Geochemistry of quaternary sediments of Haji-Arab river catchment, Qazvin Plain, Northwestern Iran: provenance and source rock weathering (original) (raw)
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Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2016
Detrital mode and geochemical composition of sandstones and mudstones of the Miocene Dasht Murgha Group (DMG) and Pliocene Malthanai Formation (MF) of the Pishin Belt, northwestern Pakistan, have been examined to identify their provenance and source area weathering. Sandstones of the Dasht Murgha Group and Malthanai Formation are lithic to sublitharenites, rich in quartz, and metamorphic and sedimentary lithic fragments, indicating a recycled orogenic source. LmLvLs plots show that the Dasht Murgha Group is rich in sedimentary and metamorphic lithic fragments (Lm 35 Lv 18 Ls 47), while samples of the Malthanai Formation are overwhelmingly rich in sedimentary fragments (Lm 14 Lv 10 Ls 76). Eocene Nisai Formation and Oligocene Khojak Formation within the Pishin Belt were mainly providing the sedimentary/metasedimentary detritus. High content of monocrystalline quartz (DMG 28.21 %; MF 30.7) and higher SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 ratios in sandstones (DMG 9.86; MF 11.98) also indicate high maturity of sandstones due to recycling of source terrain in collision orogens. High Cr/Ni (DMG 5.23; MF 6.17) and moderate Cr/V (DMG 3.96; MF 3.88) ratios suggest significant contributions from mafic and ultramafic detritus derived from Muslim Bagh-Zhob Ophiolite. Malthanai Formation has higher CIA and CIW values (68.96 and 77.53) than Dasht Murgha Group (63.87 and 70.93); however, they both indicate low to moderate weathering intensities. Dasht Murgha Group and Malthanai Formation have higher ICV values which indicate abundance of aluminous silicates, hence, showing moderate weathering of the source area. In A-CN-K diagrams, the samples make linear trend towards illite which suggests that the sediments were derived from a tectonically active source going through non-steady-state weathering, where the detritus has been derived from different zones of weathering profiles.
Depositional evolution of the Lower Khuzestan plain (SW Iran) since the end of the Late Pleistocene
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2017
A detailed sedimentological investigation of sixty-six cores supported by radiocarbon age determination enabled the reconstruction of the depositional environmental evolution since the end of the Late Pleistocene in the Iranian part of the Mesopotamian plain. Both fluvial and estuarine environments have been identified on the basis of the sediment characteristics and their between-core stratigraphic correlations. At the end of the Late Pleistocene the fluvial behaviour allowed only the deposition of sand. Prior to 12400e12040 yr cal BP the palaeohydraulics changed by which heterolithic fluvial facies were deposited. Shortly after 12400-12040 yr cal BP an erosional phase caused the incision of depressions most probably because of a climate change to further arid conditions. In the early Holocene, muddominated river systems filled the depressions; a situation that lasted at least until 7900-7700 yr cal BP. After this period tides invaded via the active channels in the downstream part of the area, which turned into an estuarine environment for a period of about 2000e2500 years. Tidal influence diminished and stopped around 5000 yr cal BP because of progradation. Fluvial processes dominated again the sedimentary environment in the study area, except at the southern margin of it where tides controlled, although very locally, the environment.
Carbonates and Evaporites, 2023
This study aims to investigate Sabzevar playa in the northeast of the Great Kavir in terms of geomorphology, bulk and clay mineralogy, as well as the geochemistry of core sediments from the surface to a depth of 1 m. The results suggest that up to 50% of Sabzevar playa is made of clastic components (mostly quartz and clay minerals), which increases toward the depth, though this trend is bucked by evaporite minerals (mostly gypsum, calcium carbonate, and halite). According to the mineralogical trend and geochemical evidence, Sabzevar brine has evolved into a Na-SO 4-Cl type. Granulometry studies suggest drastic fluctuations and higher energy costs during sediment deposition at a depth of 1 m compared to the surface. The micro-morphology of quartz grains is due to the windborne surface sediments and waterborne deep grains. A combination of clay mineralogy and geochemistry of elements exhibits a higher evaporation rate at the surface than at a depth of 1 m, suggesting that the area has witnessed a climate change from a warm humid climate in the past to a warm arid climate in recent years. Sabzevar playa is characterized by an unconventional Bull's-eye pattern with a concentration of calcite around the playa, gypsum in the center, and halite in the west. This research also explores the hydrological characteristics of the study area based on geomorphologic surfaces findings revealing that the groundwater level was higher in the west than in the center and east of Sabzevar playa, leading to the formation of halite and the development of a salt pan in the margin.
