Detrital heavy minerals from Lower Jurassic clastic rocks in the Joetsu area,central Japan: Paleo‐Mesozoic tectonics in the East Asian continental margin constrained by limited chloritoid occurrences in Japan

Detrital chloritoids were extracted from the Lower Jurassic sandstones in the Joetsu area of central Japan. The discovery of detrital chloritoids in the Joetsu area, in addition to two previous reports, confirms their limited occurrence in the Jurassic strata of the Japanese islands. This finding emphasizes the importance of the denudation of chloritoid‐yielding metamorphic belts in Jurassic provenance evolution, in addition to a change from an active volcanic arc to a dissected arc that has already been described. Possible sources for the detrital chloritoids from the Jurassic sandstones are the Permo–Triassic chloritoid‐yielding metamorphic rocks distributed in dispersed tectonic zones (Hida, Unazuki, Ryuhozan and Hitachi Metamorphic Rocks), which are in fault contact with Permian to Jurassic accretionary complexes in the Japanese islands. This is because all of these pre‐Jurassic chloritoid‐yielding metamorphic rocks have a Carboniferous–Permian depositional age and a Permo–Triassic metamorphic age, whereas a Permian–Triassic metamorphic age on the Hitachi Metamorphic Rocks remains unreported. In addition, most metamorphic chloritoids imply a former stable land surface that has evolved into an unstable orogenic area. Therefore, the chloritoid‐yielding metamorphic rocks might form a continuous metamorphic belt originating from a passive continental margin in East Asia. Evidence from paleontological and petrological studies indicates that the Permo–Triassic metamorphic belt relates to a collision between the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and the North China Craton. The evolution of the Permian–Jurassic provenance of Japanese detrital rocks indicates that the temporal changes in detritus should result from sequences of collision‐related uplifting processes.     

Provenance and thermal history of the Bayan Har Group in the western-central Songpan–Ganzi–Bayan Har terrane: Implications for tectonic evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau

Triassic turbidites dominate the Songpan–Ganzi–Bayan Har (SGBH) terrane of the northern Tibetan Plateau. U‐Pb dating on single detrital zircon grains from the Triassic Bayan Har Group turbidites yield peaks at 400–500 m.y., 900–1000 m.y., 1800–1900 m.y., and 2400–2500 m.y., These results are consistent with recently published U‐Pb zircon ages of pre‐Triassic bedrock in the East Kunlun, Altyn, Qaidam, Qilian and Alaxa areas to the north, suggesting that provenance of the Bayan Har Group may include these rocks. The similarities in the compositions of the lithic arkosic sandstones of the Bayan Har Group with the sandstones of the Lower‐Middle Triassic formations in the East Kunlun terrane to the north also suggests a common northern provenance for both. A well exposed angular unconformity between the Carboniferous–Middle Permian mélange sequences and the overlying Upper Permian or Triassic strata indicates that regional deformation occurred between the Middle and Late Permian. This deformation may have been the result of a soft collision between the Qiangtang terrane and the North China Plate and the closure of the Paleo‐Tethyan oceanic basin. The Bayan Har Group turbidites were then deposited in a re‐opened marine basin on a shelf environment. Fission‐track dating of detrital zircons from the Bayan Har Group sandstones revealed pre‐ and post‐depositional age components, suggesting that the temperatures did not reach the temperatures necessary to anneal retentive zircon fission tracks (250–300°C). A 282–292 m.y. peak age defined by low U concentration, retentive zircons likely reflects a northern granitic source. Euhedral zircons from two lithic arkoses with abundant volcanic fragments in the southern area yielded a ～237 m.y. zircon fission track (ZFT) peak age, likely recording the maximum age of deposition. A dominant post‐depositional 170–185 m.y. ZFT peak age suggests peak temperatures were reached in the Early Jurassic. Some samples appear to record a younger thermal event at ～140 m.y., a short lived event that apparently affected only the least retentive zircons.     

