Geochemistry of the mudrocks and sandstones from the Bredasdorp Basin, offshore South Africa: Implications for tectonic provenance and paleoweathering

An inorganic geochemical investigation of mudrocks and sandstone from the southern Bredasdorp Basin, off the south coast of South Africa was carried out to unravel the provenance, paleoweathering, and tectonic setting of the basin. Seventy-seven representative samples from exploration wells E-AH1, E-AJ1, E-BA1, E-BB1, and E-D3 underwent geochemical analysis involving major and trace elements. The major oxide compositions show that the sandstones could be classified as sub-arkose and sub-lithic arenite. The provenance discrimination diagrams based on major oxide geochemistry revealed that the sandstones are mainly of quartzose sedimentary provenance, while the mudrocks are of quartzose sedimentary and intermediate igneous provenances. The discrimination diagrams indicate that the Bredasdorp sediments were mostly derived from a cratonic interior or recycled orogen. The bivariate plots of TiO2 versus Ni, TiO2 against Zr, and La/Th versus Hf as well as the ternary diagrams of V-Ni-Th*10 suggest that the mudrocks and sandstones were derived from felsic igneous rocks. The tectonic setting discrimination diagrams support passive-active continental margin setting of the provenance. Also, the closely similar compositions of the analysed samples and recent sedimentary rocks of the East African Rift System perhaps suggest a rifted basin tectonic setting for the Bredasdorp Basin. Chemical index of alteration (CIA) indices observed in the sandstones suggest that their source area underwent low to moderate degree of chemical weathering. However, the mudrocks have high CIA indices suggesting that the source area underwent more intense chemical weathering, possibly due to climatic and/or tectonic variations.

Automated summary

An inorganic geochemical investigation of mudrocks and sandstone in the southern Bredasdorp Basin, South Africa, revealed different lithologies and provenances, with the rocks derived from felsic igneous rocks. Tectonic setting discrimination diagrams support a passive-active continental margin setting, and the similar compositions of the analysed samples to sedimentary rocks from the East African Rift System suggest a rifted basin tectonic setting.