New Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic data from plutons in the
northern Great Basin: Implications for crustal structure and
granite pedogenesis in the hinterland of the Sevier thrust belt
James E. Wright Department of Geology and Geophysics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251
J. L. Wooden U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025
ABSTRACT
The influence of tectonic setting and age on the variation of
isotopic signatures of granitic plutons in the northern Great Basin has,
in general, not been apparent from previous investigations. Although
Elison et al. pointed out isotopic differences between Jurassic and
younger plutons near the 0.706 Sr isopleth, and Farmer and DePaolo
noted that there might be a difference between Cenozoic vs. Mesozoic
plutonic rocks in the eastern part of the northern Great Basin, neither
of these studies revealed the remarkable correlation between isotopic
signature, age, and tectonic setting shown by our expanded Sr, Nd,
and Pb isotopic data base. Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons in the
northern Great Basin have a limited range of Sr and Nd isotopic values
that cluster near bulk earth. All but one of these plutons have
values less negative than - 7 despite their location both to the west and
east of the t Nd = - 7 line. Construction of Sr 0.706 and e Nd = - 7 isotopic
boundaries is virtually impossible for plutons of this age range. In
contrast, Upper Cretaceous peraluminous granites east of the e Nd = - 7
line have very negative cnj values and high initial Sr ratios, and they
appear to represent essentially pure crustal melts. The data favor a
model that equates generation of these plutons via crustal thickening
associated with the Sevier thrust belt. Cenozoic plutons appear to be
mixtures of mantle and crustal reservoirs, and their isotopic systemat-
ics, along with those of the Late Cretaceous age plutonic suite, define a
- - O R E G O N . _ U D A HO
1 eastern part of the northern Great Basin can be divided into three distinct
_UTAH
ARIZONA
Figure 1. Generalized map of northern Great Basin showing location of
Sevier thrust belt, Sr 0.706 isopleth (location from Elison et al., 1990),
and eNd = - 7 isopleth (location from Farmer and DePaolo, 1983).
Stippled area shows boundary zone between predominantly Archean
crust to north and predominantly Proterozoic crust to south (see text).
Triangles show approximate locations of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous
plutons, with eNd values. TYR = Toiyabe Range; RM = Ruby Mountains;
EHR = East Humboldt Range; ER = Egan Range; TR = Toano Range; PR
= Pilot Range; NSR = Northern Snake Range; GC = Grouse Creek
Range.
GEOLOGY, v. 19, p. 457-460, May 1991
previously unrecognized, approximately east-west-trending crustal
boundary between predominantly Archean crust to the north and
predominantly Proterozoic crust to the south. The isotopic data from
the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite do not reflect the pres-
ence of this boundary, suggesting that the isotopic systematics of this
plutonic suite may not have been controlled by the same variations in
crustal and/or mantle lithospheric structure at depth.
INTRODUCTION
Previous Sr isotopic investigations of northern Great Basin plutons
(primarily Cretaceous in age) have demonstrated a general west-to-east
trend toward higher initial ratios from the Siena Nevada region across the
northern Great Basin, and the initial 0.706 Sr isopleth (Fig. 1) has been
inferred to approximate the western limit of Precambrian crystalline
basement (e.g., Kistler and Peterman, 1973). Combined Sr and Nd iso-
topic investigations have placed this inferred boundary about 50 to 100
km farther east, corresponding to an «Nd of - 7 (Fig. 1; Farmer and De-
Paolo, 1983; Farmer, 1988). Farmer and DePaolo (1983) considered all
granitic plutons east of their e ^ = - 7 line to be "composed almost entirely
of preexisting crustal material." Farmer (1988), however, conceded that a
significant mantle component may be present in some of the samples
originally analyzed by Farmer and DePaolo (1983). Stable isotopic inves-
tigations (Solomon and Taylor, 1989) place the edge of Precambrian
crystalline basement even farther to the east.
