Geochemistry of Tertiary sandstones from southwest Sarawak,Malaysia: implications for provenance and tectonic setting

Tertiary sandstones collected from southwest Sarawak, Malaysia, were analyzed to decipher their provenance, weathering, and tectonic setting. The studied sandstones have a sublitharenite composition and are dominantly composed quartz with little mica and feldspar, and a small amount of volcanic fragments. These sandstones were generally derived from quartz-rich recycled orogenic sources. They have relatively high SiO₂ content with low Na₂O, CaO, MnO, and MgO contents. Values of Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) of these rock samples vary from 71 to 93, with an average of 81, implying intense chemical alteration during weathering. A felsic igneous source is suggested by a low concentration of TiO₂ compared to CIA, enrichment of Light Rare Earth Elements, depletion of Heavy Rare Earth Elements, and negative Eu anomalies. A felsic origin is further supported by a Eu/Eu* range of 0.65–0.85 and high Th/Sc, La/Sc, La/Co, and Th/Co ratios. This work presents the first reported geochemical data of Tertiary sandstones of the Sarawak Basin. These data led us to conclude that the sandstones were dislodged from recycled orogenic sources and deposited in a slowly subsiding rifted basin in a passive continental tectonic setting.