Tectonosedimentary patterns of multiple interacting source-to-sink systems of the permian Shanxi Formation, Ordos Basin, China: Insights from sedimentology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology

Abstract

During the early Permian, the marine–terrestrial transition of the North China Block was driven by the subduction of adjacent oceanic basins, which led to structural diversity and a range of sediment sources for the Ordos Basin. Currently, the precise paleogeography and sediment sources in the region are unclear. Source-to-sink analysis offers a valuable perspective for understanding the complex interactions between the tectonic setting and sedimentation influenced by various sediment sources in a sedimentary basin. In this study, we performed an integrated analysis of outcrops, drilling samples, heavy mineral contents, and detrital zircon U-Pb ages, which indicate that five source-to-sink systems are present in the Ordos Basin. The northern part of the basin is characterized by a combination of orogenic convergence and collisional compression. The Central Asian Orogenic Belt was the primary sediment source for the northern basin and formed large meandering and braided river delta deposits. The southern Ordos Basin primarily contains detrital material from the North China Craton basement, with a small contribution from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, which reflects a collisional compression setting that produced small deltaic and extensive lacustrine deposits. The eastern Qinling orogen underwent considerably uplift and therefore had the capacity to produce substantial amounts of sediment. The northern source-to-sink systems were more highly developed compared with their southern counterparts, but all systems were shaped by complex interactions between regional uplift, erosion, and sediment supply. These findings provide a reference for reconstructing the tectonosedimentary settings of the southern Paleo-Asian and northern Paleo-Tethys oceans, which can be used for paleogeographic reconstructions and resource exploration in East Asia.