Complex examination of the upper Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks from Southern Transdanubia, SW Hungary: mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical study
Complex examination of the upper Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks from Southern Transdanubia, SW Hungary: mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical study (in Sedimentary provenance and petrogenesis; perspectives from petrography and geochemistry, Jose Arribas (editor), Salvatore Critelli (editor) and Mark J. Johnsson (editor))
Special Paper - Geological Society of America (2007) 420: 221-240
- Carboniferous
- Central Europe
- chemical composition
- clastic rocks
- clasts
- clay mineralogy
- conglomerate
- continental crust
- crust
- detritus
- Eurasian Plate
- Europe
- high-field-strength elements
- Hungary
- lithophile elements
- major elements
- metals
- mineral composition
- paleogeography
- Paleozoic
- patterns
- Pennsylvanian
- plate tectonics
- provenance
- rare earths
- reconstruction
- sampling
- sandstone
- sedimentary rocks
- siliciclastics
- Southern Transdanubia
- spectra
- thin sections
- trace elements
- Transdanubia
- uplifts
- Upper Carboniferous
- upper Paleozoic
- variations
- X-ray fluorescence spectra
- southwestern Hungary
- Teseny Formation
- Cserdi Formation
- Korpad Formation
A vertical section of Upper Paleozoic sandstones from southern Transdanubia (Mecsek-Villany area, Tisza mega-unit, Hungary) has been analyzed for major and trace elements, including rare earth elements (REEs). In addition, the clay mineralogy of the sandstone samples and the petrography and geochemistry of gneiss and granitoid clasts extracted from the associated conglomerates have been determined. Geochemistry of the sandstone samples analyzed in this study shows that these rocks were predominantly derived from a felsic continental source; nevertheless, compositions vary systematically up-section. The Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) Teseny Formation has higher SiO (sub 2) and lower Na (sub 2) O, CaO, Sr, high field strength element (HFSE), and Sigma REE contents relative to the Permian strata. Its high K (sub 2) O and Rb contents together with the presence of abundant illite-sericite suggest a potassium metasomatism in this formation. Clay mineralogy and large ion lithophile element (LILE) contents of the Lower Permian Korpad Formation vary spatially and are interpreted as local variations in composition of the source region and postdepositional conditions. Zr and Hf abundances and REE patterns, however, show that this formation was derived from mature upper continental crust. The Upper Permian Cserdi Formation has higher TiO (sub 2) , Th, U, Y, Cr, and heavy (H) REE contents, and higher Cr/Th and Cr/Zr ratios relative to the underlying formations. These trends can be explained by a sedimentary system dominated by highly weathered detritus derived from combined recycled-orogen, basement-uplift, and volcanic-arc provenance in the Teseny Formation, with an increased proportion of less weathered detritus derived from combined volcanic and basement-uplift provenances in the Permian formations. Characteristics of the Cserdi unit may reflect relatively proximal derivation from a felsic volcanic source.
