Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Coastal Sabkha Deposits Along Yakhtul Coast, Red Sea, Yemen

Abstract

The surface sediments of the coastal Sabkha region in the southern part of the Red Sea region in Yemen were studied from the mineral aspect and its constituent elements to determine the geochemical characteristics and their provenance. Using the X-ray diffraction technique, the evaporite minerals were identified in the sabkha area and represented by gypsum, halite, and anhydrite. Carbonate minerals were represented by calcite, aragonite, and dolomite, whereas quartz and feldspars represent non-evaporite minerals. Smectite, kaolinite, chlorite, illite, and palygorskite are the predominant clay minerals, mainly of detrital origin. Mineralogical assemblages in the sediments largely control the abundance and distribution of total carbonates, organic matter content, and the major and trace elements. Geochemically, the factor controlling the carbonate content of studied sediments includes the calcareous material of biogenic and terrigenous components. However, the carbonate content of marine sediments varies from 8.96 to 41.70%, with an average of 18.55%. The organic matter content of the sediments is between 0.36 and 0.87%. The distribution of major elements Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Mn and trace elements Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Co in the sabkha sediments of the study area were considerably varied and could be attributed to the sediment sources.