1. The origin of Ordovician siliceous rocks and their deposition settings in the Northwest Tarim Basin, NW China.
- Author
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Liu, Lihong, Miao, Miaoqing, Jiang, Kunpeng, Gao, Yongjin, Bai, Zhongkai, Wang, Chunlian, Tian, Ya, and Li, Qingyao
- Subjects
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SILICEOUS rocks , *RARE earth metals , *RARE earth oxides , *FERRIC oxide , *ALUMINUM oxide , *TRACE elements , *TRACE element analysis - Abstract
The siliceous rocks are well developed in Northwest Tarim Basin, which plays an important role in indicating its forming environment. In order to determine the origin of siliceous rock and its deposition settings, the paper studies the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of siliceous rock in well KP 1 and outcrops in Northwest Tarim Basin based on core observation, microscopic section identification and analysis of major and trace elements and rare earth elements. The Ordovician siliceous rocks of Northwest Tarim Basin are mainly developed in the middle and upper Penglaiba Formation and the bottom of the Yingshan Formation. Three types of cherts are identified, including cryptocrystalline silica, microcrystalline quartz and fibrous chalcedony depending on the mineral morphology. The terrigenous source is best evidenced by the high Ti (160∼310 ppm) and Al (1300∼3180 ppm), and positive δ30Si (0.9–3.6‰). Whereas, hydrothermal processes can be inferred from relative high content of V, Ni, Sr, Mo and Ba, and no obvious Ce and Eu anomaly. The chert of well KP 1 and Kuluxi profile is deposited in continental-margin settings, which is evidenced by its Al 2 O 3 /(Al 2 O 3 + Fe 2 O 3) (0.58–0.94, average of 0.81) and its La n /Ce n ratio (0.76–1.02, average of 0.93). The continental-margin settings are also evidenced by the close relation between silicification and dolomitization. Silicification is commonly well developed where dolomitization occurs, because the dolomitization mainly occurs in the regression background, where provides more terrigenous source silica to the sea water and results in more silicification. This study highlights the origin of Ordovician siliceous rocks and the outcome from this new contribution may provide useful guidelines for hydrocarbon exploration in the basin and other global analogues. • Based on the characteristics of main and trace elements and rare earth elements, it is concluded that the Ordovician siliceous fluid in well KP 1 is a fluid of mixed hydrothermal and terrigenous origin. • It is concluded that the precipitation form of siliceous fluid depends on the saturation degree and precipitation rate instead of the source of siliceous fluid. • The diagenetic coupling relationship between silicification and dolomitization is also studied. Since dolomitization occurs in the regression background, the decrease of sea level will result in the enhancement of terrigenous clastic weathering. Therefore, the formation with strong dolomitization is also characterized by strong silicification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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