The Levant Basin of the Eastern Mediterranean accumulated voluminous siliciclastic sediments during the Oligocene–Miocene. The deep‐sea section has attracted significant interest as it contains world‐class hydrocarbon reservoirs (‘Tamar Sands Play’). Our recent sandstone provenance study revealed that the hydrocarbon‐bearing, lower Miocene ‘Tamar Sands’ were recycled from older quartz‐rich sandstones that covered the Arabian flank of the Red Sea Rift. However, sandstones constitute just a third of the thickness of the Oligocene–Miocene siliciclastic section in the Levant Basin, with the rest being mainly composed of shales. Unravelling the provenance of the shale fraction is therefore essential for a comprehensive reconstruction of the Oligocene–Miocene source‐to‐sink system of the Levant Basin. In the present study, we examined the mineralogy and Sr‐Nd isotopes of clay samples retrieved from deep‐sea boreholes that penetrated the Oligocene–Miocene siliciclastic section. The isotopic composition of most clay fractions resembles that of Nile Delta sediments, indicating that unlike the ‘Tamar Sands’, their dominant provenance lay in NE Africa. Our investigations show that they were derived from Neoproterozoic basement rocks of the Arabian‐Nubian Shield and Tertiary continental flood basalts. The absence of chlorite and serpentine negates detrital contribution from the Arabia‐Eurasia suture in the north. Compilation of the available thermochronology data and major geologic events shows that the accumulation of the siliciclastic section in the Levant Basin coalesced with uplift of the continental areas around the Red Sea. The marked switch to shale deposition recognised in the basin during the late early Miocene signifies the downfall of the ‘quartzose’ Arabian sediment transport system, when it was partially captured by the evolving Dead Sea Transform valley. Our study highlights the strength of coupling sand and clay provenance investigations in source‐to‐sink studies of sedimentary basins.

中文翻译：

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从环红海源到黎凡特盆地沉：深海钻孔中渐新世-中新世硅碎屑沉积物的综合物源研究


东地中海的黎凡特盆地在渐新世-中新世积累了大量的硅碎屑沉积物。深海部分吸引了人们的极大兴趣，因为它包含世界级的碳氢化合物储层（“Tamar Sands Play”）。我们最近的砂岩物源研究表明，含碳氢化合物的下中新世“添马砂”是从覆盖红海裂谷阿拉伯侧翼的富含石英的老砂岩中回收的。然而，砂岩仅占黎凡特盆地渐新世-中新世硅碎屑岩段厚度的三分之一，其余主要由页岩组成。因此，解开页岩馏分的来源对于全面重建黎凡特盆地渐新世-中新世源-汇系统至关重要。在本研究中，我们检查了从穿透渐新世-中新世硅碎屑岩剖面的深海钻孔中回收的粘土样品的矿物学和 Sr-Nd 同位素。大多数粘土组分的同位素组成与尼罗河三角洲沉积物的同位素组成相似，这表明与“添马沙”不同，它们的主要来源位于非洲东北部。我们的研究表明，它们来自阿拉伯-努比亚地盾和第三纪大陆洪泛玄武岩的新元古代基岩。绿泥石和蛇纹石的缺失抵消了北部阿拉伯-欧亚大陆缝合线的碎屑贡献。对现有热年代学数据和主要地质事件的汇编表明，黎凡特盆地硅碎屑段的堆积与红海周围大陆地区的隆起结合。 在中新世早期晚期，该盆地明显转向页岩沉积，这标志着“石英”阿拉伯沉积物运输系统的衰落，当时它被不断发展的死海转变谷部分捕获。我们的研究强调了沙子和粘土物源耦合研究在沉积盆地的源-汇研究中的优势。