Morphological, sedimentological and hydrogeochemical studies of sabkhas in Southern Kuwait

Abstract

Sabkhas are one of the various types of Quaternary sediments covering appreciable areas of the surface of Kuwait. They are part of a landform sequence extending from the shoreline, with barrier islands or dunes, through a lagoon before truly terrestrial systems are reached. Sabkha surfaces are extremely flat and often extend for 15 or 20 km. The sabkha deposits are essentially composed of quartz sand of variable sizes, mixed with carbonate mud and scattered crystals of gypsum, covered by salts and gypsum that are formed after rainy seasons. Some of these sabkhas are bare of vegetation, and others are vegetated. Due to the nature and mode of occurrence, sabkhas are classified into two types: coastal and inland sabkhas. The surfaces of inland sabkhas are partially covered by active sand sheets caused by northwesterly winds forming blankets of variable thicknesses. The aim of this study is to identify the coastal and inland sabkhas and to study the differences in their environments by identifying the main morphological, sedimentological, and hydrogeochemical features of these sabkhas.