AN: T11B-07TI: Formation of Continental Crust by Magmatic Accretion During Late Orogenic ExtensionAU: Andronicos, C.L.AF: Dept. of Geosciences, Princeton Universtiy, Princeton, New Jersey 08544EM: cla@princeton.eduAU: Chardon, D.AF: Dept. of Geosciences, Princeton Universtiy, Princeton, New Jersey 08544EM: AU: Hollister, L.S.AF: Dept. of Geosciences, Princeton Universtiy, Princeton, New Jersey 08544EM: AU: Gehrels, G.AF: Dept. of Geology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721EM: AU: Isachsen, C.AF: Dept. of Geology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721EM: AB: Evidence of emplacement of mafic to intermediate composition sills synchronously with late orogenic extension in the Coast Plutonic Complex (CPC) of British Columbia suggests magmatic accretion during extension may be a fundamental process for the formation of continental crust. The Eocene Kasiks sill complex, consisting of a minimum 7 km thickness of shallow dipping sills, produced ~1/5 the total thickness of the present continental crust in the CPC. Detailed structural data show the sills intruded during subvertical shortening partitioned into two directions of extensional shearing. Two kinematic domains record this partitioning. The first, along the eastern edge of the sills, records top to the northeast normal shearing. A second domain dominates the central and western parts of the complex and records top to the north-northwest normal shearing. Greenschist facies shear zones overprint magmatic structures suggesting northeastdirected shearing outlasted north-northwest directed shearing. Preliminary U/Pb zircon age dates and titanite cooling ages document rapid exhumation of the sill complex following emplacement. Two U/Pb zircon dates of the sill complex were obtained, one yielding an age of 53.4 Ma, and a second yielding an age of 52.5 Ma. A cross cutting pegmatite dike has yielded a U/Pb zircon date of 52.4 Ma, suggesting sill emplacement and northwest directed extensional deformation were ending by this time. Titanite cooling dates from the two samples of the sill complex yielded cooling ages of 51 Ma. Regionally distributed hornblende and biotite cooling ages confirm rapid cooling of the sill complex from ~550 C to <300 C between 50 and 48 Ma. These geochronologic data combined with the localization of extensional strain during decreasing temperatures suggests intrusion of the sills was synchronous with and may have triggered exhumation of the high-grade root of the CPC.SC: TDE: 8109DE: 8035DE: 8102MN: 1997 Fall Meeting