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U–Pb detrital zircon ages from Gorgoglione Flysch sandstones in Southern Apennines (Italy) as provenance indicators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2020

Annamaria Fornelli Open the ORCID record for Annamaria Fornelli [Opens in a new window] ,
Salvatore Gallicchio ,
Francesca Micheletti  and
Antonio Langone
Annamaria Fornelli*
Affiliation:
Earth Science and Geo-environmental Department, “Aldo Moro” Bari University, via E. Orabona, 4-70125Bari, Italy
Salvatore Gallicchio
Affiliation:
Earth Science and Geo-environmental Department, “Aldo Moro” Bari University, via E. Orabona, 4-70125Bari, Italy
Francesca Micheletti
Affiliation:
Earth Science and Geo-environmental Department, “Aldo Moro” Bari University, via E. Orabona, 4-70125Bari, Italy
Antonio Langone
Affiliation:
Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (CNR) – U.O.S. of Pavia, via Ferrata, 1-27100Pavia, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Annamaria Fornelli, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Twenty-one sandstone samples belonging to the intermediate part of Gorgoglione Flysch (GF) dated Middle-Miocene, cropping out in the Southern Apennines (Italy), have been studied to highlight the detritus provenance. Petrographic and chemical composition indicates that the successions consist of feldspatho-quartzose and litho-feldspatho-quartzose arenites interbedded with pelitic and calciclastic layers and reveals a provenance from a basement formed by low- to medium-grade metamorphic rocks with abundant granitoids covered by sedimentary rocks in which a volcanic component was also present. In the Mediterranean area, basements with these characteristics are widespread both in western and southwestern domains. The supply provenance of Gorgoglione Flysch has been better detailed utilizing U–Pb detrital zircon ages recording the geological history of the source rocks. Fifty-eight crystals from six samples of coarse- and fine-grained sandstones have been analysed using the U–Pb isotopic systematic (LA-ICP-MS). They produce 70 concordant zircon ages forming three defined clusters at 672 ± 28 Ma, 458 ± 9 Ma and 297 ± 8 Ma, and four zircon ages corresponding to 24 ± 1 Ma. An evaluation of the entire collected data suggests that the provenance area is better identified in northwestern sectors of the Mediterranean area in which the Sardinia–Corsica (pro-part) block plays a fundamental role.

Keywords

U–Pb detrital zircon agesdetritus provenanceGorgoglione FlyschSouthern Apennines.
Type
Original Article
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 158 , Issue 5 , May 2021 , pp. 859 - 874
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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