Geochemical Characterization of Al-Lith Coastal Sediments, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the geochemistry of Al-Lith coastal sediments using the spatial distributions of grain size and of some environmentally sensitive chemical elements and their geochemical zonation. The results show that the sediments are characterized by a wide range of grain sizes and consist mainly of terrigenous and biogenic carbonate materials. Statistical analyses of the data show three main factors controlling the distribution of elements. They are grain size, mineralogical composition, and organic carbon content. According to the elemental associations and distributions, four geochemical zones are identified. Zones A and C are dominated by carbonate-rich sediments and high concentrations of Ca and Sr and lesser Mg. Zones B and D consist of sandy and muddy sediments with low carbonate contents and significant concentrations of Fe, Al, Mn, Ni, Co, Zn, Cr, and Cu. Elements show differences in partitioning trends, indicating varied elemental behaviors with environmental and sedimentological significance.