Revisiting Triassic stratigraphy of the Yanshan belt

Age determinations of the Triassic lithostratigraphic units of the Yanshan belt were previously based on plant fossils and regional correlations of lithologies. The Liujiagou and Heshanggou Formations were assigned as the Lower Triassic, and the Ermaying Formation was regarded as the Middle Triassic. We carried out a geochronologic study of detrital zircon grains from the Triassic sandstone in the Xiabancheng and Yingzi basins in northern Hebei where the Triassic strata are exceptionally well preserved. The results show that the Liujiagou, Heshanggou, and Ermaying Formations are all Late Triassic in age. The ages of detrital zircons also revealed that the upper part of the Shihezi Formation and the overlying Sunjiagou Formation, both of which were thought to be the Middle-Late Permian units, are actually late Early to Middle Triassic deposits. This study combines the upper Shihezi and Sunjiagou Formations into a single unit termed as the Yingzi Formation. We also substitute the widely-used Liujiagou, Heshanggou, and Ermaying Formations with the Dingjiagou, Xiabancheng, and Huzhangzi Formations, respectively. Field observations and facies analysis show that the top of the Shihezi Formation is an erosive surface, marking a parallel unconformity between the Middle Permian and Lower Triassic. The Yingzi Formation is composed mainly of meandering river deposits, indicative of tectonic quiescence and low-relief landform in the Early to Middle Triassic. In contrast, the Dingjiagou, Xiabancheng, and Huzhangzi Formations are interpreted as the deposits of sandy/gravelly braided rivers, alluvial fans, fan deltas, and deep lakes in association with volcanism, thus indicating an intense rifting setting. A new Triassic lithostratigraphic division is proposed according to age constraints and facies analysis, and the results are of significance for understanding the early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Yanshan belt.     

Skarn mineralogy and its geological significance for the Tayuan(Cu-Mo)-Pb-Zn deposit,northern Daxinganling metallogenic belt

The Tayuan(Cu-Mo)-Pb-Zn deposit is located in the northern part of Daxinganling,NE China.Lenticular ore body occurs in the skarn zone.The skarn minerals mainly include garnet,pyroxene,epidote and wollastonite.Electron microprobe analysis shows that the end member of garnet is mainly andradite(Ad_(62-97)Gr_(11-45),the pyroxene is mainly diopside,and epidote is mainly clinozoisite.These characteristics indicate that the Tayuan polymetallic skarn deposit is mainly calcareous skarn.Sometimes the content zonation can be observed in garnets.With one garnet crystal,content is shifty from the core to the rim.In general,the iron content in the core is higher than in the edge.The content in the garnet shows that the garnet in the Tayuan deposit formed from weak oxidation in alkaline environment with the oxygen fugacity increasing,suggesting that the hydrothermal fluid evolved from an acidic to a slight alkaline state.In the Tayuan polymetallic deposit,the ratio of Mn/Fe in pyroxene is about 1.3,and of Mg/Fe,it is about 2.The components of garnet in the Tayuan deposit plot in the field of the typical skarn Zn,Cu,Mo deposits in the world.     

Mesozoic basin-fill records in south foot of the Dabie Mountains: Implication for Dabie Orogenic attributes

For the Triassic continental collision, subduction and orogenesis in the Dabie-Sulu belt, a lot of data on petrology, geochemistry and chronology have been published[1]. However, so far no depositional records on the Triassic syn-collisional orogenesis of…     

The Langjiexue Group is an in situ sedimentary sequence rather than an exotic block: Constraints from coeval Upper Triassic strata of the Tethys Himalaya(Qulonggongba Formation)

