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Petrology and geochemistry of clastic sedimentary rocks as evidences for provenance of the Late Palaeozoic Madzaringwe Formation, Tshipise-Pafuri Basin, South Africa

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Abstract

Petrography and geochemistry (major, trace and rare earth elements) of clastic rocks from the Late Palaeozoic Madzaringwe Formation, in the Tshipise-Pafuri Basin, Northern South Africa, have been investigated to understand their provenance. Sandstone petrography and detrital modes indicates that the Late Palaeozoic succession was derived from craton interior and recycled orogen provenance. Sandstones in the Madzaringwe Formation are sub-arkosic to sub-litharenite. The sediments may represent a recycled to craton interior provenance. The geochemical data of major elements show that sandstone and shales have the same source. The study of paleoweathering conditions based on modal composition, chemical index of alteration (CIA) and A-CN-K (Al2O3-CaO+Na2O-K2O) relationships indicate that probably chemical weathering in the source area and recycling processes have been more important in shale and sandstone rocks. The relatively high CIA values (70–90%) indicates moderate to high weathering conditions of the samples and the paleoclimate of the source area was warm. K2O/Na2O versus SiO2 and Na2O-CaO-K2O tectonic setting discrimination plots, suggest a passive continental margin. In the study of trace elements, triangular Th-Sc-Zr/10 and La-Th-Sc plots both suggest a passive margin setting of the basin. Petrographic and geochemical results of the samples suggest uplifted basement source areas dominated by sedimentary rocks and/or granite-gneiss rocks. The source rocks might have been the recycled pre-Soutpansberg Karoo Supergroup rocks and the metasedimentary rocks of the Soutpansberg Group. Other source rocks may have been the pre-Beit-Bridge basement rocks (granites and gneisses).

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Dr. Gunter Brandl, previously from the Council for Geoscience, for his technical assistance in the field. Dr. Emerse Bordy from the University of Cape Town is acknowledged for her critical and constructive review of the project. We thank Prof. Thomas Algeo from the University of Cincinnati and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments which helped to improve the quality of the manuscript decisively. We thank the Coaltech Research Association and the University of Fort Hare for financially supporting the research.

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  1. Department of Geology, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa

    Ntokozo Malaza & KuiWu Liu

  2. WorleyParsons, South Africa, 39 Melrose Boulevard, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa

    BaoJin Zhao

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  1. Ntokozo Malaza
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Correspondence to Ntokozo Malaza.

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Malaza, N., Liu, K. & Zhao, B. Petrology and geochemistry of clastic sedimentary rocks as evidences for provenance of the Late Palaeozoic Madzaringwe Formation, Tshipise-Pafuri Basin, South Africa. Sci. China Earth Sci. 59, 2411–2426 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-016-5274-z

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