Zarafshon definition
Zarafshon which in Farsi means “spreader of gold" reflects the existence of ore fields along the river valley. These together with other outcrops of nonferrous ores makes the eastern valley as well as its tributaries a mineral rich province which requires detailed investigation. Moreover, until present there are no systematic studies concerning the geochemistry of the Tajik section of Zarafshon Valley. This investigation could provide more data evidencing the origin of clastic material which compose the recent sediments as well as the interrelation between them and adjacent soil. For this reason, the distribution of major and rock-forming elements as well as of incompatible lithophile elements such as Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, lanthanides Th or more soluble U together with siderophile Co and Ni showed to be very useful in inferring the nature of source rocks (Bhatia and Crook, 1986, Taylor and McLennan, 1991, McLennan et al., 1993, Armstrong-Altrin, 2009).