U-Pb detrital zircon ages and compositional features of Bifurto quartz-rich sandstones from Southern Apennines (Southern Italy): comparison with Numidian Flysch sandstones to infer source area

Two samples of quartz-rich sandstones belonging to Bifurto Formation in Southern Apennines, were studied for their petrographical, geochemical and geochronological (U-Pb detrital zircon ages) features and compared with those of sandstones from five stratigraphic sections of the Numidian Flysch in SouthernItaly. The purpose of this comparison is to assess the homogeneity and provenance of detritus because quartz-rich sandstones of both formations are coeval having Burdigalian p.p. - Early Langhian age.The depositional domain of the Bifurto formation was located on the sinking Campania-Lucania carbonate platform whereas that of Numidian Flysch was within the Lagonegro-Molise Basin east of the Campania-Lucania Platform. The Bifurto sandstones have sub-arkose - quartzarenitic composition with high Fe2O3 contents (Fe2O3 in the range 2.85 wt% - 4.83 wt%), however, the whole composition varies in the same compositional range of the Numidian Flysch sandstones.The U-Pb detrital zircon ages in Bifurto sandstones range from 2551±40 Ma to 425±9 Ma and 93% of these age data is comprised in the same time lapse of detrital zircon ages of Numidian Flysch sandstones (3047±13 to 516±19 Ma). These ages suggest a provenance area consisting of ancient orogens in which Precambrian and Silurian rocks are present. The absence of Paleozoic - Mesozoic ages excludes provenance from Variscan or Alpine rocks. On this basis, the African Craton represents the exclusive source area of Bifurto sandstones as well as of Numidian Flysch sandstones outcropping in Southern Apennines. Similar deductions have been proposed for Numidian sandstones outcropping along the Betic and Maghrebian chains from Spain to Morocco, Algeria and Sicily.