Provenance for the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Member of the Yanchang Formation in the Xifeng area and in the periphery Ordos Basin: Evidence from petrologic geochemistry

Study indicates that the major paleocurrent and source direction for the Chang 8 Member of the Yangchang Formation, Upper Triassic in the Xifeng area of the southwestern Ordos Basin derived from the southwest direction with the southeast source as the subordinate one. While the Chang 6 Member was influenced not only by the same source as that of the Chang 8 Member from the southwest and the southeast direction, but also affected by the northeast and the east provenance around the Ordos Basin, based upon measurement of paleocurrents on outcrops located in the periphery Ordos Basin, analysis of framework grains and heavy minerals in sandstones of the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Members and their spatial distribution in the study area, combined with characteristics of trace elements and rare-earth elements of mudstones and of a small amount of sandstones in the Xifeng area and outcrops in margin of the Ordos Basin. The Yuole-Xuanma-Gucheng-Heshui-Ningxia region located in the northeastern and the eastern Xifeng area was the mixed source area where the southwest, southeast, northeast and the east sources were convergent till the Chang 6 Member was deposited. The rare earth elements of the Chang 6 and Chang 8 Members are characterized by slight light rare earth-elements (LREE) enrichment and are slightly depleted in heavy rare earth-elements (HREE) with weak to moderate negative abnormal Eu, resulting in a right inclined REE pattern, which implies that the source rocks are closely related with better differential crust material. Analysis on geochemical characteristics of the mudstones and sandstones, features of parent rocks in provenance terranes and tectonic settings shows that source rocks for the Chang 8 Member mainly came from metamorphic and sedimentary rocks in transitional continental and basement uplift terranes with a small amount of rocks including metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks coming from mixed recycle orogenic belt located in the southwest margin of the Ordos basin. Rocks in the crystalline basement and the overlying sedimentary cover in a basement uplift setting in the northeast periphery of the basin also contributed a part of the sources for the Chang 6 Member, in addition to the sources deriving from transitional continental and basement uplift terranes in the southwest margin of the basin. Parent rocks of the provenance terrane in the northeast margin of the Ordos Basin are characterized by having more felsic rocks.