The discovery of early Paleoproterozoic high-Na trondhjemite in the northeastern Qaidam basin: Evidence from the drilling core samples

Deye 1 Well (DY 1 Well) completed in 2013 is the first drilling well that reached the early Paleoproterozoic crystalline basement in the northeastern Qaidam basin. This paper analyzes the drilling core samples from DY 1 Well. Petrology and geochemistry indicate that the drilling core samples belong to high-Na trondhjemite. LA-ICP-MS zircon dating for the drilling core samples yields a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 2383.1 ± 6.3 Ma, which is consistent with its upper interception age. Meanwhile, the geochemical characteristics and the deformation degree of high-Na trondhjemite are significantly different from its adjacent gneisses and the Mohe quartz-dioritic rocks in the Quanji Massif. It implies that the basement of the Qaidam basin under thick Cenozoic sediments may be different from its surrounding outcrops, and differential crustal attributes lead to intensely differential Cenozoic vertical motions between basins and mountains. Meanwhile, the widespread familiarity between the Qaidam and Tarim basins implies that the basement of the Qaidam basin may be a part of the Tarim Block during the Precambrian.