Provenance of sediments from Barra del Tordo and Tesoro beaches, Tamaulipas State, northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The mineralogy, bulk sediment geochemical composition, and U–Pb ages of detrital zircons retrieved from the Barra del Tordo (Tordo) and Tesoro beach sediments in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico were analyzed to determine their provenance. The beach sediments are mainly composed of quartz, ilmenite, magnetite, titanite, zircon, and anorthite. The weathering proxies such as the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW), and Plagioclase Index of Alteration (PIA), reveal a moderate-to-high intensity of weathering in the source area. The chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns are similar to felsic igneous rocks, with large negative europium anomaly (Eu/Eu* = ~ 0.47–0.80 and ~ 0.57–0.67 in the Tordo and Tesoro beach sediments, respectively).Three major zircon U–Pb age groups are identified in the Tordo and Tesoro beach sediments, i.e., Proterozoic (~ 2039–595 Ma), Mesozoic (~ 244–70.3 Ma), and Cenozoic (~ 65.9–1.2 Ma). The differences of the zircon age spectrum between the Tordo and Tesoro beach sediments are not significant. The comparison of zircon U–Pb ages in this study with ages of potential source terranes suggests that the Mesozoic and Cenozoic zircons of the studied Tordo and Tesoro beach sediments were derived from the Eastern Alkaline Province (EAP) and Mesa Central Province (MCP). Similarly, the likely sources for the Proterozoic zircons were the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMOr) and Oaxaquia in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The results of this study further indicate that the sediments delivered to the beaches by rivers and redistributed by longshore currents were crucial in determining the sediment provenance.

Depositional age, provenance, and palaeoenvironment of the Lower Permian mudstones in the Qiangtang Basin, Tibet: Evidence from geochronology and geochemistry

“…On the TiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 diagram, all of the samples also plot in the fields associated with mafic and intermediate igneous rocks (Figure 8C), reflecting that the source mainly consists of such materials. The TiO 2 /Zr ratio is another useful proxy for provenance identification (Hayashi et al, 1997), and it increases from felsic to mafic igneous rocks (Armstrong‐Altrin et al, 2021; Moradi et al, 2016; Ramos‐Vázquez & Armstrong‐Altrin, 2021). Generally, TiO 2 /Zr ratios are less than 55 for felsic igneous rocks, 200–55 for intermediate rocks, and greater than 200 for mafic rocks (Hayashi et al, 1997).…”

“…The high TiO 2 contents of these black mudstones may be related to the high‐Ti basalt input. The normalized REE pattern and the Eu anomaly have also been used to deduce the provenance (Cullers, 2002; Moradi et al, 2016; Ramos‐Vázquez & Armstrong‐Altrin, 2021). To further constrain the source areas, the PAAS‐normalized REE distributions of the probable source rocks adjacent to the study area, including basalt and rhyolite, were compared with the current mudstone samples (Figure 6).…”

Petrography and geochemistry of the Middle Jurassic Fort Member Sandstone, Jaisalmer Formation, Western India: Implications for weathering, provenance, and tectonic setting

“…The behaviour of various elements including both mobile and immobile in sedimentary environment is well known (Condie, 1991; Taylor & McLennan, 1985). Chemical weathering, denudation, and aggradation have only a minor effect on trace elements including Y, Sc, Th, Zr, Hf, Cr, Co, and rare earth elements (REE), according to recent research studies (Armstrong‐Altrin, 2020; Armstrong‐Altrin, Botello, Villanueva, & Soto, 2019; Armstrong‐Altrin, Nagarajan, Lee, Kasper‐Zubillaga, & Córdoba‐Saldaña, 2014; Ramos‐Vázquez & Armstrong‐Altrin, 2021). As a result, the geochemistry of these rocks helps in determining provenance in terms of the evolution of continental crust (Condie, 1993; McLennan, 2001), palaeoweathering conditions in the source region (Fedo, Nesbitt, & Young, 1995; Harnois, 1988; Nesbitt & Young, 1984) and tectonic setting of the basin (Bhatia & Crook, 1986; Roser & Korsch, 1986; Verma & Armstrong‐Altrin, 2013, 2016).…”

“…(REE), according to recent research studies (Armstrong-Altrin, 2020;Armstrong-Altrin, Botello, Villanueva, & Soto, 2019;Armstrong-Altrin, Nagarajan, Lee, Kasper-Zubillaga, & C ordoba-Saldaña, 2014;Ramos-Vázquez & Armstrong-Altrin, 2021). As a result, the geochemistry of these rocks helps in determining provenance in terms of the evolution of continental crust (Condie, 1993;McLennan, 2001), palaeoweathering conditions in the source region (Fedo, Nesbitt, & Young, 1995;Harnois, 1988;Nesbitt & Young, 1984) and tectonic setting of the basin (Bhatia & Crook, 1986;Roser & Korsch, 1986;Verma & Armstrong-Altrin, 2013, 2016.…”

Petrography and geochemistry of beach sediments along the central coast of Cameroon: constraints on paleoweathering, provenance, and tectonic setting

“…Generally, the petrography and geochemistry of siliciclastic and also detrital sediments have been used to reconstruct the tectonic setting of depositional basins, fluvial environments, and lakes (e.g., Armstrong-Altrin 2015 ; Ekoa Bessa et al 2018 ; Hernández-Hinojosa et al 2018 ; Ngueutchoua et al 2019a , b ; Haque and Roy 2020 ; Kwewouo Janpou et al 2022 ) and to interpret the source rock characteristics (Khan and Khan 2015 ; Ngueutchoua et al 2019a , b ; Ramamoorthy and Nazir 2020 ; Abu and Sunkari 2020 ) as well as to infer the paleoweathering of the source areas (Ma et al 2017 ; Ngueutchoua et al 2019a , b ; Ekoa Bessa et al 2021 ). The geochemical composition of sediments depends on various factors, which include source rock nature, weathering intensity, and sediment maturity (McLennan et al 1993 ).…”