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Provenance of Palaeozoic sandstones from the Carnic Alps (Austria): petrographic and geochemical indicators

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Abstract

An integrated approach of petrographic analysis, whole rock geochemistry and microprobe analysis has been applied to obtain information on the geodynamic development and the provenance for Ordovician to Permian siliciclastic successions exposed within the Carnic Alps (Austria). Sandstone detrital mode and geochemical results refine previous geodynamic interpretations. Late Ordovician samples indicate a stable craton and recycled orogenic and, possible, extensional setting. The Early Carboniferous is interpreted to represent a compressional environment, followed by a Late Carboniferous molasse-type foreland basin, and a Permian extensional geodynamic setting. Contrasting geochemical patterns of post-Variscan and Permian sequences suggest a rift setting. Electron microprobe data of detrital white mica also indicate changes in the provenance. Compositional data reflect a shift from low- to medium-grade metamorphic (Ordovician) to high-grade metamorphic (Carboniferous) to low- to medium-grade metamorphic and plutonic source rocks (Permian). Additionally, our data show that various chemical discrimination diagrams do not include all possible ranges of sandstones, and that high contents of detrital mica and ultra-stable heavy minerals may cause misclassification. Consequently, we propose the use of multi-method approach for provenance studies, including the control of geochemical data by modal analysis and heavy mineral investigations.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge generous support by the Austrian Research Foundation FWF (grant no. P10506-GEO) to F.N. Dan Topa (Salzburg) helped with electron microprobe analysis. We thank Wolfgang Frisch (Tübingen) for remarks to an initial version of the manuscript, and Konrad Hammerschmidt (Berlin), Christoph Heubeck (Berlin), Juergen von Raumer (Fribourg), Igor Villa (Bern), Gian Gaspare Zuffa (Bologna) and an anonymous journal reviewer for thoughtful suggestions to an earlier version of the manuscript as well as for help to polish the final version.

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  1. Dieter Mader

    Present address: Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften, Universität Wien, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Wien, Germany

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  1. Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

    Dieter Mader & Franz Neubauer

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Mader, D., Neubauer, F. Provenance of Palaeozoic sandstones from the Carnic Alps (Austria): petrographic and geochemical indicators. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 93, 262–281 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-004-0391-x

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