干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Provenance studies on the basis of U, Th and K reveal that the sediments of the Gulcheru Formation were derived from a minor heterogeneous but dominantly granitoid provenance, which often underwent moderate chemical weathering. Mixing of reworked and heavy mineral bearing matured sediments with newly generated detritus took place at different times. Sedimentation took place in three different phases. Initially the sediments were deposited in fluvioaeolian environment. Later, subsidence of the depo-centre along basinal growth faults led to the transgression of seawater over earlier sediments. The last phase of the sedimentation history continued in the marginal marine domain. The depo-centre most possibly experienced semi-arid climate.