Sourcing the sand: Accessory mineral fertility, analytical and other biases in detrital U-Pb provenance analysis

Chew, David; O’Sullivan, Gary; Caracciolo, Luca; Mark, Chris; Tyrrell, Shane

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103093

Cited by 118 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 150 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Several provenance studies have highlighted how the relative abundance of provenance proxy minerals in bedrock sources, i.e., mineral fertility, may influence the detrital cargo (Chew et al., 2020; Dickinson, 2008; Flowerdew et al., 2019; Moecher & Samson, 2006; Spencer et al., 2018). In previous provenance studies of the Yangtze River, the abundance of zircon in different tributaries was assumed constant (He et al., 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, accessory minerals such as zircon, which is much more widely used in provenance studies (e.g., Fedo et al., 2003; Flowerdew et al., 2019; Moecher & Samson, 2006), makes up only 0.02 ± 0.02% of the detritus (Vezzoli et al., 2016). Variable accessory mineral fertility in the source region can be a major cause of bias in sediment budget evaluation (Chew et al., 2020; Dickinson, 2008; Malusà et al., 2016; Moecher & Samson, 2006). Hence, detrital K‐feldspar is more representative of the sourcelands and thus has greater potential to document the sediment supply.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Southeastern Tibetan Plateau serves as the dominant sand contributor to the Yangtze River: Evidence from Pb isotopic compositions of detrital K‐feldspar

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is as yet no consensus as to the dominant source of sediment transported to the oceans: the steep tectonically active highlands, or the gently sloping lowlands? In this study, new Pb isotopic analyses of detrital K‐feldspar have been combined with published data to constrain sand supply in the Yangtze River, one of the largest fluvial sediment transport systems on Earth. Tributaries draining southeastern Tibet have predominantly unradiogenic K‐feldspar sand grains. K‐feldspar in the middle Yangtze comprises c. 50% of grains of this kind, confirming that the southeastern Tibetan tributaries are the dominant sediment contributors. K‐feldspars characteristic of tributaries of the middle‐lower reaches are not strongly represented in the trunk Yangtze, indicating that they contribute little sediment. Our study demonstrates that tectonic uplift in southeastern Tibet is the primary control on sand supply. This is consistent with quartz 10Be data and with bulk‐sand petrography, indicating a major contribution of detritus from steep mountainous terrain.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Southeastern Tibetan Plateau serves as the dominant sand contributor to the Yangtze River: Evidence from Pb isotopic compositions of detrital K‐feldspar

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The RuZi variations could thus be explained by changes in supply from a previously unidentified rutile‐rich, apatite/zircon poor source rock that is not captured or is significantly underrepresented in zircon and apatite geochronology. Zircon geochronology tends to be biased towards felsic igneous rocks, not detecting magma poor orogenies (Chew et al, 2020; O'Sullivan et al, 2016). Rutile is common in a range of rock‐types and especially abundant in high pressure, low temperature subduction metamorphic rocks (Chew et al, 2020; Meinhold, 2010; O'Sullivan et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zircon geochronology tends to be biased towards felsic igneous rocks, not detecting magma poor orogenies (Chew et al, 2020; O'Sullivan et al, 2016). Rutile is common in a range of rock‐types and especially abundant in high pressure, low temperature subduction metamorphic rocks (Chew et al, 2020; Meinhold, 2010; O'Sullivan et al, 2016). Previously reported apatite trace element data from sandstones from the Tullig Cyclothem highlight a source mainly from I‐type granitoids and mafic igneous rocks, with undateable grains derived from low‐grade and medium‐grade metamorphic rocks and some grains from high‐grade metamorphic rocks and S‐type granitoids (Nauton‐Fourteu et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can have an important impact on sediment composition and can sometimes be intense enough to overprint the tectonic signal, as seen in first‐cycle quartz arenites from the Orinoco drainage basin (Johnsson et al, 1988; Savage et al, 1988). Temperature, climate and groundwater pH are the key controls on chemical weathering and it is recognised that a higher degree of chemical weathering will occur in a warm and humid climate rather than in an arid environment (Chew et al, 2020; Dinis et al, 2020). For these reasons, quantifying the degree of weathering through changes in the sediment composition could potentially infer on sediment pre‐depositional history, palaeoweathering and past climate conditions (Dinis et al, 2017; 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Heavy mineral variations in mid‐Carboniferous deltaic sandstones: Records of a pre‐depositional sediment history?

