Tectonic evolution of the Triassic Songpan-Ganzi basin as constrained by a synthesis of multi-proxy provenance data

The triangular Songpan-Ganzi flysch terrane exposes a Triassic turbidite sequence with an average thickness of ca. 8 km. The sediments may have been accumulated in a remnant Paleo-Tethyan ocean bounded by the converging North China, South China, and the Qiangtang terrane from three sides, or a back-arc basin with an oceanic basement created during the Triassic closure of the Paleo-Tethyan ocean. To differentiate the two competing models, we systematically reviewed the available provenance data that include U-Pb detrital zircon ages at the basin scale, paleocurrent directions, sandstone petrography, and heavy-mineral assemblages from the Triassic Songpan-Ganzi basin samples. We use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests to differentiate competing hypotheses for detrital-zircon provenance interpretations and DZmix modelling to quantify relative contributions of detrital zircon from all potential source areas for the Triassic Songpan-Ganzi deposits. The most important result of this work is that the Songpan-Ganzi basin had a stable and locally derived source system: the western, central and eastern sub-basins were mainly sourced from the north whereas the easternmost and southeastern sub-basins were mainly sourced from westernmost South China (i.e., the Longmen Shan area) and the Qiangtang terrane. The stability of the source areas around the Songpan-Ganzi basin throughout the Triassic is most compatible with the remnant ocean model that predicts a long-lived marine basin with a pre-Triassic oceanic/continental basement trapped between converging continental blocks during the Triassic.

Automated summary

Through provenance analysis of samples from the Songpan-Ganzi basin, this study concludes that the basin had a stable and locally sourced sediment system, with different sub-basins receiving sediments from different areas, which is consistent with the remnant ocean model.