The mineralogical composition of clastic sediments is controlled by provenance and tectonic setting, as well as processes of weathering, transport and sedimentation. Furthermore, primary geochemical signatures reflect aspects of provenance and sedimentary history.
In my ongoing PhD study I investigate clastic sedimentary rocks from the Aegean region using mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic analyses, including dating of detrital zircons, to reconstruct source rock lithologies and ancient tectonic settings. As already shown by other workers, for example, in NW Ireland, Germany (Erzgebirge) and California, geochemical and isotopic methods can also be used in metamorphic sequences as a stratigraphical tool by comparing a metamorphic suite of uncertain age with a suite of known stratigraphic position. The geochemistry of sedimentary sequences has great potential for reconstructing their geological history. Applying such methods for sedimentary rocks from the Aegean region of Greece can help to improve the understanding of the Tethyan realm in the eastern Mediterranean region.
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