Contribution of Grenvillian events to the formation of most complete Riphean sedimentary successions in Northern Eurasia

The Grenvillian orogeny (～1250 to 980 Ma) was one of the most significant Riphean events. It determined the formation of many structures observable now in North and South America, northwestern Europe, South Africa, Western Australia, Antarctica, and other regions. Nevertheless, its reflections in the most complete and relatively well investigated Upper Precambrian sedimentary sections of northern Eurasia such as the Riphean stratotype (Bashkir meganticlinorium) and hypostratotype (Uchur-Maya region) still remain unknown. This is primarily true of the petrographic and chemical compositions of terrigenous rocks. This work is dedicated to the analysis of peculiar features in variations of the whole-rock chemical composition of sandstones and fine-grained clastic rocks (shales, mudstones, fine-grained clayey siltstones) that constitute Middle-Upper Riphean boundary layers of the Bashkir meganticlinorium, Kama-Belaya aulacogen, and Uchur-Maya region. The analysis reveals no tendency for the decrease in the degree of the chemical and, consequently, mineralogical maturity in the upward direction through the Middle-Upper Riphean sections in the above-mentioned regions. The whole-rock compositions of fine-grained clastic rocks associated with sandstones correspond mostly to that of “common” Upper Precambrian clayey rocks. The formation of practically the entire Yurmatinian-Karatavian succession in the Bashkir meganticlinorium proceeded under relatively stable T_DM and ?_Nd(T) values. The period of 1250 to 980 Ma in the central and eastern parts of the Siberian Platform was marked by repeated rifting episodes alternating with accumulation of mature platformal sediments, although repercussions of Grenvillian collisional processes are missing from this region as well. The performed analysis provides grounds for the conclusion that contribution of the Grenvillian events to the formation of most complete Riphean successions in northern Eurasia was insignificant.     

Riphean fine-grained aluminosilicate clastic rocks in the Southern Urals, Uchur-Maya area, and the Yenisei Kryazh: Principal litho-geochemical characteristics

Analysis of the litho-geochemistry of fine-grained terrigenous rocks (metapelites, shales, and mudstones) of sedimentary megasequences in the Southern Urals, Uchur-Maya area, and the Yenisei Kryazh indicates that Riphean sequences in these regions are dominated by chlorite-hydromica rocks, with montmorillonite and potassic feldspar possibly occurring only in some of the lithostratigraphic units. According to the values of their hydrolysate modulus, most clay rocks from the three Riphean metamorphosed sedimentary sequences are normal or supersialites, with hydrosialites and hydrolysates playing subordinate roles. The most lithochemicaly mature rocks are Riphean clays in the Yenisei Kryazh (Yenisei Range). The median value of their CIA is 72, whereas this index is 70 for fine-grained aluminosilicate rocks from the Uchur-Maya area and 66 for fine-grained terrigenous rocks of the Riphean stratotype. Hence, at ancient water provenance areas from which aluminosilicate clastic material was transported in sedimentation basins in the southwestern (in modern coordinates) periphery of the Siberian Platform, the climate throughout the whole Riphean was predominantly humid. At the same time, the climate at the eastern part of the East European Platform was semiarid-semihumid. The K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio, which is employed as an indicator of the presence of petro-and lithogenic aluminosilicate clastic component in Riphean sedimentary megasequences, shows various tendencies. According to their Sc, Cr, Ni, Th, and La concentrations and the Th/Sc ratio, the overwhelming majority of Riphean shales and mudstones notably differ from the average Archean mudstone and approach the average values for post-Archean shales. This suggests that mafic Archean rock in the provenance areas did not play any significant role in the origin of Riphean sedimentary megasequences. The Co/Hf and Ce/Cr ratios of the terrigenous rocks of the three Riphean megaseqeunces and their (Gd/Yb) _N and Eu/Eu* ratios place these rocks among those containing little (if any) erosion products of primitive Archean rocks. According to various geochemical data, the source of the great majority of fine-grained aluminosilicate clastic rocks in Riphean sediment megasequences in our study areas should have been mature sialic (felsic), with much lower contents of mafic and intermediate rocks as a source of the clastic material. The REE patterns of the Riphean shales and metapelites in the Bashkir Meganticlinorium, Uchur-Maya area, and Yenisei Kryazh show some features that can be regarded as resulting from the presence of mafic material in the ancient provenance areas. This is most clearly seen in the sedimentary sequences of the Uchur-Maya area, where the decrease in the (La/Yb) _N ratio up the sequence of the fine-grained terrigenous rocks from 15–16.5 to 5.8–7.1 suggests that mantle mafic volcanics were brought to the upper crust in the earliest Late Riphean in relation to rifting. Analysis of the Sm-Nd systematics of the Riphean fine-grained rocks reveals the predominance of model age values in the range of 2.5–1.7 Ga, which can be interpreted as evidence that the rocks were formed of predominantly Early Proterozoic source material. At the same time, with regard for the significant role of recycling in the genesis of the upper continental crust, it seems to be quite possible that the ancient provenance areas contained Archean complexes strongly recycled in the Early Proterozoic and sediments formed of their material. An additional likely source of material in the Riphean was mafic rocks, whose variable contribution is reflected in a decrease in the model age values. Higher Th and U concentrations in the Riphean rocks of the Yenisei Kryazh compared to those in PAAS indicate that the sources of their material were notably more mature than the sources of fine-grained aluminosilicate clastic material for the sedimentary megaseqeunces in the Southern Urals and Uchur-Maya area.     

