How Do Plutons Help Form a Batholith?
An Alternate View Is That Plutons Commonly Are Formed Not by Ascent of Large Magma Diapirs, but Rather by Aggregation of Smaller Volumes of Magma That Ascend...
An alternate view is that plutons commonly are formed not by ascent of large magma diapirs, but rather by aggregation of smaller volumes of magma that ascend as dikes. A batholith is formed when many plutons converge to form a huge expanse of granitic rock.
How do plutons form?
The majority of granitic magmas are formed by melting near the base of the continents. The magmas slowly rise through the crust like great balloons. They solidify near the surface to form gigantic bodies of igneous rock called plutons, which are exposed later when uplift and erosion remove the overlying rock.
How did the Sierra Nevada batholith form?
Research indicates that the Sierra batholith was formed from heating as the Farallon Plate subducted below the North American Plate. ... Termination of the formation process occurred as the Farallon Plate was fully subducted along the Pacific coastline west of the Sierra.
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