Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya

Basem Ahmed El Werfalli; Osama Raheel Shaltami; Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

Research Article |

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Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya

Basem Ahmed El Werfalli^*

, Osama Raheel Shaltami

, Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany

Published in International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 5 August 2025 Accepted: 28 August 2025 Published: 10 October 2025

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Abstract

The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. The study is based on 36 samples collected from the studied beach sands from 12 stations. Three samples of each station. The samples were taken from a depth of 30 cm. The statistical treatment of the obtained data involves descriptive statistics and correlation matrix. The data include 12 major oxides and 27 trace elements, as quoted in Tables. The major elements are generally considered somewhat mobile during weathering, transportation, and post-depositional processes. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO₂ is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO₂ together with the oxides; Al₂O₃, K₂O and partly of Na₂O, TiO₂ and Fe₂O₃ are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na₂O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO₃ are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and Rare Earth Elements (REE) are basically controlled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al₂O₃.

Published in	International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12
Page(s)	33-52
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Geochemistry, Major Oxides, Al Kuwifia, Tolmeita

1. Introduction

This work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Benghazi outskirts (Al Kuwifia) to Tolmeita, NE Libya, with special emphasis on the provenance. Libya is bounded by Egypt in the east, Sudan, Chad and Niger in the south, Tunisia and Algeria in the west, and by the Mediterranean Sea in the north. It has an area of 1.8 km² with coastline extending over 1900 km long (Figure 1).

Grain size plays a significant role in determining elemental concentrations in sediments

[34]

. It is recommended that a particle size fraction of < 63 µm should be applied for analysis since it is the most equivalent to materials carried in suspension, the most important system for transport of sediments

[6]

. Elemental concentrations in sediments result from the competing influences of provenance, weathering, diagenesis, and sediment sorting

[29]

. Trace element concentrations usually increase as grain size decreases, due to the higher ability of the fine particles to collect heavy metals. Fine-grained sediments have a greater surface area and provide a more efficient environment for the adsorption of metals. In the present work, the clay size fraction is trivial or even absent in many samples as a result of reworking by sea wave and currents. Accordingly, the silt size has been considered, instead of the scarce clay fraction for chemical analysis.

2. Methodology

We collected 36 samples from the studied beach sands from 12 stations (three samples of each station, Figure 1). The samples were taken from a depth of 30 cm. We selected the silt size for chemical analysis. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, V, Cr, Pb, and AS) and actinides (Th and U) were identified by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analysis was carried out in the Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt.

2.1. Statistical Treatment

The statistical treatment of the obtained data involves descriptive statistics and correlation matrix using the SPSS^© program. The data include 12 major oxides and 27 trace elements, as quoted in Table 1 A-D. The correlation matrix in Table 5 suggests that the heavy metals are possibly of different sources. The Th and U as well as the REE and Y are essentially related to marine and terrestrial inputs. Table 5 indicates that the studied silt size fractions may contain unusually high concentrations of some elements such as Ba (398.75 ppm), Sr (5239.39 ppm), As (13.55 ppm), Th (42.1 ppm), U (14.6 ppm), Y (1015.88 ppm) and REE (25.27 ppm). These maximum values, besides the very high standard deviation values represent derivation from multi-sources and possible contribution from mineralized sources at the hinterland in addition to enhanced anthropogenic input.

2.2. Major Oxides

The major elements are generally considered somewhat mobile during weathering, transportation, and post-depositional processes

[20]

. According to

[2, 27, 40]

, provenance interpretations using major elements are not considered definitive, if there is more than one source area. In the study area, the geochemistry of the major oxides is essentially controlled by the mineral composition of the studied beach sands which, in turn, roles the mutual abundance and distribution of the trace elements.

Lime, silica, alumina and magnesia are the main constituents of the studied samples. The graphical presentation of the correlation coefficients among the analyzed major oxides points to the intimate coherence among them, except for lime and magnesia (Figure 2). Silica, alumina, iron oxides, soda and potash are most probably accommodated within silicate clastics. Lime, which expresses the carbonate sediments in the studied coastal zone, seems to be the main diluents of the terrestrial admixture.

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Figure 1. Location map of Libya showing the study area and the location of the sampled stations.

Table 1. Chemical Analysis Data (Major Oxides in wt%, Trace Elements in ppm) of the Silt Size of the Studied Beach Sands (from East Tolmeita to West Tolmeita).

Location	East Tolmeita			Tolmeita			West Tolmeita
Sample No.	1a	1b	1c	2a	2b	2c	3a	3b	3c
SiO₂	7.22	7.39	8.00	6.61	6.44	6.73	3.54	3.42	3.38
TiO₂	0.19	0.21	0.18	0.11	0.14	0.16	0.22	0.25	0.27
Al₂O₃	1.25	1.15	1.11	1.67	1.90	1.66	1.08	1.12	1.22
Fe₂O₃	0.84	0.89	0.77	0.47	0.52	0.57	0.92	0.95	0.98
MnO	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.02	0.02
MgO	0.48	0.46	0.49	0.43	0.38	0.44	0.55	0.60	0.58
CaO	49.28	49.23	48.37	49.00	49.15	49.11	51.28	51.35	51.30
Na₂O	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.08	0.08	0.06	0.05	0.05
K₂O	0.69	0.60	0.57	0.82	0.90	0.80	0.51	0.59	0.65
P₂O₅	0.13	0.11	0.14	0.46	0.42	0.41	0.16	0.16	0.13
SO₃	0.28	0.23	0.26	0.56	0.59	0.55	0.17	0.16	0.16
Cl	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.05	0.05	0.06
LOI	39.43	39.39	39.56	39.16	39.29	39.25	40.70	40.84	40.73
Total	99.99	99.86	99.65	99.47	99.90	99.85	99.26	99.56	99.53
Ba	333.11	331.94	331.00	328.28	331.09	330.33	345.45	348.23	346.00
Sr	3822.34	3818.61	3809.55	3700.22	3778.27	3717.18	4121.73	4137.36	4133.44
Cu	86.95	86.74	87.06	91.53	91.44	91.19	59.30	62.08	63.16
Zn	88.16	87.99	88.13	99.27	99.44	99.53	91.76	93.67	94.38
V	31.29	31.08	31.14	52.19	52.34	52.03	34.71	34.77	34.57
Cr	22.56	22.76	22.63	33.82	33.51	33.68	24.19	24.43	24.14
Pb	139.00	139.56	140.43	128.09	127.57	122.67	129.59	128.95	130.34
As	4.08	3.95	3.36	5.61	6.00	5.49	7.23	7.39	7.76
Zr	34.77	34.88	34.70	33.64	33.72	33.87	36.75	36.87	36.92
Hf	3.56	3.61	3.54	3.54	3.62	3.71	3.62	3.73	3.76
Th	27.93	27.75	27.86	27.69	27.89	27.82	28.72	28.65	28.88
U	10.44	10.33	10.38	10.27	10.41	10.31	10.63	10.61	10.66
Y	904.89	904.55	904.00	904.11	904.18	904.08	906.14	906.55	905.40
La	0.88	0.81	0.72	0.61	0.49	0.39	2.08	1.87	1.66
Ce	1.11	1.00	0.97	0.76	0.69	0.59	2.23	2.00	1.93
Pr	0.19	0.16	0.13	0.11	0.10	0.09	0.80	0.68	0.55
Nd	0.50	0.45	0.40	0.35	0.32	0.27	1.31	1.08	1.00
Sm	0.62	0.61	0.60	0.59	0.58	0.57	0.97	0.86	0.81
Eu	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.21	0.17	0.13
Gd	0.66	0.64	0.62	0.61	0.61	0.60	1.03	0.91	0.87
Tb	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.13	0.11	0.08
Dy	0.08	0.06	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.43	0.35	0.29
Ho	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.16	0.12	0.09
Er	0.06	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.22	0.19	0.15
Tm	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.03	0.03	0.03
Yb	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.22	0.19	0.14
Lu	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.03	0.03	0.03

