Research article

Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of stream sediments at Gulf of Al Aqaba, Sinai, Egypt

¹Abo El-Safa NA, *²Ibrahim ME, ¹Walley el Dine N, ¹ElShershaby AM and ¹El Bahei SM

¹Faculty of Girls for Art, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

²Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt

*Corresponding Author E-mail: dr_mahmadi@yahoo.com

Accepted 12 October 2014

Abstract

The study area is part of south eastern Sinai, Egypt, western coastal zone of Gulf of Al -Aqaba. The area of study is drained by Wadi (w) Lethel, W. Zewarai (trending NW-SE), W.Tarter and W. Um Adawi (trending E-W). The ESEM-EDAX analyses revealed the presence of five groups. The first group includes secondary uranium mineral; kasolite. The second group contains; Th-bearing mineral as uranothorite. The third one include base metal as galena. The fourth group include accessory minerals; columbite, xenotime and zircon. The last group contains supergene sulfide minerals; barite and atacamite, beside hematite and goethite may reflect that the sediments have been subjected to the extensive alteration. The concentrations of trace elements in stream sediment have been determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The stream sediment samples at the downstream of W. Um Adawi, shows high U and Th (from 687 to 1 ppm and from 589 to 3 ppm respectively), Zr and Y contents (more than 1% and 2400- 3490 ppm respectively), manifesting the common presence of both zircon - xenotime minerals .The later usually carrier for heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) . Also, Pb contents in W. Um Adawi stream samples is also high ranging between about 1000 and 5000ppm ,suggesting the presence of galena mineral. Nb, varies between (1496-2165 ppm). Some samples in W. Um Adawi contain high Ba (1759- 2500 ppm) and Sr (more than 1%) clarify the presence of barite mineral .Cu element in some samples up to (297 ppm) may be indicator to the occurrence of atacamite mineral. Barium, nickel, zircon, strontium and chromium contents were found to be high in most stream sediment samples. The origin of uranium appears to be closely associated with Zn, Nb and Y mineralization and may be reflects their intimate coherence.

Keywords: Stream sediments, Gulf of Al Aqaba, uranium mineral, base metals.