Geochemical evolution of Oligocene-Middle Miocene sediments in the deep-water area of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

The deep-water area of the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea has received much scientific attention since the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 184 in 1999 due to its potential economic prospects and distinct tectono-sedimentary evolutionary processes. In this study, we present the composition of major and trace elements from two newly sampled deep-water boreholes (BY6 and LW3) in the Baiyun Sag of the southern Pearl River Mouth Basin. The geochemical evolution in the Oligocene-Middle Miocene, as well as potential controlling factors, are investigated based on a comparative study with previous data from ODP site 1148 and borehole PY33. The Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) and A-CN-K plot reveal that the observed weathering trends are not compatible for the four discussed boreholes. Sedimentary sorting is primarily observed in borehole PY33, where data trend away from the A apex to the feldspar join in the A-CN-K plot and show a spread of Al2O3/SiO2 and Nb/Zr ratios. Compared to chemical weathering and hydrodynamic sorting, provenance has a greater impact on sediment composition of the deep-water area. From the north, the Pearl River was the primary sediment supply. However, a positive Eu anomaly and the provenance discrimination diagrams (i.e., La/Th versus Th/Yb and Zr/Co versus Th/Co) reveal the mafic nature of borehole BY6 sediments in the Zhuhai-Lower Zhujiang (32.0-18.5 Ma) and Upper Hanjiang (13.8-10.5 Ma) formations. These compositions are unusual and differ from the well-defined felsic sources in the majority of the Baiyun Sag; these discrepancies are likely related to multistage magmatism. The sediments at site 1148 are characterized by slightly enriched heavy rare earth elements and relatively high Zr/Co ratios, which could possibly be caused by zircon enrichment from local sources.