Geochemical features of the Riphean fine-grained terrigenous rocks of the Southern Urals,Uchur-Maya region,and Yenisei Range: Estimation of the maturity of the pre-Riphean continental crust and its evolution within 1.65–0.6 Ga

The geochemical features of basal fine-grained terrigenous rocks from the Riphean sedimentary megasequences of the Southern Urals, Uchur-Maya region, and Yenisei Range were compared in order to estimate the maturity of the continental crust that was formed by the beginning of the Riphean. It was shown that initial shales from the base of the Riphean sequence of the Yenisei Range and fine-grained aluminosiliciclastic rocks from the base of the Riphean sections of the Southern Urals were formed by the erosion of a rather mature continental crust. In contrast, fine-grained terrigenous rocks from the base of the Riphean of the Uchur-Maya region were derived from immature Late Archean protoliths or their Early Proterozoic analogs. The fine-grained terrigenous rocks of the three sedimentary megasequences show different variations in the (La/Yb)_N ratio. In the Southern Urals, this ratio is high (12–15) in the Burzyan Group and decreases upsection to 6–10. In the shales of the Uchur-Maya region, the (La/Yb)_N ratio decreases upsection, and the La/Sc ratio shows a sympathetic behavior. This is due to a decrease in the proportion of “primitive” tonalite-trondhjemite associations of the Archean granite-greenstone terranes in the provenance area with time and the appearance of intra-plate (riftogenic?) granitoids and significant amounts of basic and ultrabasic rocks. The latter marks the onset of large rift-forming events in the Uchur-Maya region at the beginning of the Late Riphean. The (La/Yb)_N of the studied rocks from the Yenisei Range are mostly similar to the PAAS ratio, but higher values were found in the Upper Vorogovka and Chingasan groups, which was related to the contribution of strongly LREE-enriched granitoids and rift felsic and alkali basaltic volcanic associations to the formation of the terrigenous material. A comparison of Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Hf, Th, U, Cr, and Ni contents and Zr/Y, (La/Yb)_N, Ni/Co, Cr/Th, Cr/Sc, and La/Th ratios in the fine-grained terrigenous rocks of the Riphean megasequences of the Southern Urals, Uchur-Maya region, and the Yenisei Range with those in the model geochemical objects (PAAS, UC_PR1, UC_AR2, and others) showed that, in terms of most of the parameters, the Riphean fine-grained terrigenous rocks from the three regions are similar to each other, PAAS, and Proterozoic cratonic shales. This indicates a fairly high general maturity of the protoliths that were eroded during the Riphean in the eastern East European craton and in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the Siberian craton.     

Geochemistry of Riphean terrigenous rocks in the Southern Urals and Siberia and variations of the continental-crust maturity

We consider the general and specific features of the evolution of the composition of fine-grained terrigenous rocks in the Riphean sedimentary megasequences of the Southern Urals, Uchur-Maya region, and Yenisei Ridge. It has been established that the crust on the southwestern (in the modern frame of references) periphery of the Siberian craton was geochemically the most mature segment of the Riphean continental crust. For example, the fine-grained clastic rocks and metapelites of all Riphean lithostratigraphic units of the Yenisei Ridge have higher median contents of Th than the most mature Paleoproterozoic crust, and in median contents of Y and Cr/Th values they are the most similar to it. In the Southern Urals and Uchur-Maya region, some units of the Riphean sedimentary sequences show median contents of Y and Th and Cr/Th values close to those of primitive Archean crust. Analysis of Cr/Th variations in the fine-grained terrigenous rocks of all three megasequences shows that the minimum Cr/Th values, evidencing a predominance or the abundance of felsic rocks in provenances, are typical of the Riphean argillaceous shales and metapelites of the Yenisei Ridge. The distinct Cr/Th and Cr/Sc increase in the fine-grained clastic rocks of the Chingasan Group of the ridge reflects the large-scale destruction of continental crust during the formation of rift troughs as a result of the Rodinia breakup in the second half of the Late Riphean. The Cr/Th variations in the Lower and Middle Riphean argillaceous shales and mudstones of the Bashkirian mega-anticlinorium and Uchur-Maya region are in agreement, which evidences the subglobal occurrence of rifting in the early Middle Riphean (so-called “Mashak rifting”).     

