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Distribution of heavy and clay minerals in coastal sediment of Jijel, East of Algeria: indicators of sediment sources and transport and deposition environments

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Abstract

The identification of bulk, clay (<2 μm), and heavy (63–200 μm) minerals has been investigated on 42 coastal samples along the Jijel bay (Eastern Algeria). The mineralogical assemblages are used to identify the mineral sources and to interpret the mineral distribution. The samples were subjected to grain-size analysis by sieving and by X-ray diffraction on powder (bulk mineralogy) and on oriented aggregates (clay fraction). The bulk fraction is composed by muscovite, plagioclase, calcite, anhydrite, clay fraction, and a predominance of quartz (11 to 45 %). Clay fraction is composed of kaolinite, chlorite, smectite, interstratified minerals, and a predominance of illite (43–65 %). In addition, the heavy minerals assemblages of sediments have been identified by binocular observation, X-ray diffraction, and optical microscope. The heavy minerals are dominated by opaque minerals (16–65 %) associated with variable proportions of muscovite, chlorite, kyanite, sillimanite, biotite, pyroxene, amphibole, garnet, epidote, zircon, tourmaline, and rutile. Both fluvial hydrodynamic and marine agents control the sediment distribution along the coast. Indeed, the passage from areas in accretion toward those in erosion has caused a concentration in heavy minerals on coastal sections in recession; however, the light minerals were moved selectively toward accretional areas. The heavy mineral assemblages present in rivers sediment indicate that they were delivered to the coast in a highly selective manner. This assemblage of heavy mineral is also present with high concentration in a variety of fluvio-marine environments such as river mouths, coastal dunes, and beaches. These sediments are derived from the various geological formations (metamorphic formations of the basement, magmatic rocks, and other sedimentary rocks) observed in the watershed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the director of Geomorphology and Georisks laboratory (Faculty of Earth Sciences, USTHB, Algeria), for providing the necessary laboratory facilities and other logistic support, discussion for the study. Also, the authors are thankful to the laboratory team “Clays, Geochemistry, and sedimentary environments” (Department of Geology B18, University of Liege, Sart-Tilman, B-4000 Belgium) for sampling preparation and X-ray diffraction assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography Department, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Sciences and Technology, Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria

    Saci Kermani & Makhlouf Boutiba

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Sciences and Technology, Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria

    Abdelhak Boutaleb

  3. UR “Clays, Geochemistry and Sedimentary Environments”, Geology Department, University of Liege, B18, Allée du 6 Août, B-4000, Liège, Belgium

    Nathalie Fagel

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  1. Saci Kermani
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  2. Makhlouf Boutiba
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  4. Nathalie Fagel
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Correspondence to Abdelhak Boutaleb.

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Kermani, S., Boutiba, M., Boutaleb, A. et al. Distribution of heavy and clay minerals in coastal sediment of Jijel, East of Algeria: indicators of sediment sources and transport and deposition environments. Arab J Geosci 9, 36 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-2155-2

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