Compositional and mineralogical analysis of marine sediments from Calabrian selected areas, southern Italy

This study is focused on the compositional and structural analysis of marine sediments from eight different sites of the Calabria region, south of Italy. For this purpose, a combination of spectroscopic techniques is utilised. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is used for the quantitative elemental analysis of the investigated samples. To identify their crystalline mineral components and study their microstructure, X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements are carried out. SiO2 and Al2O3 are the most abundant sediment components. Fe2O3, K2O, Na2O, MgO and CaO are also present in smaller amounts as well as TiO2 and P2O5. Sediments are characterised by a narrow range of Al2O3/SiO2 abundance ratio and a wider range of the overall Fe2O3 + MgO concentration. The analysis of the geochemical discriminating factors indicates that the marine sediments under study come from the dismantling and transportation of materials of the “Calabrian–Peloritan arc”, whose rocks are acidic intrusive igneous and metamorphic. From the environmental point of view, the obtained results can be used to assess changes in the pollution level due to geological processes.