Clarkes of concentrations of trace elements in the Riphean fine-grained terrigenous rocks of the Uchur-Maya region and the Yenisei Range

The clarkes of concentrations (K_c) of a wide range of trace elements (Li, Be, B, Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sb, Cs, Ba, REE, Hf, Ta, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th, and U) were analyzed for fine-gained terrigenous rocks (mudstones, metapelites) from the reference Riphean sections of the Uchur-Maya region and the Yenisei Range. It was established that the shales and mudstones of the Uchur and Aimchan groups in the Riphean hypostratotype section are characterized by moderate (2.5 < K_c < 5) and intense (K_c > 5) geochemical specialization for Li, B, and Zn. At the same time, the similar rocks of the Lakhanda and Ui groups do not exhibit any distinct geochemical specialization, although they are notably enriched in HREE. The metapelites from the basal formations of the Riphean sedimentary successions in the Yenisei Range are distinctly specialized for B and slightly for Li, Rb, Be, Nb, Ta, Th, Ge, and Cd. In addition, moderate specialization for Cu is characteristic of the metapelites from the Korda and Lopatino formations; for Bi, Sb, Hg, and V, for their analogs from the Potoskui Formation; and, for Hg and Cs, for the similar rocks from the Lopatino Formation. The metapelites of the Lower Riphean Korda Formation from the central zone of the Yenisei Range have elevated contents of significantly more elements (Li, Be, Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Rb, Y, Zr, Nb, Sb, Ag, In, Hf, Hg, and others) than their counterparts from its eastern near-platform part. The mudstones of the ore-bearing (Pb, Zn) Gorevo Formation are characterized by elevated concentrations of several ore elements such as Pb, Cd, As, Sb, and Bi. The elevated K_c values of the rare lithophile and of several ore elements in the metapelites of the Yenisei Range are determined by the high geochemical differentiation of the Early Precambrian blocks constituting the western margin of the Siberian Craton, which were eroded in the Riphean, and the syn-sedimentary riftogenic and intraplate magmatism. On the contrary, the fine-grained and terrigenous rocks from the basal part of the Riphean section in the Uchur-Maya region are compositionally closer to the immature Late Archean substrates or their Early Proterozoic analogs.     

Composition of sediment provenances and patterns in geological history of the Late Vendian Mezen Basin

Formation conditions of sedimentary successions in the Mezen Basin are considered on the basis of Cr, Th, Sc, Ni, Hf, and REE distribution and model Nd age of the Upper Vendian fine-grained terrigenous rocks. Geochemistry of mudstones and shales of the Lyamitsa, Verkhovka, Zimnie Gory, and Erga formations in the Belomorian-Kuloi Plateau, as well as the Ust-Pinega and Mezen formations in the Vychegda Trough, does not allow us to consider these stratigraphic units as erosion products of the primitive Archean basement of the Baltic Shield or the central segment of the East European Craton (EEC) basement. Taking into account sedimentological data on the direction of paleoflows in the basin and the model Nd age of the fine-grained terrigenous rocks, we suggest that the Mezen Basin was filled in the Late Vendian mainly with erosion products of the Riphean igneous and metasedimentary complexes of the Timan-Pechora region. These conclusions are consistent with the sequence-stratigraphic architecture of sediments in the basin. According to the new model proposed, the Late Vendian Mezen Basin was a foredeep formed as a result of subsidence of the northeastern margin of the EEC under the load of overthrusted rock masses of the Timan-Pechora Foldbelt. The clastic material was derived from the emerging orogen.     

