Abstract
The major oxides, trace elements, and heavy minerals in the dune fields and valley-filling sediments were described and carried out through fieldwork. Twenty-four samples were selected for the analyses from the north and west of the Muthanna Governorate, whereby 12 samples were selected for each of them. The major oxides (SiO2, CaO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, K2O, TiO2, SO3, and P2O5) and trace elements (Zn, Cu, Sr, Ni, and Cd) were determined by the XRF technique. SiO2 contained the highest content, while P2O5 contained the lowest content. The geochemical classification included sublitharenite, subarkose, and graywacke. Geochemical weathering was restricted to low and moderate. CaO, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, SO3, P2O5, and TiO2 were enriched, while Na2O and K2O were depleted. The concentrations of Sr and Ni were higher than the other elements. The clastic sediments were felsic to intermediate. The heavy minerals were separated from the light minerals and observed by polarized microscope: they were opaque, amphibole, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, biotite, chlorite, muscovite, staurolite, garnet, zircon, tourmaline, rutile, and epidote. The opaque was the major heavy mineral component, while the minor component was staurolite. The clasts were mature to submature sediments and the tectonic regime was referring to continental arc which was related to subduction setting. The minerals were relatively having metastable condition.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are very grateful to the staff of laboratories of the Iraq Geological Survey for their helps. They are very grateful to the staff of laboratory of Department of Geology, College of Science, University of Baghdad. Very thanks are due to the staff of the SEM laboratory at the University of Basra/College of Pharmacy. For further information, this study was self-financed, as it got no financial support from any external institutions.
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Hussein, M.L., Al-Owaidi, M.R.A., Al-Khafaji, A.J. et al. Geochemical and heavy minerals investigation to identity provenance of dunes and valley sediments, at Al-Muthanna, southern Iraq. Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 9, 129–143 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-022-01473-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-022-01473-9