The Upper Triassic Langjiexue Group in southeastern Tibet has long been an enigmatic geological unit. It belongs tectonically to the northern Tethys Himalayan zone, but provenance signatures of the detritus it contains are significantly different from those of typical Tethys Himalayan sandstones. Because the Langjiexue Group is everywhere in fault contact with Tethys Himalayan strata, its original paleogeographic position has remained controversial for a long time. According to some researchers, the Langjiexue Group was deposited onto the northern edge of the Indian passive continental margin, whereas others interpreted it as an independent block accreted to the northern Indian margin only during final India-Asia convergence and collision in the Paleocene. This study compares the Langjiexue Group and coeval Upper Triassic strata of the southern Tethys Himalayan zone(Qulonggongba Formation). Our new provenance data indicate that Qulonggongba Formation sandstones contain common felsic volcanic rock fragments, minor plagioclase, and euhedral to subhedral zircon grains yielding Late Paleozoic to Triassic ages. These provenance features compare well with those of the Langjiexue Group. Because the Qulonggongba Formation certainly belongs to the Tethys Himalayan zone, the provenance similarity with the Langjiexue Group indicates that the latter is also an in situ Tethys Himalayan sedimentary sequence rather than part of an exotic block. Volcanic detritus including Late Paleozoic to Triassic zircon grains in both Langjiexue Group and Qulonggongba Formation are interpreted to have been derived from the distant Gondwanide orogen generated by Pan-Pacific subduction beneath the southeastern margin of Gondwana. The Qulonggongba Formation, deposited above marlstones of the lower Upper Triassic Tulong Group, is overlain by India-derived coastal quartzose sandstones of the uppermost Triassic Derirong Formation. Deposition of both the Qulonggongba Formation and the Langjiexue Group were most likely controlled by regional tectonism, possibly a rifting event along the northern margin of Gondwana.     

Miocene provenance change in Himalayan foreland basin and Bengal Fan sediments,with special reference to detrital garnet chemistry

Bengal Fan Miocene sediments were collected during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 354 and investigated using petrographic and detrital garnet chemistry analyses. The Miocene Siwalik Group, which is composed of sediments deposited in the Himalayan foreland basin, was also analyzed for comparison with the Bengal Fan data for the provenance change during the Miocene. Our petrographic analyses revealed that the Miocene sediments of the Bengal Fan and Siwalik Group consist predominantly of Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC)-derived detritus such as chloritoid, staurolite, sillimanite, and/or kyanite, which appear among the accessory minerals. The chemistry of the detrital garnet varies across the stratigraphy; most of the garnet is rich in almandine and poor in spessartine and pyrope. However, pyrope-rich garnet, which is considered to originate from the HHC core (granulite facies), was found in the lower to upper Miocene deposits. The deposition of HHC-derived detrital garnet began before the Middle Miocene (15 Ma) and before the Late Miocene (10–9 Ma) in the Siwalik Group. The Bengal Fan data, by contrast, indicated that pyrope-rich garnet appeared in the Early Miocene (17.3 Ma) and Late Miocene (8.5–6.5 Ma). We conclude that the Bengal Fan sediments record the erosion of the HHC zone since the Early Miocene that appears in the Siwalik sediments. Furthermore, we found that the HHC-derived inputs decreased from the late Middle Miocene (12 Ma) to the early Middle Miocene (10 Ma) in both the Nepal Himalaya foreland basin and the Bengal Fan. The disappearance of the HHC-derived detritus is probably the result of dilution by Lesser Himalayan detritus, which suggests that the Lesser Himalayan zone, which is composed of metamorphosed and unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks, was uplifted.     

Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic transition in Kuqa Depression-Tianshan, Northwest China: Evidence from sandstone detrital and geochemical records

Succeeding to multiply collisions of different blocks in Late Paleozoic[1―5], complex intracontinental structural deformation occurred in the Tianshan area during Mesozoic-Cenozoic[6―16], which controlled coeval basin-range evolution and resulted in intensive modi- fication and adjustment of the Paleozoic oil-gas reser- voirs[17―19]. The Kuqa Depression is a secendary struc- tural unit of the Tarim basin, in which Mesozoic- Ce- nozoic deposits occur in thickness of 6000―7000 m. The Kuq…     

Diagenetic development of unstable and stable magnetization in the St. Bees Sandstone (Triassic) of northern England