Nauton‐Fourteu

Tyrrell

Morton³

2020

The Depositional Record

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sandstone composition is influenced by multiple factors, including acidic weathering, occurring during storage in the hinterland, prior to deposition. This study aims to better understand and constrain how the nature and duration of such pre‐depositional factors might impact the final sediment composition. Mid‐Carboniferous deltaic sandstones from the Clare Basin, western Ireland, for which depositional environments and provenance are well constrained, are the target of this study. Conventional heavy mineral analysis and specific heavy mineral ratios, such as the apatite–tourmaline index are utilised to examine these phenomena. Relatively high apatite–tourmaline index values observed in channelised sandstones contrast with lower values seen in sandstones associated with mouth bar and interdistributary bay facies. These variations are not linked to changes in provenance and thus potentially indicate differences in weathering intensity due to variable duration of alluvial storage. These changes are probably linked with shorter hinterland residence time in the channelised than in mouth bar and interdistributary bay sandstones. Variations are seen in the rutile‐zircon index without any clear link with facies. These fluctuations could be ascribed to variable supply from a source, which is relatively rich in rutile but poor in zircon and apatite. Despite the apatite component in these sandstones being partially derived from recycled sources, the apatite–tourmaline index stills appears to hold information on the last sedimentary cycle.

show abstract

Testing the fidelity of zircon as a provenance indicator in fluvial‐fan successions: An example from the Palaeogene Colton Formation, Central Utah, USA

Carraro,

Gaynor,

Ventra

et al. 2024

The Depositional Record

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The stratigraphic, spatial and temporal variability of detrital zircon age populations in continental sedimentary successions is a critical tool in understanding palaeodrainage networks and how these systems distributed detritus within sedimentary basins. However, multiple factors, such as variations in sediment‐transport processes, the scale of the depositional environment and the architecture of the sedimentary succession are often overlooked in detrital zircon studies. This article presents detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology from the fluvial‐dominated Colton Formation in the western Uinta Basin (Utah, USA) to assess the system's provenance and evolution. Significant differences in zircon age populations between the Colton Formation and the overlying Green River Formation suggest a reorganisation of the source‐to‐sink system during the transition between the two lithostratigraphic units. Notably, detrital zircon age spectra are not homogeneous across the Colton Formation, therefore physical morphometric parameters were used to verify the possible influence of selective bias during sediment transport. These data reveal that a relatively finer‐grained population of Precambrian, and to a less extent Mesozoic, zircon grains were affected by hydraulic sorting during transport, resulting in a greater relative abundance of older zircon grains in the distal reaches of the distributive fluvial system, whose basinward decrease in competence would have increased the relative proportion of finer zircon fractions in sandstones. Furthermore, there are different trends in the distributions of zircon age populations relative to their stratigraphic position, highlighting the complex architecture of the fluvial palaeo‐fan. The spatial and stratigraphic variability of provenance signals in fluvial‐fan successions must be carefully evaluated to improve the reliability of source‐to‐sink models and palaeodrainage reconstructions, as autogenically controlled noise can be generated during the dispersal of detrital zircon in fluvial sedimentary systems.

show abstract

Sourcing the sand: Accessory mineral fertility, analytical and other biases in detrital U-Pb provenance analysis

Cited by 118 publications

References 150 publications

Southeastern Tibetan Plateau serves as the dominant sand contributor to the Yangtze River: Evidence from Pb isotopic compositions of detrital K‐feldspar

Southeastern Tibetan Plateau serves as the dominant sand contributor to the Yangtze River: Evidence from Pb isotopic compositions of detrital K‐feldspar

Heavy mineral variations in mid‐Carboniferous deltaic sandstones: Records of a pre‐depositional sediment history?

Testing the fidelity of zircon as a provenance indicator in fluvial‐fan successions: An example from the Palaeogene Colton Formation, Central Utah, USA

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About