Distribución de minerales pesados en los sedimentos de la plataforma continental de Cádiz.

Resumen

The heavy mineral distribution on recent sediments of continental shelf of Cadiz; shows great relation with the granulometric distribution, source areas, hydrodynamic behavior grains and the depositional regimen. Ultrastable heavy minerals are predominate in south sector, in coincidence with quarzitic sand deposits sedimentalion low rate and high maturity of the sediments. Nortward, in neighboring prodeltaic muddy sediments to the Guadalquivir river mouth, metastables heayy minerals predominate, in coincidence with high sedimentation rate and a greater mineralogicall variability in the sediments, due to the fluvial contribution. The main mineralogical assemblage is: epidote, garnet, rutile and zircon very similar to the showed by other authores in neighboring littoral and continental areas. The main source areas are in the Iberian Masif (Sierra lMorena), Cordillera Betica and Depresion of Guadalquivir. The main transport agents are the Guadalquivir and Guadalete rivers and others which have their mouth nortward of the study area. Others sources of sediments to the continental margen can be related vvith the Atlantic Water Flow and Mediterranean Out Flow from external zones to this geographical area.