Difference of Clay Mineral Compositions between Holocene and Late Pleistocene Tidal Deposits in the Haenam Bay, Korea: Evidence of Subaerial Exposure and Weathering

Difference of Clay Mineral Compositions between Holocene and Late Pleistocene Tidal Deposits in the Haenam Bay, Korea: Evidence of Subaerial Exposure and Weathering

The tidal deposits in the Haenam Bay, southwest coast of Korea, are stratigraphically divided at least into two units (Unit I of Holocene and Unit II of late Pleistocene) based on the obtained vibracoring sediments. In Unit I, clay minerals of illite, chlorite, kaolinite and smectite are observed as similar to those of the other modern tidal deposits. Of note, however, is the absence of smectite and chlorite in the upper part of Unit II compared with the clay mineral compositions of Unit I. It is concluded that the subaerial weathering and diagenetic effects rather than depositional processes are responsible for the positive and characteristic differences in clay mineral compositions between two units, that is, the upper part of Unit II was exposed subaerially and weathered diagenetically prior to the late Holocene transgression. Therefore, the bounding relationship between Unit I and Unit II is unconformable.