Table 2. Chemical Analysis Data (Major Oxides in wt%, Trace Elements in ppm) of the Silt Size of the Studied Beach Sands (from East Tukrah to West Tukrah).

Location	East Tukrah			Tukrah			West Tukrah
Sample No.	4a	4b	4c	5a	5b	5c	6a	6b	6c
SiO2	3.11	3.00	3.19	3.71	4.22	3.84	2.64	3.15	2.77
TiO2	0.13	0.17	0.18	0.26	0.25	0.32	0.22	0.24	0.20
Al2O3	1.33	1.41	1.23	1.08	1.00	1.04	1.11	1.05	1.00
Fe2O3	0.50	0.55	0.61	0.97	0.95	1.00	0.95	0.98	0.88
MnO	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01
MgO	0.53	0.54	0.56	0.51	0.49	0.52	0.65	0.61	0.63
CaO	51.22	51.10	51.16	51.19	51.08	51.12	51.52	51.41	51.45
Na2O	0.05	0.06	0.05	0.07	0.06	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.07
K2O	1.21	1.26	1.18	0.52	0.48	0.50	0.56	0.51	0.49
P2O5	0.33	0.38	0.29	0.32	0.29	0.30	0.41	0.44	0.40
SO3	0.23	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.24	0.26	0.27	0.31	0.33
Cl	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.06	0.06	0.07	0.06	0.06
LOI	40.65	40.53	40.59	40.62	40.50	40.55	40.95	40.83	40.88
Total	99.35	99.30	99.34	99.56	99.63	99.59	99.43	99.67	99.17
Ba	340.69	337.92	339.88	340.34	337.39	339.67	362.66	359.59	361.18
Sr	4036.77	4010.47	4029.66	4033.48	4000.52	4023.59	4244.12	4223.54	4237.09
Cu	89.50	89.95	89.89	61.05	60.76	60.87	62.27	61.98	62.09
Zn	95.94	96.09	96.18	81.84	81.55	81.73	83.06	82.77	82.95
V	40.34	40.13	40.46	22.86	22.55	22.53	44.08	46.88	51.01
Cr	26.95	26.77	27.08	18.38	18.70	18.85	21.76	22.72	23.18
Pb	137.41	138.90	138.98	141.08	142.57	141.89	142.95	143.87	143.67
As	4.95	5.09	5.44	6.02	5.80	5.53	7.94	8.05	8.76
Zr	32.22	32.40	32.48	36.88	36.92	36.97	32.19	32.37	32.42
Hf	3.49	3.53	3.55	3.62	3.73	3.76	3.49	3.53	3.55
Th	28.42	28.78	28.33	28.00	28.09	28.21	28.79	28.73	28.92
U	10.56	10.64	10.48	10.46	10.48	10.54	10.63	10.61	10.69
Y	906.11	906.00	906.03	905.07	904.98	906.00	907.00	906.85	906.91
La	1.51	1.38	1.22	1.13	1.08	1.00	2.39	2.51	2.69
Ce	1.55	1.46	1.33	1.21	1.17	1.13	3.00	3.20	3.39
Pr	0.43	0.40	0.37	0.33	0.26	0.23	1.32	1.43	1.51
Nd	0.85	0.80	0.69	0.64	0.60	0.55	2.72	2.95	3.11
Sm	0.72	0.68	0.65	0.64	0.63	0.63	1.12	1.24	1.30
Eu	0.11	0.08	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.22	0.25	0.26
Gd	0.83	0.78	0.71	0.68	0.67	0.67	1.16	1.27	1.35
Tb	0.06	0.04	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.16	0.20	0.24
Dy	0.19	0.15	0.11	0.10	0.09	0.09	0.50	0.58	0.63
Ho	0.07	0.05	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.07	0.20	0.26	0.33
Er	0.12	0.10	0.08	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.31	0.38	0.43
Tm	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.03	0.03
Yb	0.10	0.08	0.06	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.29	0.34	0.38
Lu	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.03	0.03

Table 3. Chemical Analysis Data (Major Oxides in wt%, Trace Elements in ppm) of the Silt Size of the Studied Beach Sands (from Daryana to East Sidi Khalifa).

