A review on the characterization of sediment provenance sources in the southwestern East Sea

Abstract

Characteristics of sediment provenance in the southwestern East Sea The southwestern East Sea is a significant area for investigating marine geology and it has drawn many attentions from geoscientists. In this study, clay mineral assemblages of some sediment cores derived from the southwestern East Sea, which were conducted in previous studies were used to review characterization of sediment provenance in this area. Sediment compositions in the southwestern East Sea consist mostly of smectite (11÷58%), illite (19÷45%), and less abundance kaolinite (11÷29%), chlorite (10÷25%). Based on clay mineral assemblages, provenance analysis indicates that the Mekong River can mainly transport terrigenous sediments to the southwestern East Sea. Illite and chlorite have likely been reduced by physical weathering of the metamorphic and granitic rocks in the Tibetan Plateau. Kaolinite has primarily been released by chemical erosion of the K-feldspar rich bed rocks in the middle part of the Mekong Basin. However, smectite has been basically derived by chemical weathering of the parent basaltic rock in the middle to lower reaches of the Mekong Basin.