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Petrography and Geochemistry of Cenozoic Sandstones in the Dunhua Basin, Northeast China: Implications for Provenance, Source Weathering, and Tectonic Setting

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Abstract

Petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses were conducted on Cenozoic sandstones from the Dunhua Basin, which located in Dunhua-mishan fault zone of northeast China, to investigate the provenance of the sediments, as well as the weathering intensity and tectonic setting of the source region. Petrographic data indicate that average quartz-feldspar-lithic (Q-F-L) proportions in the sandstones are Q = 68%, F = 16%, and L = 16%, the lithic fraction mainly contains volcanic clasts. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) varies from 59 to 69 (average 63), while the index of chemical variability (ICV) ranges from 0.68 to 0.91 (average 0.77), and the average Th/U ratio is 3.2. Chondrite-normalized REE distributions show LREEs enriched relative to HREEs, and a prominent negative Eu anomaly. These data indicating that the sandstones are compositionally immature and a weak degree of weathering in the source region. The petrographic and mineralogical characteristics, combine with Zr/Sc–Th/Sc, Hf–La/Th and Co/Th–La/Sc discrimination diagrams reveal that these sandstones are derived from the surrounding felsic volcanic and intrusive rocks of Late Triassic-Early Jurassic, which exposed to the southeast or northwest of the basin. Multidimensional tectonic discrimination diagrams, including geochemical data and Dickinson triangular charts, indicate that the sandstones were derived from recycled orogenic in an active continental margin setting.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would also like to thank Dr. Jianpeng Wang of the University of Manchester for his help with the language in the paper.

Funding

The authors would like to thank the Opening Foundation of the Key Laboratory for Oil Shale and Paragenetic Energy Minerals, Jilin Province for their support. This study was supported financially by the China Geological Survey (Project no. 1211302108025-5-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, 130061, Changchun, Jilin, China

    Fei Hu, Zhaojun Liu & Qingtao Meng

  2. Key-Lab for Oil Shale and Paragenetic Minerals of Jilin Province, 130061, Changchun, Jilin, China

    Fei Hu, Zhaojun Liu & Qingtao Meng

  3. School of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, 266580, Qingdao, Shandong, China

    Jinjun Xu

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Hu, F., Liu, Z., Meng, Q. et al. Petrography and Geochemistry of Cenozoic Sandstones in the Dunhua Basin, Northeast China: Implications for Provenance, Source Weathering, and Tectonic Setting. Russ. J. of Pac. Geol. 14, 48–65 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1819714020010078

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