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Clay minerals as provenance indicators in continental lacustrine sequences: the Leza Formation, early Cretaceous, Cameros Basin, northern Spain

¹ Facultad de Ciencias del Medio Ambiente, Fábrica de Armas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, ² Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Departamento de Cristalografía y Mineralogía. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, and ³ Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Departamento de Estratigrafía, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto de Geología Económica, C.S.I.C., 28040 Madrid, Spain

^* E-mail: jacinto.alonso{at}uclm.es

(Received 3 May 2004; revised 19 July 2004)

Variations in clay mineral assemblages, changes in Kübler index (KI), and the chemical composition of chlorites are used to identify source areas in the lacustrine materials in the Lower Cretaceous Leza Limestone Formation of the Cameros Basin, northern Spain. This formation has fairly homogeneous lithological characteristics and facies associations which do not allow for identification and characterization of local source areas. The Arnedillo lithosome of the Leza Limestone Formation contains a clay mineral association (Mg-chlorite, illite and smectite) indicative of its provenance. Chlorite composition and illite KI values indicate that these minerals were formed at temperatures higher than those reached by the Leza Formation which indicates its detrital origin. The similarity in the Mg-chlorite composition between the Arnedillo lithosome and the Keuper sediments of the area indicates that these materials acted as a local source area. This implies that Triassic sediments were exposed, at least locally, at the time of deposition of the Leza Formation. The presence of smectite in the Leza Formation is related to a retrograde diagenesis event that altered the Mg-chlorites in some samples.

KEYWORDS: provenance, lacustrine deposits, inherited Mg-chlorite, retrograde diagenesis

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