Clay mineral distribution in sediments of the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea

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.