Clay-mineral distribution in recent deep-sea sediments around Taiwan: Implications for sediment dispersal processes

Clay-mineralogy study of Taiwanese river-mouth sediments, recent deep-water seafloor sediments around Taiwan, along with collected from the Tainan shelf edge, have been investigated to access source and transport detrital fine-grained sediments. We determined clay mineralogy in both hemipelagites turbidites top 50 cm deep-sea sediment cores infer how are dispersed through river-fed turbidity currents, hypopycnal plumes, oceanic currents. Our results show that mineral assemblages different provinces change gradually between two major end-members: illite+chlorite smectite. They predominantly sourced Taiwan Luzon, respectively. The relative abundances minerals quite similar most cores. Therefore, we argue adjacent a core share common sources. found smectite is relatively abundant indicating Kuroshio Current an important transportation system, which brings Luzon. Besides, river-related canyon systems consist dominantly illite chlorite, less smectite, brought about by diluted hyperpycnal flows. This also implies flood-induced currents efficient agents for transporting Taiwan-derived into neighboring basins.