Elemental chemistry as a tool of stratigraphic correlation: A case study involving lower Paleozoic Wajid, Saq, and Qasim formations in Saudi Arabia

Hussain, Maaruf

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2006.10.003

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…S2b). Results from this study are in accordance with literature data from Hussain (2001), Babalola et al (2003) and Hussain (2007) (grey area in Fig. S2 represents range of literature data).…”

Section: Source Are Weatheringsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The Saq Formation is of uniform lithology, consisting of dominantly poorlyto well-sorted and cross-bedded, mature quartz sandstone (Powers et al 1966). It was deposited in a braided fluvial to shallow marine environment (Hussain and Abdullatif 2004;Hussain 2007;SGS 2013). Its Cambrian to Ordovician age mainly rests on the stratigraphic context (Powers et al 1966;SGS 2013).…”

Section: Saq Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Saudi Arabian Palaeozoic stratigraphy still mainly relies on lithostratigraphic correlations, which can be unreliable in such extensive, highly mature successions. Other successful stratigraphic tools are heavy mineral stratigraphy and chemostratigraphy, which so far have only been applied by a few workers and often only for individual Palaeozoic units (Powers et al 1966;Hussain 2001;Hussain and Abdullatif 2004;Al-Harbi and Khan 2005;Hussain 2007;Knox et al 2007Knox et al , 2010Al-Harbi andKhan 2008, 2011). A comprehensive database, covering the entire Palaeozoic succession on a regional scope and combining petrographic and geochemical data, is still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the Wajid area has been studied previously, data from most of the Palaeozoic in central and northern Saudi Arabia are still lacking. So far, the majority of publications identified acidic igneous rocks from southern terrains, probably in Yemen, as the primary source for sediments of the Wajid Group Hussain et al 2000;Hussain 2001;Wanas and Abdel-Maguid 2006;Hussain 2007;Knox et al 2007). Secondary sources include metamorphic, metasedimentary and recycled sedimentary rocks, to varying degrees.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, only one publication (Hussain 2007) dealt with a geochemical approach to stratigraphic correlation. This study was constrained to the Early Palaeozoic lower Wajid Group and the Saq and Qasim formations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Petrography and geochemistry of Palaeozoic quartz-rich sandstones from Saudi Arabia: implications for provenance and chemostratigraphy

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Arabian Peninsula hosts a thick Palaeozoic succession, ranging from the Cambrian through the Permian. It not only contains deposits of the two major Palaeozoic glaciations but also holds both the major Palaeozoic hydrocarbon source and reservoir rocks. In addition, Palaeozoic sandstones serve as important aquifers. The succession is dominated by highly mature quartz arenites, as seen in thin sections. It is starved of fossils and very uniform in lithology. In order to better understand provenance, tectonic setting and stratigraphic relationships, the petrography as well as major and trace element geochemistry of sandstones were studied. Samples were taken from two study areas in southern (Wajid area) as well as central and northern (Tabuk area) Saudi Arabia. The dataset we present here is the first comprehensive study to cover the entire Palaeozoic succession in both the southern and northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The collisional signal from some samples is a relic from the last stages of the amalgamation of Gondwana, carried into the basin by glaciogenic sediments. Major and trace element geochemistry indicate the Neoproterozoic basement of the nearby Arabian Shield as the most likely source for the detritus. Tectonic discrimination diagrams suggest that deposition of sandstones took place in an intracratonic setting, which is in accordance with the established model for the evolution of the Arabian Plate. An influx of fresh material, probably sourced from the Shield, did occur in the late Palaeozoic units of the Wajid area but did not reach the Tabuk area. Geochemical methods have shown some success in characterising the provenance of both study areas but were unable to reliably assess sedimentary recycling. A (meta-)sedimentary source for the Palaeozoic sandstones could therefore neither be proven nor refuted. Multivariate cluster and principal component analysis of geochemical data revealed significant differences between the two study areas.2

show abstract

Section: Source Are Weatheringsupporting

confidence: 91%