Uralian Provenance Project 2017-2019

Late Palaeozoic to Triassic sandstones with an inferred Uralian provenance comprise an important component of not only the west Uralian foreland basins, West Siberian Basin and Yenisei-Khatanga Basin, but also the more distant Barents Shelf and Sverdrup Basin. CASP provenance research indicates that Triassic sandstones from the Korotaikha Basin (Pai-Khoi, Arctic Uralides) and the Barents Shelf, while clearly derived from the Urals, are distinctly different sand types. Currently our ability to resolve the provenance of these different sands to specific sectors of the orogen, and ultimately establish the scale of the river systems supplying the basins, is severely limited by the dearth of accessible and reliable geochronological and geochemical data, especially from the more northerly sectors of the Urals.

Early Kungurian turbiditic sandstones
Subvertically inclined, turbiditic sandstones of the early Kungurian Kozhym Formation, Kozhym River.

So that we can trace these different sand types to specific parts of the Uralian orogen, the Uralian Provenance Project will investigate the evolution of the provenance characteristics of the Polar and Subpolar Urals via a multi-proxy provenance study of Permian to Triassic sandstones within the adjacent Kos’yu-Rogov Basin. In addition, the cooling and exhumation of the Subpolar Urals will be established using thermochronological techniques.

Main Objectives

  • Biostratigraphical review of the Kos’yu-Rogov Basin.
  • Provenance study of Late Palaeozoic to Mesozoic sandstones from the Polar to Subpolar Urals.
  • Origin of detrital epidote within Early Triassic strata of the Korotaikha Basin.
  • Provenance study of modern river sands.
  • Bedrock thermochronological study of the Subpolar Urals.
  • Detrital thermochronological study of Triassic sandstones.

Project length: 24 months from December 2017.

Contact(s): Mike Curtis

Reports Issued in This Project

Products