Zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Mount Givens Granodiorite: Implications for the genesis of large volumes of eruptible magma

The Mount Givens Granodiorite, a large pluton in the central Sierra Nevada batholith, California, is similar in area to zoned intrusive suites yet is comparatively chemically and texturally homogenous. New zircon U-Pb geochronology indicates that the pluton was constructed over at least 7 Ma from 97.92 +/- 0.06 Ma to 90.87 +/- 0.05 Ma. Combining the new geochronology with the exposed volume of the pluton yields an estimated magma flux of <0.001 km(3)/a. The geochronologic data are at odds with the previously speculated links between plutons such as the Mount Givens Granodiorite and large-volume homogeneous ignimbrites (often termed monotonous intermediates). Existing data indicate that large plutons accumulate at rates of <= 0.001 km(3)/a, 1-2 orders of magnitude less than fluxes calculated for dated monotonous intermediates. If monotonous intermediates are remobilized, erupted plutons accumulated at rates comparable to dated examples, they should preserve a record of zircon growth of up to 10 Ma. Alternatively, the long history of zircon growth recorded in plutons may be erased during the processes of reheating and remobilization that precede supervolcano eruption. However, zircon dissolution modeling, based on hypothetical temperature-time histories for preeruptive monotonous intermediates, indicates that rejuvenation events would not sufficiently dissolve zircon. We suggest that eruptions of monotonous intermediates occur during high magmatic flux events, leaving little behind in the intrusive rock record, whereas low fluxes favor pluton accumulation.