Geochemistry of metasedimentary rocks of the Sonakhan and Mahakoshal greenstone belts,Central India:Implications for paleoweathering,paleogeography and mechanisms of greenstone belt development

A comparative study of the Precambrian Sonakhan(SGB)and Mahakoshal(MGB)greenstones belts of Central India has been undertaken to decipher their provenance,paleoweathering,paleogeography,and tectonics.As compared to the Upper Continental Crust(UCC),the MGB samples are enriched while the SGB samples are depleted in mafic elements indicating the presence of mafic rocks in the source of the MGB.This is complemented by the Ni–Cr diagram.The REE concentrations,LREE fractionated patterns and negative Eu anomalies of the MGB and SGB samples indicate derivation of sediments from a highly fractionated granitic source.Since MGB samples also contain the geochemical signature of mafic rocks,it is,therefore proposed that the MGB clastic load were derived from two sources(mafic+felsic)with arc character.This is attested by Cr and Zr relationships,and LILE enrichment,and HFSE depletion.These features suggest that the SGB developed as autochthonous while the MGB developed as an allochthonous belt.The chemical alteration indices such as chemical index of alteration(CIA),plagioclase index of alteration(PIA),and index of compositional variability for MGB samples indicate that they were dominantly derived as the first cycle(with minor recycled)sediments from bimodal sources(dominantly continental arcs)by intense chemical weathering as compared to the SGB samples,which were derived from felsic sources(dominantly cratonic rocks),and partly by recycling through a low chemical weathering.The CIA and PIA values of the samples reveal a change in the climatic conditions from Late Archean to Late Paleoproterozoic.Such change is interpreted in terms of migration of the Indian plate from high latitudes in the Late Archean to lower latitudes during the Late Paleoproterozoic.This is consistent with the paleomagnetic data that placed India in the configuration of 2.45 Ga Ur and 1.78 Ga Columbia supercontinents.

Geochemical characteristics of the metapelites from the Xingxingxia group in the Eastern Segment of the Central Tianshan:Implications for the provenance and paleoweathering

Metapelites from the Mesoproterozoic Xingxingxia group in the Eastern Segment of the Central Tianshan, Northwestern China, were analyzed for major and trace elements, includ-ing rare earth elements. Compared with post-Archean shales, the metapelites are enriched in Sr, Hf and Zr. The other elements are similar to the compositions of the Phanerozoic North American Shale Composite and the Post-Archean Australian average Shale (PAAS). The characteristics of Al2O3/TiO2, Cr/Zr, Cr/Th, Th/Sc and high Zr concentration suggest that these pelites could be derived from a significant proportion of felsic and a few proportion of participation of mafic mate-rials in nature. These rocks display highly fractionated REE patterns, and average (La/Yb)n = 18.6. Several samples have slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.7―0.84) in comparison with PAAS (Eu/Eu* = 0.65), indicating contribution from young immature materials. The low K2O/Al2O3 values of these metapelites suggest that their source materials could contain minimal alkali feldspar. In the A-CN-K triangular diagram, the sample data array intersects the feldspar join, indicating that the source had a plagioclase: K-feldspar ratio of approximately 5:1, repre-senting weathered products from components that could approximately correspond to granodio-rites and tonalites. The low Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) and high Index of Compositional Variability (ICV) values suggest low degrees of weathering of the source and low compositional maturity of the sediments, respectively. The geochemical characteristics of the metapelites from the Xingxingxia group also demonstrate that these sediments were deposited in a back-arc background within a continental-arc system.

Geochemistry and sedimentology of sediments in a short fluvial system,NW China:implications to the provenance and tectonic setting

Six outcrop sections in Fenghe River,Northwestern China,were sampled and analyzed.This study aims to determine provenance,tectonic setting,and source-area paleoweathering of the sediments of Fenghe River in combination of lithofacies analysis and bulk-rock geochemical data.The lithofacies in the studied area were classified as gravel,sand,and fine-grained clastic lithofacies,reflecting generally channel fill deposits,channel bar deposits,and over-bank deposits,respectively.The Chemical Index of Alteration(CIA),Plagioclase Index of Alteration(PIA),and Chemical Index of Weathering(CIW)values ranged 50.10–62.29,50.13–66.35,56.52–71.12,respectively,together with element ratios such as Rb/Sr,K/Na,Rb/K,Th/K,Rb/Ti,and Cs/Ti indicate that the source area was under a low to moderate chemical weathering condition probably in cold and semi-arid climates.Moreover,plot of SiO_(2)vs.(Al_(2)O_(3)+K_(2)O+Na_(2)O)suggests that the sediments were deposited in a semi-arid climate.Plots of Cr/Th vs.Th/Sc,TiO_(2)vs.Zr,La/Yb vs.rare earth element(REE),and La-Th-Sc ternary diagrams,along with the lithology,indicate that the sediments in Fenghe River were mainly originated from felsic igneous rocks.Major elements-based discrimination diagrams and Th-Sc-Zr/10 and La-Th-Sc ternary diagram of the samples indicates that the source rocks of Fenghe River developed in a composite active continental margin and continental island arc field.