Sedimentary environment and depositional evolution of the Mesoproterozoic Bingmagou Formation on the southern margin of the North China Craton

The Precambrian sedimentary strata on the southern margin of the North China Craton are well developed and widely exposed, making the region ideal for the study of depositional processes. However, because of the length of the depositional history and the lack of biogenic criteria, interpretations of the sedimentary environments of the Precambrian strata are often based on the tectonic background, geographical environment, rock type and sedimentary structures, resulting in controversies in the literature. In this study of the Bingmagou Formation in the Ruyang Group on the southern margin of the North China Craton, analysis of petrologic features, palaeocurrents and sedimentary facies is combined with regional correlation of relevant strata and the reconstruction of ancient landforms to explain the depositional environments and environmental transitions. Dominated by marine deposits on the southern margin of the North China Craton, the sedimentary strata of the Ruyang Group unconformably overlie the Archean crystalline basement or Proterozoic Xionger Group. As the lowermost unit of the Ruyang Group, the Bingmagou Formation, which was depositionally controlled by topography and faults and received abundant detrital material, is a highly distinctive set of sedimentary strata and represents an environmental transition from alluvial fan to sandy coast.