Clay minerals in the major Chinese coastal estuaries and their provenance implications |
| |
Authors: | Chunyan Ma Jing Chen Yuanjun Zhou and Zhanghua Wang |
| |
Institution: | (1) State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China;(2) Institute of Water Resources, Chinese Academy of Hydraulic and Power, Beijing, People’s Republic of China;(3) Appraisal Center for Environment and Engineering, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100012, People’s Republic of China |
| |
Abstract: | A sea-survey was carried out along the Chinese coast from the Bohai Sea to South China Sea, and 15 surficial samples were
taken from major coastal estuaries, i.e., from north to south, the Yellow, abandoned Yellow, Yangtze, Qiantang, Ou, Min, Han,
and Pearl River estuaries. On the basis of clay mineral analysis and published data collection, this paper discusses the characteristics
of clay minerals of each coastal river and potentials of implications of sediment sources. The results show that the change
of diagnostic clay minerals from smectite to kaolinite from the Yellow to the Pearl River estuaries is southward, as clearly
shown by the ratios of smectite to chlorite (S/Ch) and kaolinite to illite (K/I). S/Ch decreases southward, while K/I moves
reversely, implying change in climate setting from cool/dry to humid/hot with intensified weathering processes. Besides, these
two indicators in the estuaries are also linked with the derivation of parent-rock of each river-basin and coastal hydrodynamics.
The disproportional higher ratio of K/I in the Yellow and abandoned Yellow River estuaries is ascribed to their sediment sources
with abundant loess component in the north-central China. The K/I decrease offshore from the Pearl River estuary is primarily
due to hydrodynamic sorting. Therefore, the S/Ch and K/I of the present study comprehensively reflect the controls of climate,
parent-rock, and sediment transport along the coast. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 万方数据 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|