Microtextures on Quartz Grain Surfaces in the Beach Sediments of Southern Hodeidah, Red Sea Coast, Yemen

Abstract

Surface features of quartz grains on the Al-Haymah and Moushij beaches of the coastal area in the southern Red Sea of Yemen were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to deduce the provenance and depositional environment of sediments. The microtextures on quartz grains were classified into mechanical, chemical, and mechanical/chemical origins. The quartz grains from the two beach areas were rounded to subrounded in shape. Rounded quartz grains with a combination of bulbous and broken edges indicated a recycled provenance. Mechanical features such as V-shaped marks and straight and curved scratches revealed the combination of fluvial and high-energy subaqueous beach environments, whereas aeolian grains are mainly marked by crescentic percussion marks, elongated depressions, and upturned plates. Chemical features such as solution pits, silica globules, trapped diatoms, and adhering particles in quartz grains indicated a diagenetic environment and silica re-precipitation in a coastal environment. In general, the microtextures identified on quartz grains reveal that sediments are influenced by wind, fluvial, and subaqueous marine environments and are derived from nearby and distal sources.