Systematics of rare earth elements, Th, Hf, Sc, Co, Cr, and Ni in the vendian pelitic rocks of the Serebryanka and Sylvitsa groups from the western slope of the Central Urals: A tool for monitoring provenance composition

This paper presents the first data on the systematics of rare earth elements (REE), Th, Hf, Sc, Co, Cr, and Ni and the Nd model ages of fine-grained aluminosilicate clastic rocks of the Serebryanka and Sylvitsa groups of the Vendian from the Kvarkushsko-Kamennogorskii meganticlinorium (western slope of the Central Urals). It was found that the REE distribution patterns of shales and mudstones of the two groups are similar to those of the majority of post-Archean fine-grained terrigenous complexes. The presence of pelitic rocks with Gd_N/Yb_N > 2.0 in a number of Vendian levels suggests a contribution from an Archean component in the composition of the fine aluminosilicate clastic material. This is probably also indicated by the high degree of heavy REE depletion in some mudstone samples. The REE systematics allow us to suppose a heterogeneity of Vendian paleocatchments and variations in their composition with time. The eroded areas had the most mature composition in the beginning of Serebryanka. Starting from the second half of Serebryanka, mafic and/or ultramafic rocks started playing a significant role in the provenances. The rocks of the lower portion of the Serebryanka Group show T_Nd(DM) values of about 2.0 Ga, whereas the upper part of the section is dominated by rocks with T_Nd(DM) ? 1.77–1.73 Ga. This indicates that during the Taninskaya and Koiva time periods, fine aluminosilicate clastic material was supplied into the sedimentation region mainly from the west, from the eastern areas of the east European platform, where Archean and Early Proterozoic crystalline complexes dominated. A decrease in model ages was related to the addition of juvenile mantle material to the mature continental crust. Such processes can be illustrated by the mafic-ultramafic complexes (Dvoretskii, Shpalorezovskii, Vil’vinskii, etc.) located in the field of Vendian sedimentary sequences, which show T_Nd(DM) values from 824 to 707 Ma. It was concluded that the history of the formation of an Early Vendian rift in the western slope of the central Urals included only one rifting event (rather than three, as was previously supposed), which was supported by a variety of recent geological and isotope geochemical data.     

New data on geology of the Shatak Complex (western slope of the Southern Urals)

The comprehensive study of sections of the Shatak Complex has revealed that conglomerates at the base of Middle Riphean rocks are not basal but intraformational rocks. Previously described angular unconformities between shales of the Sukhin Subformation (Yusha Formation, R₁) and conglomerates of the Kuz”elga Subformation (Mashak Formation, R₂) are related to late tectonic movements. Magmatic rocks developed at the base of the Middle Riphean section are represented by sheet intrusions formed in the course of emplacement of a fluid-saturated magmatic melt into partially or completely lithified terrigenous rocks at the graben formation stage during the origination of synkinematic faults that served as magma conduits. It is inferred that distribution of provenances of clastic materials and sedimentation basins in the Burzyanian and Yurmatian should be scrutinized in the study region, because the normal regressive sequence of rocks from the uppermost Yusha Formation to the lowermost Mashak Formation, which was established in the Shatak Ridge, eliminates a clear boundary distinguished between them at present. The idea about an older age of the Mashak conglomerates is substantiated.     

Lithogeochemistry of the Vendian fine-grained clastic rocks in the southern Vychegda trough

Lithogeochemical features of the Vendian mudstones and silty mudstones taken from Borehole Keltma 1 in the southern part of the Vychegda trough of the Mezen syneclise are discussed. It is shown that fine-grained clastic rocks of the Ust-Pinega, Krasavino, and Mezen formations have similar chemical compositions, suggesting their accumulation in sufficiently similar settings. The main part of the studied samples has K₂O/Al₂O₃ < 0.4. This fact, in combination with the absence of TM-FM and NPM-HM correlations, indicates a significant contribution of recycled aluminosiliciclastics in their composition. At the same time, the absence of correlation between CIA and indicator ratios of rock composition in the paleodrainage basins, such as Th/Cr and Th/Sc, indicates that CIA and some other lithochemical indicators appropriately reflect the paleoclimatic conditions in source areas surrounding a basin. The CIA value in most of the analyzed samples is no more than 70. Thus, the Keltma section is similar to Upper Vendian sequences of the Kvarkush-Kamennogorsk anticlinorium and the Shkapovo-Shikhany depression. It has been established that felsic and intermediate magmatic rocks coupled with a significant contribution of quartz-rich sediments served as the source of fine aluminosiliciclastics for the southern Vychegda trough during the Vendian. High Ce/Cr values in the mudstones and silty mudstones suggest that the geochemically primitive Archean protoliths were not involved in the washout. In the SiO₂-K₂O/Na₂O diagram, the Vendian mudstones and silty mudstones are plotted in the field of sediments of active continental margins. Typical low values of Mo/Mn and some other redox indices in these rocks indicate that oxidizing environment predominated in bottom waters of the sedimentation basin during the entire Vendian. Analysis of variations of the lithochemical indicators upward the Vendian sedimentary successions in borehole Keltma 1 made it possible to divide the section into three sequences of different lithofacies and paleontological compositions.     

