Gravel-Sized Mud Clasts on an Arid Microtidal Sandy Beach: Example from the Northeastern Red Sea, South Al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ghandour, I.M.; Al-Washmi, H.A., and Haredy, R.A., 2013. Gravel-sized mud clasts on an arid microtidal sandy beach: example from the northeastern Red Sea, South Al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia. Gravel-sized mud clasts (GMCs) of clay-grade material are abnormally documented from the microtidal Red Sea sandy beach at the mouth of Wadi Al-Hamd some 55 km S of Al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia. The area of study represents an asymmetric delta flanked to the N by a sandy linear shoreline and to the S by a heterolithic muddy tidal flat. Shape, roundness, and mineralogical composition of 200 randomly collected grains were determined to infer their source and depositional mechanism. The diameters of GMCs vary from 1.25 to 6.7 cm (long axis), with a mean diameter of 2.89 cm. The clasts are mostly rounded to well rounded, and the bladed forms are the most dominant shape, followed by elongated, platy, compact platy, and very rare compact bladed shapes. The GMCs are mostly unarmoured; however, large elongated forms have single-gr...