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Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Clastic Sediments of Tukau Formation: Implications on Provenance and Tectonic Setting

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Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Clastic Sediments of Tukau Formation: Implications on Provenance and Tectonic Setting Faculty of Engineering and Science Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Clastic Sediments of Tukau Formation: Implications on Provenance and Tectonic Setting Vivian Anak Dayong This thesis is presented for the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Geology) of Curtin University May 2018 Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: …………………………………………. Date: 30TH APRIL 2018 Acknowledgement Praise the Lord that this never easy journey finally comes to an end! First of all, I would like to thank my thesis committee; to my supervisors Associate Professor Dr.Chua Han Bing and especially to Associate Professor Dr.R.Nagarajan for his great support and guidances throughout the years. With this also, I would like to thank my current Chairperson, Associate Professor Dr.Dominique Dodge-Wan and my former chairperson, Associate Professor Dr.Michael Danquah. I am truly grateful to Dr.Franz Kessler who helped in field trip, sampling, and discussion on the regional tectonic settings and during publication; Dr.John Jong, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration (Deepwater Sabah) Limited for the financial support for various mineralogical analysis and allowed to use the data for the present study and Dr.P.D.Roy for helping in XRF analysis and interpretation of the data and Dr.M.P.Jonathan for helping interpretation and pulication. My special thanks to Dr.Nagarajan, for the financial support for trace and rare earth elements analysis and geochronology study through his Curtin Malaysia Research Incentive fundand SRI Fund of which helped to generate. Thank you to Curtin Malaysia for providing me the research facilities. Many thanks to our lab staff members, Ms.Marilyn and Ms.Rassti for their supports in making sure the storage and facilities are well maintained throughout my research. Also I would to thank former Applied Geology undergraduate students for helping during thin sections preparations. Completing this theses brought a never-ending hardships and frustrations especially for the past couple of months. Often I felt like falling into the state of depressions, but, I am lucky enough to have few people whom I can share my hardships with. Therefore, I would like to thank my friends (Cynthia Paul, Florence Singa, Jameson Malang, Bradly Endes and Lucian) for being there when it was really unbearable and too stressing. A Special Thanks to all Applied Geology staff members for their kind word of encouragements throughout the years. Not to forget, former Dean of Graduate School Professor Marcus Lee, for his advices and always being encouraging. Also extend my sincere thanks to Professor Clement Kuek, the Dean R&D and Ir. Professor Lau Hieng Ho for their supports throughout my study. Last but not least, to my family members especially my Dad (Dayong Sabot) for continuous support in term of financial and encouragements. No words can describe how much I appreciate each and every single things that all of you had done throughout these times. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. “ In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Abbreviations CIA – Chemical Index of Alteration GPS – Global Positioning System HFSE – High Field Strength Elements ICP – Inductively coupled plasma LILE – Large Ion Lithophile Elements Ma - Mega Annum/Million Years NW – Northwest PAAS – Post Archean Australian Average Shale PPL – Plane Polarized Light ppm – Part per million QEMSCAN - Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy REE – Rare Earth Elements SE – Southeast SEM – Scanning Electron Microscope TTE – Transition Trace Elements UCC – Upper Continental Crust! Wt% - weight percentage XPL – Cross Polarized Light XRD – X-ray Diffractometer XRF – X-ray Fluorescence Abstract Provenance studies are intended to reconstruct and to interpret the history of sediments from their original source area until their final deposition process. A provenance study is proposed on the clastic sedimentary rocks of the Tukau Formation in the North-West Borneo after a comprehensive literature survey. The sedimentary rocks of the Tukau Formation are well exposed along the Bakam and Brick Valley of Sg.Rait region. The main aim of the research is to provide combined methods (i.e. mineralogy (bulk and clay), heavy mineral morphology, petrography, bulk rock geochemistry, heavy mineral chemistry and U-Pb dating of zircons) from the clastic rocks of the Tukau Formation to infer the provenance, tectonic setting and paleoweathering. Petrographically, Tukau sandstones are classified in to