Petrography and Geochemistry of Terrigenous Sedimentary Rocks in the Neoproterozoic Rabanpalli formation, Bhima Basin, Southern India: Implications for Paleoweathering Conditions, Provenance and Source Rock Composition

Petrographic, major, trace, and rare earth element compositions of quartz arenites, arkoses, and siltstones of Neoproterozoic Rabanpalli Forrnation of Bhima Basin have been investigated to understand the provenance. The quartz arenites, arkoses, and siltstones have large variations in major element concentrations. For example, quartz arenites and arkoses contain the hlgher Si0₂ (average with one standard deviation being 97±1,73±2,respectively) and lower Al₂O₃ (0 95±0 4, 9 6±O 9, respectlvely) concentrations than siltstones (SiO₂=64±4, A1₂0₃=14±1), which is mainly due to the presence of quartz and absence of other Al-bearing minerals in relation with rock types. This is also supported by our petrography, since quartz arenites and arkoses contain significant amount of quartz relative to feldspar and lithic fragments. The observed low CIA values and A-CN-K diagram suggest that the sedimentary rocks of Rabanpalli Formation have undergone K-metasomatism.

The Co, Ni, Cr, Ba, Zr, Hf, and Th values are higher in siltstones than quartz arenites and arkoses. The EU/EU^*, (La/LU)_en, La/Sc, Th/Sc, Th/Co, Th/Cr, Cr/Th ratios, and Cr, Ni, V, and Sc values strongly suggest that these sediments were mainly derived from the felsic source rocks. This interpretation is also supported by the Th/Sc versus Sc bivariate and La-Th-Sc triangular plots. The rare earth element (REE) patterns of these rocks also support their derivation from felsic source rocks. Further more, these rocks exhibit higher LREE/HREE ratio (8±4) and a significant negative Eu anomaly (0 77±0 16), which indicate the felsic igneous rocks as a possible source rocks.