Heavy mineral analysis is a long-standing and valuable tool for sedimentary provenance analysis. Many studies have indicated that heavy mineral data can also be significantly affected by hydraulic sorting, weathering and reworking or recycling, leading to incomplete or erroneous provenance interpretations if they are used in isolation. By combining zircon U–Pb geochronology with heavy mineral data for the southern North Sea Basin, this study shows that the classic model of sediment mixing between a northern and a southern source throughout the Neogene is more complex. In contrast to the strongly variable heavy mineral composition, the zircon U–Pb age spectra are mostly constant for the studied samples. This provides a strong indication that most zircons had an initial similar northern source, yet the sediment has undergone intense chemical weathering on top of the Brabant Massif and Ardennes in the south. This weathered sediment was later recycled into the southern North Sea Basin through local rivers and the Meuse, leading to a weathered southern heavy mineral signature and a fresh northern heavy mineral signature, yet exhibiting a constant zircon U–Pb age signature. Thus, this study highlights the necessity of combining multiple provenance proxies to correctly account for weathering, reworking and recycling.

中文翻译：

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碎屑锆石地质年代学和重矿物分析作为在广泛风化、再加工和再循环存在下的补充物源工具：北海盆地南部的新近纪

重矿物分析是沉积物源分析的长期有效工具。许多研究表明，重矿物数据也可能受到水力分选、风化和返工或回收的显着影响，如果单独使用它们会导致不完整或错误的来源解释。通过将锆石 U-Pb 年代学与北海盆地南部重矿物数据相结合，本研究表明，整个新近纪南北源之间沉积物混合的经典模型更为复杂。与剧烈变化的重矿物成分相比，锆石 U-Pb 年龄光谱对于所研究的样品来说大多是恒定的。这有力地表明大多数锆石具有最初相似的北部来源，然而，沉积物在南部的布拉班特地块和阿登山脉顶部经历了强烈的化学风化。这种风化的沉积物后来通过当地河流和默兹河再循环到南北海盆地，导致风化的南部重矿物特征和新鲜的北部重矿物特征，但呈现出恒定的锆石 U-Pb 年龄特征。因此，这项研究强调了结合多个来源代理以正确解释风化、返工和回收的必要性。