Garnet Provenance Analysis

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Hilmar von Eynatten
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Paläontologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2012 bis 2015
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 225658692

The mineral chemistry of detrital garnet is extensively used as a tool in sedimentary provenance studies, yet there is no clear quantitative understanding of what garnet types come from which host lithologies. We propose to study this link since it has important implications for the identification of the potential lithologies exposed in the source area and their evolution through time. In ancient settings, these relations have often been destroyed during tectonic processes. There are three parts to the proposed research project. The first part involves a thorough literature study to collect mineral chemical data of garnet from various host lithologies. The second part of the project involves fieldwork to collect a range of source-rocks as well as stream sediments from adjacent river systems from areas which are commonly seen as main source for detrital garnet. Field work is followed by mineral chemical analysis using electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS. The third part of the project involves a thorough multivariate statistical analysis of the comprehensive mineral chemical dataset derived from compilation of results from parts 1 and 2. The aim of the project is to establish new interpretation schemes that allow for better discrimination of the detrital garnet minerals and their potential host rock lithologies based on robust probabilistic models.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Beteiligte Person: Professor Dr. Guido Meinhold