Chronology of the Structural and Petrologic Development of the Southwest Sierra Nevada Foothills, California

Abstract

The structural and petrologic development of the Sierra Nevada foothills between the Kings and Tule Rivers is summarized in the corresponding article in Part I of the Bulletin. Supporting data and more detailed discussions of the critical points are presented here with the assumption that the reader is familiar with the Summary article. Since the geochronological data reflect numerous Igneous and metamorphic petrogenetic episodes, the reader may find it helpful to refer to Table 1 from the Summary article while reading the in-depth discussions of Part II. The complex history of the region calls for careful consideration of geological relations in order to interpret the geochronological data. For this reason, the first part of this article centers on the geological setting of the isotopic age samples. With this foundation, the geochronological data are then presented and interpreted, and a chronology of structural and petrologic events is developed.

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