Sediment Distribution and Composition on the Shallow Water Carbonate Basin of the Zanzibar Channel
The sediments of the shallow water carbonate basin of the Zanzibar channel were investigated to describe their general characteristics in terms of composition and grain size distribution. The surface sediment composition was dominated by carbonate sands (with CaCO3 > 30%), except in the area adjacent to the mainland coastline and a thin lobe which projects from Ruvu River to the middle of the channel. The mean grain size distribution closely resembled that of the carbonate content, where the Tidally Dominated Reef Platform Sediments (TDRPS) located east of the Zanzibar channel were characterised by medium to coarse sands and the siliciclastic sediments adjacent to the mainland are characterised by fine sand. The TDRPS were the most poorly sorted sediments with sorting values between 1.2 and 1.6 phi. The present study highlights the major differences between the eastern and western side of the channel. The sediments on the eastern side of the channel, which were predominantly biogenic, are characterized by grain size frequency curves without any prominent mode. The sediments on the western side of the channel were composed of both biogenic and terrigenous material. The grain size frequency curves of these sediments have a fine mode and usually a coarse tail. 1
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| Format: | Journal Contribution biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dar es Salaam: University of Dar es Salaam, Faculty of Science
2003
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| Subjects: | Sediment dynamics, Sediment movement, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/179 |
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