Chemical and statistical characterization of beach sand sediments: implication for natural and anthropogenic origin and paleo-environment

Abstract

This study investigates chemical properties, the statistical variation in elements, paleo-environmental properties and accumulation, density maps, degree of weathering and the classification of the beach sand. Forty-seven samples were collected along the sampled beach sand. Chemical analysis was done on fine grains of all 47 beach sand samples and coarse grains of 19 selected rock samples by X-ray fluorescence analysis. CaO, SiO2 and MgO were the most abundant major elements in the samples. CaO and MgO show high concentrations in the northern section of the study area, while SiO2 is more prevalent in the southern section of the study area. Relatively higher concentrations of CaO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, TiO2, K2O, P2O5 and SO3 were observed in the fine grains, due to their susceptibility to weathering, while relatively higher SiO2 and MgO were observed in the coarse grains due to their resistance to weathering. Calcite and dolomite are major sources for the high concentrations of Ca and Mg, especially in the northern sections of the study area, while augite, clinoenstatite, ankerite, clinopyroxene, cordierite, magnetite are likely sources of Si, Mg and Fe. The beach sand indicated a mixture of high-CaO source type and high-SiO2 source type, with the high-CaO type dominating. Investigations revealed the sand as marine carbonaceous to carbonaceous ferrites with magnesium association, deposited in an oxic environment where the marine skeleton could not be preserved due to high aerobic activity, and not far from their carbonate (neritic) parent source. The high-SiO2 resulted from the Tekirova ophiolite in the region.