Characteristics of Deposited mine tailing on the Senunu Canyon, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract The characteristics, distribution, and accumulation of detrital sediment on the surface sediment in the Senunu Sea are used as a preliminary study to identify the detrital and sedimentation processes’ origin. This study aims to present the characters and composition of detrital sediment on Senunu seabed. It illustrates the influence of land sediment sources on sediment compositions settled on the bottom of the surrounding seas. Specific review on the sediment character in this region was done to identify surface sediment layers carrying tailings materials from ore mining on land and differentiate them from natural sediment. 53 sediment core from the Senunu bottom were collected and analyzed for their detrital characteristics using a binocular microscope. In general, sediment composition in Senunu seabed was terrigenous sediment with dominant material quartz, andesite, and tuffaceous breccia. Based on the detrital analysis, sediment lithology of natural seabed sediment and sediment containing tailing material is distinguished by color, layer contact, grain packing, grain shape, biota association, and specific mineral content quartz, mica, and magnetite. Surface sediment containing tailing material had more quartz mineral, had more similar grain size and crystal shape, fresher mineral condition, clearer color, and looser grain relation than seabed sediment that did not contain tailings material.. Based on the different characters and distribution patterns, sediment carrying tailings in the Senunu seabed. Based on the other characters and distribution patterns, sediments carrying tailings in the Senunu seabed on average were 2-167 centimeter thick at the surface with accumulated tailing 1-50% of total sediment at the sea bottom. Furthermore, the distribution of these tailing deposits is influenced mainly by morphodynamic, hydrodynamic conditions and the process of redeposition.