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Geoscience ›› 2020, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (03): 545-553.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2020.012

• Petrology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Geochemical Characteristics of Middle Ordovician in Western Margin of Ordos Basin and Its Implication on Paleoenvironment

JIANG Suyang1,2,3,4(), HUANG Wenhui1,3,4, ZHANG Yongsheng2()   

  1. 1. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Resources and Environments, Institute of Mineral Resources, CAGS, Beijing 100037, China
    3. Key Laboratory for Marine Reservoir Evolution and Hydrocarbon Abundance Mechanism,China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
    4. Beijing Key Laboratory of Unconventional National Gas Geology Evaluation and Development Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2018-03-01 Revised:2019-12-16 Online:2020-07-04 Published:2020-07-05
  • Contact: ZHANG Yongsheng

Abstract:

Western margin of the Ordos basin is located at the tectonic junction between Eastern and Western China, and its end Ordovician tectonic architectural change has attracted wide research attention. Middle Ordovician carbonate rocks in the Laoshidan profile are selected as the research target here. Through geochemical analysis, we aim to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and explore the various sedimentary and geochemical features that can serve as tectonic indicators. Our results indicate that: (1) Sandaokan and Zhuozishan formations have δ 18O=-5.2‰ to -8.9‰ (average -7.0‰) and δ13C=1.3‰ to -1.8‰ (average -0.1‰). δ18O values rise from the bottom upward with a slight drop at the top of Zhuozishan Formation,the same trend is present for the δ 13C values; (2) Paleotemperature of seawater likely fluctuated during the early period and then decreased from 32.7 ℃ to 15.7 ℃ gradually, whereas the Z values maintain an increasing trend, indicating deepening seawater and increasing salinity; (3) Geochemical proxies of major and trace elements are well consistent and indicate a transgressive sedimentary setting in the Middle Ordovician. The petrographic features reveal that the content of terrigenous clastic minerals in the carbonates decreases gradually from the Sandaokan Formation to the Zhuozishan Formation, reflecting a transition from the restricted platform to open platform environment. Considering also the regional Mid-Ordovician tectonic background, the western margin of Ordos basin may have already been dominated by a foreland basin tectonic system,with gradually increasing influence from the collisional orogeny between the Alxa Block and North China Block. This results in the paleogeomorphologic highs in the northwest and lows in the southeast of the Ordos basin, leading to the K-rich brine accumulation in the latter. We suggest that the secondary sag in southeast part of salt basin is the key exploration target area for marine potash deposits.

Key words: western margin of Ordos basin, Middle Ordovician, stable isotope, normal and trace element, paleoenvironment

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