Location	Daryana			West Daryana			East Sidi Khalifa
Sample No.	7a	7b	7c	8a	8b	8c	9a	9b	9c
SiO₂	1.13	1.11	1.00	0.92	0.95	0.98	1.17	1.13	1.06
TiO₂	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.02	0.02
Al₂O₃	0.23	0.26	0.21	0.19	0.17	0.21	0.25	0.28	0.23
Fe₂O₃	0.18	0.21	0.21	0.29	0.34	0.40	0.30	0.27	0.28
MnO	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01
MgO	0.79	0.80	0.78	0.69	0.72	0.70	0.68	0.67	0.67
CaO	54.89	54.60	54.96	54.81	54.93	54.73	54.55	54.26	54.69
Na₂O	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.07	0.07	0.08	0.06	0.06	0.07
K₂O	0.16	0.19	0.15	0.16	0.14	0.19	0.19	0.21	0.16
P₂O₅	0.38	0.59	0.43	0.33	0.26	0.28	0.61	0.72	0.66
SO₃	0.22	0.22	0.19	0.13	0.13	0.11	0.12	0.14	0.15
Cl	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.05	0.06	0.06
LOI	41.91	41.73	41.97	41.87	41.95	41.55	41.71	41.59	41.84
Total	99.99	99.81	99.99	99.56	99.76	99.33	99.72	99.42	99.90
Ba	385.11	384.00	385.30	393.44	395.08	393.10	375.08	373.00	376.23
Sr	4970.77	4966.38	4973.64	5026.26	5031.55	5023.27	4565.29	4555.43	4578.17
Cu	50.89	50.47	50.70	40.30	40.69	40.54	60.07	60.03	60.20
Zn	76.25	76.63	76.51	68.19	68.06	67.95	81.84	81.95	81.85
V	22.97	23.09	23.15	22.07	21.94	21.85	25.19	25.43	25.30
Cr	18.42	18.20	18.51	17.26	17.14	17.13	19.06	19.19	19.34
Pb	107.80	107.00	107.69	108.73	108.77	109.08	110.96	111.37	111.00
As	7.55	7.91	7.75	8.49	9.00	8.90	9.66	9.71	9.13
Zr	32.85	33.08	32.72	24.65	24.61	24.72	29.95	29.73	29.81
Hf	3.52	3.56	3.49	3.25	3.25	3.28	3.45	3.50	3.43
Th	32.30	32.42	32.16	32.11	31.94	31.80	31.87	32.06	31.93
U	13.57	13.58	13.54	13.51	13.42	13.36	13.13	13.45	13.25
Y	1007.66	1007.50	1007.85	999.70	999.93	999.00	997.11	996.93	997.09
La	4.97	5.19	5.07	3.80	4.08	4.24	3.77	4.00	4.17
Ce	5.12	5.39	5.29	4.52	4.81	4.92	4.49	4.75	4.88
Pr	1.08	1.15	1.10	0.77	0.83	1.00	0.75	0.79	0.95
Nd	3.65	3.88	3.66	2.61	3.00	3.45	2.55	2.92	3.14
Sm	1.45	1.52	1.45	1.15	1.21	1.35	1.14	1.16	1.32
Eu	0.16	0.20	0.17	0.04	0.09	0.13	0.02	0.06	0.11
Gd	1.49	1.53	1.51	1.17	1.27	1.37	1.15	1.24	1.32
Tb	0.20	0.23	0.21	0.12	0.16	0.18	0.11	0.14	0.17
Dy	0.98	1.05	1.00	0.63	0.72	0.91	0.60	0.66	0.88
Ho	0.27	0.30	0.28	0.16	0.20	0.24	0.14	0.17	0.22
Er	0.69	0.74	0.70	0.38	0.51	0.60	0.36	0.41	0.54
Tm	0.08	0.09	0.09	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.04	0.04	0.05
Yb	0.51	0.65	0.56	0.31	0.34	0.37	0.29	0.33	0.35
Lu	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.04	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.05

Table 4. Chemical Analysis Data (Major Oxides in wt%, Trace Elements in ppm) of the Silt Size of the Studied Beach Sands (from Sidi Khalifa to Al Kuwifia).

Location	Sidi Khalifa			West Sidi Khalifa			Al Kuwifia
Sample No.	10a	10b	10c	11a	11b	11c	12a	12b	12c
SiO₂	0.81	0.88	0.90	0.90	0.93	0.96	1.11	1.09	0.98
TiO₂	0.01	0.01	0.02	0.02	0.01	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01
Al₂O₃	0.13	0.11	0.15	0.16	0.15	0.18	0.21	0.24	0.19
Fe₂O₃	0.24	0.28	0.26	0.22	0.24	0.24	0.16	0.19	0.18
MnO	0.02	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.03	0.02	0.01	0.01	0.01
MgO	0.86	0.88	0.90	0.81	0.85	0.84	0.73	0.77	0.78
CaO	55.18	55.31	55.07	55.11	55.20	55.00	54.87	54.56	54.93
Na₂O	0.04	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.03	0.04
K₂O	0.09	0.07	0.11	0.12	0.11	0.13	0.14	0.17	0.13
P₂O₅	0.11	0.07	0.10	0.20	0.14	0.21	0.53	0.60	0.54
SO₃	0.08	0.07	0.10	0.09	0.12	0.11	0.19	0.17	0.16
Cl	0.04	0.04	0.05	0.05	0.04	0.05	0.03	0.03	0.03
LOI	42.19	42.26	42.13	42.11	42.15	42.09	41.88	41.70	41.95
Total	99.80	100.05	99.86	99.88	100.02	99.90	99.91	99.57	99.93
Ba	398.39	398.75	398.04	397.00	397.51	396.34	390.33	388.56	392.00
Sr	5228.17	5239.39	5222.43	5129.48	5137.32	5119.43	5005.29	5000.12	5013.62
Co	35.34	35.16	35.27	38.82	38.30	38.51	48.53	48.73	48.85
Ni	61.45	61.30	61.15	70.04	69.86	69.74	74.34	74.57	74.71
V	21.75	21.87	21.93	22.63	22.51	22.30	22.75	22.52	22.71
Cr	17.20	16.98	17.29	17.77	17.55	17.42	17.77	17.97	18.05
Pb	124.24	123.48	125.09	133.92	133.00	134.36	187.94	188.05	188.63
As	9.97	10.44	11.80	10.11	9.93	10.08	13.00	13.55	13.13
Zr	27.53	27.48	27.46	30.40	30.45	30.52	28.55	28.68	28.53
Hf	3.39	3.27	3.27	3.47	3.51	3.56	3.43	3.48	3.43
Th	41.91	42.03	42.10	32.10	32.53	32.34	31.96	32.10	31.91
U	14.04	14.48	14.60	13.48	13.59	13.56	13.29	13.48	13.19
Y	1015.35	1015.88	1015.00	1011.40	1011.85	1011.15	1005.35	1005.00	1005.66
La	5.33	5.52	5.71	5.27	5.48	5.63	4.92	5.13	5.00
Ce	5.52	5.70	5.82	5.46	5.67	5.73	5.00	5.33	5.20
Pr	1.20	1.26	1.41	1.18	1.23	1.33	1.05	1.11	1.08
Nd	4.31	4.48	4.61	4.23	4.44	4.56	3.63	3.67	3.65
Sm	1.58	1.63	1.73	1.55	1.60	1.66	1.40	1.49	1.43
Eu	0.24	0.28	0.33	0.22	0.25	0.30	0.14	0.18	0.15
Gd	1.55	1.62	1.67	1.54	1.59	1.64	1.45	1.52	1.50
Tb	0.25	0.29	0.37	0.24	0.27	0.32	0.19	0.22	0.20
Dy	1.09	1.11	1.18	1.07	1.10	1.13	0.96	1.03	0.98
Ho	0.33	0.38	0.48	0.31	0.36	0.41	0.26	0.29	0.27
Er	0.78	0.82	0.92	0.75	0.80	0.84	0.63	0.72	0.68
Tm	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.06	0.09	0.08
Yb	0.71	0.78	0.86	0.68	0.74	0.80	0.39	0.60	0.51
Lu	0.08	0.09	0.09	0.08	0.09	0.09	0.06	0.08	0.08