Provenance composition and features of geological evolution of the Late Vendian foreland basin of the Timan orogen

The provenance composition and geological evolution of different segments in the distal zone of the Late Vendian foreland basin of the Timan orogen were deciphered on the basis of sequence stratigraphic reconstructions and precision geochemical data on the Upper Vendian fine-grained terrigenous rocks from the Southeast White Sea region, Vychegda, Verkhnekama, and Shkapovo-Shikhan basins, and the Kvarkush-Kamennogorsk and Bashkirian meganticlinoriums. The Upper Vendian of the Southeast White Sea region is subdivided into four sequences: Agma, Solza, Zimnie Gory, and Erga. The tracing of sequence boundaries and lateral facies associations from the Southeast White Sea Region to the South Urals made it possible to identify the main stages of the evolution of sedimentary filling of the foreland basin: (I) shallow water epiplatformal basin, (II) isolated basin, (III) lowstand system tract, and (IV) progradation of delta platforms. Position of data points of the Upper Vendian shales, silty mudstones, and mudstones plotted in the diagrams Th-La, Ni-Cr, Gd_N/Yb_N-Eu/Eu*, Sc-Th/Sc, La/Sm-Sc/Th, and Co/Hf-Ce/Cr, together with their REE systematics and data on Nd model ages indicates that the Proterozoic, including Neoproterozoic rocks of the Timan thrust-folded belt served as the main source for fine aluminosiliciclastic material in the distal zones of the Timan foreland basin. Obtained results are consistent with the concept that the Vendian stage of the evolution of the Eastern European platform is related to the intense input of allochthonous material in its peripheral area owing to the activation of orogenic processes in the adjacent mobile belts and allow us to significantly specify the paleogeographical reconstructions.     

Metapelites of the Valyukhta Formation as indicators of the Riphean residual weathering crust,Patom Highland

Bimodal metapelites of complex (sedimentary-epigenetic) origin were found at the base of the Upper Riphean Zhuya Group, which disconformably overlies the Lower-Middle Riphean Kadalikan Group. The substrate of these rocks is represented by relatively low-aluminous mudstones of the Valyukhta Formation, which bear evidence of physical disintegration replaced upsection by chemical decomposition. The altered mudstones compose a weathering crust with the typical fissure, clastic, rubble-grus (lithomarge), and fine-clastic (dispersed) zones. Rocks of the lithomarge zone are enriched in silica, which was removed from the dispersed zone during the formation of the chemical weathering crust. During partial erosion of this crust, detrital quartz and fine-dispersed (mature) clay material penetrated the fissured mudstones. The bulk of detrital quartz was precipitated in the lithomarge and clastic zones. Fine-dispersed clay matter was accumulated in lower parts of the fissure zone. Mudstones subjected to different-depth epigenetic alterations are transformed into sericite-bearing shales of in the fissure zone, quartz-bearing shales in the clastic zone, siliceous-quartz shales and clay-like siliceous-quartz rocks in the rubble-grus zone, and sericite phyllites in the fine-clastic zone. These rocks, developed after mudstones of the Valyukhta Formation, represent different-depth indicators of the weathering crust.     

Paleoclimate changes in the late precambrian: Evidence from the upper precambrian section of the South Urals

The climatic impact on the formation of fine-grained rocks from the Riphean stratotype and Vendian Asha Group on the western slope of the South Urals during the time interval lasting approximately 1200 Ma is considered. It is shown that these rocks are largely represented by “tectonosilicate-dominated” shales. This feature combined with changes in the average K₂O/Al₂O₃ values disavows the hypothesis in (Kennedy et al., 2006), according to which the growth of free oxygen concentration in the Late Riphean and Vendian atmosphere was determined by gradual intensification of the organic carbon extraction from the biosphere by clays. The average values of the hydrolyzate module, chemical index of alteration (CIA), and several lithogeochemical parameters calculated for the Riphean and Vendian clayey rocks provide grounds for the conclusion that intensity of weathering in paleodrainage areas during the accumulation of the Upper Precambrian sedimentary successions was low. The curve reflecting changes of the average CIA values in the Upper Precambrian fine-grained siliciclastic rocks of the South Urals is similar to some extent with the “standard” CIA_correct. curve (GonzalezAlvarez and Kerrich, 2012). It is assumed that changes in microand macrobiotic communities during the Late Precambrian were controlled to a variable extent by climate fluctuations as well. At the same time, these fluctuations most likely left the chemical composition of water in the ocean virtually unchanged, which is evident from analysis of the redox conditions in the ocean and the distribution of primary producers with the average CIA_correct. and CIA values.     

