Mesozoic sandstones and the reconstruction of tectonic depositional environments in the Bureya sedimentary basin in the Far East

Abstract

The early Jurassic-Early Cretaceous tectonic environments were reconstructed for the first time on the basis of the study of sandstones from the Soloni-Urgal interfluve (Bureya sedimentary basin, Far East). The mineralogical-petrographic and lithochemical studies revealed that the sandstones are mostly quartz-feldspathic and feldspathic graywackes of acid composition with less common litites, graywacke arkoses, and arkoses. It was shown that the Lower-Middle Jurassic sediments were formed in active continental margin and continental volcanic arc settings, while the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous sediments were accumulated in a passive continental margin setting. Orogenic events in the Toarcian-Aalenian, Late Bajocian, and Late Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian led to sedimentation gaps.