Whole‐rock geochemistry and zircon Hf isotope of Late Carboniferous–Triassic sediments in the Bogda region, NW China: Clues for provenance and tectonic setting

Abstract

Detailed petrological, whole‐rock geochemical, and zircon Hf isotopic researches were conducted on the Late Carboniferous–Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Bogda region to evaluate the effects of weathering, sorting, and alteration, as well as to understand their provenance and tectonic setting. These rocks show variable major element compositions, but most are generally similar to post‐Archean Australian shales. The relatively narrow range of TiO2–Zr variation and good correlation between Th/Sc and Zr/Sc signify no obvious sorting and recycling of the sedimentary rocks. The relatively high index of compositional variability (0.8–3.1) and low chemical index of alteration values (44.4–76.4) of the sedimentary rocks indicate that they are immature and probably undergo weak to moderate chemical weathering. In the chondrite‐normalized diagrams, almost all the samples are distinguished by moderately enriched light rare earth element and flat heavy rare earth element patterns with negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.5–0.8). In conjunction with their Th/Sc, Zr/Sc, La/Th, Zr/Al2O3, TiO2/Zr, Co/Th, and La/Sc ratios, we infer that the major sources of these sedimentary rocks were the intermediate–acidic igneous rocks from the North Tianshan and Yili–Central Tianshan. Combining the orientation of the Bogda region in the Palaeozoic that was roughly perpendicular to the Tianshan and/or East Junggar orogens with the sedimentologic, petrologic, and tectonic researches, we suggest that the Bogda region was a rift basin that occurs at high angles to the orogenic belt. On the other hand, the zircons from these sediments have minor Precambrian grains (<0.2%), positive εHf(t) values (mostly +7.1–+15.0) and young 2‐stage Hf model ages (major peak <1,000 Ma), suggesting that a juvenile continental crust exists as the basement of the Junggar Basin.