Magnetic susceptibility of surface sediment in the Tallo tributary of Makassar city

Abstract

Activities along the tributary of the Tallo river cause discoloration and unpleasant odors in the river water. This condition indicates that the river was polluted by anthropogenic waste. Therefore, a scientific study was conducted to determine the environmental conditions of the Tallo tributary through a preliminary study of the mineral characteristics of the surface sediments based on magnetic susceptibility data. The surface sediment was taken and its magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried out, followed by the interpretation of mineral types, element content, the presence of superparamagnetic minerals, and magnetic grains. The results showed that the minerals contained in the sediment samples were predominantly ferrimagnetic. The elemental content of the sediment samples indicated that Fe, Mn, and Cr were classified as heavy metals. Traces of the presence of superparamagnetic minerals show almost none. Meanwhile, the magnetic susceptibility values at low and high frequencies are identical, indicating that the grains contained in the sediment samples are multi-domain (MD), where the dominant magnetic minerals come from anthropogenic minerals.