Sedimentary Paleoenvironment of the Eastern Hexi Corridor, NW China: Constraints from Chert Geochemistry and Sedimentary Analysis of Early Paleozoic Strata

The eastern Hexi Corridor, northwest China, is located at the tectonic junction of the Alxa Block, the North China Craton, and the Qinling-Qilian Orogen. The early Paleozoic Xiangshan Group record critical information regarding paleoenvironment, paleoclimate and paleotectonic setting, from which we here present a focused study on the chert beds within the Xiangshan Group. Through field mapping, microstructural observation, whole-rock geochemistry analyses and detrital zircon dating, we suggest that the Xiangshan Group chert was deposited along a passive continental margin, formed primarily through biological activity with minor hydrothermal influence and terrestrial input. The characteristics of the chert support a low latitude sedimentary paleoenvironmental origin, and reveal the fact that the Alxa Block was separated from the North China craton, while emerged some paleogeographic affinity with the Qilian region in the Middle-Late Cambrian.