Textural characteristics of sediments and the distribution of heavy minerals in the coastal region between Sipasurabil and Bramhagiri, east coast of Odisha, India

Abstract

This study focuses on the textural characteristics of beach sand, specifically examining the lighter mineral group quartz, and the total heavy minerals in the coastal deposits from Sipasurubili to Brahmagiri in Odisha. The research area spans 3 kilometres along the coast and 1 kilometre in width. Samples were collected during three different seasons from the shoreline, backshore, frontal dune, central dune, and back dune. These samples were analysed using several statistical parameters, including graphical mean grain size, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis, to assess the sedimentary characteristics. Findings indicate that the graphical analysis of sediment grain sizes from Sipasurubili to the Brahmagiri coast, specifically from shore to back dune sand samples collected during autumn, summer, and winter, suggests that the graphical mean size for beach sand and quartz is nearly equivalent. In contrast, the observations regarding heavy minerals differ. The heavy minerals observed are ilmenite, rutile, sillimanite, garnet, zircon and monazite. Skewness analysis demonstrates that quartz particles exhibit a highly skewed distribution across all seasons of quartz and heavy mineral concentration. Furthermore, the particle distribution of heavy minerals shows similar skewness in both autumn and summer, in contrast to the distribution observed during the winter season across various concentration zones. It has been noted that quartz displays a mesokurtic distribution, while total heavy minerals exhibit both mesokurtic and platykurtic characteristics, particularly during the summer season.