Owens Peak intrusive suite
Owens Peak intrusive suite
Cretaceous, ~83-108 Ma
Forms a broad northwest-trending band from the southeasternmost Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin Valley foothills near the Tule River. Chiefly granodiorite, tonalite, granite, and mafic gneiss and amphibolite. Occurs in the southern Sierra Nevada, east and west of the upper drainage of Kern River. Zircon U-Pb ages from this unit west of the Kern Canyon fault range from ~96-108 Ma, whereas those east of the fault range from ~83-100 Ma (Busby-Spera and Saleeby, 1990; Saleeby and others, 2008; Chapman and others, 2012; Sisson and Moore, 2013, Clemens-Knott and Gevedon, 2023; Langenheim and others, 2025). Evernden and Kistler (1970) report biotite K-Ar ages of ~85-92 Ma west of the fault and ~49-79 Ma east of the fault. Evernden and Kistler (1970) also report hornblende K-Ar ages of ~88 and ~96 Ma, as well as ~73 Ma (plagioclase), ~88 Ma (K-feldspar), and ~58 Ma (quartz) from the unit west of the fault. Major plutons: granodiorite of Claraville, mafic gneiss and amphibolite of Jawbone Canyon, granodiorite of Mountain Home, granite of Bishop Ranch, granite of Tehachapi Airport, granodiorite of Castle Rock, granodiorite of Rabbit Island, alaskite of Sherman Pass, granite of Long Meadow, granite of Black Mountain, granodiorite of Alta Sierra, granodiorite of Church Dome, granodiorite of Bedrock Meadow, and Kern River, Needles, Domelands and South Fork intrusive suites of Saleeby and others (2008).