Thermal demagnetization of red and drab sandstones from the St. Bees Sandstone shows a wide range of directional stability. After the removal of a metastable secondary magnetization at temperatures up to 300°C red sandstones may show stable or unstable magnetization. Experiments indicate that both the stable and unstable magnetization is carried by coarse haematite particles (specularite).Drab sandstones, which have been subject to reduction and dissolution of haematite are generally unstable but specimens with a stable NRM occur and this must be carried by specularite because the pigment has been removed from these specimens.The stable magnetization is believed to have developed during deposition and early diagenesis by the oxidation of detrital iron oxides. Pole positions correspond to known Triassic poles and there are abundant normal and reversed zones typical of the Lower Triassic.The unstable magnetization of the red sandstones is apparently due to the development of authigenic overgrowths of haematite on the detrital specularites. This phase of authigenesis may have taken place over a long time, and after significant changes in the ambient geomagnetic field resulting in complex magnetizations in individual grains and hence whole rocks.     

Composition and properties of the iron hydroxides-cemented lenses in Estonian sandstone of Middle Devonian age

The formation of hematite and goethite concretions in different sedimentary rocks including sandstones is an important diagenetic process in the geologic history of the Earth. Its interpretation can also contribute to understanding the diagenetic history of Martian iron hydroxide concretions. A case study of iron-rich concretions from Estonian Middle Devonian sandstones exposed in ancient river valleys in southeastern Estonia was carried out based on the results of mineralogical, petrographical, geochemical, petrophysical and magnetic analyses. It was found that the high Fe₂O₃(total) content (25.0–39.5%), high magnetic susceptibility, bulk and grain density, very low porosity, corrosion and fracturing of the quartz grains of the platy iron concretions are in contrast with properties of the Devonian host sandstones. However the ferrous iron content (measured as FeO) of iron-rich concretions was as low as in the other Devonian rocks, suggesting an oxidizing environment and arid climate during the cementation by iron-hydroxides. The fracturing of quartz grains cemented by iron hydroxides could take place at near-surface conditions including vadose and phreatic zones in arid climate with high evaporation rates. Such climatic conditions have been reported for the Baltic region during Devonian, Upper Permian and Triassic times. We have found that goethite is prevalent in the cement, replacing clay and carbonate minerals. We assume that this iron-rich cement is originated from the mobilization of iron in host sandstones by groundwater, associated with tectonic activity at the end of the Middle Devonian, evidenced by fracturing in Devonian outcrops and caves. Although this mobilization could occur under reducing conditions, precipitation of goethite and hematite for the cementation could take place in oxidizing environment along bedding planes close to the surface during short sedimentation breaks. Another possible time for the formation of iron concretions could be Permian, under the condition of both arid climate and tectonic activity.     

Detrital zircon multi‐chronology,provenance, and low‐grade metamorphism of the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex,eastern Shikoku,Southwest Japan: Tectonic evolution in response to igneous activity within a subduction zone

Detrital zircon multi‐chronology combined with provenance and low‐grade metamorphism analyses enables the reinterpretation of the tectonic evolution of the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex in Southwest Japan. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages and provenance analysis defines the depositional age of trench‐fill turbidites associated with igneous activity in provenance. Periods of low igneous activity are recorded by youngest single grain zircon U–Pb ages (YSG) that approximate or are older than the depositional ages obtained from radiolarian fossil‐bearing mudstone. Periods of intensive igneous activity recorded by youngest cluster U–Pb ages (YC1σ) that correspond to the younger limits of radiolarian ages. The YC1σ U–Pb ages obtained from sandstones within mélange units provide more accurate younger depositional ages than radiolarian ages derived from mudstone. Determining true depositional ages requires a combination of fossil data, detrital zircon ages, and provenance information. Fission‐track ages using zircons estimated YC1σ U–Pb ages are useful for assessing depositional and annealing ages for the low‐grade metamorphosed accretionary complex. These new dating presented here indicates the following tectonic history of the accretionary wedge. Evolution of the Shimanto accretionary complex from the Albian to the Turonian was caused by the subduction of the Izanagi plate, a process that supplied sediments via the erosion of Permian and Triassic to Early Jurassic granitic rocks and the eruption of minor amounts of Early Cretaceous intermediate volcanic rocks. The complex subsequently underwent intensive igneous activity from the Coniacian to the early Paleocene as a result of the subduction of a hot and young oceanic slab, such as the Kula–Pacific plate. Finally, the major out‐of‐sequence thrusts of the Fukase Fault and the Aki Tectonic Line formed after the middle Eocene, and this reactivation of the Shimanto accretionary complex as a result of the subduction of the Pacific plate.     

