Provenance analysis of the Early-Middle Jurassic deposits in eastern Kuqa depression in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang

The integration of core examination, heavy minerals, lithologic sections and relevant data has disclosed that the Early-Middle Jurassic deposits from eastern Kuqa depression in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang are derived mostly from the southern Tianshan Mountain area. The provenance may be subdivided into four secondary source areas on the basis of heavy minerals and detratal compositions. From the Lower Jurassic Ahe and Yangxia Formations to the Middle Jurassic Kizilnur Formation, the source areas grandually expand from the southern Tianshan Mountains to the hinterland of the southern Tianshan orogenic zone, indicating the extension of leveling and relatively stable tectonic activity.