Synorogenic psammites: Major lithochemical features

Some lithochemical features of sandstone associations formed at the orogenic stage of the evolution of mobile belts are analyzed on the basis of literature and original data along with the wide application of discrimination diagrams. Psammites of the flysch and molasse formations of foreland basins, as well as sand-stones from intermontane troughs and postcollisonal grabens, are considered synorogenic sediments. Analysis of the chemical composition showed that sandstones were formed by the mixing of clastic material from heterogeneous (proximal included) source areas. In discrimination diagrams, the compositional fields of sandstones are variable, because they were derived from diverse igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks of different geodynamic settings. Hence, data based on the generally accepted discrimination diagrams cannot be considered as the single (decisive) argument for establishing the geodynamic nature of sandstones without the consideration of textural-structural features of rocks and the analysis of geological structure of sedimentary associations therein.