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Geoscience ›› 2025, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (04): 1129-1142.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2024.144

• Geochemistry • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Restoration of Paleosedimentary Environment of the Top of Zhiluo Formation in the Southern Margin of Ordos Basin: Evidence from Geochemical Characteristics of Mudstone

CHENG Xianyu1,2(), ZHANG Tianfu1,2, ZHANG Yun1,2, HE Peng1, SUN Lixin1,2, MA Hailin3, LU Chao4   

  1. 1. Tianjin Center of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Tianjin 300170, China
    2. Laboratory of Non-Fossil Energy Minerals, Tianjin Center of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Tianjin 300170, China
    3. Inner Mongolia Institute of Geological Survey, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010000, China
    4. The 208th Geologic Party, China Nuclear Geology, China National Nuclear Corporation, Baotou, Inner Mongolia 014010, China
  • Online:2025-08-10 Published:2025-08-27

Abstract:

Geochemical evidence from Jurassic mudstones in the southern part of the Ordos Basin records the evolution of paleosedimentary environments, and the evolution of the Middle Jurassic paleoenvironment forms the basis for the sedimentary enrichment of uranium. However, understanding of the sedimentary environment of the Zhiluo Formation in the southeastern Ordos Basin remains insufficient, restricting in-depth understanding of the formation conditions of sandstone-type uranium deposits. This study conducts major and trace element analyses on mudstones from the Middle Jurassic Zhiluo Formation and the top of the Yan’an Formation in the Diantou area of Huangling County. Based on vertical variations in typical geochemical parameters of the mudstones, the paleosedimentary environment is reconstructed. Results show that: combinations of B, equivalent B content, and Sr/Ba indicate that the sedimentary water of the Zhiluo Formation was in a brackish to slightly saline environment; combinations of U/Th, V/(V+Ni), V/Cr, and Ni/Co indicate that the paleowater medium at the top of the Yan’an Formation and Zhiluo Formation was oxygen-rich; Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios indicate that the Yan’an Formation formed a stable reducing layer, with the bottom of the upper submember of the lower member of the Zhiluo Formation gradually transitioning to a weakly reducing environment, and the upper member of the Zhiluo Formation being a strongly oxidizing environment; paleoclimate indicators (Sr, Sr/Cu, Al2O3/MgO, FeO/MnO) reveal that the Zhiluo Formation sedimentary period experienced a transition from semi-arid to arid conditions; Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) and Index of Compositional Variability (ICV) reflect weaker chemical weathering in the upper member of the Zhiluo Formation compared to the lower member, indicating intensified tectonic activity around the Ordos Basin. The gradual increase in provenance input, paleoclimate changes during the Zhiluo period, and the transition of the paleowater environment from reducing to oxidizing conditions played a key role in constraining uranium enrichment and mineralization in this area.

Key words: Ordos Basin, paleoenvironment, Yan’an Formation, Zhiluo Formation, geochemistry, sandstone-type uranium

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