Lithology and conditions of the formation of Paleozoic rocks in northern areas of the Scythian Plate

The Paleozoic sequence recovered during the prospecting for oil and gas in different areas of the Scythian Plate is composed of terrigenous rocks (sandstones, siltstones, silty pelites, mudstones, shales, and phyllites) of different stages of alteration varying from late catagenesis to initial metamorphism. Their investigation allowed us to refine the sedimentation environment during different Carboniferous and Permian epochs at the southern margin of the East European Craton.     

Pre-Riphean metapelites of the Yenisei Range: Chemical composition,sources of eroded material,and paleogeodynamics

The paper reports data on metapelites (gneisses and crystalline schists) from various Early Precambrian lithostratigraphic units of the Yenisei Range (Kan and Yenisei complexes, Garevka Unit, and Teya Group). A representative selection of 57 samples from the examined vertical section were analyzed for major oxides, LILE, transition elements, HFSE, REE, radioactive elements, and other trace and minor elements. The most important distinctive geochemical feature of metapelites composing most of the vertical section is their elevated concentrations of Al, which are higher than in the Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), K, Rb, Ba, Ga, Sc, Pb, Th, Nb, Y, and REE. These data and the systematics of elements in certain discriminant diagrams testify that the metasedimentary complexes in the sedimentation basin and the rocks associations composing the erosion area (crystalline massifs of the ancient basement of the Siberian craton) were strongly geochemically differentiated and mature. The composition of the eroded crustal material was close to the average composition of the post-Archean continental crust and PAAS. The metapelites of the Kuzeeva Unit in the Kan Complex and Penchenginskaya Formation in the Teya Group were the only ones that could have basic rocks as an additional source of material, as also follows from the elevated Cr concentrations of the rocks and their REE systematics. The three types of REE patterns of the metapelites largely correspond to the composition of the rocks that composed the ancient drainage areas and the degrees of the differentiation and averaging of their terrigenous material. The first predominant type corresponds to PAAS and the averaged composition of the upper continental crust. The second and third types of the REE patterns with high and low La_N/Yb_N ratios, respectively, and with or without negative Eu anomalies provide evidence of the contribution of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) or basite sources typical of granite-greenstone provinces. In certain diagrams, the compositional fields of Early Precambrian metapelites in the Yenisei Range almost exactly coincide with the compositional fields of regional fine-grained Riphean terrigenous rocks. This suggests that the Late Precambrian sedimentary rock sequences inherited their geochemical features from more ancient rocks. The reproduced ancient geodynamic environments in which the Early Precambrian metaterrigenous complexes of the Yenisei Range were accumulated correspond to ensialic continental marginal basins. The rocks of the Kan and Yenisei complexes and the Garevka Unit were formed mostly on active continental margins and, less frequently, on passive margins. The protoliths of metasedimentary rocks of the Teya Group were accumulated in a subplatform environment at a passive margin.     

Late Vendian unfolded Molasse in the northeastern, eastern, and southwestern peripheries of the east European platform: Distinctive lithogeochemical features

The paper reports data on the lithogeochemistry of sandstones and silty mudstones from Upper Vendian sedimentary sequences in the northeastern, eastern, and southwestern peripheries of the East European Platform belonging to the so-called unfolded molasse. The sequences are dominated by wackes, arkoses, subarkoses, litharenites, and sublitharenites, i.e., chemically immature and moderately mature psammites, and can be classed with rocks produced by clastic material brought from orogens surrounding the platform. The higher TiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO_tot, MgO, Na₂O, and K₂O concentrations of the psammites than those in the average cratonic Phanerozoic sandstone (APhSa) testify that the chemical maturing of the rocks was not completed. The silty mudstones accompanying the sandstones have a composition closer to those of the average cratonic Phanerozoic shale (APhSh), but this is likely explained by the fact that the rocks were produced of material brought from erosion territories of much greater area. The lithogeochemical data generally indicate that these territories were dominated by acid and intermediate magmatic rocks with variable fraction of sedimentary rocks when the Late Vendian sedimentary associations in question were produced. The distribution of certain indicator trace elements in the sandstones and silty mudstones show that the average composition of the eroded complexes was close to the composition of the post-Archean upper continental crust, but the erosion areas occasionally (in the Vychegorskii trough and the Shkapovsko-Shikhanskaya depression) contained relatively primitive source rocks. The data points of the great majority of the sandstones and silty mudstones plot in the SiO₂-K₂O/Na₂O and F1–F2 diagrams in the fields of sediments typical of the environments of active continental margins, which is consistent with the arrangement of the data points of these rocks in the La-Th-Sc, Th-Sc-Zr/10, and Th-Co-Zr/10 diagrams. All of these features confirm that the sedimentary rocks in question affiliate with rock associations produced at an active tectonic regime.     

