -

Fe -

Co -

Sb -

La -

Nd -

Sm -

E U -

VI*

Lu -

Ma

Rb -

C S -

Ra

Th -

U -

Sc 

Uf

Ta -

Cr -

Mn -

Fe -

Co -

Sh _-_____ 

MG-3

2.10

3 fid

1

OC

ooc

1 32

.0300

CQ1

69,600

639

oa t\

Q3fi

.671

1.09

7.91

nai Q

.607

95 0

9390

136,000

aa n

.209

BCa-20

4.05

.222

.0376

74,700

Q.KQ

Qf\ C

902

1.10

.543

11.4

.190

.293

co o

2

Qon

136,000

 I/- Q

.111

KR

6

OC

10.9

5.45

1.03

.202

.469

.0870

894

104,000 

567

10.1

41 3

5 59

1.31

.521

.291

17.2

6780

1 OC f\f\f\

69.9

MT-1

4.01

4.90

_COC

.222

.0752

747

QQ /I Art

1,210

77.9

279

1.77

1

f\C

8 CT

.311

11.7

8,130

45.0

i/in

WV-1

3 97

.050

.0279

74,200 

498

1 330

1.29

.221

14.1

.220

1.91

9 9fifi

154,000

64.6

.157

SL-32

6.61

.171

.0936

.0571

609

81 ,000

845

60.6

549

3.96

1.77

15.1

.507

79.4

156,000 

63.1

9T7

MG-1

4 59

3 73

.510

.160

0448

939

72,000

744

37.0

1.04

1.74

11.9

.229

213

co a

o 1 on

1 34 000

B7 9

.508

ST-1

.736

1 7a

.0690

.0549

ano

74 700

302

OO £

2,790

.109

343

15 Q

3 CO

2 52

31.1

i oan

160,000

36.6

SL-18

3 Ql

6 34

3 30

.714

or__c

0677

B99

78,400

^/-Q

59.8

ao7

2 44

n

o

437

534

C7 a

2,450

149,000

CO 1

.722

FD-20

.503

.173

.0594

0380

51 2

or. cr_r_

fiflQ

30 1

1,800

9B7

397

39 0

7.94

22.5

3,360

159,000

37.3

BP-1

6

00

6 34

3.55

.503

.194

.0386

957

75,200

792

OQ £

cpc

1 46

.550

14 3

293

.0921

3 990

T OO f\f\f\

an 7

.299

HL-29

3 QC

239

.174

noac

533

QO r_r_r_

1 740

157

1 ,330

1.79

3 79

70.1

395

27.0

9,190

178,000

O/T C
TABLES 23

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24 VARIATIONS AND ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS, SIERRA NEVADA BATHOLITH, CALIFORNIA

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