Sains Malaysiana 50(12)(2021): 3505-3522

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5012-04

The Provenance and Tectonic Settings of the Greywacke Member of the Late Neoproterozoic Hazara Formation Lesser Himalayas, Northern Pakistan: Evidence from Geochemistry and Petrography

(Penentuan dan Tektonik Ahli Grewake Provenans Formasi Hazara Neoproterozoik Akhir Himalaya, Utara Pakistan: Bukti daripada Geokimia dan Petrografi)

QAMAR UZ ZAMAN DAR¹, PU RENHAI¹*, ZULQARNAIN SAJID², MUBASHIR MEHMOOD³, ABDUL WAHAB⁴, MUHAMMAD JEHANGIR KHAN⁵ & TAJJAMAL LATIF⁵

¹Department of Geology, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, People Republic of China

²Geosciences Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

³Department of Geology, Abdul Wali Khan University, 23130 Mardan, Pakistan

⁴College of Engineering Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia

⁵Institute of Geology, University of the Punjab, 54000 Lahore, Pakistan

Received: 4 November 2020/Accepted: 31 March 2021

ABSTRACT

The petrographic and geochemical analysis of the greywacke horizon of the late Neoproterozoic Hazara Formation from the Hazara Mountains has been investigated to determine the provenance, tectonic settings and weathering history of the sediments. The Late Neoproterozoic Hazara Formation is a thick sedimentary sequence comprising of greywacke, shale, argillites, siltstone, and limestone. The greywackes are characterized by fine to medium-grained, moderately sorted and sub-angular to sub-rounded framework grains. They are rich in quartz, lithic fragments and clay minerals. The petrographic investigation of the greywackes categorized them as feldspathic greywacke in the QFR diagram. The quartz content is higher in sandstone and may reach to 70%, which indicates a weathered felsic source. Chemical Index of Alteration values of greywacke suggests that the source region has experienced highly weathering conditions with a warm and moist climate. Various geochemical interpretations, elemental ratios like Th/Sc, La/Sc,Th/Cr, and positive Eu anomalies indicate that the greywackes of the Hazara formation derived from a felsic source and were deposited within an active continental margin tectonic settings. The main source area of the sediments of the greywackes was located to south to southeast, which may possibly be the Aravali orogeny, central Indian craton and Bundelkhand craton. Finally, the geochemical data of the major elements point to a felsic igneous provenance for the greywacke.

Keywords: Geochemistry; greywacke; Hazara Formation; late neoproterozoic; petrography

AKSTRAK

Analisis petrografi dan geokimia ufuk greiwake Formasi Hazara Neoproterozoik akhir dari Pergunungan Hazara telah dikaji untuk menentukan provenans, tetapan tektonik dan sejarah luluhawa sedimen. Formasi Hazara neoproterozoik akhir adalah urutan sedimen tebal yang terdiri daripada grewake, serpih, argilit, batu karang dan batu kapur. Grewake dicirikan oleh butiran kerangka halus hingga sederhana, tersusun dengan sederhana dan subsudut hingga subbulat. Ia kaya dengan kuarza, serpihan litik dan mineral tanah liat. Penyelidikan petrografi grewake mengkategorikannya sebagai grewake felspar dalam rajah QFR. Kandungan kuarza lebih tinggi dalam batu pasir dan mungkin mencapai 70%, yang menunjukkan sumber felsik lapuk. Indeks kimia perubahan nilai grewake menunjukkan bahawa wilayah sumbernya mengalami keadaan cuaca yang sangat panas dan lembap. Pelbagai tafsiran geokimia, nisbah unsur seperti Th/Sc, La/Sc, Th/Cr dan anomali Eu positif menunjukkan bahawa grewake pembentukan Hazara berasal daripada sumber felsik dan disimpan dalam tetapan tektonik margin benua aktif. Kawasan sumber utama sedimen grewake terletak di selatan ke tenggara, yang mungkin merupakan orogenesis Aravali, kraton India tengah dan kraton Bundelkhand. Akhirnya, data geokimia unsur-unsur utama menunjuk ke arah asal igneus felsik untuk grewake.

Kata kunci: Geokimia; grewake; pembentukan Hazara; neoproterozoik lewat; petrografi

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