Early Precambrian high-grade metamorphosed terrigenous rocks of granulite-gneiss terranes of the Sharyzhalgai uplift (southwestern Siberian craton)

We present results of geochemical and Sm-Nd isotope studies of high-grade metaterrigenous rocks of the Kitoi and northwestern Irkut terranes of the Sharyzhalgai uplift on the Siberian Platform in comparison with paragneisses of the southeastern Irkut terrane. The metasedimentary rocks of the first region are high-alumina garnet-sillimanite-cordierite-bearing paragneisses; their protoliths were mostly mudstones and pelitic mudstones by major-element composition. The low-alumina biotite gneisses of the Kitoi terrane formed, most likely, from magmatic protoliths similar in petrochemical features to intraplate volcanics. The major factor controlling the composition of the studied high-alumina paragneisses is precipitation of most of incompatible trace elements in the clay fraction of sediments, as evidenced from the positive correlation between trace-element and Al₂O3 contents. The Cr and Ni contents, showing a positive correlation with MgO and no correlation with Al₂O3, are an indicator of the contribution of the mafic-source material to the formation of high-alumina rocks. The contribution of a mafic source-derived material to the formation of terrigenous rocks increases in passing from Kitoi to northwestern Irkut terrane. The high-alumina and garnet-biotite paragneisses of the southeastern Irkut terrane are similar in trace-element patterns to the analogous rocks of the Kitoi terrane and northwestern part of the Irkut terrane but show higher Th contents and a distinct negative Eu anomaly related to the change in the composition of the felsic source. The participation of felsic potassic igneous rocks in the formation of the southeastern terrigenous sediments is consistent with their deposition after the Neoarchean collision processes (metamorphism and granite magmatism), whereas sedimentation in the Kitoi and northwestern Irkut terranes preceded them. The Sm-Nd isotope characteristics indicate that the latter sediments formed mostly as a result of the erosion of the Paleo-Mesoarchean crust, whereas the metasediments of the southeastern Irkut terrane formed with the participation of Paleoproterozoic juvenile rocks. Thus, the variations in the trace-element and isotope compositions of the high-grade metamorphosed terrigenous rocks reflect recycling and growth of the continental crust of the Sharyzhalgai uplift during the Neoarchean-Pa- leoproterozoic transition.     

Noble metal specialization of Lower and Middle Riphean terrigenous rocks in the South Urals

Results of the study of noble metal specialization of Lower and Middle Riphean terrigenous rocks in the Bashkir Anticlinorium (South Urals) are reported. The study revealed their genetic differences in the relatively unaltered, i.e., “background” terrigenous rocks in type sections of the Burzyan and Yurmatau groups and in sedimentary rocks of the same stratigraphic levels from tectonic zones subjected to local dynamothermal metamorphism of the greenschist facies and intruded by mafic rocks. It has been established that Ru serves as a geochemical marker of the impact of magmatic processes on sedimentary rocks and the redistribution of noble metals during metamorphism and local metasomatism. A generalized model is proposed for the formation of noble metal geochemical specialization of Lower and Middle Riphean terrigenous rocks in the South Urals.     