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Figure 2. Correlations among the major oxides in the studied samples (intensity of lines corresponds to the strength of the correlation coefficient (< 0.4 to > 0.8)) (red line means inverse relation).

The plot of silica versus alumina (Figure 3) suggests that silica and alumina are strongly correlated in province two, whereas it shows weakly correlated in province one. This reflects the occurrence of silica in both silicate and free silica modes. Reference

[6]

founds that quartz and shell-rich sediments tend to have smaller amounts of Al in the shallow marine sediments in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Australia.

The distribution of CaO is clearly opposite to that of SiO₂ (r = -0.95, Figure 4). Silica is likely to represent mineral components especially quartz, while lime may be mainly derived from shell fragments, which are abundant in the studied beach.

Table 5. The Descriptive Statistics of the Studied Samples (Major Oxides in wt%, Trace Elements in ppm).

Oxides and Elements	N	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Std. Deviation
SiO₂	36	0.81	8.00	2.79	2.24
TiO₂	36	0.01	0.32	0.11	0.10
Al₂O₃	36	0.11	1.90	0.72	0.56
Fe₂O₃	36	0.16	1.00	0.52	0.31
MnO	36	0.01	0.03	0.01	0.01
MgO	36	0.38	0.90	0.65	0.15
CaO	36	48.37	55.31	52.69	2.35
Na₂O	36	0.03	0.09	0.06	0.02
K₂O	36	0.07	1.26	0.43	0.34
P₂O₅	36	0.07	0.72	0.33	0.18
SO₃	36	0.07	0.59	0.22	0.13
Cl	36	0.03	0.09	0.06	0.02
LOI	36	39.16	42.26	41.08	0.98
Ba	36	328.28	398.75	365.61	26.35
Sr	36	3700.22	5239.39	4490.67	540.49
Cu	36	35.16	91.53	60.53	19.13
Zn	36	61.15	99.53	81.13	11.39
V	36	21.75	52.34	30.47	10.53
Cr	36	16.98	33.82	21.34	4.87
Pb	36	107.00	188.63	132.74	21.04
As	36	3.36	13.55	8.02	2.61
Zr	36	24.61	36.97	31.74	3.61
Hf	36	3.25	3.76	3.51	0.14
Th	36	27.69	42.10	31.03	3.84
U	36	10.27	14.60	12.05	1.59
Y	36	904.00	1015.88	955.79	51.22
REE	36	2.67	25.27	13.75	7.86

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Figure 3. Relationship between silica and alumina in the study area.

In the present study, CaO is strongly correlated with MgO (r = 0.93, Figure 5). According to the connection, the only material that can carry MgO is calcite. The MgO/CaO ratio in the examined samples is extremely low (~0.01). Since dolomitization would inevitably result in a noticeable increase in the limestone's MgO/CaO ratio, this low figure suggests that the samples under study are not dolomitized.

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Figure 4. Relationship between silica and lime in the study area.

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Figure 5. Relationship between magnesia and lime in the study area.

Aluminum concentration is a reasonably good measure of detrital influx. Reference

[19]

noticed that during weathering ferric iron and aluminum accumulate relative to other common elements because of the extreme insolubility of their oxides and hydroxides.

In the studied samples, K₂O is strongly correlated with Al₂O₃ (r = 0.90, Figure 6) suggesting, in agreement with

[41]

and

[23]

, that these elements are almost entirely associated with detrital admixture.

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Figure 6. Relationship between alumina and potash in the study area.

The K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio is important in sedimentary rocks in understanding the source of aluminum and its distribution between clay and feldspars minerals

[17]

. The K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratios for clay minerals and feldspars are different (0.0 to 0.3, 0.3 to 0.9, respectively)

[7]

. In province one, the K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio ranges from 0.47 to 0.96, indicates that feldspars have a major role in the distribution of aluminum in this province.

Reference

[13]

suggests that Na present in the original carbonate sediments can be modified greatly during diagenesis. The strong positive correlation between Na₂O and Cl (r = 0.95, Figure 7) supports their accommodation in the form of halite.

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Figure 7. Relationship between soda and chlorine in the study area.

Titanium is relatively immobile compared to other elements during various sedimentary processes and may strongly represent the source rocks

[20]

. Most of the studied samples have low TiO₂contents. In province one, TiO₂ is strongly correlated with Fe₂O₃ (r = 0.90, Figure 8) suggesting, in agreement with

[5, 8]

, that Ti is contained in iron-titanium oxyhydroxides (rutile, magnetite, hematite and ilmenite). These correlations may be a result of sorting under control of the depositional environments

[1]

. In agreement with

[31]

, this assumption seems to be eligible for the studied beach sands as confirmed by the positive correlation between TiO₂ and the traditional terrigenous elements such as Zr (r = 0.65, Figure 9). In province one the TiO₂/Zr ratio ranges from 32.7 to 86.56, while in province two it ranges from 3 to 7.28. According to

[3, 14]

, mature sediments show a wide range of TiO₂/Zr variations whereas immature sediments show a more limited range of TiO₂/Zr variations.

