Sources and transport-sedimentation processes of surficial detrital sediments in the southwest Arabian Sea: Insights from grain-size end-member component analysis

Abstract

The Arabian Sea is an ideal region for exploring the sources and transport-sedimentation processes of surficial detrital sediments. Notably, grain-size end-member component (EMC) separation methods are powerful tools for this exploration. Through integration of this method with mineralogical and morphological characterization analyses, we identified four EMCs (EMC1-EMC4) suitable for the study area and elucidated the role of multiple forcings in controlling sources and transport-sedimentation processes. The findings revealed that variations in sources and diverse transport mechanisms govern the grain-size distribution patterns of surficial detrital sediments in the study area. The EMC1 ultrafine end-member is dominated by basalt weathering products from the Deccan Plateau and the west Indian Ocean, and is slightly influenced by aeolian dust from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula and northeast Africa. EMC2, EMC3, and EMC4 represent fine, coarse, and ultra-coarse fractions of aeolian dust primarily from different regions of the Arabian Peninsula, respectively. Monsoon circulation transports smectite-rich ultrafine sediments eastward across the Indian shelf, while Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) carries them northward over long distances. Furthermore, the LCDW flows anticlockwise in the north Somali Basin, hindered by the Carlsberg Ridge, leading to the deposition of the ultrafine sediments it carries. Various wind systems interactions enable size-selective transport: fine EMCs traverse via mid-tropospheric pathways, whereas coarse EMCs are confined to the lower troposphere. The southwest monsoon facilitating the transport of fine EMC southward while impeding the transport-sedimentation of coarse EMCs.