MAJOR ELEMENTS AND OXIDES OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA SURFACE SEDIMENTS OFF JOHOR COASTS

Abstract

This study determines the major elements, oxides, major oxide ratios and sediment texture off the coast of Johor,Malaysia. The sediment samples were collected using the Smith McIntyre grab operated on board of a vessel. The major elements and oxides were analyzed using the Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) while the texture was determined using Boyoucous Hydrometer method. The results showed that the dominant elements found in the sendiments were Si, Al and Fe while the dominant oxide was SiO2. The dominance of Sio2 which is also the mineral called quartz indicates that the Johor coast is highly siliceous. The dominance of quartz might be due to the weathering products of granite, which is the dominant rock found along the coastal sea of East Coast Peninsular Malaysia. Al203 and Fe2o3 are the next most abundant major oxide components after Si02 which indicates that feldspar and iron minerals are the common minerals found in the sediments. MgO and K02 however, are the minor oxides found in the sediments. In addition, the Sio2/Al203 ratio indicates that quartz and feldspar are present roughly equal abundances in the sediments while the range of SiO2/CaO ratios indicates that quartz has a much greater abundance than calcium carbonate in the sediments. The texture analysis showed that sandy clay loam covers almost 70% of the study area which indicates that the area is sandy. Clay texture is only found in station 30 which is located offshore.