None of these regional radiogenic and stable isotopic studies of gra-
nitic plutons in the northern Great Basin indicated the correlation between
isotopic systematics, age, and tectonic setting shown by our data base
(Figs. 2 and 3). Magmatism in the northern Great Basin occurred discon-
tinuously over an interval of - 1 3 0 m.y. The magmatic record in the
intervals. (1) Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous magmatism (-170-100
Ma), which largely predated crustal thickening associated with the devel-
opment of the Sevier thrust belt, is believed to have begun between 117
and 100 Ma (Lawton, 1985,1986; Heller et al., 1986; Heller and Paola,
1989). Although geochronologic data are as yet insufficient, there are no
reliably dated plutons within the —140-125 Ma interval; this is consistent
with the long-recognized magmatic gap or lull that has been defined within
the main axis of arc magmatism in the Klamath Mountains, Sierra
Nevada, and western Nevada regions. (2) Late Cretaceous (~ 83-75 Ma)
magmatism occurred concurrently with Sevier crustal thickening, but
postdated inception of crustal thickening by - 1 5 to 35 m.y. (3) Cenozoic
magmatism (-39-29 Ma) was synchronous with crustal extension.
OVERVIEW OF THE Sr, Nd, AND Pb ISOTOPIC DATA
The Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic data thus far obtained from plutonic
rocks of all ages in the eastern part of the northern Great Basin are shown
in Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 2, we have deleted some of the data reported
by Farmer and DePaolo (1983) because of serious uncertainties in assign-
ing meaningful ages to these samples, and we have included only those
plutons that are close to or east of the t N d = - 7 line.
The Sr and Nd isotopic data (Fig. 2) appear to be consistent with
simple mixing between a mantle component and two crustal end
members. The array generated by the isotopic data, however, can be
457
divided into different segments, each of which is occupied by plutons of a
specific age range. Jurassic and Early Cretaceous plutons occupy the up-
permost part of the curve closest to bulk earth and have a limited range of
isotopic values (eNd = +0.7 to -8.6; initial Sr = 0.7045 to 0.7111). In
contrast, Late Cretaceous plutons have significantly more negative «Nd
(-13 to -23.2) and higher initial Sr ratios (0.7109 to 0.7261). The Sr and
Nd isotopic data from Cenozoic plutonic rocks can be divided into two
distinct data arrays that, in general, span the intervening area between the
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous plutonic rocks (Fig. 2).
There is thus clear evidence for a correlation of Sr and Nd isotopic compo-
sitions with the tectonic setting and age of plutons that generally lie east of
the e Nd = - 7 line.
Pb isotopic compositions of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous plutons
are also distinct from those of Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic plutons (Fig.
3). Pb isotopic data for Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons are fairly radio-
genic and exhibit only a moderate range of values ( 2 0 6 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb
-19.0-20.0; 2 0 7 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb -15.7-15.9; 208 Pb/ 204 Pb -39.1-40.7), where-
as Pb isotopic data for Cenozoic and Late Cretaceous plutons have a
larger range of values and are less radiogenic ( 206 Pb/ 204 Pb -16.9-19.6;
207p b / 204p b —15.5-15.9; 208p b / 204p b - 3 7 . 8 ^ 4 1 ) .
JURASSIC-EARLY CRETACEOUS PLUTONIC SUITE
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons consist principally of a composi-
tionally expanded metaluminous plutonic suite that varies from pyroxene
gabbro to monzogranite. One of the first-order features of the isotopic data
is that all but one of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous plutons that lie east
of the e Nd = - 7 line have «Nd values less negative than - 7 (Fig. 1). Thus, it
is impossible to construct an e ^ isopleth when plutons of this age are
considered. Although initial Sr isotopic ratios are more variable, several
analyses are below or close to initial ratios of 0.706. In fact, some of these
plutons have less negative e Nd and lower initial Sr ratios than plutons
located west of the e Nd = - 7 and 0.706 Sr isopleths as currently defined.
The Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite has a limited range of
Sr and Nd isotopic compositions and has distinctive Pb isotopic systemat-
ics relative to the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic plutonic suites (Figs. 2
and 3). There is also no correlation between rock type and isotopic com-
position over the compositional range from pyroxene gabbro to monzo-
granite. This relation holds even within individual differentiated comag-
matic igneous complexes; e.g., within the Silver Island igneous center
ISr
0.703 0.713 0.723
^ ^ BULK EARTH
0 in their 2 0 8 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb ratios. The Pb data suggest that Jurassic plutons east
i&A
-4
-8 " |
F® A A ^
-12
| • O
T3 1 D
z
OJ -16 0 D * •
cft * « O
| •nm • B
-20 . i•
• <ô
! p • from the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite in that it consists, virtu-
-24 o
' ! ° •
-28 . 1! °
i •
-32 ! . . primarily metaluminous suite. The Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic systematics of
Figure 2. e Nd vs. initial (I) Sr plot. Triangles = Jurassic-Early Cretaceous
plutons; circles = Late Cretaceous peraluminous granites; solid squares
= Cenozoic plutons of upper data array; open squares = Cenozoic plu-
tons of lower data array. Of 53 data points shown, 43 are from this study
and 10 are from Farmer and DePaolo (1983,1984).
