Magnetic Characteristics of Surface Sediments of Liaodong Bay, China

Analysis of magnetic properties of marine surface sediments has been gradually proved to be one of the effective means for researching the source of marine sediments. In this paper, samples from 39 sites in Liaodong Bay were collected to analyze the magnetic characteristics of the surface sediments. Magnetic study indicated that the surface sediments of the Liaodong Bay are char- acterized by magnetite. In the middle and eastern part and the southwest comer of the Bay, the main magnetic grains were coarse multi- domain and pseudo-single-domain particles, while in other areas single-domain and pseudo-single-domain particles constitute the majority. Based on grain size and environmental magnetism data, the content of magnetic minerals has a positive correlation with the hydrodynamic environment when the magnetic mineral domain is finer. However, the content of magnetic minerals is in a complex relationship with the hydrodynamic environment in the coarse magnetic domain of magnetic minerals found in central Liaodong Bay and places outside the Fuzhou Bay, implying that the strong hydrodynamic environment accelerates the sedimentation of coarse magnetic minerals. Based on geographic pattern of magnetic properties, it can be inferred that the main provenance of the surface sediments of the Liaodong Bay is the surrounding rivers, and the comparative analysis indicates that Yellow River substances maybe also exist in the bay.