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Figure 8. Relationship between iron oxide and titanium dioxide in province one.

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Figure 9. Relationship between titanium dioxide and zirconium in province one.

Reference

[12]

stated that there is an increasing amount of phosphorus, both organic and inorganic, supplied from the terrestrial to the marine environment, resulting in undesirable consequences for coastal ecosystems. Most of this increase can be traced to human activities. Information about the behavior of P in coastal regions is urgently needed in order to understand the impact of human activities on the coastal marine environment

[34]

. In the present study, the P₂O₅ content ranges between 0.07 to 0.72%, and it does not show clear coherence to Ce content (r = 0.16) suggesting, in agreement with

[31]

, that the potentiality of phosphate in the studied beach sands is not controlled by monazite. In agreement with

[11]

, we believe that P₂O₅ distribution in the study area is related to anthropogenic activities.

2.3. Trace Elements

The study of trace elements has become a vital part in modern petrology and more capable for discrimination between petrological processes than the major elements. The behavior of trace elements during sedimentary processes is complex due to many factors including weathering, physical sorting, adsorption, provenance, diagenesis, and metamorphism

[24, 26, 38]

. The differences in trace elements content in the beach environment is probably due to sorting effect of the sediments or differences in source rocks. The clay size fraction, being the finest and most capable of sorption, is the best accumulator of trace elements

[30]

. Since the clay size is scarce or even absent in the beach sands under consideration, the silt size has been considered for chemical analysis.

2.3.1. Normalization to Other Beach Sands

The average trace element concentrations of the studied samples are normalized to data of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Benghazi to Bin Jawwad, Northeast Libya as quoted by

[31]

. The normalized data (Figure 10) suggest the following inferences:

1) In all provinces, there are notable enrichments in Sr, Cr, Pb, Hf, Th, U and Y.

2) In all provinces, there are notable depletions in Ba, Cu, Zr and REE. According to

[4]

, in coastal areas high concentrations of Cu have been measured in sediments to depths of 54 cm.

The above arguments can be held as generalized geochemical signatures of the study area. The beach sands of the study area are obviously derived from different sources.

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Figure 10. Trace element contents of the studied sands normalized to data of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Benghazi to Bin Jawwad, Northeast Libya as quoted by

[32]

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Figure 11. Relationship between lime and barium in the study area.

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Figure 12. Relationship between lime and strontium in the study area.

2.3.2. Low Field Strength Elements

They are large cations of small charge and tend to be compatible with major elements. The low ionic potential (ratio of charge to ionic radius) makes these elements relatively soluble in aqueous solution. Because of their solubility, they are quite mobile during metamorphism and weathering

[39]

. In the studied samples, two Low Field Strength Elements (LFSE), namely, Ba and Sr are analyzed. In all provinces, there is notable enrichment in these elements.

Sr and Ba are known to be relatively mobile in natural oxic and aqueous environments

[10]

. The correlation matrix indicates that Ba and Sr are mutual (r = 0.99). Sr resides mainly in carbonate and feldspar

[40]

. In agreement with

[32]

, we believe that the abundance of Ba and Sr in the studied samples is basically controlled by the carbonate fraction which includes shell fragments and clastics of limestone. This assumption is confirmed by the strong correlation between CaO and both Ba and Sr (r = 0.96 and 0.97, Figures 11 and 12, respectively).

The Sr content in carbonate minerals may be used as an important chemical characteristic to identify their genesis. According to

[36]

, the aragonitic carbonate sediments are better accumulator of Sr than the calcitic ones. In the studied beach sands, the Sr/Ca ratio ranges from 10*10^-4to 13*10^-4. These ratios suggest that Sr is contained in both calcite and aragonite.

Sr²⁺ and Eu²⁺ are, sometimes, isovalents especially in plagioclase. The relationship between Sr and Eu is very weak (r = 0.01) and the Sr/Eu ratio ranges from 15826 to 377827. According to

[12]

, in beach sands the drastic increase in Sr relative to Eu can be interpreted to the preponderance of calcareous aragonitic and calcitic shell fragments. The relatively low Sr/Eu ratio can be explained to the lower quotient of shell fragments.

2.3.3. Heavy Metals

According to

[2]

, heavy metals are stable metals or metalloids and cannot be degraded or destroyed. Therefore, they tend to accumulate in soils and sediments. However, anthropogenic activities have drastically altered the biochemical and geochemical cycles and the balance of some heavy metals. The analyzed heavy metals in the studied sands are Cu, Zn, Cr, V, As and Pb. The absence of strong correlations among some heavy metals can be interpreted to their derivation from different sources, but remobilization during chemical weathering is also possible.

Cu, Zn, Cr and V are normally associated with mafic rocks and could also be associated with felsic rock. Zn tends to replace Fe and Mg in the rock forming minerals. In all provinces, Cu, Zn, Cr and V are mutually correlated. The weak relationship between Zn and Fe₂O₃ (r = 0.56) and the negative correlation between Zn and MgO (r = -0.87) indicate that magnesium and iron minerals are not the sole carrier of Zn. In all provinces, Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al₂O₃ (r = 0.88, 0.90, 0.83 and 0.88, Figures 13-16, respectively) suggesting, in agreement with

[13]

, their possible accommodation as alumino-silicates which can be concentrated during weathering.

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Figure 13. Relationship between alumina and copper in the study area.

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Figure 14. Relationship between alumina and zinc in the study area.

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Figure 15. Relationship between alumina and vanadium in the study area.

The Cu/Zn and V/Cr ratios are used as a redox parameter in many studies

[25, 33]

. According to

[16]

, the increasing value of the Cu/Zn ratio indicates a reducing depositional condition while decreasing Cu/Zn values suggest increased oxidizing conditions. Ratio of V/Cr above 2 indicates anoxic conditions, whereas values below 2 suggest more oxidizing conditions

[17]

. Thus, the low Cu/Zn and V/Cr ratios (0.73 and 1.4 on average, respectively) accurately reflect the prevalent well oxidizing coastal settings.

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Figure 16. Relationship between alumina and chromium in the study area.

Lead precipitates with carbonate minerals, as stable solid compounds

[5]

. The independence of Pb distribution on CaO (r = -0.14) can be interpreted to its possibly anthropogenic source.

