Quantifying clay mineral sources in marine sediments by using end-member mixing analysis

Abstract

This study applied end-member mixing analysis (EMMA) to clay minerals in Taiwan Strait sediments to determine the proportional contributions from known riverine sources, which are called end-members. Three end-members were thus determined: the rivers of Taiwan (TW), the rivers of Zhu and Min (ZM), and the rivers of Luzon (LZ). The EMMA model yielded strong and unbiased estimates of the clay mineral contents and end-member proportions. The TW end-member dominates the entire strait except for the western coastal area, the ZM end-member dominates the western coastal area, and the LZ end-member dominates the southern strait and the western coastal area. The spatial trends of end-member proportions are comparable with the directions of marine currents.