The Khanik River, located 35 km from this city, is one of the intermittent rivers that flow through the southern highlands of Gonabad and is particularly important. In comparison to the values of the upper continental crust (UCC), the sediments of the Khanik River exhibit a lack of the major oxides CaO and P2O5, while displaying a high concentration of the significant oxides Fe2O3, TiO2, and MnO. Furthermore, larger amounts of the major oxides Fe2O3 and TiO₂ are present. The index of alkali metals (Na2O + K2O) was used to quantify the amount of feldspar in the sediments. The sediments of the Khanik River include oxides and elements derived from mafic rocks, as shown by the positive correlation between titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zirconium (Zr). The source rock of these sediments is an island arc because of the ratio of K2O and Na2O, together with low SiO2 values.

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