2.3.4. High Field Strength Elements

HFSE are highly charged cations and often have appropriate size for many cation sites in minerals. Their charge is too high and requires one or more coupled substitution to maintain charge balance; this is generally energetically unfavorable

[39]

. Thus, HFSE are incompatible elements as they have high ionic potential, they are insoluble and tend to be very immobile during weathering and metamorphism. In the studied samples, four HFSE, namely, Zr, Hf, Th and U are analyzed.

Reference

[19]

reported that the highest abundance of HFSE associates the silts which imply that accessory minerals, such as zircon and Nb-bearing phases are mainly concentrated in silt lithology. The high silica rocks tend to contain higher concentrations of HFSE than the basic rocks.

The HFSE provide a series of the geochemical isovalents (Zr-Hf, Nb-Ta and Th-U). The mutual abundance and distribution of these isovalents in most geologic environments follow the popularly known Goldschmidt`s rule which is based on the charge and radius control (i.e., CHARAC). The non-CHARAC behavior of the isovalents is important in interpreting geological environments. The ratios between isovalents have the advantage that they do not change with time as isotopic ratios do

[9]

. In the present study the ratios of the isovalents are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6. Ratios of Selected Isovalents in the Studied Samples.

Location	Zr/Hf	Th/U
East Tolmeita	9.74	2.68
Tolmeita	9.31	2.69
West Tolmeita	9.95	2.70
East Tukrah	9.19	2.70
Tukrah	9.97	2.68
West Tukrah	9.17	2.71
Daryana	9.33	2.38
West Daryana	7.56	2.38
East Sidi Khalifa	8.62	2.41
Sidi Khalifa	8.31	2.92
West Sidi Khalifa	8.67	2.38
Al Kuwifia	8.29	2.40

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Figure 17. Relationship between Zr and Hf in the study area.

The concentration of Zr in sandstone is typically higher than that in both mudrocks and limestone. Zr is generally transported with terrigenous influx in the form of heavy mineral (zircon). The two elements; Zr and Hf with atomic numbers 40 and 72, respectively, form an excellent example of a pair of elements having almost complete chemical similarity in spite of very different total electron numbers and atomic weights. In the present study, Zr and Hf are strongly correlated (r = 0.93, Figure 17), suggesting that these elements are controlled by zircon.

The Zr/Hf ratio in the studied samples ranges from 7.56 to 9.97, while the chondritic value is estimated to be 35 by

[38]

. Additionally, it was determined that the Zr/Hf ratio of detrital zircon varied according to the rocks' provenance, with basic rocks having a higher Hf concentration than acidic rocks.

In the studied samples, Zr shows negative correlations with Th, U, Y and REE (r = -0.64, -0.77, -0.76 and -0.69, Figures 18-21, respectively). These relationships mean that Th, U, Y and REE are not contained in zircon.

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Figure 18. Relationship between Zr and Th in the study area.

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Figure 19. Relationship between Zr and U in the study area.

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Figure 20. Relationship between Zr and Y in the study area.

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Figure 21. Relationship between Zr and REE in the study area.

In the studied samples, Th always dominates over U. Under the prevailing surface conditions, U is mobile due to its oxidation to the soluble hexavalent state, as compared to the relatively immobile Th, which is concentrated in residual materials. Thus, the intensively weathered sediments display high Th/U ratios. In the present study, Th and U are strongly correlated (r = 0.82, Figure 22). We think that the carbonate fraction, which contains limestone clastics and shell pieces, essentially controls Th and U in the samples under study. The positive connection between CaO and Th and U (r = 0.73 and 0.95, respectively, Figures 22-24) supports this theory.

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Figure 22. Relationship between Th and U in the study area.

In the present study, the average value of Th/U (2.7) approximately resembles the chondritic value 3,

[21]

. In most cases, weathering and sedimentary recycling typically result in loss of U, leading to an elevation in the Th/U ratio. According to

[3]

, in sedimentary rocks, Th/U values higher than 4 may indicate intense weathering in source areas or sediment recycling (i.e., derivation from older sedimentary rocks).

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Figure 23. Relationship between CaO and Th in the study area.

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Figure 24. Relationship between CaO and U in the study area.

The U/Th ratio and authigenic uranium are used as a redox parameter in many studies

[17, 24, 32]

. U/Th ratios below 1.25 suggest oxic conditions of deposition, whereas values above 1.25 indicate suboxic and anoxic conditions

[23]

. According to

[24]

, in the Arabian Sea, sediments below the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) show high U/Th (> 1.25) ratios, whereas the sediments above the OMZ exhibit low U/Th (< 1.25) ratios. The authigenic uranium content is calculated as: (authigenic U) = [U – Th/3]. Values of authigenic U below 5 are thought to represent oxic depositional conditions, while values above 5 are indicative of suboxic and anoxic conditions

[24]

. The studied limestone samples show low values of U/Th ratio (ranges from 0.34 to 0.42) and authigenic uranium (ranges from 0.07 to 2.82), which indicate that these sediments were deposited in oxic conditions.

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Figure 25. PAAS normalized REE diagram for the studied samples.

2.3.5. Rare Earth Elements

The term REE describes the lanthanides (atomic numbers from 57 to 71), except the naturally unstable promethium (Pm, atomic number 61), that occur in Group IIIA of the Periodic Table. The REE include 14 elements namely; lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb) and lutetium (Lu). The REE are divided into two groups, namely; the light rare earth elements (LREE), from La to Eu, and heavy rare earth elements (HREE), from Gd to Lu. Y and Sc have been recognized as pseudolanthanides. Geochemically, these two elements are traditionally considered as HREE, because their properties are similar to HREE. The commonest oxidation state of the REE is the trivalent, with Eu which may also exist in the divalent state and Ce in the tetravalent state. These two exceptions of Eu and Ce provide a significant tool for interpreting the redox controls. There is a gradual decrease in ionic radii with increasing atomic number, known as the lanthanide contraction.

The distribution of REE in marine waters, sediments and carbonate rocks has been discussed by many workers (e.g.,

[28]

). The concentrations of REE in seawater are principally influenced by different input sources (e.g., terrestrial input from continental weathering and hydrothermal) and scavenging processes related to depth, salinity and oxygen levels

[15]

. The unique feature of the seawater REE pattern reveals the uniform trivalent behavior of the elements (except Ce and Eu that exhibit multiple valences) and estuarine and marine scavenging processes

[26]

The analyzed REE include all the naturally occurring 14 rare earth members. In general, the studied samples are enriched in the LREE over the HREE. The concentration of REE is less in province one samples than in the province two samples. The REE are normalized to Post-Archean Australian Shale

[35]

. PAAS-normalized REE patterns of the studied samples are shown in Figure 25.

