- Usage in publication:
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- Mount Whitney Intrusive Suite*
- Modifications:
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- Named
- Geochronologic dating
- Dominant lithology:
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- Granodiorite
- AAPG geologic province:
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- Sierra Nevada province
Summary:
Named for exposures at its type area along Sierra Nevada crest near Mount Whitney, Mount Whitney 15' quad., Tulare and Inyo Cos, CA. Is one of the largest and youngest composite granitic intrusions in Sierra Nevada. Extends about 83 km from central Marion Peak quad. southeastward to Olancha quad. attaining width of 23 km south of Mount Whitney quad. Divided into granodiorite of Sugarloaf (oldest), Paradise Granodiorite, and Whitney Granodiorite (youngest); granodiorite probably represents an outer older shell of this concentric suite to which it is tentatively assigned. U-Pb ages about 88 Ma for granodiorite of Sugarloaf (Chen and Moore, 1982), 81-83 Ma for Paradise Granodiorite, and 83 Ma for Whitney Granodiorite. Assigned to Cretaceous age.
Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).
For more information, please contact Nancy Stamm, Geologic Names Committee Secretary.
Asterisk (*) indicates published by U.S. Geological Survey authors.
"No current usage" (†) implies that a name has been abandoned or has fallen into disuse. Former usage and, if known, replacement name given in parentheses ( ).
Slash (/) indicates name conflicts with nomenclatural guidelines (CSN, 1933; ACSN, 1961, 1970; NACSN, 1983, 2005, 2021). May be explained within brackets ([ ]).