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Provenance of Paleocene–Eocene red beds from NE Iraq: constraints from framework petrography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2014

MUATASAM MAHMOOD HASSAN ,
BRIAN G. JONES ,
SOLOMON BUCKMAN ,
ALI ISMAEL AL-JUBORY  and
FAHAD MUBARAK AL GAHTANI
MUATASAM MAHMOOD HASSAN*
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia Department of Geology, General Commission for Groundwater, Kirkuk, Iraq
BRIAN G. JONES
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
SOLOMON BUCKMAN
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
ALI ISMAEL AL-JUBORY
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, College of Science, Mosul University, Mosul, Iraq
FAHAD MUBARAK AL GAHTANI
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
*
†Author for correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

The red-bed deposits in northern Iraq are situated in an active foreland basin adjacent to the Zagros Orogenic Belt, bound to the north by the Iranian plate thrust over the edge of the Arabian plate. The red-bed successions are composed of alternating red and brown silty mudstones, purplish red calcareous siltstone, fine- to coarse-grained pebbly sandstone and conglomerate. The red beds in the current study can be divided into four parts showing a trend of upward coarsening with fine-grained deposits at the top. A detailed petrographic study was carried out on the sandstone units. The clastic rocks consist mainly of calcite cemented litharenite with rock fragments (volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary), quartz and minor feldspar. The petrographic components reflect the tectonic system in the source area, laterally ranging from a mixed orogenic and magmatic arc in Mawat–Chwarta area to recycled orogenic material rich in sedimentary rock fragments in the Qandel area. The Cretaceous–Palaeogene foreland basin of northern Iraq formed to the southwest of the Zagros Suture Zone and the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone of western Iran. During Palaeogene time deposition of the red beds was caused by renewed shortening in the thrust sheets overlying the Arabian margin with uplift of radiolarites (Qulqula Formation), resulting in an influx of radiolarian debris in addition to continuing ophiolitic detritus. Mixed sources, including metamorphic, volcanic and sedimentary terranes, were present during deposition of the upper part of the red beds.

Keywords

Palaeogenepalaeogeographysubduction complexsuture zone
Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 151 , Issue 6 , November 2014 , pp. 1034 - 1050
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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