PROVINCES AND PROVENANCE OF HEAVY M INERALS IN SURFACE SEDIMENTS OF THE SEA AREA NEAR ZHONGSHA ISLANDS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

We identified 114 surface sediment samp es which were collected from the sea area near Zhongsha Islands in South China Sea. Heavy minerals in this study area have been divided into 3 mineral provinces. Mixed mineral province(Ⅰ), mineral assemblages mainly include metal minerals, micas, hornblendes, pyroxene and Fe-Mn micro-nodules. Terrigenous minerals are mainly derived from China's mainland and do not exceed 17°N; and autogenetic minerals and volcanogenic minerals have a great influence on the sedimentation of this sub-zone; autogenetic mineral province(Ⅱ), mineral assemblages are mainly is Fe-Mn micro-nodules, whose material provenances are weathering product of in situ seamount and erupting materials of in-situ ongoing small-scale volcanoes; volcanogenic mineral province (Ⅲ), mineral assemblage mainly include hornblendes, pyroxenes and micas subordinately.