quartz arenites and sublitharenites, litharenites whereas based on bulk geochemistry the clastic rocks are classified into quartz arenite, sublitharenite, litharenite, wacke and shale. Mineralogically, Tukau sedimentary rocks mainly consist of quartz, followed by clay minerals illite, illite-smectite and kaolinite. Feldspars are recorded minor or rare. Minor amount of heavy minerals recorded are rutile, tourmaline, zircon chromites and garnet. Texturally, the clastic rocks of the Tukau Formation can be classified in to kaolinitic sandstone, laminated siltstone and sandy siltstones. The maturity and weathering intensity of the sedimentary rocks are considered as highly matured and moderate to intensive weathering. Based on the integrated study, the sedimentary rocks of the Tukau Formation is derived from the sedimentary to meta-sedimentary rocks dominated source (recycled sediments) with minor contribution from granitoids and ultramafic rocks (altered serpentinites). The Rajang Group of rocks mainly consist of sedimentary to meta- sedimentary rocks with minor amount of granites and ultramafic rocks which have been recycled during Neogene. The U-Pb geochronology of the zircon indicates that the zircons are derived from various sources, but randomly shows some clusters in their age as Cretaceous, Triassic, and Proterozoic which are comparable to Schwaner Mountain granitoids, Peninsular Malaysia tin bearing granitoids and older zircons from Indo-Australian plates (??) and are comparable to the other studies carried out in the Borneo Island. Tectonically, the Tukau Foramtion sedimentary rocks were deposited in a passive margin with minor extent towards active margin boundary. However, climate has played a major role on the chemistry of the sedimentary rocks of the Tukau Formation. Keywords: provenance, mineralogy, petrography, mineral chemistry, U-Pb geochronology, Tukau Formation, NW Borneo Contents Declaration…………………………………………………………………………… I Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………… II Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………… III Abstract………………………………………………………………………………. IV List of Tables………………………………………………………………………… VIII List of Figures………………………………………………………………………… IX 1 CHAPTER 1 1.1 Background……………………………………………. 1 1.2 Problem Statement and Research Gap………………… 3 1.3 Objectives……………………………………………… 5 1.4 Significance…………………………………………….. 5 1.5 Regional Geology……………………………………… 6 1.6 General Section of Study Area………………………… 7 1.7 Outline of Thesis………………………………………. 9 2 CHAPTER 2 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………….. 10 2.2 Provenance……………………………………………… 10 2.3 Tectonic Settings……………………………………….. 11 2.4 Paleoweathering………………………………………… 15 2.5 Clastic sedimentary Rocks……………………………… 16 2.5.1 Sandstone……………………………………………….. 17 2.5.2 Mudrock………………………………………………… 18 2.6 Petrography and Geochemistry Methods………………. 19 2.6.1 Petrography……………………………………………… 19 2.6.1.1 Quartz…………………………………………………… 20 2.6.1.2 Feldspar………………………………………………….. 20 2.6.1.3 Rock fragments/Lithic fragments……………………….. 21 2.6.2 Quantitative Mineralogy………………………………… 22 2.6.3 Whole Rock Bulk Geochemistry………………………... 23 2.6.3.1 Major elements………………………………………….. 24 2.6.3.2 Trace Elements………………………………………….. 25 2.6.3.3 Rare Earth Elements (REE)……………………………… 26 2.6.3.4 Heavy Minerals………………………………………….. 26 2.6.3.5 Zircon Dating……………………………………………. 27 2.7 Status of Research in Northern Borneo………………….. 28 3 CHAPTER 3 3.1 Introduction……………………………………………… 31 3.2 Research Methodology…………………………………... 31 3.3 Sample Types and Sampling…………………………….. 31 3.4 Petrography……………………………………………… 33 3.4.1 Thin Section Preparation………………………………… 33 3.4.2 Petrography laboratory analysis…………………………. 34 3.5 Sedimentary Textures…………………………………… 34 3.5.1 Measuring grain size…………………………………….. 34 3.5.2 Grain shape……………………………………………… 35 3.6 Mineralogy and Mineral Chemistry…………………….. 36 3.6.1 QEMSCAN Analytical Parameter…………………….. 37 3.6.1.1 QEMSCAN Data Processing…………………………... 37 3.6.2 X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)……………………………….. 37 3.6.2.1 Whole Rock Geochemistry……………………………… 39 3.6.2.2 Clay Speciation………………………………………….. 39 3.6.3 Heavy Mineral Separation and Analysis……………… 39 3.6.3.1 SEM Imaging Parameters……………………………… 40 3.6.3.2 QEMSCAN Parameters………………………………... 40 3.7 Geochemical Analysis…………………………………... 41 3.7.1 U-Pb Geochronology of Zircons………………………... 43 4 CHAPTER 4 4.1 Introduction……………………………………………… 47 4.2 Results…………………………………………………… 47 4.2.1 Petrography……………………………………………… 47 4.2.1.1 Quartz Arenites………………………………………….. 48 4.2.1.2 Sublitharenites…………………………………………… 48 4.2.2 Bulk Mineralogy………………………………………… 53 4.2.3 X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)……………………………….. 55 4.2.4 Heavy Minerals………………………………………….. 57 4.2.4.1 Heavy Mineral Grain Morphology……………………. 59 4.3 Mineral Chemistry………………………………………. 61 4.3.1 Detrital Tourmaline……………………………………. 61 4.3.2 Detrital
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