458
(eNd = -4.5 to -4.9), which ranges in composition from monzodiorite
(53% Si0 2 ) to granodiorite (68% Si0 2 ) (Miller et al., 1990), there is no sig-
nificant variation of either e Nd or initial Sr ratios over the compositional
range. In addition, the isotopic systematics of the Jurassic-Early Creta-
ceous plutonic suite do not reflect the presence of the approximately
east-west-trending crustal boundary between predominantly Archean
crust to the north and predominantly Proterozoic crust to the south as
defined by the Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic plutonic suites (Figs. 1, 2, and
3). These data suggest only a limited contribution, if any, of the old crustal
components) that dominates the isotopic systematics of the Late Creta-
ceous-Cenozoic plutonic suites. Collectively, the characteristics of the Ju-
rassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite are consistent with their Sr and Nd
isotopic systematics being dominated by subcontinental lithospheric man-
tle. The Sr and Nd isotopic systematics are similar to some Snake River
Plain basalts (Menzies et al., 1983; W. P. Leeman, 1990, personal com-
mun.) and to Cenozoic basalts in the northern Great Basin (Gans et al.,
1989) that have been interpreted to have originated within an enriched
lithospheric mantle. In addition, Farmer (1988) has suggested that much
of southern Nevada is underlain by enriched mantle lithosphere, on the
basis of isotopic systematics of apparently uncontaminated mantle-derived
hawaiites («Nd ranging from — 6 to -9).
The isotopic data do not, however, preclude the presence of crustal
component(s) within the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous suite that are isotopi-
cally distinct from the crustal components within the Late Creta-
ceous-Cenozoic suites. Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons must have
passed through crystalline continental crust, because they were emplaced
into a miogeoclinal succession that was deposited upon continental or
thinned continental crust. In addition, granites constitute a voluminous
proportion of this suite; several examples of peraluminous two-mica gran-
ites with or without garnet are present, and some plutons (including mafic
examples) contain magmatic zircon with cores of older zircon. Collec-
tively, these features suggest that crustal material is involved in the genera-
tion of this plutonic suite. The Pb isotopic data appear to offer the most
definitive information concerning the relative contributions of the potential
isotopic reservoirs. Pb isotopic data from plutons of all ages define a linear
trend ("main trend") both in 2 0 6 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb vs. 2 0 7 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb and
208pb/204pb f r o m t h e Klamath-Sierran region across the northern Great
Basin up to about the location of the eNd = - 7 li ne - Th' s linear trend in Pb
isotopes appears to record end-member-like mixing between two litho-
spheric sources (J. L. Wooden, R. Kistler, and Al Robinson, unpublished
data, and our unpublished data). Jurassic plutons analyzed by us just to the
west and east of the «Nd = line lie along an extension of the linear data
0.733 array, whereas Jurassic plutons located farther to the east, although they
scatter about the linear array, are much more heterogeneous, particularly
of the «Nd = - 7 line may be recording an influence from crustal reser-
voir(s). A more heterogeneous lithospheric reservoir is also possible. How-
-
ever, if crustal reservoirs are involved, they cannot be the same reservoirs
that dominate the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Pb isotopic data, owing
to the distinctive field occupied by the Jurassic Pb data (Fig. 3).
•
O
LATE CRETACEOUS PLUTONIC SUITE
The Late Cretaceous plutonic suite of the eastern northern Great
-
Basin (easternmost Nevada and western Utah) is compositionally distinct
ally exclusively, of compositionally restricted peraluminous two-mica
granites (e.g., Lee et al., 1986; Miller et al., 1990), whereas Jurassic and
Early Cretaceous plutons constitute a compositionally expanded and
Late Cretaceous plutons also are markedly distinct from the isotopic sys-
tematics of the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite (Figs. 2 and 3). As
first pointed out by Farmer and DePaolo (1983), the strongly peralumi-
nous character and the isotopic data suggest that the Late Cretaceous
plutons represent essentially pure crustal melts.
