Abstract
The 25 sediment samples collected from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea were analyzed for clay mineral investigation. Results showed the presence of 35% montmorillonite, 13% chlorite, 30% illite, and 22% kaolinite in sediments of the Gulf and also 16% montmorillonite, 21% chlorite, 41% illite, and 22% kaolinite in sediments of the South China Sea. The relatively high concentration of montmorillonite in sediments of the Gulf as compared with that in sediments of the South China Sea may suggest that montmorillonite in these area has been largely derived from soil formation of the bordering land areas of the Gulf, particularly from the northern part of Malay Peninsula. On the contrary, the content of illite in sediments of the South China Sea is higher than that in the Gulf. This mineral appears to have been supplied from Borneo as well as the Mekong Delta. However, chlorite which shows a similar distribution to that of illite in sediments of the Gulf and the South China Sea has not indicated Borneo Isl. as a principal source area for chlorite. Greater resemblance in amount of kaolinite in both sediments of the Gulf and the South China Sea is due to the prevailing distribution of kaolinite as “low latitude clay mineral” on the bordering land areas. The distribution of clay minerals in sediments of the study area appears to be closely related to the soil formation and geology of the adjacent land areas.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baren, F.A. andH. Kiel (1950): Contribution to the sedimentary petrology of the Sunda shelf. J. Sed. Petrol.,20, No. 4, 185–213.
Emery, K.O. andH. Niino (1963): Sediments of the Gulf of Thailand and adjacent continental shelf. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.,74, 541–554.
Griffin, J. J., H. Windom andE. D. Goldberg (1968): The distribution of clay minerals in the world ocean. Deep-Sea Res.,15, 433–459.
Keller, G. H. andA. F. Richards (1967): Sediments of the Malacca Strait, southeast Asia. J. Sed. Petrol.,37, No. 1, 102–127.
Kobayashi, T. (1960): Notes on the geologic history of Thailand and adjacent territories. Jap. J. Geol. Geogr.,31, 129–148.
Nossin, J.J. (1961): Occurrence and origin of clay pebbles on the east coast of Johore, Malaya. J. Sed. Petrol.,31, No. 3, 437–447.
Oinuma, K. (1968): Method of quantitative estimation of clay minerals in sediments by X-ray diffraction analysis. J. Toyo Univ., General Education (Nat. Sci.), No. 10, 1–15.
Porrenga, D. H. (1967): Clay mineralogy and geochemistry of recent marine sediments in tropical areas. Ph D. thesis, Druk: Stolk-Dordt, 143 pp.
Post, J.L. (1971): The nature of clay soils from the Mekong Delta, an Giang Province, South Vietnam. Clays and Clay Minerals,19, 21–29.
Rateev, M.A., Z.N. Gorbunova, A.P. Lisitzin andG.L. Nosov (1969): The distribution of clay minerals in the oceans. Sedimentology,13, 21–43.
Sudo, T., K. Oinuma andK. Kobayashi (1961): Mineralogical problems concerning rapid clay minerals analysis of sedimentary rocks. Acta Universitatis Carolinae-Geol. Supplementum 1, 189–219.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was carried out at Geological and Mineralogical Institute, Tokyo University of Education.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aoki, S. Clay mineral distribution in sediments of the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea. Journal of the Oceanographical Society of Japan 32, 169–174 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02107271
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02107271