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What type of rock makes up most of the Sierra Nevada?

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The Sierra Nevada is primarily composed of granite or closely related igneous rocks. This massive formation is part of a large batholith—a significant body of igneous rock that solidified beneath the Earth's surface.12

While granite dominates the range, there are also bands of metamorphosed sedimentary rock and areas of extrusive volcanic rock, particularly in the northern sections where the range merges with the Cascades.1