Mineralogical Variation of the Banks of Shatt Al-Arab and Shatt Al-Basrah River Sediments in Southern Iraq

Abstract

The sediments on the banks of Shatt al-Arab and Shatt Al-Basrah have been studied to find out their mineralogical variation. Twenty-two samples were collected from depths of 20 cm of recent sediments Shatt Al-Arab and Shatt Al-Basrah Rivers banks, with approximately equal distances between them, the grain size analysis was conducted, and selected samples were prepared for X-ray diffraction, heavy and light minerals analysis. The result of grain size analysis showed that silt loam texture is dominated in Shatt Al-Arab River while silty clay loam texture in Shatt Al-Basrah River. quartz, calcite, dolomite, feldspar, and halite represent the light minerals in the silt fraction in the study area sediments, while the clay minerals are represented by kaolinite, palygorskite, illite, and montmorillonite-chlorite in Shatt Al-Arab River and the same clay minerals with small amount of montmorillonite in Shatt Al-Basrah River. The petrographic analysis showed that the light mineral contents in the sand fraction are composed primarily of quartz, feldspar, and rock fragment. The main rock fragments consist of carbonate, chert igneous and metamorphic rocks, mudstone, and evaporates (Gypsum). The heavy minerals contents are opaque minerals, pyroxene, hornblende, chlorite, biotite muscovite, epidote, staurolite, kyanite, garnet, tourmaline, rutile, and zircon.