Geochemical features and genesis of the natural gas and bitumen in paleo-oil reservoirs of Nanpanjiang Basin, China

Bitumen from the Nanpanjiang Basin occurs mainly in the Middle Devonian and Upper Permian reef limestone paleo-oil reservoirs and reserves primarily in holes and fractures and secondarily in minor matrix pores and bio-cavities. N2 is the main component of the natural gas and is often associated with pyrobitumen in paleo-oil reservoirs. The present study shows that the bitumen in paleo-oil reservoirs was sourced from the Middle Devonian argillaceous source rock and belongs to pyrobitumen by crude oil cracking under high temperature and pressure. But the natural gas with high content of N2 is neither an oil-cracked gas nor a coal-formed gas generated from the Upper Permian Longtan Formation source rock, instead it is a kerogen-cracked gas generated at the late stage from the Middle Devonian argilla- ceous source rock. The crude oil in paleo-oil reservoirs completely cracked into pyrobitumen and methane gas by the agency of hugely thick Triassic deposits. After that, the abnormal high pressure of methane gas reservoirs was completely destroyed due to the erosion of 2000--4500-m-thick Triassic strata. But the kerogen-cracked gas with normal pressure was preserved under the relatively sealed condition and became the main body of the gas shows.     

Petrography, diagenesis and provenance of Eocene Tyee Basin sandstones, southern Oregon Coast Range: New view from sequence stratigraphy

Abstract Sandstone petrography considered within a sequence stratigraphic framework provides a better understanding of the characteristics of the Eocene Tyee Basin, an accretionary and forearc sequence, southern Oregon Coast Range. Detailed comparison of the relative abundance of major framework grains documents a marked difference in the sandstone composition of each depositional sequence. Such a difference is mainly due to an abrupt change in provenance, from a local Klamath Mountains metasedimentary source to a more distant extrabasinal Idaho Batholith‐Clarno volcanic arc source. Furthermore, the composition of framework grains varies systematically from the lowstand systems tract to the highstand systems tract within a depositional sequence. This suggests that relative sea level change in the depositional basin, and tectonics in the source area, can affect the patterns of sedimentation and sandstone composition. In addition, the Eocene Tyee Basin sandstones have a down‐section distribution of authigenic minerals, consisting of early formed zeolites and late‐stage quartz, as well as a change in the abundance of smectite to mixed‐layer chlorite/smectite with increasing burial depth. The down‐section distribution of authigenic minerals is also causally linked to the compositional variation of framework grains in each depositional sequence with increasing burial temperature. Much primary porosity has been filled with these authigenic minerals, which diminishes the permeability of potential reservoir rocks. Reservoir‐quality porosities and permeabilities, however, are present locally in the basin. The development of these reservoir‐quality sandstones within the Eocene Tyee Basin sequence is due to a complex burial diagenesis, which is directly related to temporal and spatial variations in original detrital mineralogy, in sedimentation pattern, and in burial temperature in the basin.     