The REE parameters such as ∑REE, LREE/HREE ratios, Ce- and Eu-anomalies (Table 7) provide important clues concerning the source, provenance and transportation history of the studied sands.

The Ce anomaly (ΔCe) content is calculated as: ΔCe = Ce/(La + Pr)/2, while the Eu anomaly (ΔEu) content is calculated as: ΔEu = Eu/(Sm + Gd)/2. The contents of La, Pr, Ce, Sm, Eu and Gd used in these equations are PAAS normalized values.

Table 7. REE Parameters in the Studied Samples.

Location	LREE	HREE	∑REE	LREE/HREE	ΔCe	ΔEu	Y/Ho
East Tolmeita	3.08	0.88	3.96	3.50	0.67	0.22	30149.30
Tolmeita	2.18	0.76	2.94	2.87	0.70	0.08	52198.90
West Tolmeita	6.78	1.95	8.73	3.48	0.42	0.87	7759.32
East Tukrah	4.76	1.23	5.99	3.88	0.45	0.50	20421.80
Tukrah	3.79	0.99	4.78	3.83	0.50	0.31	24426.00
West Tukrah	11.54	3.06	14.60	3.78	0.35	0.92	3590.36
Daryana	16.83	4.47	21.30	3.77	0.51	0.56	3563.29
West Daryana	14.00	3.31	17.31	4.25	0.59	0.32	5136.76
East Sidi Khalifa	13.66	3.11	16.77	4.41	0.60	0.23	5839.58
Sidi Khalifa	18.89	5.24	24.13	3.61	0.49	0.81	2621.59
West Sidi Khalifa	18.60	5.04	23.64	3.69	0.50	0.75	2846.50
Al Kuwifia	16.52	4.28	20.80	3.87	0.52	0.50	3685.64

Province one shows more or less flat REE pattern with positive La and slightly negative Ce anomalies (ΔCe: 0.35 to 0.70, Table 7). LREE-enriched but HREE-depleted patterns with slightly negative Ce anomalies are seen in the province two samples (ΔCe: 0.49 to 0.60, Table 7).

Positive Eu abnormalities in the examined samples range from modest to moderate.

Figure 26 and Table 7 show that the concentration of REE is less in province one than in province two. In agreement with

[33, 37]

, we believe that the variations in REE concentrations in the studied sands are probably controlled by the amount of carbonate minerals. This is supported by the strong correlation between CaO and ΣREE (r = 0.93, Figure 26).

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Figure 26. Relationship between CaO and REE in the study area.

The depletion of Ce in oceanic water results from redox changes relative to the rest of REE series

[24]

. The studied sands show slightly negative Ce anomalies (Table 7). In oceanic water, ΔCe values range from < 0.1 to 0.4

[11, 15]

, whereas in average shale ΔCe is 1

[22]

. The observed negative Ce anomalies in the studied samples are smaller than in the Arabian Sea sediments

[23]

. In the present study, ΔCe values are not correlated with U content (r = 0.02) and ΔCe values show weak negative correlation with the amount of CaO (r = -0.21), which suggest in agreement with

[33]

, that the ΔCe values in the studied beach sands are not related to the paleo-redox conditions.

Y is chemically similar to the HREE, especially its isovalent; Ho. The two elements have almost the same ionic radius and valence where Y/Ho ratio is very constant in the lithosphere and even in planetary materials. In the studied samples, Y is positively correlated with Ho (r = 0.77, Figure 27). However, there is much evidence to show that these two elements are significantly fractionated in aqueous systems

[42]

, indicating that Y has a different aqueous chemistry than those of the REE. However, the mechanism that fractionates these two elements has not yet been well documented

[43]

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Figure 27. Relationship between Y and Ho in the study area.

The Y/Ho ratio in the studied samples ranges from 2621 to 52198, while the chondritic value is estimated to be 28 by

[38]

. According to

[18]

, a large negative Ce anomaly, a small negative Eu anomaly and a high Y/Ho ratio (i.e., Y/Ho > 28) are typical characteristics of REE and Y patterns for marine limestones.

3. Conclusion

The distribution of CaO is clearly opposite to that of SiO₂ (r = -0.95). Silica is likely to represent mineral components especially quartz, while lime may be mainly derived from shell fragments, which are abundant in the studied beach. CaO is strongly correlated with MgO (r = 0.93).

The relation suggests calcite is the only carrier of MgO. The examined samples have a very low MgO/CaO ratio (~0.01). This low result implies that the samples were not dolomitized. K₂O is strongly correlated with Al₂O₃ (r = 0.90) suggesting that these elements are almost entirely associated with detrital admixture. In province one, the K₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio ranges from 0.47 to 0.96, indicating that feldspars have a major role in the distribution of aluminum in this province. The strong positive correlation between Na₂O and Cl (r = 0.95) supports their accommodation in the form of halite.

