Lithogeochemistry of Upper Precambrian Terrigenous Rocks in Belarus: Communication 1. Bulk Chemical Composition, General Features, and Anomalies

Abstract

The first of two communications is devoted to the study of lithogeochemical features of the pilot collection of Upper Precambrian sandstone and siltstone samples taken from four boreholes: Bogushevskaya 1, Bykhovskaya, Lepel 1, and Kormyanskaya (Belarus). This article analyzes the general features of their bulk chemical composition and shows the possibilities and limitations for further reconstructions. It has been established that Riphean and Vendian rocks included in the pilot collection, visually identified as sandstones, are actually quartz, feldspar–quartz, and arkosic varieties with different cement types. In terms of geochemical characteristics, the Vendian “siltstones” correspond to the coarse- and fine-grained siltstones and, to a greater extent, mudstones with a predominance of illite, as well as various admixtures of berthierine, kaolinite, and smectite. Based on the comparison of enrichment factor (EF) of the trace element, these rocks are marked by several dissimilarities related to both variations in the source rock composition and sedimentary environment. Data points of the samples on the Zr/Sc–Th/Sc diagram indicate that all of the studied Riphean and Vendian rocks are dominated by the first sedimentation cycle material, suggesting that the lithogeochemical characteristics of the pilot collection rocks quite correctly reflect similar features of the source rock complexes. Therefore, they can be used to reconstruct the paleogeodynamic and paleoclimatic factors that controlled the accumulation of Riphean and Vendian sedimentary sequences in Belarus.