Provenance and sediment dispersal of the Triassic Yanchang Formation, southwest Ordos Basin, China, and its implications

The Ordos Basin in north central China records a transition from marine to non-marine deposition during the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic. As a result, the northern and southern regions of the Ordos Basin show different tectonic histories and very distinctive sedimentation styles. Two deformation belts, the Qinling orogenic belt to the south and the Liupanshan thrust and fold belt to the west, controlled the structural evolution of the southern Ordos Basin during the early Mesozoic. Paleocurrent analysis, net-sand ratio maps, sandstone modal analysis, and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology were used to document sediment sources and dispersal patterns of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the southwest Ordos Basin. Paleocurrent measurements suggest that the sediments were mainly derived from the Liupanshan and the Qinling orogenic belts. Net-sand ratio maps show that several fan delta systems controlled sediment delivery in the south Ordos Basin. Both sandstone modal analysis and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology suggest that the Yanchang Formation is locally sourced from both of the basin marginal deformation belts; the lower and middle sections are recycled Paleozoic sedimentary rocks mainly derived from the north Qinling orogenic belt, whereas for the upper section, the Qilian-Qaidam terranes and possibly the west Qinling orogenic belt began to shed sediments into the southwest Ordos Basin. Results have important implications for basin marginal tectonics and its controls on sedimentation of intracratonic basins in China and similar settings.