Revista Mexicana De Ciencias Geologicas, 2013
Sandstone petrography and shale geochemistry from the lower Jurassic Ab-e-Haji Formation, in the southern part of Tabas block, were used to constrain provenance, tectonic setting and weathering conditions. The sandstones consist mainly of quartz and sedimentary and low grade metamorphic lithic fragments and therefore, show quartzolithic nature (Qm 38-F 2-Lt 60 , Qt5 8-F 2-L 40). However, modal analysis as well as highly labile lithics in Ab-e-Haji sandstones point to short transport of sandstone components from a recycled source of a fold thrust belt to its nearby foreland basin. Discrimination diagrams based on major and trace elemen content point to a role of recycled sources for the deposition of Ab-e-Haji Formation, which at the upper part of the section were probably mixed with a minor felsic source. Negative Eu anomalies, similar to those displayed by Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), along with depleted Ca, Na, Cs, Ba and Rb, and low K 2 O/Al 2 O 3 ratios in studied shales, suggest low abundance of feldspar in the source terrane. Depletion of transition metals (Cu, Sc, Ni, Cr, and V) can be explained by derivation from a more silicic and fractionated source than the PAAS. Moreover, the geochemical results from LaTh -Sc diagram as well as La/Sc, Th/Cr, and Th/Sc ratios of Ab-e-Haji sediments are within the range of fine-grained sediments derived from silicic sources. The chondrite-normalized rare earth elements (REE) patterns of samples are similar to those of PAAS, with light REE enrichment, a negative Eu anomaly, and almost flat heavy REE pattern, similar to those of a source rock with felsic and (meta) sedimentary components. Most probably, displacement of intrabasinal faults, such as the active Kuh-Banan basement fault, and exposure of supracrustal successions (fold thrust belt) provided a mixed source area that supplied the sediments for the Ab-e-Haji foreland basin. This tectonic activity could have been related to the Eo-Cimmerain orogeny in central Iran during the Late Triassic to Jurassic. Furthermore, the point counting data from Ab-e-Haji sandstones imply a semi humid climatic condition, which is supported by the CIA (chemical index of alteration) values for the shales of this formation, which indicate moderate to intense weathering of the parent rocks in the source area.
Iraqi Geological Journal, 2020
This study tries to evaluate the sediments of Quaternary deposits with a depth from 8 to 24 meters, and determine the lights and heavy minerals with their origin. Three boreholes; Basrah, Thi-Qar and Missan, were selected, based on the grain size analysis of samples, three types of sediment were identified: silt, sandy silt, and silty sand. The statistical size parameters were applied to determine the energy and sedimentation environment, showed that the sediments of the study area were deposited in low-energy conditions. The sorting values ranged from poorly to very poorly, while the skewness ranged from strongly fine to near symmetrical skewed and kurtosis values ranged from platy to leptokurtic. The results of heavy minerals analysis proved the very low values comparative with light ones; Opaque was predominant in all study sites, accounting for about 50% of the heavy minerals and divided to mica minerals and Chlorite, Pyroxene, Amphibole, Zircon, Epidote, and Garnet, while Kyanite, Tourmaline and Staurolite. The light minerals are dominated by carbonate and quartz with few amounts of chert, evaporates, Feldspar, rock fragments and light muscovite. The difference in the values and diversity of heavy minerals in the study area indicates the multiple sources contributing to the deposits of the Mesopotamia Plain. The sources are limited between the rivers of Tigris, Euphrates and Shatt Al-Arab and the dust-fallouts, as well as the nearest formations and the Arabian shield.
kuwait journal of science, 2022
The quaternary sediments have been studied in four sections; Garmian area, Kurdistan Region, North East Iraq, which are multi-features, multi-sources, and variable lithological compositional characteristics. The grain size granulometry was used and identified, gravel, sand and mud. Gravelsized particles are partially producing a greater amount than sand and mud size in both sections (Sar-Qallah-1 and Salih-Agha). Statistical parameters such as (mean, mode, sorting, skewness and kurtosis), have shown that the sediments are very poorly sorted, very fine skewed and platykurtic. Petrographic studies of sediments under polarized microscope investigated that these sediments are predominately consisting of (chert and carbonate rock fragments), with the existence of few amounts of igneous and metamorphic rock fragments, feldspar and monocrystalline quartz. These fragments types are an indication of multiple source rocks originate from Ophiolites and thrust sheets from the Penjween area (North Iraq). Various types of heavy minerals are identified; opaque (hematite and pyrite), and nonopaque minerals (pyroxene, amphibole, epidote and zircon). X-ray diffraction technique is used to interpret clay mineralogy which indicates that chlorite and palygorskite are the main clay mineral with the presence of non-clay minerals such as quartz and calcite.
Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Sediments of Qaa' Abu Qardi –NE Jordan
Through the present study of Qaa' Abu Qardi-NE Jordan, the type and distribution of sediments was determined horizontally and vertically depending on the environmental conditions and the type of rocks surrounding the area. A number of surface and subsurface samples were studied mineralogically and chemically. Quantitative and qualitative distribution of the different sizes is related to weathering and environmental factors during geological time and geomorphological features and to the types of rocks and deposits surrounding the Qaa' area. Silt content ranges between 40-90% and mostly increases with depth. The sediments are loam silty clay to loam silty type. The sediments of Qaa' Abu Qardi are composed of calcite, quartz, plagioclase, clay minerals (kaolinite, muscovite, illite and montmorillonite), dolomite and gypsum. Calcite and dolomite are formed during many chemical and physical processes. Quartz, plagioclase and clay minerals are transported as clastic material from the surrounding area of the Qaa' as a result of weathering processes of sediments and basaltic rocks. Gypsum is deposited as a result of increasing evaporation rates during some hotter seasons in that area. The concentration of some elements may be increased as a result of its adsorption by clay minerals. The concentration of iron and potassium increases because of the presence of illite. The concentration of iron and magnesium may increase as a result of the chemical and physical weathering processes of the basaltic rocks in the area. The high SiO2 content is a result of the presence of clay minerals and may be some quartz particles. All of these concentrations of these elements and the other elements are closely related to the climatic conditions and weathering processes common in the Qaa' and the mixed up with surrounding area in general.
Springer, 2021
Sedimentological and geochemical records are presented for an upper Paleocene to middle Eocene deep-water pelagic succession of the Pabdeh Formation in the Paryab section, Zagros Mountains, NW, Iran. In this study, grain-size statistical parameters, cumulative curves, and bivariate analysis on twenty-five sediment samples were used to decipher depositional processes and paleoenvironments. XRD analysis of the fine-grained silt to clay sediments indicates that quartz, calcite, ankerite/dolomite, and clay minerals such as illite, chlorite, and kaolinite constitute the main minerals within these sediments. Elemental and isotopic chemostratigraphies are used to infer depositional conditions and sea level trends through time. TOC-CaCO 3 trends of the samples are used to interpret the type of deposition and sediment accumulation rates, rhythmic bedding, and identification of regressional and transgressional phases. In the studied section, the manganese contents exhibit a declining trend al...
Acta Geodynamica et Geomaterialia, 2015
Distribution of the clay minerals in the Jurassic-Tertiary consolidated sediments of the Kopet Dagh Basin (KD) was investigated to study the origins of the clay minerals and to reconstruct the paleoclimate of the area. The entire sedimentary rock sequences of the KD were sampled for XRD, XRF, high resolution microscopy, and optical microscopy examinations. Illite, illitesmectite (IS) mixed-layer minerals, kaolinite, smectite, chlorite and palygorskite were found in the studied deposits. The presence of the clay minerals in the studied rocks was related partly to deep burial diagenesis and partly to the pedogenetic detrital origins. The thick sediments (total of 6000m) of the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic suggest the possibility of the burial digenetic origin to explain the high occurrence of illite and low smectite mainly due to the illitization of smectite. Gradual increase in IS and smectite toward the Upper Cretaceous may indicate the gradual disappearance of deep burial diagenesis and the presence of the favorable conditions for the detrital input. The low thickness of the sediments of Upper Cretaceous and younger deposits also confirms the possibility of the detrital pedogenetic origin rather than the burial diagenesis. Smectite was proved to be of the montmorillonite type (dioctahedral). The higher occurrences of IS and smectite and its coexistence with some palygorskite in most parts of the Upper Cretaceous and younger deposits could indicate the prevailing of a semi-arid climate and hot seasonal droughts. Dominance of seasonal and semi-arid conditions extends to all Paleogene and Neogene sediments. Clay mineralogical data is suggested to be used along with other proxies to have a more reliable paleoclimate interpretations.