Most of the studied samples have low TiO₂ contents. In province one, TiO₂ is strongly correlated with Fe₂O₃ (r = 0.90) suggesting that Ti is contained in iron-titanium oxyhydroxides (rutile, magnetite, hematite and ilmenite). This assumption confirmed by the positive between TiO₂ and the traditional terrigenous elements such as Zr (r = 0.65). In province one the TiO₂/Zr ratio ranges from 32.7 to 86.56, while in province two it ranges from 3 to 7.28. In the present study, the P₂O₅ content ranges between 0.07 to 0.72%, and it does not show clear coherence to Ce content (r = 0.16) suggesting that the potentiality of phosphate is not controlled by monazite. P₂O₅ distribution in the study area is related to anthropogenic activities. The carbonate fraction, which comprises shell pieces and limestone clastics, has the greatest influence on the abundance of Ba and Sr. This notion is supported by the high correlation between CaO and both Ba and Sr (r = 0.96 and 0.97, respectively). In all provinces, Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al₂O₃ (r = 0.88, 0.90, 0.83 and 0.88, respectively) suggesting their possible accommodation as alumino-silicates which can be concentrated during weathering. Zr shows negative correlations with Th, U, Y and REE (r = -0.64, -0.77, -0.76 and -0.69, respectively). These relationships mean that Th, U, Y and REE are not contained in zircon. Th and U are strongly correlated (r = 0.82) indicating that the carbonate fraction, which contains shell fragments and limestone clastics, primarily controls Th and U. This notion is supported by the positive correlation between CaO and both Th and U (r = 0.73 and 0.95, respectively). The low Cu/Zn, V/Cr, and U/Th ratios, as well as authigenic uranium (0.73, 1.4, 0.39, and 1.7 on average), reflect the current well-oxidizing coastal settings. Province one shows more or less flat REE pattern with positive La and slightly negative Ce anomalies (ΔCe: 0.35 to 0.70). Province two samples show LREE-enriched but HREE-depleted patterns, with slightly negative Ce anomalies (ΔCe: 0.49 to 0.60). The samples suggest weak to mild positive Eu anomalies, and the concentration of REE is less in province one than in province two. The variations in REE concentrations are probably controlled by the amount of carbonate minerals. This is supported by the strong correlation between CaO and ΣREE (r = 0.93). ΔCe values are not correlated with U content (r = 0.02) and ΔCe values show weak negative correlation with the amount of CaO (r = -0.21), which suggest that the ΔCe values are not related to the paleo-redox conditions. The Y/Ho ratio in the studied samples ranges from 2621 to 52198. Negative Ce anomaly, a small negative Eu anomaly and a high Y/Ho ratio (i.e., Y/Ho > 28) are typical characteristics of REE and Y patterns for marine limestones.

Abbreviations

Province One	From Station No. 1 (S.1) to Station No. 6 (S.6)
Province Two	From Station No. 7 (S.7) to Station No. 12 (S.12)

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their thank to the Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt for analyzing the samples.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Werfalli, B. A. E., Shaltami, O. R., Alwany, R. M. A. (2025). Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology, 10(2), 33-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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Werfalli, B. A. E.; Shaltami, O. R.; Alwany, R. M. A. Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. Int. J. Biochem. Biophys. Mol. Biol. 2025, 10(2), 33-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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Werfalli BAE, Shaltami OR, Alwany RMA. Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. Int J Biochem Biophys Mol Biol. 2025;10(2):33-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12,
  author = {Basem Ahmed El Werfalli and Osama Raheel Shaltami and Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany},
  title = {Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya
},
  journal = {International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {33-52},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  abstract = {The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. The study is based on 36 samples collected from the studied beach sands from 12 stations. Three samples of each station. The samples were taken from a depth of 30 cm. The statistical treatment of the obtained data involves descriptive statistics and correlation matrix. The data include 12 major oxides and 27 trace elements, as quoted in Tables. The major elements are generally considered somewhat mobile during weathering, transportation, and post-depositional processes. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO2 is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO2 together with the oxides; Al2O3, K2O and partly of Na2O, TiO2 and Fe2O3 are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na2O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe2O3 and TiO2 may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO3 are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and Rare Earth Elements (REE) are basically controlled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al2O3.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya

AU - Basem Ahmed El Werfalli
AU - Osama Raheel Shaltami
AU - Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany
Y1 - 2025/10/10
PY - 2025
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12
DO - 10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12
T2 - International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology
JF - International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology
JO - International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology
SP - 33
EP - 52
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2575-5862
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12
AB - The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. The study is based on 36 samples collected from the studied beach sands from 12 stations. Three samples of each station. The samples were taken from a depth of 30 cm. The statistical treatment of the obtained data involves descriptive statistics and correlation matrix. The data include 12 major oxides and 27 trace elements, as quoted in Tables. The major elements are generally considered somewhat mobile during weathering, transportation, and post-depositional processes. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO2 is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO2 together with the oxides; Al2O3, K2O and partly of Na2O, TiO2 and Fe2O3 are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na2O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe2O3 and TiO2 may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO3 are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and Rare Earth Elements (REE) are basically controlled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al2O3.

VL - 10
IS - 2
ER -

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Basem Ahmed El Werfalli

Arabian Gulf Oil Company, Benghazi, Libya

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1605-3050
Osama Raheel Shaltami

Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya

http://orcid.org/0009-0006-0890-9093
Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany

Department of Oil and Gas Information Technology, Higher Institute of Engineering Technologies, Benghazi, Libya

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-9687-3151

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Werfalli, B. A. E., Shaltami, O. R., Alwany, R. M. A. (2025). Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology, 10(2), 33-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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Werfalli, B. A. E.; Shaltami, O. R.; Alwany, R. M. A. Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. Int. J. Biochem. Biophys. Mol. Biol. 2025, 10(2), 33-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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Werfalli BAE, Shaltami OR, Alwany RMA. Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. Int J Biochem Biophys Mol Biol. 2025;10(2):33-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12,
  author = {Basem Ahmed El Werfalli and Osama Raheel Shaltami and Ragab Mohammed Al Alwany},
  title = {Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya
},
  journal = {International Journal of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {33-52},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijbbmb.20251002.12},
  abstract = {The present work aims to characterize the geochemistry of the beach sands along the Mediterranean Coast from Al Kuwifia to Tolmeita, Northeast Libya. The study is based on 36 samples collected from the studied beach sands from 12 stations. Three samples of each station. The samples were taken from a depth of 30 cm. The statistical treatment of the obtained data involves descriptive statistics and correlation matrix. The data include 12 major oxides and 27 trace elements, as quoted in Tables. The major elements are generally considered somewhat mobile during weathering, transportation, and post-depositional processes. The major oxides CaO and MgO are the main constituents of the carbonate minerals; calcite and aragonite. SiO2 is mainly in the form of quartz. Sometimes a high quotient of SiO2 together with the oxides; Al2O3, K2O and partly of Na2O, TiO2 and Fe2O3 are essentially allocated within the structure of the feldspars. Part of Na2O and the content of Cl belong mainly to halite. Part of Fe2O3 and TiO2 may be accommodated as iron oxyhydroxides. Part of CaO and the content of SO3 are allotted within the gypsum structure. Ba, Sr, Th, U and Rare Earth Elements (REE) are basically controlled by the carbonate fraction, while Cu, Zn, V and Cr are strongly correlated with Al2O3.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Geochemistry of Silt Size Fraction of the Beach Sands Along the Coast Between Al Kuwifia and Tolmeita, Northeast Libya

VL - 10
IS - 2
ER -

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