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http://dx.doi.org/10.5467/JKESS.2013.34.4.289

Distribution Pattern, Geochemical Composition, and Provenance of the Huksan Mud Belt Sediments in the Southeastern Yellow Sea  

Ha, Hun Jun (Faculty of Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Chonnam National University)
Chun, Seung Soo (Faculty of Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, Chonnam National University)
Chang, Tae Soo (Korea Institute of Geosciences & Mineral Resources)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean earth science society / v.34, no.4, 2013 , pp. 289-302 More about this Journal
Abstract
In order to determine the provenance of the Huksan Mud Belt sediments in the southeastern Yellow Sea, the major and rare earth elements of the same sediments were analyzed. The surface sediments were sampled from top of piston-cores and box-cores taken at 51 sites within the Huksan Mud Belt. With the mean grain size of $5-6{\phi}$, the sediments of the study area are mud-dominated. The spatial distribution patterns show that silt content is high in the northern Mud Belt, whereas clay content increases as it moves toward the southern Mud Belt. Interestingly, the geochemical compositions both of major and rare earth elements have resulted in differences of sediment provenance. Among the major elements, plots of Fe/Al vs. Mg/Al ratios, $Al_2O_3$ vs. MgO ratios, and $Al_2O_3$ vs. $K_2O$ reveal that the Huksan Mud Belt sediments are dominated by the Korean river-derived sediments. However, the characteristics of rare earth elements infer sediments originating from the Chinese rivers. This discrepancy between the above provenances is attributed to the different contributory factors in the content of chemical elements. Considering strong correlation between major elements with grain sizes, the contents of the major elements are thought to be influenced by the grain size. However, there is a weak correlation between rare earth elements and grain sizes. The behaviour of rare earth elements may be controlled by heavy minerals, rather than grain sizes. Further study requires to solve the discrepancy arose from the difference in applied chemical tracers.
Keywords
Huksan Mud Belt; provenance; major element; rare earth element; Yellow Sea;
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