GEOLOGY, May 1991
 Neither the isotopic or compositional variations in the Jurassic-Early
Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous plutonic suites indicate a general evolu-
tionary trend with time toward more crustally dominated isotopic and
compositional signatures. The youngest well-dated member of the
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous suite, which was emplaced at 100 ±8 Ma, is a
tonalite with an e Nd of -2.8 and an initial Sr ratio of 0.707, whereas the
oldest well-dated member of the Late Cretaceous suite is a peraluminous
granite with an «Nd of -17.4 and an initial Sr ratio of 0.7115. We stress
here that we are considering only those Late Cretaceous plutons that lie far
to the east of the e Nd = - 7 line in easternmost Nevada and western Utah.
Alternatively, Barton (1990) has suggested that there was a progression
from the Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous toward plutons with
more crustally dominated isotopic and compositional signatures within the
part of the northern Great Basin that extends from central Nevada near the
Toiyabe Range to western Utah (Fig. 1). We analyzed a considerable
number of Late Cretaceous plutons for Sr, Nd, and Pb from central
Nevada (Toiyabe Range and environs; Fig. 1), but do not present those
results herein; the isotopic data for these plutons, however, are markedly
distinct from those Late Cretaceous plutons located far to the east of the
«Nd = line. In addition, our isotopic data from well-dated plutons do not
indicate a general progression through time toward more crustally domi-
nated isotopic signatures for plutons of the northern Great Basin as a
whole, as suggested by Barton (1990). This indicates to us the need to
40.5
15.75 •
15 50
17.0 17.5 18.0 18.5 19.0 19.5 20.0 20.5
206pb/204pb
Figure 3. K-feldspar Pb isotopic data. Symbols as in Figure 2. Small
dots are data from "main trend" as discussed in text. Fields of Jurassic
and "main trend" data are outlined. SK = Stacey and Kramers (197S)
two-stage Pb evolution curve. Data from this paper and Stacey and
Zartman (1978).
458 GEOLOGY, May 1991
make a distinction between the pedogenesis of Late Cretaceous plutons in
the western and eastern parts of the northern Great Basin.
The isotopic data for the Late Cretaceous plutonic suite located east
of the ¿Nil= - 7 line are consistent with a model that directly links crustal
thickening during shortening associated with the Sevier thrust belt to
crustal melting and the generation of peraluminous granites. Miller and
Gans (1989) and Patino Douce et al. (1990) have also suggested that
crustal thickening played an important role in crustal melting during the
Late Cretaceous. We are impressed by the marked change in the isotopic
and compositional character of magmatism from the Jurassic-Early Cre-
taceous to the Late Cretaceous; we do not believe that this change in the
character of magmatism is simply coincidental with crustal thickening, but
that it is the consequence of crustal thickening.
CENOZOIC PLUTONIC SUITE
The Cenozoic marks a return to compositionally expanded metalumi-
nous magmatism, but compositionally restricted peraluminous two-mica
granites also constitute a significant part of this plutonic suite. The Sr, Nd,
and Pb isotopic data for Cenozoic plutons show considerable variation
(Figs. 2 and 3) and clearly indicate that these plutons were, at least in part,
derived from ancient crustal reservoirs. As can be seen in Figure 2, the Sr
and Nd isotopic data form two distinct arrays. The uppermost array ranges
in initial Sr from 0.7114 to 0.7166 and in e Nd from -13.2 to -18.2. The
lower data array is, however, displaced toward lower initial Sr ratios for
equivalent e ^ ratios and ranges to significantly more negative «Nd ( t o
-29). There is also a significant difference in Pb isotopic composition
between the two data arrays. As can be seen in Figure 3, the 2 0 6 Pb/ 2 0 4 Pb
ratios of the lower Sr and Nd data array extend to much lower values than
those of the upper Sr and Nd data array. The retarded 206 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios
(as low as 16.89) of the lower Sr and Nd data array indicate a Pb isotopic
input from a relatively depleted and ancient (Early Proterozoic or older)
crustal reservoir. These isotopic differences clearly reflect differences in the
average age and composition of the crustal component contained within
the Cenozoic plutonic suite. The most negative eNd values in the lower Sr
and Nd data array overlap with values typical of the >2.6 Ga Wyoming
Archean province (e.g., Wooden and Mueller, 1988). On the other hand,
the most negative i N d values in the upper Sr and Nd data array are
intermediate between values typical of the Archean Wyoming province
and the Early Proterozoic province of the southwest United States
(e.g., DePaolo, 1981; Bennett and DePaolo, 1987; Farmer, 1988). The Sr,
Nd, and Pb isotopic data suggest that the crustal component of the lower
Sr and Nd data array has a significantly older average age (Archean) and is
depleted in Rb and U relative to the predominantly Proterozoic crustal
component contained within the plutons of the upper Sr and Nd data
array.
