Heavy mineral abundances in the Lower Danube tributaries

Abstract

The sediments brought by several left tributaries of the Lower Danube, such as Cerna, Topolnița, Jiu, Olt, Argeș, Ialomița and Siret were sampled close to their confluence. An overview of the rock provenance is presented, taking into account the identified mineralogical feature based on the mineralogical observations, two heavy mineral associations were identified, having, in general, a clearly provenance signature from lower to medium grade metamorphic units. Other sources of the sampled sediments are represented by the igneous bodies, high grade metamorphics, as well the sedimentary rocks of the external nappes from the Carpathian belt. Besides, the Carpathian surrounding platforms, such as Moesian and Moldavian ones, contribute to the sedimentary input of Danube River. Additional to the mineralogical data, geochemical analysis show a medium maturity grade of the sampled sediments.