陆棚海泥岩的岩相特征及沉积过程

传统的沉积模式认为大部分细粒沉积岩（泥岩或页岩）的沉积发生在相对深水、低能的环境中。作为地表上分布最为广泛的沉积岩类型,泥页岩包含了对重构地质历史时期古地理、古气候的重要信息。泥页岩除了可以作为有效的烃源岩,勘探开发技术的进展更发掘出泥岩作为非常规油气储层的巨大潜力。近十年来,国内外对细粒沉积物的水槽实验、泥岩沉积微相的精细分析、以及泥岩岩相组成特征的研究取得了长足的进展。这些研究对泥岩的沉积过程和沉积模式在不同角度上提供了新的认知。大部分泥岩（甚至包括众多有机质含量高的泥岩）都可能沉积在相对浅水以及水动力条件相对较高的环境中。不同的沉积过程（底部水流）形成不同的泥岩沉积微相,并对有机质在泥岩中的埋藏富集具有重要的控制作用。以晚白垩纪北美西部内陆海道为例,总结在陆棚浅海环境中（最大水深< 200 m）,位于从近岸到远岸（> 500 km）不同沉积环境（包括前三角洲/下邻滨、内陆棚、中陆棚、和外陆棚环境）中的泥岩的主要沉积过程、沉积微相特征、以及富集有机质的潜力。由于沉积过程和沉积环境是决定泥岩成分、沉积相、和岩石物理特征非均质性的首要因素,不同浅海环境中的泥岩相特征和沉积模式可有助于利用泥岩地层进行古地理、古气候的重构,并能够对预测不同陆棚浅海环境中沉积的泥岩作为有效烃源岩或有效储层的潜力提供指导。     

Fine-Grained Aluminosiliciclastic Rocks of the Middle Riphean Stratotype Section in the Southern Urals: Formation Conditions,Composition and Provenance Evolution

General trends of the formation of Middle Riphean fine-grained aluminosiliciclastic rocks in the Bashkir Meganticlinorium are considered. It is shown that Yurmatinian shales do not contain any significant pyroclastic admixture. Judging from the relatively constant Th/Cr ratio throughout the Yurmatinian section, the tectonic regime in the study territory during the early Middle Riphean is suggested to be rather stable. The main paleoclimatic indices and indicators of the pelitic material maturity (CIA, CIW, IVC, PIA, and Ce/Y) suggest that paleodrainage systems in the early Middle Riphean were dominated by humid climate that gave way to the arid or semiarid type in the middle Yurmatinian. The low Mo/Mn ratio and some other indicators of redox conditions in shales from all Yurmatinian lithostratigraphic units show that no explicit reducing conditions existed in the basin during the early Middle Riphean. The shales were characterized by the increase in K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio, gradual enrichment in REE, and growth of LREE/HREE and La_N/Yb_N ratios toward the middle Yurmatinian, indicating the gain of an appreciable amount of slightly weathered arkosic aluminosiliciclastic material in the sedimentary basin about 1220–1200 Ma ago. The REE distribution and the UCC- and AUC-normalized shale compositions suggest that the eroded upper crust was compositionally close to the UCC. The occurrence of mafic and ultramafic rocks is also inferred. Data points of Yurmatinian shales plotted in the Cr–Ni, Eu/Eu*–Gd_N/Yb_N, and (La/YB)_N–Yb_N diagrams are localized between the fields of Upper Archean and post-Archean rocks or within the latter field. Hence, post-Archean igneous and metamorphic complexes prevailed in paleodrainage systems of the early Middle Riphean. This is also confirmed by the model Nd ages.     

C-and Sr-isotope chemostratigraphy as a tool for verifying age of Riphean deposits in the Kama-Belaya aulacogen,the east European platform

The Kyrpy Group of the East European platform is regarded by tradition as correlative with the Lower Riphean Burzyan Group of the Bashkirian meganticlinorium in the southern Urals. Age and correlation of the Kyrpy Group remain problematic, however, because of a limited geochronological information and controversial interpretation of paleontological materials. Data of C-and Sr-isotope chemostratigraphy contribute much to the problem solution. In the Kyrpy Group of the Kama-Belaya aulacogen, the Kaltasy Formation carbonates 1300 to 2400 m thick (boreholes 133 and 203 of the Azino-Pal’nikovo and Bedryazh areas) show ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios ranging around 0.7040 and narrow diapasons of δ¹³C values: about 0.5‰ (V-PDB) in shallow-water facies and-2.0‰ (V-PDB) in sediments of deeper origin. Despite the facies dependence of carbon isotope composition, δ¹³C variations not greater than ±1.0‰ are depicted in chemostratigraphic profiles of carbonate rocks characterizing separate stratigraphic intervals up to 800 m thick in the above borehole sections. Low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and almost invariant δ¹³C values in carbonates of the Kaltasy Formation are obviously contrasting with these parameters in the Middle and Upper Riphean deposits, being comparable with isotopic characteristics of the Lower Riphean sediments (Mesoproterozoic deposits older than 1300 Ma). Consequently, the results obtained evidence in favor of the Early Riphean age of the Kaltasy Formation and the Kyrpy Group as a whole.