The Cenozoic plutonic rocks that define the two Sr and Nd data
arrays also come from geographically distinct areas (Fig. 1). This geo-
graphical distinction is also recorded by the Late Cretaceous Toano
Springs pluton, which has a significantly more negative e^d value (-23.2)
than other Late Cretaceous plutons located farther to the south (Fig. 2).
We interpret the isotopic variation within the Cenozoic and Late Creta-
ceous plutonic suites to indicate the presence of an approximately
east-west-trending crustal boundary between predominantly Archean,
Rb- and U-depleted continental basement to the north, and predominantly
Proterozoic and relatively "undepleted" continental basement to the south
(Fig. 1). There are Archean rocks within two areas north of this east-
west-trending crustal boundary. Lush et al. (1988) reported ~2.5 Ga
orthogneiss in the East Humboldt Range (Fig. 1), and Compton et al.
(1977) reported ~2.5 Ga orthogneiss in the Grouse Creek Mountains.
Thus, the isotopic data are consistent with the presence of exposed Ar-
chean rocks north of the east-west-trending crustal boundary. This bound-
ary (Fig. 1) occurs within the 2.0-2.3 Ga crustal province of Bennett and
DePaolo (1987), and thus indicates a need to reassess the locations of
their Nd model age provinces in this part of the northern Great Basin.
CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION
It is clear from our expanded isotopic data base that the isotopic
compositions of plutons within the eastern part of the northern Great Basin
are correlated with age and tectonic setting. Extreme caution must thus be
exercised when constructing radiogenic isotopic boundaries. These obser-
vations indicate the value of parallel geochronological and isotopic studies,
as well as the need to consider the pedogenesis of granitic magmas within
the context of regional tectonics. Additional combined isotopic and geo-
chronologic studies within other parts of the Cordillera are producing
similar insights (Wooden and Tosdal, 1990).
One potential solution to the enigmatic problem of the distinctive
crustal component that appears to be contained within the Jurassic-Early
Cretaceous plutonic suite takes into account shortening associated with the
Sevier thrust belt. It is clear from all available timing data that the
Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutonic suite has been substantially displaced
(between about 100 and 200 km), that the Late Cretaceous plutonic suite
( - 8 3 - 7 5 Ma) has undergone substantially less displacement than the Ju-
rassic-Early Cretaceous suite, and that the Cenozoic plutonic suite has not
been displaced by Sevier crustal shortening. Thus, Jurassic-Early Creta-
ceous plutons are displaced eastward relative to the deeper levels of the
crust through which they must have passed and interacted. This may
explain the striking differences in isotopic systematics of the Jurassic-Early
Cretaceous suite compared to the Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic plutonic
suites. In some cases, all three plutonic suites are in close proximity within
the same mountain range and yet maintain the same distinctive differences
in their Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic systematics. In addition, the Jurassic-Early
Cretaceous plutonic suite does not record the east-west-trending crustal
boundary defined by the isotopic data from the Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic
plutonic suites. Our preferred interpretation is that substantial eastward
displacement of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons has occurred, in es-
sence decapitating them from the deeper levels of the crust through which
they passed during ascent to higher crustal levels. In support of this argu-
ment, Oldow et al. (1990) have derived a general model in which a
throughgoing decollement from frontal thrust belts to the trench is required
in order to mass balance trench, arc, and thrust-belt systems. We suggest
that the lower crust with which the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous plutons
interacted was the highly extended crust produced during continental rift-
ing at about 550 Ma (e.g., Bond and Kominz, 1984). Magmatism asso-
ciated with this rifting event reworked the Precambrian crystalline crust
and lithospheric mantle, and produced a hybrid crust-mantle system with
the distinctive isotopic characteristics observed in the Jurassic-Early Cre-
taceous plutonic suite.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grants EAR 88-04814 and
EAR 87-07435. All isotopic data were determined at the U.S. Geological Survey,
Menlo Park, California. We thank Sam Bowring for a review of this paper, and Ron
Kistler, Mark Barton, Hans Ave Lallemant, John Oldow, and Elizabeth Miller for
helpful discussions.
Manuscript received July 3 0 , 1 9 9 0
Revised manuscript received December 17,1990
Manuscript accepted December 27, 1990
GEOLOGY, May 1991