柴达木盆地东部晚海西-印支期剥蚀量与隆升历史——多种古温标与沉积学证据的制约

柴达木盆地东部周缘造山带内保存有较完整的晚古生代-早中生代沉积记录,但盆地内至今仍未发现二叠系-三叠系.为探讨柴东地区二叠纪-三叠纪有无沉积及隆升历史等关键地质问题,本文首先利用古温标法恢复晚海西-印支期剥蚀量,随后,通过物源分析法获得印支期柴东北缘隆升的沉积学证据.结果表明,印支运动前,柴东地区残留石炭系顶界面埋深普遍超过2500 m,晚海西-印支期剥蚀量为2100~4300 m,剥蚀量从南往北逐渐减小.柴东地区曾沉积了2000~3000 m的二叠系-三叠系,随后被整体剥蚀.晚二叠世以来,随着古特提斯洋往北俯冲,盆地周缘开始隆升.早三叠世柴东北缘经历了一次快速隆升,先期的多套沉积地层与结晶基底被迅速剥蚀并为宗务隆南缘的隆务河群砾岩沉积提供物源.中三叠世海水往北和往东退出研究区.晚三叠世,松潘-甘孜地体强烈碰撞挤压使得东昆仑-柴达木地体下地壳显著缩短和增厚,柴东地区被整体抬升,并且形成了南高北低的古地貌格局,在古气候与水系作用下,二叠系-三叠系与部分石炭系被全部剥蚀并搬运至宗务隆、南祁连及松潘-甘孜一带.

     

Kema terrane: A fragment of a back-arc basin of the early Cretaceous Moneron–Samarga island-arc system, East Sikhote–Alin range, Russian Far East

Abstract The Kema terrane is a suite of Barremian(?)–Aptian to Albian volcano-sedimentary rocks of Sikhote–Alin that are interpreted as deposits of the back-arc basin of the Moneron–Samarga island-arc system. Compositional features of the different-type deposits indicate a near-slope depositional environment influenced by volcanic processes. Studies of slump fold orientation testify to the accumulation of material from southeast to northwest by gravitational sliding. Compositional characteristics of terrigenous rocks suggest the major provenance for detrital material was an ensialic volcanic island arc. Petrochemical characteristics of basaltic rocks indicate that the formations studied were confined to the back part of the arc.     

Plastic deformation of garnets: systematics and implications for the rheology of the mantle transition zone

Plastic properties of materials with garnet structure have been studied under wide temperature conditions, ranging from room temperature to 95% of the melting temperatures, using uniaxial compression and hot microhardness tests. Garnets studied include single crystals of oxide garnets (Y₃Al₅O₁₂, Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ and Y₃Fe₅O₁₂) and silicate garnets (various solid solutions, including grossular, almandine, andradite, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite). Both uniaxial compression and hot hardness tests indicate that there is a general trend in the plasticity of garnets when the data are compared at normalized conditions (T/T_m andσ/μ), and that the resistance to plastic deformation in garnets is significantly higher than most of the other minerals in the Earth's mantle. Based on both stress-dip tests and microstructural observations, it is proposed that the creep strength of garnet is largely controlled by the resistance to dislocation glide rather than by recovery processes. This conclusion is consistent with the high Peierls stress inferred from the hot hardness tests. The high Peierls stress in garnets is, presumably, due to the large unit cell (i.e., long Burgers vectors) and/or the bcc packing, which are common to all garnets. We postulate, therefore, that the present results can be applied to the strength of high-pressure garnet (majorite) and suggest that garnet-rich layers in the Earth, such as subducted oceanic crust in the transition zone or a possibly garnet-rich (bottom part of the) transition zone, will be considerably stronger than surrounding regions.     

Petrographic study of the Miocene Mizunami Group,Central Japan: Detection of unrecognized volcanic activity in the Setouchi Province

