Sediment distribution and subsurface mapping of Setiu Wetlands, Setiu, Terengganu

Abstract

Study was carried out around the lagoon and coastal area of Setiu Wetlands in order to determine the general characteristics and grain-size distribution. Sediment samples were collected from 39 stations of lagoon area and 8 stations of coastal area. The mean size ranged between 0.06 to 2.52 0 and 2.12 to 2.69 0 for both the lagoon and coastal sea-bottom sediments respectively. Generally, the sediments in the study area consist mostly of coarse to fine particles. The major portions of the sediment are negatively skewed. This indicates that the study area is under the influence of rather strong wave and current action. This study which also combined with the geophysical survey was conducted near the coastal zone of the study area. High resolution seismic sub-bottom profiling technique is the standard method employed to map geological features and locate structures below the surface of the seafloor. Data obtained from seismic records were used to interpret the seismic reflectors. The seismic interpretation considered three main reflectors (layers) and distributed with uniform pattern in all stations. The first layer is the seabed consists of fine sand, while the second layer consists mainly of medium sand. The third layer can be defined as the seabed multiple. This survey provided geological information with high horizontal and vertical resolution of the study area. By using this system hopefully, could be an effective way to image the marine subsurface structures and can be used in the higher degrees of sedimentary research and marine resource exploration