Geochemistry and mineralogy of beach sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Tamaulipas state, Mexico: implication for provenance

Abstract

Geochemical and mineralogical studies were performed in the La Pesca (LP) and Tesoro Altamira (TA) beach sediments, located in the Tamaulipas state, northern Gulf of Mexico. The main aim of this study is to infer the weathering history and provenance and to discriminate the tectonic environment of the beach sediments. The sediments are composed of quartz with small amounts of accessory minerals such as plagioclase, calcite, orthoclase, microcline, and zircon. Both beach sediments are classified as fine-grained and very well sorted, however LP has coarse skewed and leptokurtic sediments, whereas TA has fine-skewed and very leptokurtic sediments. The chemical index of weathering (CIW’) indicates intense weathering in the source area. The quartz grain microtextures in the LP and TA are classified into mechanical, chemical, and mechanical/chemical origin. Mechanical features such as fractures, pits, percussion marks, abrasion fatigue, and V-shaped marks favor high-energy littoral, fluvial, subaqueous-marine, and aeolian environments. The chemical features indicate solution pits and crystalline overgrowth, which suggests a silica saturated marine environment. The mechanical/chemical features display adhering particles and elongated depressions suggest formation in a sub-aqueous nearshore marine environment. Major and trace elements-based provenance discrimination diagrams indicate a felsic source derived from the Mesa Central (MC), Sierra Madre Oriental (SMOr) and Oaxaquia terranes. The major and trace element concentrations imply a passive margin setting for the northern Gulf of Mexico, which is consistent with the general geology.