A petrographic study of sandstones from the Miocene Mizunami Group in Central Japan has been performed on core samples from a single borehole, in order to evaluate the provenance of the sedimentary rock. Evaluation of the provenance is based on bulk mineral, heavy mineral and plagioclase contents and on whole rock chemical compositions. The sandstones studied are divisible into three types; the first type is characterized by the occurrence of biotite and plagioclase ranging from albite to oligoclase, the second type is characterized by the dominance of amphibole and labradorite with pyroxene (clinopyroxene > orthopyroxene), and the third type is characterized by the dominance of pyroxene (orthopyroxene > clinopyroxene) and andesine with lesser labradorite, bytownite and anorthite. The first type is interpreted to be derived from the basement granite, whereas the others were derived mostly from volcanic ash, judging from their mineral compositions. The volcanic activity that supplied the volcanic ash to the Mizunami Basin occurred in two phases, distinguishable by variations in their mineralogical and geochemical compositions, an indication of change in character of the volcanic activity. This petrographic study of the sandstones in the Mizunami Group suggests that unrecognized volcanic activity occurred around the Mizunami Basin, even though potential provenance of the volcanic ash has not yet been identified.     

鄂尔多斯地块构造演化的古地磁学研究

鄂尔多斯地块与中朝地台其它地区相同时代地层的古地磁结果基本一致表明:晚二叠世以来,中朝地台经历了从低纬度(19°左右)向中纬度的北移过程,并伴有50°左右的逆时针旋转;晚二叠世—中三叠世地台北移10°(1000km)左右,而方位基本未变;中三叠世—中侏罗世主要发生50°左右的逆时针旋转,而北向位移不明显,这一旋转可能与杨子地台和中朝地台碰撞拼合有关,或者说是印支运动在该地区的反应,中侏罗世—早白垩世地块已基本和现代位置一致     

Provenance of sandstones from the Wakino Subgroup of the Lower Cretaceous Kanmon Group, northern Kyushu, Japan

Abstract The Wakino Subgroup is a lower stratigraphic unit of the Lower Cretaceous Kanmon Group. Previous studies on provenance of Wakino sediments have mainly concentrated on either petrography of major framework grains or bulk rock geochemistry of shales. This study addresses the provenance of the Wakino sandstones by integrating the petrographic, bulk rock geochemistry, and mineral chemistry approaches. The proportions of framework grains of the Wakino sandstones suggest derivation from either a single geologically heterogeneous source terrane or multiple source areas. Major source lithologies are granitic rocks and high‐grade metamorphic rocks but notable amounts of detritus were also derived from felsic, intermediate and mafic volcanic rocks, older sedimentary rocks, and ophiolitic rocks. The heavy mineral assemblage include, in order of decreasing abundance: opaque minerals (ilmenite and magnetite with minor rutile), zircon, garnet, chromian spinel, aluminum silicate mineral (probably andalusite), rutile, epidote, tourmaline and pyroxene. Zircon morphology suggests its derivation from granitic rocks. Chemistry of chromian spinel indicates that the chromian spinel grains were derived from the ultramafic cumulate member of an ophiolite suite. Garnet and ilmenite chemistry suggests their derivation from metamorphic rocks of the epidote‐amphibolite to upper amphibolite facies though other source rocks cannot be discounted entirely. Major and trace element data for the Wakino sediments suggest their derivation from igneous and/or metamorphic rocks of felsic composition. The major element compositions suggest that the type of tectonic environment was of an active continental margin. The trace element data indicate that the sediments were derived from crustal rocks with a minor contribution from mantle‐derived rocks. The trace element data further suggest that recycled sedimentary rocks are not major contributors of detritus. It appears that the granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian Ryongnam Massif in South Korea were the major contributors of detritus to the Wakino basin. A minor but significant amount of detritus was derived from the basement rocks of the Akiyoshi and Sangun Terrane. The chromian spinel appears to have been derived from a missing terrane though the ultramafic rocks in the Ogcheon Belt cannot be discounted.     

Composition,environment, and economic value of the Permian to Cretaceous coated grains from Zagros and the Persian Gulf

Ooid grainstone/packstone carbonate facies of the Dalan, Kangan, and Arab formations are the main hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Persian Gulf. Based on detailed petrographic and petrophysical analyses,sedimentological and mineralogical features of the Permian to Late Cretaceous carbonate and iron-rich coated grains from Zagros and the Persian Gulf were investigated. Frequent ooids in these formations indicate a high-energy environment and a wave-dominated shallow carbonate platform. Because of wi...